Mum keeps the cubs close when visiting a waterhole.
We would like to visit southern Africa next year to see wildebeest and go to a safari park that is not too commercial. Do you have any suggestions?
- Kathy Winterford
There are some small national parks and private game reserves in eastern Swaziland that offer some low-key wildlife-watching and accommodation ranging from camp sites to self-catering lodges and cottages.
To get to these places you will need your own transport.
This is one of the reasons they are less commercial and no doubt more to your taste.
The small and privately owned Mbuluzi Game Reserve (email mbuluzi@swazi.net) has what you're looking for.
It's home to a range of wildlife, including giraffes, zebras, hippos, antelope, wildebeest, and more than 300 bird species.
At Hlane Royal National Park there are white rhinos and many antelope species, and elephants and lions have been reintroduced into the area.
Here you can take guided walks or drives and village and cultural tours.
The tranquil Mlawula Nature Reserve boasts antelope species, hyenas, crocodiles and some great bird-watching.
The top-notch private Mkhaya Game Reserve was established in 1979 to save the pure nguni breed of cattle from extinction.
Since then it has expanded its guests to include antelopes, elephants and white and black rhinos. The most visited national park in Southern Africa is Kruger .
There are some very good reasons for this - it's one of the biggest on the continent, has a great history of conservation and the greatest diversity of wildlife.
It is also very easy to get to Kruger from Johannesburg and it offers a range of safaris to suit all tastes.
Not only will you see wildebeest here, you'll see impalas, buffaloes, zebras, rhinos, antelope, giraffes, kudus, waterbucks, baboons, cheetahs and leopards, along with many smaller predators and prolific birdlife.
You really need five to seven days to experience this place properly allowing time for bushwalks, 4WD trips and just sitting and soaking it all up.
There is a range of accommodation within the park.
Recommended tour outfits are African Routes and Wildlife Safaris. You can also arrange tours through backpacker lodges in the park.
Commercial though it is, Kruger delivers the goods.
But if this still seems too commercial, there are private game reserves spread over the vast lowveld area just west of Kruger that also offer some great wildlife-watching, mainly because they border Kruger and have no fences.
The accommodation is expensive in these reserves, ranging from around $370 to $1100 a person each day, all-inclusive.
Hundreds of operators run tours of these private parks.
The better known reserves include those within the large Sabie Sand Game Reserve, Londolozi Private Game Reserve and Mala Mala Game Reserve.
The high season for visitors in southern Africa is over the winter months, from April to August.
At that time of year most of the region is basking in temperate sunshine, with comfortable but often very chilly nights. Most importantly, wildlife viewing is best at this time of year.
The shoulder seasons of February to March and September to October are also quite comfortable in the central part of the region, but temperatures climb to the high 20s in Swaziland.
Forget summer - it's just too oppressive.
Before setting off, read the travel advisories at safetravel.govt.nzfor any African countries you plan to visit.
Plenty of choices
We want to get from Athens to Venice, preferably via Dubrovnik, but don't know where to start. We have been told of a rail service from Brindisi to Venice but can't find any details.
- Russ Phillips
The train from Athens to Venice takes 40 hours, with changeovers in Thessaloniki and Ljubljana or Belgrade.
Minoan Lines and Anek Lines operate ferries from Patras to Venice. Things are less straightforward when Croatia is added to the mix. To travel by sea from Greece to Croatia you'd have to sail via Bari on the heel of Italy. If you chose to fly you'd need to connect in Rome or Budapest as there are no direct flights between Athens and Dubrovnik.
The train trip from Athens to Dubrovnik takes 100 hours with eight changeovers, including Vienna and Budapest.
Dubrovnik to Venice by train takes 80 hours.
Look for other routes on German Railways' excellent route planner . For example, you could leave the train at Ljubljana, get another train to Zagreb (around 2 1/2 hours), then pick up a cheap flight to Dubrovnik.
Ferries run from Dubrovnik to Bari, Split to Ancona, and Pula, Rovinj or Porec in northern Croatia to Venice.
Another interesting ferry route is Rijeka to Ravenna. Jadrolinija operates the Dubrovnik-Bari and Split-Ancona ferries; Venezia Lines runs the northern Croatia to Venice services; and the Rijeka-Ravenna ferry runs on a limited service from July to mid-September and is operated by Archibugi .
Brindisi has ferry connections with Corfu. Italy's splendid train network connects both Bari and Brindisi in the south with Venice in the north; it's 9 1/2 hours with a connection in Bologna.
Useful ferry route planners include traghettionline.net, ferries.gr and backpackeurope.com.
Lonely Planet experts are available to answer questions from readers. Email them to: travelinfo@lonelyplanet.co.nz. They may not answer all questions and cannot correspond directly with readers or give advice outside the column.