A safari (/səˈfɑːri/; from Swahili safari 'journey' originally from Arabic safar 'to journey') is an overland journey to observe or hunt wild animals, especially in East Africa.[1][2][3] The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an important part of the safari market, both for wildlife viewing and big-game hunting.[4]
The Swahili word safari means "journey", originally from the Arabic noun سفر, safar, meaning "journey",[5] "travel", "trip", or "tour"; the verb for "to travel" in Swahili is kusafiri. These words are used for any type of journey, e.g., by bus from Nairobi to Mombasa or by ferry from Dar es Salaam to Unguja. Safari entered the English language at the end of the 1850s thanks to explorer Richard Francis Burton.[6]
The Regimental March of the King's African Rifles was "Funga Safari", literally 'set out on a journey', or, in other words, pack up equipment ready for travel.
Funga safari, funga safari. Funga safari, funga safari. Amri ya nani? Amri ya nani? Amri ya Bwana Kapteni, Amri ya KAR.
Which is, in English:
Set out on a journey, Set out on a journey. On whose orders? On whose orders? On the order of the boss captain, On the order of the KAR.
On Kenya's independence from the United Kingdom, "Funga Safari" was retained as the Regimental March of the Kenya Rifles, the successor to the KAR.
The origins of safari can be traced back to the first arrivals of Europeans and Arabs in Africa, long before the colonization era, but the big history of it began in the 19th century, when academic and economic interest to Africa increased in Western society, and technological advances and medicine (most notably the discovery of quinine as a remedy against malaria) allowed foreigners to step up deep into the continent safely enough. These expeditions established the concept of safari-style travel. While the goal of most was geographical discovery, the search for minerals and new routes of communication, others were primarily aimed at hunting animals, and elephant tusks at the first.[7]
In 1836, William Cornwallis Harris led an expedition to observe and record wildlife and landscapes. Harris established the safari style of journey, starting with a not-too-strenuous rising at first light, an energetic day walking, an afternoon rest, and concluding with a formal dinner and telling stories in the evening over drinks and tobacco.[8] The hunting aspect traditionally associated with the safari is said to have its origins in the early 17th century in the region of Évora, Alentejo, where villagers got together to hunt wild boar and reclaim land for farming.[citation needed]
The firm of Newland & Tarlton Ltd (founded 1904) pioneered luxury tented safaris.[9]
Jules Verne's first novel Five Weeks in a Balloon published in 1863 and H. Rider Haggard's first novel King Solomon's Mines published in 1885, both describe journeys of English travellers on safari and were best sellers in their day. These two books gave rise to a genre of Safari adventure novels and films.[citation needed]
Ernest Hemingway wrote several fiction and nonfiction pieces about African safaris. His short stories "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" are set on African safaris and were written after Hemingway's own experience on safari. His books Green Hills of Africa and True at First Light are both set on African safaris.
The safari provided countless hours of cinema entertainment in sound films from Trader Horn (1931) onwards. The safari was used in many adventure films such as the Tarzan, Jungle Jim, and Bomba the Jungle Boy film series up to The Naked Prey (1965) where Cornel Wilde, a white hunter, becomes game himself. The safari genre films were parodied in the Bob Hope comedies Road to Zanzibar and Call Me Bwana. A short 15-minute helicopter safari was shown in Africa Addio, where clients are armed, flown from their hotel, and landed in front of an unlucky and baffled elephant. Out of Africa has Karen Blixen and famous hunter Denys Finch Hatton travelling, with Denys refusing to abandon home comforts using fine china and crystal, and listening to Mozart recordings over the gramophone while on safari trip.
