Jon's Wildlife Trips

It is this time of the year again and I am taking you on a journey into a world of cuteness where not carrying your camera will not be allowed.
LET'S GO SEE THE BABY SEALS!
ATTENTION, BOOKINGS WILL CLOSE A WEEK BEFORE DEPARTURE AND IT IS ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS as this trip is limited to 12 people.
Due to the popularity of this trip I have decided to do it again.
Norfolk is THE place where you can see one of Britain's most fantastic show; the grey seal breeding season.
Norfolk holds the world's two largest Atlantic grey seals colonies and I am taking you there. You will be able to observe at often just a couple of metres away the 7000 seals that come to these sandy beaches every year to give birth to those gorgeous white furry creatures.
You will not get enough of it, believe me.
We will be able to observe seals of every ages from the tiny few hours old white pups, to the full fat adolescents and up to the big males who weight hundreds of kilos and who will be fighting a bit further down on the sand. Volunteers will be there to answer all our questions and to keep us from getting too close to those beautiful creatures, often unsuccessfully as those cubs being of a curious nature will approach us often far too close to inspect us.
The seals will be the highlight of or trip but will not be our only journey as we will hike the dunes of Norfolk which are home to a pair of barn owl and where shorties spend the winter.
We meet at 08.00 am at Liverpool Street station, and off we go, we should be back in London by 9.30pm.
Due to other commitments, I can only do this one trip to Norfolk this year so book your spot asap if you want to see the cutie balls of fur.
As always we will grab a meal at the end of the trip before we head back to London with a few hundred photos. I have a professional camera and will share it with you.
We will not rush for this trip, we will stop for plenty of photos so if you are coming for a hardcore hike I would not recommend.
There are no dogs allowed on this trip I am afraid for obvious reasons.
Attention, this is a whole day out, we should be back after 9pm, I cannot change the train time.
TRANSPORT:
VIA train and bus (about 3 hours)
COST:
£ 75
I tried to keep it as cheap as possible but the train prices went up as well as buses and in this case my costs too.
The fee is refundable up to 2 weeks before departure and non-refundable after that, but you may resell and you can try to find someone to take your place.
INCLUDED:
Guided hike
Fast train to Norfolk and back and a short bus journey
A great time with lovely people
NOT INCLUDED:
Food and drinks
Anything not mentioned above
WHAT TO BRING:
Waterproof shoes for the hike, preferably hiking shoes, otherwise good trainers
Weather appropriate clothes
Water bottle;
MEETING POINT:
Liverpool Street Station. At 7am
A WHATSAPP GROUP WILL BE CREATED A FEW DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE WITH MORE INFO.
ATTENTION:
Our trips will not be cancelled due to weather conditions so please ensure that you do wear and carry appropriate clothing. 😄
POLICIES:
1: This group is designed for the pleasure and enjoyment of all of us, we do not accept any derogatory comments or behaviours towards anyone. Racism, discrimination and other unacceptable behaviours will only lead to your rejection to any of our trips and this without exception. Everyone is welcome, we have religious and non-religious people, gay, straight, bisexual people, all shades and colours or nationality, people of all ages, sex and political believes and mutual respect is the fundamental spirit of this group.
2: Our trips are only refundable up to 14 days before departure, if you wish to cancel after that, you will be offered a transfer to another trip for the same price or you may resell your slot to somebody else.
3: If we do cancel the entirety of the trip on our side, you will be fully refunded
4:In the eventuality that our trains are delayed, or cancelled which is out of my control, I do not pay for taxis or alternative route, if this happens, you will be able to claim delay repay from the train companies who will reimburse your train ticket and some eventual costs occurred. By signing up to my events, you agree to this.

SHOW YOUR INTEREST BY CLICKING 'ATTEND' THIS DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE BOOKED IN, BUT THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE TRIP.
THE DATE WILL NOT BE THESE EXACT DATES BUT AROUND THAT TIME.
I had a dream, that 1 beautiful childhood dream; Wild Africa and its most fantastic wildlife. Sometimes you realise your biggest dream and you think that, that's it now, or you get disappointed or maybe that the child version of you dreamed big and it isn't that exciting?
