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TEXT MATT GLASBY
Animal Lovers
Go at it like rabbits with a trip to the wild side
HOME GAME
While nothing sounds more romantic than a starlit night in the Serengeti, serenaded by cicadas and a crackling campfire, the reality might not be quite so nice. After all, Tsetse flies and marauding beasties can kill the mood quicker than a big-game hunter with a persecution complex. Those who fancy waking up to the sights and sounds of the savannah but don’t fancy paying – or indeed, losing – an arm and a leg should try an overnight a leg should try an overnight Port Lympne Safari Park (01303 234190; www.totallywild.net). Basil Fawlty once scoffed at the idea of “hordes of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plain” in Torquay. What he’d have made of zebras, waterbucks and lechwe frolicking in rural Kent remains to be seen.
EASY RIDERS
With studs, stallions and whips all making regular appearances, the linguistic links between horse and sauce are strong. Find out for yourself with an eight-day self-guided trek across rural Crete (01767 600606; www.unicorntrails.com), clip-clopping through the gorgeous gorges, olive groves and vineyards of the Dikti mountains with your loved one ambling alongside.
WHALE OF A TIME
Swimming with dolphins should be one of the most swoonsome man-mammal interfaces, but it’s extremely tricky in these climes. It’s illegal in Spain, too cold anywhere near the UK and, besides, as one comedian so sagely noted, how do we know they’re really our friends and not just taking the mickey – does anyone actually speak Dolphin? Split the difference with a sunset whale-watching tour near Cork (+35 086 120 0027; www.whalewatchwestcork.com), where playful humpback minke, fin whales and dolphins patrol the waters just a few miles offshore. Chances of a successful sighting: 82%-85%. Chances of scoring major brownie points: even higher.Would you like to leave a comment ?
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