The safari style originated from British officers and the jackets worn during their campaigns in Africa.[10] There is a particular theme or style associated with the word, which includes khaki clothing, belted bush jackets, pith helmets or slouch hats, and animal skin patterns. Pith helmet was initially worn by the British military in the tropics and was adopted as streetwear between 1870 and 1950.[11] Condé Nast Traveler describes safari jackets as, "crisp drill cotton with pockets, buttons, epaulets, belt", and a part of Kenyan colonial style.[11]
Theodore Roosevelt was "outfitted" in safari-style by his friend Lord Cranworth during his post-presidential safari trip from 1909 to 1910.[12] Lord Cranworth ran Newland & Tarlton, a luxury safari outfitter credited with creating safari-style clothing.[13] Other sources state Roosevelt was outfitted by Willis & Geiger in 1908.[14] Roosevelt carried British style rifles produced by Holland & Holland or Westley Richards, as did other safari attendees such as Ernest Hemingway.[11] Safari-style jackets have been worn by Hemingway as well as Hollywood celebrities like Grace Kelly and Johnny Weissmuller, and they remain a part of contemporary fashion.[11]
In the 2005 spring/summer edition of British Vogue, an article titled "World Vision: the grown-up approach to global style" featured haute safari style clothing.[15] Contemporary American public figures such as Melania Trump have worn safari fashion. Mrs. Trump wore a safari-style dress and jackets during her 2018 trip to Africa.[16] On this trip Mrs. Trump went on a safari in Kenya, she wore a pith helmet. Some have criticized the choice as evoking colonial ideals.[16] In 2014, Harper's Bazaar announced trend alerts featuring animal prints and a “safari sleek" style.[17] Couture designers in their 2015 fashion shows featured variations of safari-style in their collections. Designer Yang Lei featured a silk safari-style evening gown in his Spring/Summer collection during Paris Fashion Week.[18] Alexander Wang's collection focused on a variety of white shirts, including a safari-style white shirt dress.[19] The New York Times described designer Alberta Ferretti's 2015 daywear collection as "safari-sleek".[20]
In John Molloy's history of the leisure suit, he details that safari-style originated from British Officers wearing their uniforms outside military uses as "a status symbol, but only in casual settings."[21] Molloy stated in 1975 that it continues to be a form of casual menswear.[10] Alternatively, in Malindi Kenya, professional wear in the 1990s included safari-style clothing.[22] Yves Saint Laurent's 1967 Africa collection featured the "Saharienne" safari jacket.[23] In later collections, Yves Saint Laurent produced an iconic safari top.[23] According to Harper's Bazaar, the collection was "a fantasy of primitive genius."[24] On the other hand, differing fashion historians believe He had the gift of borrowing from one culture without being condescending to the other.[24]
The term safari chic arose after the release of the film Out of Africa.[25] It included not only clothing but also interior design and architecture.[26] Safari-style interiors feature African decor,[27] various hues of brown, natural materials,[28] animal print furniture, rugs and wallpaper.[29] In 2005 Architectural Digest released a list of luxurious safari camps.[30] Newland, Tarlton & Co. Furniture Collection, creates luxury safari-style furniture in featured safari camps, hotels and private homes.[31] Safari fashion also extends to fragrance collections by American designer Ralph Lauren; The Safari fragrance created in 1990 was advertised as "a floral aroma with a light breeze scented by grasses, freedom, and the romance of vast open spaces."[32]
Media related to Safari at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of safari at Wiktionary
African flora and fauna travel guide from Wikivoyage
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Sandboarding is a boardsport and extreme sport[1] similar to snowboarding that involves riding down a sand dune while standing on a board, with both feet strapped in. Sand sledding can also be practised sitting down or lying on the belly or the back. It typically involves a sand sled, although it is also somewhat possible to use snow sleds or snowboards. The invention of modern sandboarding is largely attributed to Lon Beale, aka 'Doctor Dune', who began sandboarding in 1972 in California's Mojave Desert.
Sandboarding has adherents throughout the world, but is most prevalent in desert areas or coastal areas with beach dunes. It is less popular than snowboarding, partly because it is very difficult to build a mechanised ski lift on a sand dune, meaning participants must climb or ride a dune buggy or all-terrain vehicle back to the top of the dune. On the other hand, dunes are normally available year-round as opposed to ski resorts, which are seasonal.
The sandboard base is much harder than a snowboard, and is built mostly out of formica or laminex with special base materials now being made, that will slide on wet and dry sand. To glide in the sand, the board bottom is often waxed, usually with a paraffin-based sandboard wax, before a run. Afterwards, the bottom of the board may have a lightly sanded look to it. Most terrain sandboards are composed of hardwood ply, while 'full-size' sandboards are a wood, fiber glass, and plastic composite. However, a snowboarding base will sometimes work on steeper dunes as well.[2]
Sandboarding is practised worldwide, with locations available on every continent except Antarctica. The World's Greatest Sandboarding Destinations lists sandboarding destinations in over 65 territories.[3]
Sand boarding or sand sliding (Hawaiian: heʻe one) was a favourite beach pastime on the islands throughout the first half of the 20th century including the outbreak of World War II.[4]
Drorbamidbar has sandboarding in Israel at Negev Desert not far from Ashalim in Ramat HaNegev.
Little Sahara on Kangaroo Island in South Australia is a sand dune system roughly covering two square kilometres (0.77 sq mi). The highest dune is approximately 70 metres (230 ft) above sea level.
