
Out of Africa
Adventures

'Whatever you’re meant to do, do it now.
The conditions are always impossible.'
Doris Lessing: Zimbabwean-raised, 2007 Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature

Snow Leopard Safari
Focus: Wildlife & Culture
Where: Begins and ends in New Delhi
When: January 31 – February 10, 2025
Length: 11 DAYS/Ten NIGHTS
Demographics: Mixed, couples, solo travellers welcome
Single Supplement: Yes
Size: Maximum of eight guests.
Trip Information
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Ladakh, India



Lying north of the Indus River at the head of the Ulley Valley, the small village of Ulley in Ladakh, India, stands at almost 4,000 metres above sea level. The Ulley Valley has only recently been developed for snow leopard tracking, but it has quickly gained a reputation for observation of the cats. That being said, snow leopards are a difficult sighting. According to the Snow Leopard Lodge, Ulley village’s only homestay and our accommodation on this safari, there is a 60% chance of seeing a leopard between November and April, which is when snow leopards and their prey descend to lower elevations. Ulley’s population of snow leopards is estimated to be around 10 individuals. We remain six days in Ulley to maximize our chances of spotting one. There is other wildlife to see in this Himalayan paradise: Siberian (or Asiatic) ibex, Ladakh urial (a native wild sheep with long legs and relatively small horns), and Himalayan fox and wolf. Among the bird highlights are Chukors (a ground-dweller and national bird of the Kurdish people), Tibetan partridges, Red-billed choughs, Golden eagles, Lammergeiers, Bearded vultures, and Himalayan griffon vultures. The Snow Leopard Conservation Trust The trust works in five of the 12 countries where snow leopards are found – China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Pakistan. Collectively, these five countries contain over 75% of the world’s population of wild snow leopards. Ulley, Ladakh, India, is one of the Snow Leopard Conservation Trust’s bases. The Snow Leopard Trust works through a local partner organization led by local staff members. They conduct snow leopard research, lead community conservation programs, and negotiate policy decisions with local authorities. Culture Ladakh belongs to the Jammu and Kashmir region of Northern India. Leh is its capital and largest town. It is the historical capital of the Himalayan Kingdom of Ladakh. The Leh Palace, the former mansion of the royal family of Ladakh, was built in the same style and about the same time as the Potala Palace in Tibet. Ladakh is Buddhist country, with brightly coloured prayer flags fluttering in the wind and long ‘Mani walls’ covered in carved prayer stones, stupas, and chortens. There are many Buddhist monasteries called gompas.

National Parks and
Cultural Treasures
Sri Lanka
Trip Information

Focus: Wildlife & Conservation
Where: Begins and ends in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital
When: February 11 – 28, 2025
Length: 18 DAYS /17 NIGHTS
Demographics: Mixed, couples, solo travellers welcome
Single Supplement: Yes
Size: Maximum of eight guests.
Sri Lanka will be offered again in February 2026



Formerly known as Ceylon, Sri Lankan culture has been shaped largely by the Indian subcontinent. The island’s two major ethnic groups, the Sinhalese and the Tamils, and its two dominant religions, Buddhism and Hinduism, made their way to the island from India. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka developed a unique identity over the ages that ultimately set it apart from India. Buddhism virtually disappeared from India but continued to flourish in Sri Lanka, particularly among the Sinhalese. The Sinhalese language, which grew out of Indian dialects, eventually became indigenous solely to Sri Lanka. Moors, Burghers, Malay, Chinese, and Vedda are ethnic groups that have all played a role in Sri Lanka’s history. The island fell under Portuguese and Dutch influence in the 16th century and British rule in the 18th century. It gained independence in 1948, after nearly 150 years of British rule. In more recent times, Sri Lanka was embroiled in a civil war arising from ethnic tensions between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamil minority with links to India, a conflict that ended in 2009. Leslie first visited Sri Lanka in 1987 when the north and east of the island were off-limits due to the civil war. There is no shortage of things to do and see on this compact, teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean, off the southern coast of India, and known for its natural beauty. In fact, there are too many highlights in Sri Lanka for shorter visits! Itineraries can easily extend to 21 days or more. MTT had to make some tough choices to settle on the 18-day/17-night itinerary, which includes three national parks and the island’s main cultural treasures. In the national parks, we are seeking leopards—a subspecies native to Sri Lanka—sloth bears, Asian elephants, and birds. Among the cultural highlights are ancient Buddhist cities and World Heritage Sites, former British tea plantations, the famous Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, and the old port and fortified Dutch city of Galle. Sri Lanka is also famous for its white sand beaches, holistic retreats, and its own brand of ancient Ayurvedic medicine. Beach and retreat extensions are possible at the completion of the tour.





