That Vegan Safari Guy JC de Klerk

Its Veganuary month, 

I am interviewing bestselling wellness author and motivational speaker and media personality, Mary-Ann Shearer, whose inspiring journey has made her a role model for resilience, authenticity and vitality.

Hailing from South Africa, Mary-Ann has circled the globe motivating thousands of audiences. Her wellness talks include: Finding the Balance, Taking Control, Sex, Drugs and Cinnamon Rolls, Get on Track, Losing Your Mind?, The Naked Truth about Health, Sneezing and Aching, Living the Abundant Life, Ageing Gracefully, Healthy Kids

Mary-Ann works with people and with organisations who want to maximise their health and productivity, save thousands of healthcare dollars, have better attitudes, and accomplish more on a daily basis.

Air Safaris 269 and That Vegan Safari Guy with Mary-Ann and her husband Mark Shearer, have scheduled a retreat called “Back to Your Roots” for June 2024, in the heart of an wilderness area called The Kavango–Zambezi Trans frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) which is the largest conservation area for wildlife in the world, spanning the international borders of five countries, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe in north eastern Namibia. The retreat will be with African Monarch lodges in the Bwabwata National Park. 

She is as excited as I am for this event, as we share the details of when and where you as the listener can book and spend time with this "healthy-lifestyle realist. 

The details will entice you to come to this unique area in africa. Wake up with elephants walking outside you room and rejuvenate and immerse yourself while you spending one on one time with this remarkable and inspiring woman who is on mission to change the world while working with people and with organisations who want to maximise their health and productivity, save thousands of healthcare dollars, have better attitudes, and accomplish more on a daily basis.

Websites for follow up, 

Retreat details,

https://airsafaris269.com/back-to-your-roots-retreat/

Mary-Ann Shearer details, 

www.wholeworldwell.com

www.youtube.com/@MARY-ANNSHEARER

Or, you can go to your favourite Podcast App and just search for “Mary-Ann on Health and Life”

In this episode Gert van Wyk took time out from his busy day to chat with me around an early morning coffee sharing his knowledge and insights on all things rocks, history and tourism and his love for this unique region in Namibia.



Onduli Ridge, named after the local giraffes, is situated at the base of two south-facing granite outcrops in central Damaraland, offering stunning views of Namibia’s highest mountain, the Brandberg, and majestic granite inselbergs.



Onduli Ridge is located on a private concession in the Doro !Nawas Conservancy in the heart of Damaraland, just 20 minutes away from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Twyfelfontein. It is also within a short distance of other geological attractions such as the Burnt Mountain, Organ Pipes and Doros Crater. The area is home to desert-adapted black rhino, desert elephant, giraffe and general plains game and predators such as cheetah, leopard, lion, spotted and brown hyena.



Onduli Ridge blends seamlessly into its magnificent surroundings. Its six suites are hidden among boulders and designed to blur the line between indoor and outdoor living, with louvred shutters that can be completely closed for privacy or thrown fully open to expose the space to sweeping views. Even the en-suite bathroom, with its flush toilet and rainfall shower, is crafted to fit the landscape and partially open to the elements. Each suite contains a ‘star bed’, a king-sized bed that can be rolled out onto the private terrace for nights sleeping under the starry sky.



Activities include tracking the desert-adapted elephant, black rhino and giraffe tracking, mountain biking, rock art viewing, nature drives and walks and star bed sleepouts under a blanket of a billion stars.



www.ultimatesafaris.na/our-retreats/signature-retreats/onduli-ridge



www.airsafaris269.com



Music by Andie Steward

We are visiting Okonjima, home of the Africat foundation. 

I’m chatting to manager Déne Herselman. 



The Okonjima Experience. The Okonjima Nature Reserve sprawls over 200 square kilometres of undulating plains, mountainous outcrops, and riverine thickets, and it is here that leopard, the most adaptable of all the wild cats, thrive.

For generations, the Hanssen Family had been avid cattle farmers until the need for solutions to increasing livestock losses and post-independence interest in Namibia as a tourist destination, changed the face of Okonjima, as well as that of Carnivore Conservation. 

