August Festivals and Events in Africa include a wine festival in South Africa; a harvest festival in Ghana; a marriage festival in Morocco; a fashion show in Cape Town and a Camel Derby in Kenya. You may not be aware that Kenya has camels, but this particular derby seeks to raise awareness about the Kenyan camel and people like the Samburu (pictured here) who rely on this lovely, useful beast for their survival.

Find out more about each of these festivities from my article about August Festivals and Events in Africa.

_{Image © Getty Images/Don Farrall}

The South Africans are pushing the envelope on the "Big 5", they're now marketing the Big 7. That would be the original Big 5 -- Cape buffalo, rhino, elephant, lion and leopard, plus whales and sharks. Anyone researching a safari will come across the term the "Big 5" these are the animals that we are supposed to get most excited about seeing. I agree with the elephant, rhino and lion, but leopard sightings are rare and often just a dash at night, not hugely impressive. And buffaloes are impressive but aggressive and yes, not hugely different to cows. Give me a giraffe any day, a herd of zebras, or a warthog family for that matter. How about the cheetah cub pictured here...

The "Big 5" morphed into a marketing term aimed at the modern day safari-goer based on hunters and what they liked to bag. The "Big 5" happen to be the most aggressive beasts to shoot, and since most of us like to shoot with a camera, it isn't all that relevant. Now the marketers are going to make us believe that seeing a whale from a distant shore is more exciting somehow than mixing it up with penguins further up the coast. Or that a Great White shark encounter is something normal mortals would even attempt to try. They haven't even bothered to distinguish between the different species of sharks or whales that are swimming off the shores of South Africa for that matter.

On an African safari my personal Big 5 would include: Lion, Giraffe, Mountain Gorilla, Elephant and Cheetah. What would yours be?

_{Image of a Cheetah Cub, Masai Mara Reserve, Kenya, sorry, NOT one of the Big 5 -- © Getty Images/Anup Shah}

The summit of this beautiful volcano is called "socialist peak". It takes about 3 days to get to the top which makes it a perfect practice run for those looking to hike up its close neighbor, Mount Kilimanjaro. The main trail passes through plains filled with wildlife, ancient rain forests of fig trees, and finally some rocky moors sometimes dusted with snow. Along the the trail, buffaloes, baboons and giraffes are commonly sighted as well as hundreds of species of birds.

Check back next week for the right answer along with additional information about this destination.

_{© Getty Images}

Jeff Cammack of Safari Guide Africa recently wrote a piece "When on Safari, Don't Forget the People" and it struck a chord with me. Jeff makes the point that it's important to think about your drivers, guides, trackers and other staff that serve you, wash your clothes, and cook your meals. Think about the impact of your safari on their community; as Jeff says "in the villages and towns nearby the camp are ordinary farmers, who have had to come to terms with living near a park where most people (including their own governments) care more about the animals than them. This is because tourism is big business in Africa, and you are both part of the problem and the solution." Read more of Jeff's post here.

As a tourist you can help by making the right choice about the company you choose to go on safari with. Also learn a little about the Maasai, Samburu, Himba or San culture before you go. The Maasai's traditional way of life conflicts with the concept of private reserves, fenced in to protect the wildlife. Fences may keep wildlife in, but it also keeps Maasai livestock out of traditional grazing land. Farming villages along the edges of national parks can get extra income from selling crafts to tourists, but they also have to deal with wildlife destroying their crops. Civilians fleeing war close to Virunga National Park in the DRC need firewood to cook food so they can feed their children. But they're destroying the precarious habitat of the few remaining mountain gorillas left in the world. Zimbabwe is in economic ruin and rhino poaching is totally out of control, but you can't blame the desperate villager who is paid a few dollars to go and commit these awful acts.

These issues are complicated, but when you're on safari, talk to your guides and trackers, ask them about their families, find out where they're from. On a recent safari in South Africa I spent a long time chatting with my guide David. David is a father of five, his family lives in town and he sees them for a week every month. Like many South African men, he worked in the mines for 10 years. South Africa's gold mines are the deepest mines in the world. David lived in single-sex barracks along with other members of his tribe (this was during Apartheid) and he worked 8 hour shifts every day in tunnels that were more than 2 miles deep. No breaks for food, protein powder to keep up energy levels, and a shot every 6 months to stay healthy (David wasn't sure what exactly was in the shot). He said "It's like a war down there". "If a man is killed we didn't stop, just carry on working until the end of the shift and then take the body out". Chasing after rhinos and facing down buffalo must seem like a piece of cake compared to cutting rocks all day in a crammed, hot, dark space for ten years. (More than 160 workers died in mining accidents in South Africa in 2008).

A basic definition of responsible travel is that it allows local communities to earn a fair income from tourism; it supports conservation; it supports local community initiatives; and it tries to limit the environmental impact of the vacation itself. There are some excellent safari companies that try hard to do a balancing act between keep their clients happy, provide them with a quality holiday, and make sure the environment and people they visit are not negatively affected. So when your enjoying the animals on safari, don't forget about the people.

_{Image of David, Guide/Tracker in Timbavati Game Reserve, South Africa}