Nice story! I had the pleasure of seeing a gerenuk in Taragire National Park in Tanzania -- they really are cool looking animals. There's nothing like seeing animals in their natural environment to make you realise how special they are.

If you want to go on a safari where you rarely see another soul, go to Botswana -- it's not cheap, but the government's high cost-low volume tourism policy has kept the wilderness pristine and prevented the crowds of white vans which have overrun the Serengeti and Masai Mara.