Sight, sound or smell, which evokes African Safari the most?

[Kevin Peacocke]

I am blessed, as I hope you all are, to have all my senses working. Lets face it, when a situation arises where all three are triggered, there is little left to do but trigger a fourth, being taste, with a good Scotch or a cigar as you salute the champagne moment.
But lets just say for conversation sake that you are down on one or more, which remaining sense would you choose?
I am a smell person, a certain smell like a paraffin lamp takes me back 50 years, i sometimes close my eyes and recall an instance, or just wander in thought.
Which is the biggest trigger for you?

 

[cpr0312]

Sound!!! All the sounds of birds, wind blowing through the brush, and hearing animals walking around you.

The one sound that screams African safari for me is the sounds of the cape turtle dove. Whenever I watch a hunting show on tv, and hear the turtle dove, it always immediately takes me there!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I have to agree with @cpr0312, the doves. Fact is for me, those doves were my first non-zoo introduction to African wildlife. For Africans they may seem more of an annoyance, because they do make a racket. But sitting in the garden of the Afton house with a cigar and a Windhoek listening to them is one of my first memories. And of course it seems like those doves are everywhere. So yah, the sound of those birds takes me there every time.

 

[mark-hunter]

Smell!
Sweet, and sticky smell of Africa! With added traces of smell of smoke from camp fire on accacia tree firewood.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Smell!
Sweet, and sticky smell of Africa! With added traces of smell of smoke from camp fire on accacia tree firewood.

It's funny how that smell changes in the various countries. You don't notice the change so much when you drive, but when you fly and they swing open the door it hits you. When we flew from Johannesburg to Zanzibar you land in Stonetown and it is like stepping into a spice market, which I suppose it is!

 

[chashardy]

Lions roaring in the night.

 

[meigsbucks]

A tough choice...
Lions roaring at night. Death bellow of a buffalo. (Tie: I waited all my life to hear those sounds)

 

[slam8031]

Yes...lol
So I agree with hearing the doves and baboons and the wind in the trees...
The crispness of the air and the lack of humidity in the Limpopo in June-July compared to the conditions we left in South Carolina summer...
The expectation of what I might see around the next acacia tree ....the contrast of colors and red sand...
The smell of incredibly hard wood burning for the brai of Cape buffalo ...

so yes—-all the above!

 

[Firebird]

For me it’s the animals-walking into my basement and the mounts, skins, pictures. It all transports me back to the hills and trees and rocks and the meat on the fire and the accent of the ph and the grin of the tracker. The animals get me there

 

[sestoppelman]

Probably wood smoke. One thing I had on my first two safaris but not since was a classic tent camp. One of the normal things in a tent camp is water warmed in big drums and then brought to your tent in the morning and evening for washing up. That is perhaps the most memory inducing thing to me, I only need to imagine it and it takes me back.
Those hunts were in Masailand and the Okavango, two hunts I likely wont ever be able to repeat, sadly as they are the best of Africa.

 

[Hutch01]

The fish eagles I experienced on a Mozambique buffalo hunt. Our camp overlooked a lagoon and there was at least one pair that roosted high in a treetop and we listened to their calls for ten days. That was heavenly and is burned into memory!

 

[Royal27]

so yes—-all the above!

I agree. It's all of the above for me. I cant say that I have better memories of one over the other.

 

[Andrew Short]

Reading about all of these sights, sounds, and smells is beyond exciting. I find myself being very jealous of these experiences. For me, the experience of a hunt is the most important part and what I’m looking forward to the most.

 

[cls]

Totally agree, add in the death bellow while following up on your first cape Buffalo.

Sound!!! All the sounds of birds, wind blowing through the brush, and hearing animals walking around you.

The one sound that screams African safari for me is the sounds of the cape turtle dove. Whenever I watch a hunting show on tv, and hear the turtle dove, it always immediately takes me there!

 

[IdaRam]

All three for sure, but sight may be the least likely to “take me back”. The doves, baboons, guinea... those sounds take me there in a relaxed sort of way. The sawing of a leopard, or a lion complaining about his problems, well that takes me there in a different way
But smell may be the most powerful. It is simply intoxicating and wonderful. Well, except for the border crossing at Vic Falls on a busy day. That I can really do without

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Probably wood smoke. One thing I had on my first two safaris but not since was a classic tent camp. One of the normal things in a tent camp is water warmed in big drums and then brought to your tent in the morning and evening for washing up. That is perhaps the most memory inducing thing to me, I only need to imagine it and it takes me back.
Those hunts were in Masailand and the Okavango, two hunts I likely wont ever be able to repeat, sadly as they are the best of Africa.

Any pictures Sestoppelman?

 

[sestoppelman]

There are pix in my media on my profile. Also somewhere here is a story I wrote about my trip to the swamp in 1990.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

You have done a lot.

 

[Newboomer]

Sight and sound. The calls of wildlife, the rustle of breeze in the trees, hoofbeats, the bang whump of a well placed shot. Good conversation around a fire in the evening.
Sight of fresh tracks in the dust, that first glimpse of the quarry and a beautiful animal standing there. Admiring the horns and hide of a trophy on the ground.

 

[Wheels]

I am blessed, as I hope you all are, to have all my senses working. Lets face it, when a situation arises where all three are triggered, there is little left to do but trigger a fourth, being taste, with a good Scotch or a cigar as you salute the champagne moment.
But lets just say for conversation sake that you are down on one or more, which remaining sense would you choose?
I am a smell person, a certain smell like a paraffin lamp takes me back 50 years, i sometimes close my eyes and recall an instance, or just wander in thought.
Which is the biggest trigger for you?

You mention the paraffin lamps from 50 years ago. We must be around the same age. If I close my eyes I can smell the kerosene from those lamps. We bought kerosene in Debi (sp) cans and also used kerosene in our refrigerator and freezers.

The smell I remember most is when the pastoralists would burn the plains. For 2-3 months the smell of burning grass would fill the air. The sunsets were always amazing with the smoke.

The night sounds of hyena, leopard, lion and bushbaby. The evening and morning sounds of baboon, guinea, franklin and the cape collard dove.

The small village has grown up. Now, when I visit the old house, I am kept awake at night from the blasting music coming from the bars and pool halls across the highway. I am woken by the 6am Muslim morning call to prayer. Time does not improve all things.

Fortunately there are still wild spaces where we can regress to a simpler time. I too am blessed.