Brazil’s Pantanal


Trip Information
Focus: Wildlife & Conservation
Where: Begins and ends in Cuiaba City, Brazil
When: June 30 – July 10, 2025
Length: 11 DAYS/Ten NIGHTS
Demographics: Mixed, couples, solo travellers welcome
Single Supplement: Yes
Size: Maximum of eight guests.
We will offer the Pantanal August 8 - 17, 2026
This is MTT’s third year visiting Brazil’s Pantanal. The Pantanal is the world’s largest flooded grassland. Spilling over into Bolivia and Paraguay, the majority of these flooded savannahs lie within Brazil. Part national park and part UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Pantanal hosts the highest concentrations of South America’s wildlife. Its apex predator is the jaguar, the world’s third-largest cat after tigers and lions. Jaguars resemble Africa’s and Asia’s leopards, but their spots are more complex, often featuring a central dot. Unlike leopards, jaguars are active during the day, making boat trips into the Pantanal’s waterways particularly thrilling. It is likely that you will see these water-loving cats hunting their preferred prey: caimans (alligator-like reptiles) and capybaras, large rodents weighing up to 77 kilograms. Although jaguars are the undisputed highlight of the Pantanal, these wetlands also provide excellent opportunities to spot Giant Anteaters, Capuchin and Howler monkeys, Anacondas, Tapirs, Giant River Otters, and Marsh Deer. The Pantanal is divided into two main regions: north and south, each of which must be accessed separately. The north is reached via the unpaved and raised "Transpantaneira Highway," which begins 1.5 hours’ drive south of Cuiabá City. After crossing 122 bridges over seasonally flooded grasslands, the Transpantaneira ends in the town of Port Jofre, the jumping-off point for boat trips into Meeting of the Waters State Park and prime jaguar habitat. The south is accessed by flying into Corumbá or Campo Grande and taking the unpaved Estrada Parque road that cuts across the region. The entire Pantanal is so vast that Cuiabá City in the north is about 700 kilometers from Campo Grande in the south. The North Pantanal’s maze of rivers is widely considered one of the best places to see jaguars. The future for jaguars depends on the Pantanal's rivers, sanctuaries currently under threat from drought and fires. The time to visit the Pantanal and to understand its conservation challenges is now. In the 2025 Pantanal itinerary, we first explore southwest of Cuiabá City along the Paraguay River, providing access to the less-visited Taiama Ecological Reserve.




