The game-rich Etosha National Park offers unique game viewing as wildlife centres around the few permanent water holes. The photographic opportunities are spectacular as different species crowd into the frame at once swirling dust and dazzling the white salt pans. It really does offer game viewing on a plate as the wildlife comes to you, so if you’re looking for a break from bumpy game drives, Etosha offers the chance to set up with a cold beer at the edge of a water hole, or even on the veranda of your lodge, and wait for birds and beasts to come to quench their thirst.
The quaint and quirky German towns of Swakopmund and Lüderitz offer a fun punctuation to a safari. Explore their pretty streets and enjoy a beer and apple strudel, go in search of the Namib Desert Horses (the only feral herd of horses in Africa) or hone your photography skills in Deadvlei, arguably one of the most photogenic places on earth where the fossilised trees cast shadows on the cracked, bleached pans and gravity-defying orange dunes.
Namibia is largely malaria-free, well organised and has good infrastructure. Although many roads are gravel, they are well maintained and cut through the most breath-taking landscapes under the widest skies, making a road trip an absolute pleasure. The contrast between the arid south and the lush north, where five rivers bring life-sustaining water along the Caprivi Strip and into Botswana’s Okavango Delta, is remarkable, it’s hard to believe these very different environments are in the same country.
There is a wealth of accommodation to choose from. Camps and lodges are generally of an extremely high standard and usually offer spectacular views. The night skies, far from any light pollution, are spectacular. To top it all, there are unique, desert-adapted lion, giraffe and elephant, as well as the curious brown hyaena that wander the desolate Skeleton Coast in search of a meal that may have come in on the tide.
From the verdant sparkling waterways of the Okavango Delta to the arid expanse of the great Kalahari, Botswana is a land of great contrast. This precious, peaceful country offers a plethora of luxury accommodation as well as exhilarating mobile camping and tranquil house boat accommodation.
Safaris in Zambia are popular for the abundance of wildlife, exceptionally high standards of guiding and the opportunity to visit Livingstone and the Victoria Falls as well as a world class walking safaris and less crowded national parks.
Zimbabwe has emerged from a period of unrest to once again welcome visitors and re-take its place as one of the world’s leading safari destinations. Zimbabwe has a long history of safari and offers some wonderfully situated luxury and mid-range camps and lodges in its huge national parks.
The largest country in East Africa. Tanzania is diverse, there are over 120 different languages spoken, its history stretches back millions of years, with some of the earliest human fossils having been discovered in Olduvai Gorge. The wildlife is plentiful and spectacular and includes opportunities to see chimpanzee, elephant, zebra and dolphin among so many others.
The original birthplace of the safari, Kenya is stunningly beautiful and offers incredible game viewing as well as picturesque white sandy beaches lapped by azure waters. The infrastructure is reliable and the people are friendly and welcoming, the range of accommodation is broad, from remote, intimate, rustic camps to luxurious hotels with exquisite décor.
Breathtakingly beautiful, Uganda stands out from its drier neighbours Kenya and Tanzania for its incredibly fertile crater lake landscape. In contrast to nearby savannah landscapes the lakes provide plentiful life-sustaining water to the flora and fauna and are topped up by two good rainy seasons each year.
Rwanda is a gem of a country in central Africa, entirely land locked, it sits in the Great Rift Valley and is known as ‘the land of a thousand hills’. These rolling verdant hills are blanketed in part by one of Africa’s oldest remaining forests, Nyungwe, which is renowned for its remarkable array of orchids and huge troops of striking black and white Colobus monkey.
Egypt has seduced travellers for millennia, situated in the North East corner of the continent it is intersected by the great Nile River which was once the most important trade route between the Mediterranean and East Africa. The ancient passage of people and produce introduced a wealth of religions, culture and cuisine that we find in Egypt today.
South Africa has wild, remote deserts, fertile valleys, world-class vineyards, vibrant modern cities, and exceptional game parks. The Kruger and Sabi Sand are the jewel in South Africa’s safari crown and offer some of the best game viewing in Africa while there are a host of other smaller parks and reserves in the Northern Provinces and Eastern Cape to explore.