Lucky Bay, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Kalbarri, in Western Australia, is another sandboarding hotspot. Sandboarding Tours are offered in the area.
The Stockton dunes, 2.3 hours north from Sydney. Stockton Bight Sand Dunes system is up to one kilometre (0.62 mi), 32 kilometres (20 mi) long, and covers an area of over 4,200 hectares (10,000 acres; 42,000,000 m2). The massive sand dunes climb up to 40 metres (130 ft) high. Located only minutes from the centre of Nelson Bay, it is the largest sand dune system in Australia.[5]
Sandboarding sites in Egypt include the Great Sand Sea near Siwa Oasis واحة سيوة in Egypt's Western Desert, the Qattaniya القطانية sand dunes (1.5 h drive on/off-road from Cairo), El Safra الصفراء and Hadudah هدودة dunes midway between Dahab and St. Catherine in Sinai.
Namibia features sand-skiing, which is similar to sandboarding, performed with skis instead of a board. Most of the sand-skiing is performed in the Namib desert dunes around Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. With a special permit it is sometimes possible to sand-ski at the world's highest dunes in Sossusvlei.[6] Henrik May, a German living in Namibia for some 10 years, set a Guinness World Record in speed sand-skiing on 6 June 2010. He reached a speed of 92.12 km/h (57.24 mph).[7]
After some pioneers like Derek Bredenkamp who boarded Swakopmund around 1974, commercial operators in South Africa began offering sandboarding to tourists in 1994.[8] In 2000 the Sandboarding South Africa league was established. Between 2002 and 2004 the South African Sandboarding League held competitions on the Matterhorn Dune located between Swakopmund and Walvis bay. Competition events included dual slalom, boarder cross and big air events. In 2005 and 2006 Alter Action held sandboarding competitions at Matterhorn but the competitions no longer formed part of the South African Sandboarding League during those years. The league collapsed, then the sport was revived again in 2007 with weekly sandboarding sessions in and around Cape Town and Gauteng.
Sand Master Park, located in Florence, Oregon is a dedicated sandboarding park and the first of its kind, featuring 200 acres (81 ha; 810,000 m2) of sculpted sand dunes and a full-time pro shop. Dune Riders International is the governing body for competitive sandboarding worldwide and sanctions events each season at Sand Master Park and around the world. Sand Master Park is also the factory outlet for the largest sandboard company in the world, Venomous Sandboards.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, near Kanab, Utah, permits sandboarding on roughly 2,000 acres of sand dunes within its boundaries.[9] Utah also contains sand dunes near Salt Lake City, Lake Powell, and Moab. Additionally, the company Slip Face Sandboards is based in Provo, Utah.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve near Alamosa, Colorado has sandboarding on what it calls the tallest dunes in North America.[10] Sandboarding and skiing are permitted anywhere on the dunefield away from vegetated areas.[11][12]
Peru is known for having large sand dunes in Ica, some reaching up to 2 km (1.2 miles). Duna Grande in Ica is the largest sand dune in the world. The Copa Sandboarding Perú (Peru – Sandboarding Cup) has been held near Paracas every year since 2009. Since 2017 the Sandboard World Cup is hosted in the region of Ica by InterSands.[13] There are also great dunes near the capital city (Lima) in Chilca.
In Chile, sandboarding is practiced throughout the north of the country, including the Medanoso dunes in Copiapo (where the Dakar rally takes place), Puerto Viejo beach in Caldera, excellent dunes in Iquique, and some near Viña del Mar.
Nicaragua is home to Cerro Negro, the youngest volcano in Central America. Since it has steep slopes and volcanic sand, it is possible to sandboard down this active volcano.
A rather small sand mountain is the Monte Kaolino in Hirschau, Germany. Equipped with a 120-metre (390 ft) lift, it was the host of the annual Sandboarding World Championships until 2007.
The Dune of Pilat in France is an hours' drive from Bordeaux; it is the tallest dune in Europe, measuring 3 kilometres across, 500 metres wide and between 100 and 115 metres tall depending on the year.[14]
Amothines is a small desert five kilometres (3 mi) from Katalakkos village in Limnos, Greece. There are many sand dunes there, where people can practice sandboarding.
Wales is home to the village of Merthyr Mawr that is 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) from the town of Bridgend, the village is close to a beach and it is home to the "Big Dipper", the second largest sand dune in Europe.[15]
Holywell, Cornwall is also home to a beach with a complex of sand dunes; in the summer and during peak times, local shops that cater for beach goers also sell sandboards.