India:
Bengal Tigers & Asian Rhinos
In 2024, MTT Safaris offered a 14-day/13-night itinerary which included two tiger reserves in the Central India State of Madhya Pradesh, as well as the remote UNESCO World Heritage site of Kaziranga National Park in Assam, Northeastern India, home to the Asian rhino. In the interests of logistics and novelty, we have made one change to this successful itinerary for 2026. Instead of combining Satpura and Kanha National Parks, we are substituting Pench National Park for Satpura. There was no possibility that we would remove Kanha National Park from the 2026 itinerary. Kanha is one of India’s largest and oldest parks. Leslie first visited Kanha National Park thirty years ago and never forgot its beautiful Sal forests. At that time, the tiger populations were struggling, and tiger conservation in India was in its early stages. Now Kanha has a significant population of Bengal tigers and is considered among India’s best-managed tiger reserves. We use equally wonderful accommodation a mere twenty minutes’ drive from Mukki Gate, one of the entrances to Kanha National Park. The Salban Homestay is operated by a couple who have worked in wildlife conservation for many years. After our tiger sightings are complete, we add an afternoon at the homestay to enjoy its natural surroundings, village life, and Sheema’s cooking and conversation. There is no escaping India’s amazing cultural diversity, even if the focus of our itinerary is tigers and rhinos. We start the tour with a few days in New Delhi, seeing its historical and cultural sights, including an unforgettable food tour of Old Delhi. We spend two nights in Kolkata, in India’s far eastern Bengal State, known for its colonial architecture, museums, art galleries, traditional food, temples, music, and theatre. Assam State, where Kaziranga National Park is located, is the world’s largest tea-growing region by production. Assam teas, or blends containing Assam tea, are often sold as "breakfast" teas, such as English or Irish breakfast tea. In between game drives in Kaziranga National Park, we will visit a tea plantation. This tour includes four local flights: Delhi to Nagpur; Raipur to Kolkata; Kolkata to Jorhat; and Guwahati to Delhi. In between national parks and local airports, we travel by comfortable air-conditioned minibus.
Trip Information
Focus: Wildlife, Conservation and Culture
Where: Begins and ends in New Delhi
When: February 2 - 12, 2026
Length: 11 DAYS/ Ten NIGHTS
Demographics: Mixed, couples, solo travellers welcome
Single Supplement: Yes
Size: Maximum of eight guests.
Suggested Extensions: Sri Lanka trip 2026



Land of the Eternal Blue Sky, Land of the Horse: Mongolia
Focus: Culture, History, Wilderness, Wildlife & Conservation
Where: Begins and ends in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
When: Estimated start date 21 June 2026
Length: 16 - 23 DAYS
Demographics: Mixed, couples, solo travellers welcome
Single Supplement: Yes
Size: Maximum of 9 guests.
Trip Information
My years in Africa have imparted an enduring love for big skies, wilderness, and starry nights. Mongolia promises just that. With only 3.5 million inhabitants spread across 1.5 million square kilometers of grassy steppes, panoramic mountain ranges, and sweeping deserts, Mongolia is the least densely populated country on Earth. Over 70% of its population remains nomadic, deeply connected to the history and migration of the Mongol people. Under Chinggis Khaan, the Mongols ruled much of Central Asia. During our visit, we’ll spend a day or two with a nomadic family to experience their way of life. Despite its deep historical roots, Mongolia is very much a part of the 21st century. Once an isolated satellite of the Soviet Union, the country transformed politically, economically, and socially after the Soviet collapse in 1989. While herders and their livestock still live on the steppes, nearly half of all Mongolians now reside in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, with another 25% living in smaller urban centers. Travel within Mongolia is challenging. Internal flights are few and often unreliable, and most travel is by road, many of which are in poor condition. Covering the country’s vast distances takes time. Even with ample time and a flight or two, it’s impossible to see everything—and perhaps we shouldn’t try. Instead, we will focus on Ulaanbaatar’s monasteries and museums, the Gobi Desert with its nomadic culture, wildlife, and paleontology sites, Karakorum as the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire, the Altai Mountains of Western Mongolia and its Kazakh eagle hunters, and the Tsaatan people of Northern Mongolia, renowned reindeer herders and shamans. Mongolia’s travel season is short, with most visitors arriving in July and departing by the end of August. These summer months bring some rain, occasionally heavy. June and September, the shoulder seasons, are less crowded but can still be rainy. By October, the weather becomes cold, and November through April marks the long winter season. I am leaning towards June 2026 as the ideal time for this Mongolian tour. While we’ll miss Naadam, Mongolia’s most popular cultural and sporting festival held annually in July, we can arrange for a mini-Naadam during our June itinerary. This private event will showcase riding skills, archery, and wrestling, giving us a taste of the official festival without the summer crowds. Mongolia offers a blend of ancient tradition, stunning landscapes, and a unique cultural experience. Let’s explore it together.