With the family still at the helm, Okonjima now encompasses a dedicated team offers you the guest a truly Namibian stay. 

Within Namibia’s scenic Central Highlands, Okonjima Nature Reserve has long been a sanctuary for endangered big cats – especially leopard and cheetah. Once persecuted by local cattle farmers, leopards roam free within the reserve, with the long-term aim of releasing them back into the wild.



The work is underpinned by the established AfriCat Foundation, which spearheads the conservation of carnivores throughout Namibia. As well as the big cats for which Okonjima is famed, nowadays those carnivores include the nocturnal brown hyena, aardvark and pangolin.



A highlight of a stay at Okonjima is to head out first thing in search of leopard or – as the sun dips below the horizon – to seek out the creatures of the night. With many of the animals radio-collared, tracking them is relatively straightforward, and with leopard largely habituated to the presence of humans, photographic opportunities here are almost unparalleled. 



While big cats are very much the focus of these drives, that’s not to undermine the other species here, among them Hartmann’s mountain zebra, blue wildebeest and giraffe, as well as numerous antelope, from oryx to the diminutive Damara dik-dik.



Birdlife is impressive, too: eagles and vultures; korhaan and sandgrouse; colourful shrikes, waxbills and bee-eaters. Even the most experienced birder will be reaching for their binoculars to seek out specials such as Carp’s tit, greater scimitar hoopoe or the Damara rock runner. 



To stay at Okonjima – and there is a range of excellent accommodation options – is to experience this unique setting at leisure. Exploring on foot, either with a guide or on a self-guided trail, simply adds to the sense of place.





www.okonjima.com

www.airsafaris269.com



Music by Andie Steward

Ultimate Safaris is fast establishing themselves as the leaders with  unique camps. 

We are committed to providing world-class experiences for sophisticated and discerning travelers, offering great attention to detail in order to maintain the highest standards when planning and organizing safaris while still delivering excellent value for money. 

Their aim is to provide safaris that are educational, explorative, fun, insightful, and ultimately life enriching, with benefit for the places and people that they visit as well as for the guests they take there.

Come and listen to me chatting to Jimmy, who is the camp manager for Camp Sossus as he shares his passion for the country and for region. 



Show notes: 

Ultimate Safaris Namibia: https://ultimatesafaris.na/

Camp Sossus: https://ultimatesafaris.na/our-retreats/exploration-retreats/camp-sossus

Airsafaris269: https://airsafaris269.com/



Credits:

Mr Jimmy (manager at Camp Sossus)

Ms Andie Steward (Podcast theme music)

Whether you're a seasoned plant based traveller or just curious about the lifestyle, we invite you to come along for the ride and join us on this wild and wonderful safari Podcast. 



We'll be interviewing activists, entrepreneurs, chefs, and experts from various fields to give you a well-rounded view of what it means to be “plant-based” and highlight the best plant-based products and the accommodations in Africa. The aim is to arm you with knowledge on how to navigate plant-based travel in Africa. 



Each episode, we'll take you on a journey through different topics related to veganism and plant-based journeys, such as plant-based nutrition, animal welfare, environmentalism, and ethical consumerism. We'll chat to expert guides and conservationists who are dedicated to protecting the precious ecosystems that make these regions so unique.



Whether you're just curious about the lifestyle, we hope that this podcast will provide you with valuable information and inspiration to make positive changes in your own life and in the world around us. 



Join us as we embark on a journey to discover the diverse cultures, cuisines, and wildlife of different countries in southern Africa, all while staying true to our plant-based values.



So, sit back, relax, and let us transport you to the heart of Africa's most incredible wilderness areas. This is the African Safari Lodge Podcast.



Website follow up: 

https://airsafaris269.com/home/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/jc_de_klerk/

Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/vegansafaris

Youtube 

https://www.youtube.com/@airsafaris2692

Tiktok

https://www.tiktok.com/@jdek69?lang=en



Credits: 

Ms Andie Stewart (Podcost Theme music)