The Braunton Burrows sand dunes on the Devon coast, was the filming location for where Alex Bird became the first sandboarder to be towed by a car on British shores.[16]
In the North East region of the United Kingdom, there is a small beach at Seaton Sluice where people can sandboard. This is a good alternative to sledding, as there is insufficient snow to support sledding there, even though the UK has a rather cold climate, with chilly winters and cool summers.
Sandboarding in Russia began to develop and popularize in the village of Shoyna in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Local entrepreneur and public figure Fedor Shirokiy is a pioneer in this development. The Shoyna sand dunes are located above the Arctic Circle, offering a unique opportunity to master this sport in the extreme Arctic conditions.
| Arabian Desert ٱلصَّحْرَاء ٱلْعَرَبِيَّة |
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Desert near Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
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Map of the Arabian Desert ecoregion
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| Realm | Palearctic |
| Biome | deserts and xeric shrublands |
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| Area | 1,855,470[1] km2 (716,400 mi2) |
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| Conservation status | critical/endangered[2] |
| Protected | 4.368%[1] |
The Arabian Desert (Arabic: ٱلصَّحْرَاء ٱلْعَرَبِيَّة) is a vast desert wilderness in West Asia that occupies almost the entire Arabian Peninsula with an area of 2,330,000 square kilometers (900,000 sq mi).[3] It stretches from Yemen to the Persian Gulf and Oman to Jordan and Iraq. It is the fourth largest desert in the world and the largest in Asia. At its center is Ar-Rub' al-Khali (The Empty Quarter), one of the largest continuous bodies of sand in the world. It is an extension of the Sahara Desert.[4]
Gazelles, oryx, sand cats, and spiny-tailed lizards are just some of the desert-adapted species that survive in this extreme environment, which features everything from red dunes to deadly quicksand. The climate is mostly dry (the major part receives around 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain per year, but some very rare places receive as little as 50 mm), and temperatures oscillate between very high heat and seasonal night time freezes. It is part of the deserts and xeric shrublands biome and lie in biogeographical realms of the Palearctic (northern part) and Afrotropical (southern part).
The Arabian Desert ecoregion has little biodiversity, although a few endemic plants grow here. Many species, such as the striped hyena, jackal and honey badger, have died out as a result of hunting, habitat destruction, overgrazing by livestock, off-road driving, and human encroachment on their habitat. Other species, such as the Arabian sand gazelle, have been successfully re-introduced and are protected at reserves.
The desert lies mostly in Saudi Arabia and covers most of the country. It extends into neighboring southern Iraq, southern Jordan, central Qatar, most of the Abu Dhabi emirate in the United Arab Emirates, western Oman, and northeastern Yemen. The ecoregion also includes most of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt and the adjacent Negev desert in southern Israel.[1]
The Rub' al-Khali desert is a sedimentary basin stretching along a south-west to north-east axis across the Arabian Shelf.[5] At an altitude of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), rock landscapes yield to the Rub' al-Khali, a vast stretch of sand whose extreme southern point crosses the center of Yemen. The sand overlies gravel or gypsum plains and the dunes reach maximum heights of up to 250 m (820 ft). The sands are predominantly silicates, composed of 80 to 90% quartz and the remainder feldspar, whose iron oxide-coated grains color the sands orange, purple, and red.
A corridor of sandy terrain known as the Ad-Dahna desert connects the An-Nafud desert (65,000 km2 or 40,389 square miles) in the north of Saudi Arabia to the Rub' al-Khali in the south-east.[citation needed] The Tuwaiq escarpment is an 800 km (500 mi) arc that includes limestone cliffs, plateaus, and canyons.[citation needed] There are brackish salt flats, including the quicksands of Umm al Samim.[2] The Sharqiya Sands, formerly known as Wahiba Sands of Oman are an isolated sand sea bordering the east coast.[6][7]
The Arabian Desert has a subtropical, hot desert climate, similar to the climate of the Sahara Desert (the world's largest hot desert). The Arabian Desert is actually an extension of the Sahara Desert over the Arabian peninsula.
The climate is mainly dry. Most areas get around 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain per year. Unlike the Sahara Desert—more than half of which is hyperarid (having rainfall of less than 50 mm (2.0 in) per year)—the Arabian Desert has only a few hyperarid areas. These rare driest areas may get only 30 to 40 mm (1.6 in) of rain per year.
