Occupying an area over twice the size of Germany in the middle of Southern Africa, Zambia is a landlocked country with eight neighbours. Since independence from Britain in 1964 Zambia has navigated some turmoil to become a peaceful and comparatively prosperous country. Sitting on the plateau of Central Africa the average elevation is around 1,200 meters above sea level resulting in a generally moderate climate.
Zambia is famous for walking safaris with experienced and highly knowledgeable guides, these sought after on-foot experiences allow guests to study the minutiae of nature, smell the wild herbs and grasses and search for tracks, birds’ nests and seed pods. South Luangwa is our preferred walking safari destination although North Luangwa, Lower Zambezi and Kafue National Parks all offer walking trips. We can arrange anything from a one-off short walk to a full-blown walking safari, where you are under your own steam between camps for the duration of your trip and don’t use vehicles at all.
Traditional vehicle safaris are also incredible in Zambia due to the attractive and diverse landscape, high densities of wildlife and comparatively few other tourists. Although rhino are difficult to find (with only white rhino being present in Mosi-Oa Tunya National Park), the opportunity to see the rest of the big five and a healthy wild dog population make Zambia a fantastic safari choice.
The Lower Zambezi National Park encompasses 120 kilometres of river frontage and is teeming with crocodile and hippo, the birdlife is abundant and away from the river open grassland is home to lion, wild dog, antelope, elephant, buffalo and more. Night drives, boat trips and fishing expeditions are all possible.
Kafue is Zambia’s largest park, it is wild and off-the-beaten-track; with only a handful of camps in this vast area guests are unlikely to see another vehicle. Huge numbers of red lechwe, puku antelope, buffalo and wildebeest graze the seasonal Busanga floodplains while the river is home to hippo and crocodile.
There is a wide range of accommodation in Zambia, from rustic through to the incredibly luxurious, most camps and lodges are well spaced apart and extremely well situated in their surroundings as they are few in number in a vast space. Zambian camps tend to be small and intimate and offer exceptional service.
When the Zambezi River is high, ten million litres of water rush over the lip of Victoria Falls each second, falling 108 metres into the roaring chasm below. Livingstone Island sits in the heart of this spray, on the brink of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and offers an experience that is entirely unique.
South Luangwa has incredibly diverse landscapes ranging from dense forests of Mopane, Ebony and Sausage Trees to wide open savanna punctuated only by the occasional lonely baobab - all hugged by the wide and winding Luangwa River. The now famous “walking safari” originated here and is still one of the finest ways to experience Africa’s pristine wilderness firsthand.
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.
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.
Famous for never-ending, pristine dunes, the white salt pans of Etosha, the ship wrecks along the Skeleton Coast, the dramatic Fish River Canyon and the gentle Himba people. Namibia is vast and sparsely populated giving you the space to be at one with nature and the spectacular landscapes.
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.