Africa is a vast continent covering nearly 12 million square miles and comprising fifty four countries that are as diverse and intricate as the wildlife and people who call it home. It is a continent of extremes – from fascinating people and cultures to a diversity of wildlife and birds that boggles the mind and from dusty cities to vast pristine wilderness areas untouched by the hand of man.

Africa is not a continent that can easily be deciphered or understood, and its moods are changeable like the wind. Perhaps, herein lies its attraction as no other continent draws people back again and again as Africa does.

If you're an Africa first-timer, nothing can prepare you for the emotional impact of what you will see, smell, hear and experience. If you’re a return visitor, no explanation is necessary as you will already have been bitten by the Africa bug….. 

Whoever you are, the presence of a private guide who is not only well travelled in Africa but who also understands its moods and the emotions and feelings that you will no doubt experience is a crucial detail not to be underestimated nor overlooked.

Botswana is one of Africa's crown jewels, representing Africa's extreme contrasts of wet and dry - the vast expanses of the Kalahari Desert and the water wilderness of the Okavango Delta.
The country's greatest attractions are the seasonally flooded Okavango Delta, the Chobe and Linyanti Rivers, the Makgadikgadi and Nxai pans and the endless dunes of the Kalahari, land of the Bushmen people.

The country is one of Africa's finest safari destinations and home to some of the most luxuriously comfortable lodges and camps on the continent which provide an interesting mix of land and water based activities.

Botswana has remained focused on providing the finest authentic wildlife experience possible by limiting numbers of guests in small exclusive lodges, and as a result it consistently delivers some of the most unspoilt and exclusive safari experiences to be found anywhere in Africa.

A safari to Botswana combines well with a safari to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia or South Africa.

Ethiopia is a fascinating country of contrasting landscapes and absorbing cultural and anthropological interest. Wildlife attractions in Ethiopia mainly focus on a number of endemic mammals and birds found nowhere else on earth, whilst the topography of the central highlands provides some of the most dramatic scenery
on the continent.

On the cultural front, in the northern part of the country religious cultures from the Middle Ages continue to thrive with the 13th century rock hewn churches of Lalibela, the queen of Sheba’s Aksum and the secluded island monasteries of Lake Tana being some of the oldest Christian civilisations in the world.

In the south, the remote and seldom visited Lower Omo Valley is home to some of Africa's most fascinating and ornately adorned tribes people.

As the country is not geared up for high end tourism, much like Gabon it is more suited to people who have visited Africa several times.  

Located in Central West Africa, Gabon is one of Africa's newest and most exciting tourist destinations.  The country has a diversity of wildlife, birds and habitats that most visitors to Africa will not have seen or experienced and spectacles that are as unique as any on the continent such as hippos swimming in the surf and forest elephant, forest buffalo and western lowland gorillas on the beach.

Sitatunga, red river hogs, chimpanzees, yellow backed duiker, mandrills, mangabeys, African dwarf crocodiles and slender snouted crocodiles are just a few of the interesting animals that one is likely to encounter whilst on the birding front keen birders will notch up many new lifers. 

Gabon's many estuaries and lagoons also offer some of the finest inshore fishing on the continent and several species of endemic gamefish are found here. In addition to walks, game drives, birding and fishing, the country offers some of the best whale watching in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birthplace of the African safari, Kenya with its abundant wildlife, colourful tribes and one of the most diversely majestic landscapes on the continent remains one of Africa's most popular safari destinations.

Apart from the great migration that occurs in the Maasai Mara there are a number of National Parks each of which have their own unique attractions. In addition to the National Parks there are also number of small owner run and managed lodges and camps located on private land that offer a more exclusive safari experience and excellent wildlife viewing opportunities.

On the cultural side, Kenya is home to over forty tribes, many of whose colourful traditions and pastoral way of live continues to thrive.

Kenya's richness and diversity will satisfy most travellers regardless of whether you're an Africa first-timer or have extensively travelled the continent.

Despite being among one of the poorest nations, Mozambique; vast, often overlooked, and once Portugal's most important African colony is Southern Africa's hot new beach and safari destination. Whilst two decades of civil war took its toll on the country's infrastructure and wildlife, its offshore islands have remained wonderfully unspoilt and the country is well on track to becoming Southern Africa’s greatest tourist destination.

Mozambique's main tourist attractions are two Indian Ocean hideaways, the Qirimbas and Bazaruto Archipelagos which offer world class diving and offshore fishing and within it's interior, Gorongosa National Park. With assistance from the Carr Foundation, Gorongosa National Park's pre-civil war status as 'The Jewel of Africa' is but a breath away. Its wildlife populations have made and amazing recovery and anyone remotely interested in seeing how one person's private funds channelled in the right direction can improve the lives of tens of thousands of others; Gorongosa is an absolute must visit.

Namibia exhibits some of the most staggering scenery on earth and is celebrated for it’s abundance of space, startling contrasts and vast open landscapes. An ex German colony whose colonial past is still very much evident, Namibia is clean, safe and everything tends to work pretty well.

Sandwiched between the Kalahari and Namib deserts and lashed by the Atlantic Ocean along its entire western border, it is a harsh and unforgiving land but despite this, the country boasts a huge diversity of fascinating wildlife and plants that have evolved some of the strangest and most profound survival strategies imaginable. In addition to its fascinating diversity of wildlife are some of the most interesting geological formations to be found anywhere (on earth).

