There are a myriad of activities that one can incorporate into the short duration of a safari all depending on one's interests and how adventurous one is. A safari can have a single main focus such as fishing or birding or be a multifaceted journey of discovery incorporating canoeing, hot air ballooning, horse riding and hiking. The presence of a private guide on your safari makes it possible to plan these various activities into your itinerary ahead of your arrival at a specific camp or lodge as one often needs to pre-arrange certain activities. The broad range of skills and experience of an escorting private guide coupled to his intimate knowledge of a particular area often makes it possible to participate in out of the ordinary activities that are not normally on offer to regular guests.

Having guided safaris into twelve different countries over the last ten years I believe the top five wildlife experiences are as follows listed in no order of priority.

Trekking Mountain Gorillas in the Virunga volcanoes in Rwanda, canoeing the middle Zambezi River in Zimbabwe , exploring the Namib Desert and Skeleton Coast in Namibia, visiting the water wilderness of Okavango Delta and participating in a multi-day walking safari in either the Gonarezhou, Chizarira, Katavi or Ruaha National Parks in Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

This is our main area of specialisation and we pride ourselves in offering some of the most intimate wildlife experiences possible whilst on foot. We are also one of a handful of companies that offers multi-day portered walking safaris into some of Africa's wildest and untouched wilderness areas.

There is no better way to explore the sights, sounds and smells of the African bush than on foot. In areas where walking is allowed, this is usually the best way to spend the morning, whilst game drives are better suited to the afternoon. Although one sees a greater quantity of game from a vehicle, one only really gains an appreciation of the intricacies and complexity of these fragile ecosystems from one's own two feet. There are no words to describe the feeling of tracking a fresh set of lion prints or having an old elephant bull walk up to investigate you…

One can choose to walk for a few hours in the morning or afternoon or participate in a multi-day walking safari where you can either walk from camp to camp or have your camp carried from point A to B by a team of porters, camels or donkeys.

Game or nature drives are undertaken from the comfort of either completely open four-wheel drive vehicles or from partially open vehicles that usually have open sides or a stand-through sunroof. As animals do not associate people with vehicles it is possible to get very close to the majority of game thus allowing great photographic opportunities.

One of best ways to experience Africa's remotest and most interesting wilderness areas is on a hiking safari. These safaris venture into areas that are devoid of people, roads and other examples of civilisation and are in themselves an experience of times gone by, making them one of my favourite types of safari. In some areas porters, donkeys or camels can be arranged to carry an ultra-lightweight camp from one location to another or if you wish you can carry everything yourself.

Trekking gorillas or chimpanzees in the wild is probably one of the most poignant wildlife experiences that one can have. There are not many places left where one can still observe these animals in their natural environment and it is a huge privilege to be able to do this. Do it while you can.

Whilst several countries in Africa offer canoeing safaris, we believe there is no better place to canoe than on the Lower Zambezi River either from Zambia or Zimbabwe.

We can think of no better way to explore one of Africa’s greatest rivers as one silently floats along, carried by the gentle current whilst the ever changing scenery constantly brings surprise after surprise around each bend in the river. One will often come very close to elephants and other wildlife as one unobtrusively glides by.

There are several ways in which one can experience the Zambezi River, on a participatory safari, mobile safari or lodge to lodge safari depending on one’s inclination and budget.

Ant has regularly canoed the Zambezi River since 1998 and has approximately 800 hours of canoeing experience in addition to having passed his canoe guides written examination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are interested in Africa's cultural diversity, East Africa is the best place to visit for this as the region is exceptionally diverse in its multitude of colourful tribes whose ways of life and ancient cultures have remained little changed over eons.

Many safaris to East Africa will incorporate some form of cultural interaction whether it is visiting a local village, a livestock watering point or simply the staff from a particular lodge or camp.

 

 

 

We offer fishing orientated safaris into some of Africa’s most exciting fishing destinations where we specialise in targeting a range of indigenous fresh and saltwater game fish on fly as well as using conventional methods where fly fishing is impractical.

One of the greatest attractions about fishing in Africa is that apart from catching some of the most interesting and aggressive freshwater fish species on the planet, the areas in which we fish are largely devoid of people and have a proliferation of wild animals and birdlife that boggles the mind. They are usually locations within protected areas such as National Parks and Safari Areas whose pure remoteness ensures their pristine state.

In many cases fishing can also simply be an additional activity rather than the entire safari being focussed solely on fishing.

 

 

 

 

 

After walking, horse riding is probably the second most intimate way to view wildlife.

To experience the open plains of East Africa from the back of a horse as one mingles between giraffe, zebra, eland and wildebeest certainly gives one a vastly different experience to watching these same animals from a vehicle or on foot.

Whether you are a proficient rider or simply a beginner, a morning or afternoon outing is a must do at any camp or lodge offering this activity. The most popular areas for riding include Masailand, the Chyulu Hills and the Laikipia plateau.

There are only a handful of places worth doing this and where it is offered it is definitely worth the effort (and expense).  Hot air ballooning over the Serengeti, the Masaai Mara or the sand dunes of Sossusvlei, a helicopter or bi-plane ride over Kenya's northern frontier district, Victoria Falls or the Okavango Delta , a microlight flight over the Luangwa Valley. - All give incredible birds-eye views of each of these fascinating areas.

Whilst it is not possible to list all of the possible activities that one can be involved in through the course of a safari, the following list includes some of the more commonly requested activities all of which are possible depending on the area one will be travelling to:

Quad biking, mountain biking, sailing, scuba diving, kite surfing, kayaking, white water rafting, water skiing and bungee jumping.