But no, no mate, not at all, this is not the case for this dream I have realised for my 40th birthday... The joy, the excitement, the fear of looking nature right in the eyes, in some way, exceeded my expectation to a level that you cannot even imagine. I didn't know that I was able to resent such happiness, that all my problems could simply, vanish.
The 5 years old me has come back from the past and has had the greatest joy he has ever had in his life. My trip was so fabulous, that only a few days after coming back to the UK, I am already planning this trip again next year as I want to share it with my beloved hikers.
Your Jon'strails Safari is now on route!
A Safari isn't just a visit to a wildlife reserve, you do not just watch, you live it, fully, in the great outdoor, even just the main Kruger National Park area is larger than 2/3 of my country, that is without counting the many greater Kruger areas .
Wait until you are 2 meters away from a family of lions, or if you are as lucky as I was, from a leopard mother and her cub, from 2 brothers cheetah or on your wild campsite at night, having to walk back to your tent keeping an eye out, because the hyenas visit on a daily basis after diner along with porcupines, bush babies, velvet monkeys, and you will find out in the morning, leopards and cheetahs who will have left tracks ouside your luxury tent... you don't need to worry, it is safe as long as you follow basic camp rules. Keep your tent closed at all time, do not walk around alone at night and stick to the camp perimeter. I can assure you that hearing Sekekema, one of the largest lions in the country calling from a distance at night isn't scary, it is somehow some sort of a primeval excitement that you will never forget.
I would not say the same about being awaken by a bush baby tapping your head from behind the tent, after hearing the hyenas right there a couple of hours earlier... I have to admit that I freaked out. But hey, you cannot be angry at them as you look at those big eyes...
The Safari will be the highlight of our trip, but not the only one, we will first begin our South African trip in one of the most beautiful cities one Earth; Cape Town... Frankly, my dad was worried about me visiting this marvel and I did not feel unsafe once! Of course, I stuck to basic safety rules and stayed in the Old town and the Waterfront area, and let me tell you something, never have I ever seen such a clean city in all of my travels! It is sparly, it mixes old and new, colours, incredible music and dancers, wonderful people, delicious food and it smells so good!
We will spend a few days visiting the best Cape town has to offer, First, Kirstenbosch botanical garden, if you are into your plants and birds and mongooses and apes, and stunning landscapes, this will be paradise on Earth for you.
We will then travel to, about an hour from the city for a walk to witness the whales migration, best place on Earth to see these gentle giants from the land. After that,
I will give you a couple of days of Freedom to plan whatever you would like to plan in the area. We will call these days, 'Mama Jon's and Jonions freedom days'. You can either get some rest, hike the table mountains or why not arrange a day at the beach.
And then the rest, the wine the food, the music, the art , the beach,... We are out for a great time with some of the most fantastic people I know, my Jonions. So come and join us for the trip of a lifetime!
I will of course provide the photos afterwards. If you know me, you know how I love my photographies, the bellow photos have all been made by my goodself on this trip.
TIMETABLE:
DAY 1: We take a morning flight and make our way to Cape town, flight could be as cheap as £600 return if booked in advance, I am hoping to have the same direct flight I took on this holiday. ( About 10-11 hours)
We Check in into our hotel in City bowl, this is a small 3 stars hotel which I adore. You will have your own little modern studio and there is a small swimming pool on the rooftop with a view of the table mountain you cannot even imagine.
DAY2: Kirstenbosch Botanical garden walk. Lots of walking will be involved
DAY3: The Whales migration trip
DAYS 4&5: Mama Jon and Jonions freedom days.
DAY6: Fly to Johannesburg airport and rest in a nice little hotel nearby with a swimming pool before our 4 am pick up.
DAY7: Pick up from the airport and drive 5 hours to Greater Kruger with 2 short stops. We will drop our luggage and go for a 3 hours sunset drive in our luxury tent ( It is the size of a hotel room with a private bathroom and 2 comfy beds, toiletries, daily cleaning, everything else you need with mosquito net, although I did not see 1 mosquito on my trip .)