The country’s main attractions are the remote and wild expanses of Damaraland and the Kaokoveld, the desolate Skeleton Coast and the towering dunes of Sossusvlei.

A safari to Namibia combines particularly well with an extension to Botswana or South Africa.

Fondly referred to as “The Land of a Thousand Hills”, much of this tiny equatorial African country comprises beautiful rolling mountainscapes. The country’s main attractions are trekking mountain gorillas in the Parc National des Volcans and trekking chimpanzees and several other primates in Nyungwe Forest National Park.

Despite Rwanda’s horrific past which was the scene of the 1994 genocide this little gem of a country is well on the road to recovery and has enjoyed a high level of political stability since 1995. In comparison to many other African countries it is very clean, it has an excellent infrastructure and its friendly people cannot make one feel more welcome.

Whilst most people add a visit to Rwanda as a short extension to a safari in Kenya or Tanzania there is much more to Rwanda than gorillas and it is well worth spending a week or more if one has the time.

South Africa, known as "a world in one country" offers a huge variety of attractions to suit every taste and budget and is one of the most diverse and welcoming countries in the world. It is the most developed country in Africa and owing to its economic and political stability it is many people’s choice for a first time safari.

In addition to its fantastic wildlife and varied landscapes it has a startling array of attractions from museums to world class restaurants and a wide choice of cultural, leisure and sporting activities, all linked together by a well developed infrastructure of roads, internal flights and luxurious rail services.

South Africa is home to some of Africa’s most luxurious, stylish and sophisticated safari lodges allowing guests to relax in unrivalled style and comfort whilst Cape Town, which is one of the most beautiful cities in the world is the country’s greatest attraction and an ideal place to spend a few days unwinding at end of a busy safari.

If there is any country that can claim to have it all it would be Tanzania. Home to Africa’s highest mountain, some of the continent’s largest game reserves and the intriguing spice islands of Pemba and Zanzibar, it is one of the best countries to combine a safari with a beach holiday and arguably the greatest safari destination of all.

The Selous, Ruaha, Mahale and Katavi National parks are about as far off the beaten track as one can get whilst Udzungwa, Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Ngorogoro Crater Conservation Area all have a special charm of their own.

Owing to Tanzania's incredible diversity, the presence of an escorting private guide to tie all the pieces together can make the difference between a great and an exceptional holiday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fondly known as 'The Pearl of Africa' - Uganda is way much more than this. Located adjacent to Kenya and Tanzania it is a fertile land of dense rain forests, lakes, rivers and swamps, waterfalls, savannah plains, volcanoes and snow-capped mountains. It is one of Africa's most lush countries and its National Parks reflect its extraordinary diversity of habitats. Depending where you go, wildlife viewing can be as good (if not better) than any of Africa's finest wildlife destinations and like Zimbabwe, you will have many areas you visit almost exclusively to yourelf. Whilst standards of service aren't nearly as slick as in other east African countries it is steadily improving and this is more than compensated for by its uncrowded parks and incredible diversity of wildlife.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zambia is one of Africa's best kept secrets offering vast areas of untouched wilderness that remain largely unchanged since the days of the first European explorers and as such is one of the most rewarding wilderness destinations in Africa. Like Zimbabwe, Zambia is home to some of Africa’s finest walking and canoeing safaris giving you some of the most intimate wildlife experiences possible.

Zambia is a fisherman and birder’s nirvana having many species of predatory game fish and over 700 species of birds. The country has an amazingly rich and diverse variety of wildlife and habitats ranging from floodplains, woodlands, swamps and forests to open savannah.

Camps and lodges in Zambia vary from five star luxury lodges to rustic bushcamps, with the latter tending to give a more authentic safari experience.

A safari in Zambia combines well with a safari to Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

 

 

 

 

 

After over a decade of civil strife, Zimbabwe is now firmly back on the map as one of Africas' finest (and safest) safari destinations. Despite the years of political turmoil, contrary to 'popular' belief the country's wildlife populations within its National Parks have far from been decimated. A game drive through Hwange, Matusadona, Mana Pools or Gonarezhou National Park will blow you away with the number and diversity of animals you will see. More to the point, you will also likely have most of these places to yourself. For anyone who truly appreciates the wild outdoors, Zimbabwe's National Parks remain as pure wilderness areas having been spared the overdevelopment which have spoiled many other Southern and East African countries' parks.

Coupled to the above, Zimbabwe's professional guiding qualification system being by far the most demanding and rigorous guiding selection process on the African continent (if not in the world) allows Zimbabwean licensed professional guides to enjoy priviledges in their national parks that many other guides can only dream of. This allows for them to give you some of the most authentic and intimate wildlife experiences imaginable.

Lodges and camps of every imaginable level provide a diverse mix of accommodations at value for $ prices whilst activities on offer range from game drives, walking and canoeing to hiking, horse riding, white water rafting, kayaking, bungee jumping, fishing and hunting.

Not too sophisticated yet not too rough, its infrastructure is sound and its friendly people combined with breathtaking scenery, well managed national parks, huge wilderness areas and a surprising variety of wildlife makes it a country not to be missed. You will not find better value for $ anywhere else and if there is anything to be said about being a responsible 'tourist' then be responsible and travel to Zimbabwe!