The Arabian Desert’s sunshine duration index is very high by global standards: between 2,900 hours (66.2% of daylight hours) and 3,600 hours (82.1% of daylight hours), but typically around 3,400 hours (77.6% of daylight hours). Thus clear-sky conditions with plenty of sunshine prevail over the region throughout the year, and cloudy periods are infrequent. Visibility at ground level is relatively low, despite the brightness of the sun and moon, because of dust and humidity.
Temperatures remain high year round. In the summer, in low-lying areas, average high temperatures are generally over 40 °C (104 °F). In extremely low-lying areas, especially along the Persian Gulf (near sea level), summer temperatures can reach 48 °C (118 °F). Average low temperatures in summer are typically over 20 °C (68 °F) and in the south can sometimes exceed 30 °C (86 °F). Record high temperatures above 50 °C (122 °F) have been reached in many areas of the desert, partly because its overall elevation is relatively low. [citation needed]
The Arabian Desert ecoregion has about 900 species of plants.[8] The Rub'al-Khali has very limited floristic diversity. There are only 37 plant species, 20 recorded in the main body of the sands and 17 around the outer margins. Of these 37 species, one or two are endemic. Vegetation is very diffuse but fairly evenly distributed, with some interruptions of near sterile dunes.[2] Some typical plants are Calligonum crinitum on dune slopes, Cornulaca arabica (saltbush), Salsola stocksii (saltbush), and Cyperus conglomeratus. Other widespread species are Dipterygium glaucum, Limeum arabicum, and Zygophyllum mandavillei. Very few trees are found except at the outer margin (typically Acacia ehrenbergiana and Prosopis cineraria). Other species are a woody perennial Calligonum comosum, and annual herbs such as Danthonia forskallii.[2]
There are 102 native species of mammals.[8] Native mammals include the Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), sand gazelle (Gazella marica), mountain gazelle (G. gazella), Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana), Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs), striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena), caracal (Caracal caracal), sand cat (Felis margarita), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and Cape hare (Lepus capensis).[2] The Asiatic cheetah[9] and Asiatic lion[10] used to live in the Arabian Desert. The ecoregion is home to 310 bird species.[8]
The area is home to several different cultures, languages, and peoples, with Islam as the predominant faith. The major ethnic group in the region is the Arabs, whose primary language is Arabic.
In the center of the desert lies Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, with more than 7 million inhabitants.[11] Other large cities, such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Kuwait City, lie on the coast of the Persian Gulf.
Natural resources available in the Arabian Desert include oil, natural gas, phosphates, and sulfur.[citation needed]
Threats to the ecoregion include overgrazing by livestock and feral camels and goats, wildlife poaching, and damage to vegetation by off-road driving.[2]
The conservation status of the desert is critical/endangered. In the UAE, the sand gazelle and Arabian oryx are threatened, and honey badgers, jackals, and striped hyaenas already extirpated.[2]
4.37% of the ecoregion is in protected areas.[1]
Saudi Arabia has established a system of reserves overseen by the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD).[2]
Protected areas in the United Arab Emirates include Al Houbara Protected Area (2492.0 km2), Al Ghadha Protected Area (1087.51 km2), Arabian Oryx Protected Area (5974.47 km2), Ramlah Protected Area (544.44 km2), and Al Beda'a Protected Area (417.0 km2).[12]
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Arabian Nights Tours Camp in Abu Dhabi, UAE, offers an immersive desert adventure experience. Located in the heart of the Arabian desert, the camp provides guests with a traditional Bedouin-style setting, complete with comfortable tents and authentic decor. Visitors can enjoy a range of activities, including dune bashing, camel rides, and sandboarding. The camp also features cultural entertainment such as belly dancing, henna painting, and traditional music. Guests are treated to a sumptuous buffet of Arabic cuisine under the stars, making for a memorable and picturesque desert experience. Arabian Nights Tours Camp combines adventure, culture, and relaxation in a stunning desert landscape.
Yes, Buggy Dubai is completely safe when operated by licensed professionals like Dune Buggy Rentals Dubai. We provide certified guides, safety briefings, helmets, and well-maintained vehicles with full insurance coverage. Safety is our top priority.
Buggy Dubai refers to exhilarating off-road dune buggy experiences in Dubai's Arabian Desert. It involves driving powerful vehicles like Polaris RZR and Can-Am Maverick across golden sand dunes, offering tourists and adventure seekers an unforgettable desert adventure.
Buggy Dubai prices start from AED 600 for a 2-seater Polaris RZR 1000cc, AED 800 for a 4-seater Polaris, and AED 999 for a 2-seater Can-Am Maverick X3. All packages include guided tours, unlimited mineral water, and safety equipment.