We will then go for a 3 hours sunset drive in a private game reserve to train and spot the big 5 and the less big 400 species who live around us...
ATTENTION: Breakfast and diner are included while on Safari, they do provide vegetarian food and I can check for gluten free. Please also bring some spare snacks. Drinks are sold on site and you will have the opportunity to buy more daily in some reserve shops. More details will be given.
DAYS 8&9: The big Kruger safari days.
DAYS7&10: Various visits that I have not yet chosen. Probably the waterfalls and bluemountains.
DAY 11: Return to Johannesburg airport for our flights back. We should be back around 6pm, so book your flight accordingly or book a flight for the next day and a hotel.
DETAILS:
PRICE: I still have to make it up, but it should be around £2000 per person. This is part of a package, I cannot remove any activity or anything else from the price to make things easier for everyone.
INCLUDED IN PRICE:
- Airport transfers in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
- Ubers and transports to my planned activities
- Entry to Kirstenbosch botanical gardens
- Whales watching day trip
- Visit of Cape town City bowl and Waterfront
- Transport to and from Kruger National park via a small bus
- 1 evening Sunset big 5 game drive
- 2 days Kruger safari
- 2 extra days of activities in Kruger
- 5 night stay in Cape town
- The safari in a luxury tent, probably at SEKEMEMA tented camp, I haven't chosen yet
- Breakfast and diner at the tented camp for 4 days, as well as 1 breakfast and 1 diner upon arrival and departure
- 1 night in hotel at Kempton park
- My costs and fees( Flight ticket, hotel, safari, food,...)
- 1 glass of wine a night on the Safari and another on the first night
NOT INCLUDED IN PRICE:
- Flights, you will need 1 flight from London to Cape Town, 1 flight from Cape town to Johannesburg OR Tambo airport and 1 flight from Johannesburg back to London. ( I Paid about £700 for the 3 flights)
- food, except the breakfasts and diners on the safari as described
(Food and drinks are extremely cheap in SA, I ate well for £1-5 per meal, or you can have a feest for £10. A bottle of tasty wine is about £3 on average...)
- Extra activities you might want to do on days 4&5 or any other extra activities you might want to do.
- Travel insurance: You must have 1, you will not be allowed to travel without it.
- Extras
- Tips to the guides ( About £1-5 a day, but it is not obligatory)
- Anything not mentioned in the ' Included in price section.
By signing up to my events, you agree to the following.
- I, Jonathan Henrotay, am not liable would anything happen to you on the trip.
- You agree to follow the safety rules that I, and the safari staff will ask you to follow during the whole duration of the trip.
- You will have a travel insurance covering the entirety of the trip.
- you must have booked and paid for the trip 30 days before departure, refunds are only possible up to 30 days before the departure date. After that, your travel insurance will cover the cost.
- you are responsible for your own dietary requirements, allergies, medications,...
- from time to time, some activities or day trips my be changed or cancelled last minute, due to weather conditions, various issues or sub-contractor. If this is the case, I (Jonathan Henrotay) will find another activity to do instead in the best of my capacity and if possible.
- Your tent must be closed at all time, you must not wander around the camp, especially at night, and you must not wander around alone, if you do, ask the guard, Sekekama are inside a national park with potentially dangerous wild animals roaming free, all these animals are completely wild, they have not been introduced and will attack if you get too close.
- I must know you before you sign up for the trip, so you will need to join a couple of hikes before booking, no exception.
- you also agree that you are coming for a good time, we are all here to relax and experience one of the most fantastic experience of a lifetime, if you cause problems, or create a bad atmosphere, you will not be taking care in any of the activities. If you do so, you will loose your right to everything that is included in the price.
- You are liable to pay for anything you would break in the hotel or camp.
- This is a wildlife trip, I cannot garanti any animal species, I do not know how many whales we are going to see, nature will decide for us. I don't know how many of the big five, but this is one of the greatest places on Earth, so I would not worry too much...