Big 5, Little 5, 105!
You’ve heard about the Big 5, right? Many people, when they first come to Africa on safari, often seem to be on a mission to see the Big 5: Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Buffalo, and Rhino – as if there are no other animals in the bush that matter! No doubt about it, these are all amazing, iconic African animals to see in their natural habitat. Well, and giraffes. And zebras. Cheetahs too. Wildebeest and antelopes. Not to forget hippos and crocodiles. Or hyenas and painted dogs. The list is endless!
But have you heard of the Little 5? They’re all real, except much smaller and each of them shares a Big 5 name. There’s the Ant Lion, Elephant Shrew, Leopard Tortoise, Buffalo Weaver and Rhino Beetle. Here’s the thing. Wildlife guides ‘invented’ the Little 5 as a way of showing their guests that there is so much more to a safari than the Big 5. See the Little 5, and many more species too, and you’ll be well on the way to understanding the true wonders of nature and the real reason to come to Africa on safari.
On our Tasimba safaris, our guests get to see and experience so much more than the Big 5 (or even the Little 5!). Hwange National Park where our camp, Linkwasha, is situated, is home to one of the greatest diversities of mammal species in the whole of Africa: about 105, give or take. Add to that 400 species of birds and countless fascinating critters of nature, like dung beetles and termites, and you start to appreciate just how much more there is to see and learn than your bucket list Big 5.
In our week-long Tasimba experience, we have the time to sit in our vehicles, at the hides or on the deck in camp and just watch. We may see an elephant family playing at the waterhole, zebra grazing on the endless plains, lions panting in the hot sun under the leafy branches of an acacia tree or baboon juveniles wrestling each other off a termite mound.
This is the Tasimba way: we slow down, take time, see more, hear more – and are more amazed!
It’s in this extraordinary environment with unbelievable and plentiful sightings that you will realize what an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime experience your Tasimba safari is, far more profound than just seeing the Big 5.
Intrigued? Why not join us?
