SAFARI PARKS
Luxury African Safaris & Tours
Are you dreaming of a luxury African safari? Picture the scene. The sun is sinking slowly into savannah grasses and the sky is tinged with pink and red streaks. You’re sitting atop a granite rock boulder that’s warm to the touch. A man hands you a gin and tonic and points towards a small group of trees. As if on cue, a pair of lionesses stroll out of hiding. It’s the ultimate African safari fantasy and one that every African safari-goer dreams of living. But just how do you go about organizing an upmarket luxury safari tour? Well, it’s easier than you might think.
Kruger Safari Tours
Kruger Safari Tours -Packages
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South Africa’s premier safari destination, Kruger National Park throws up some staggering statistics. Established in 1898, it extends over some 19,000km²/7,335mi² and supports a total of 147 mammal species (the most of any African national park). This includes an estimated 13,000 elephants, 40,000 buffalo, 2,000 lions and more rhinos than any other protected area. Kruger is an ideal safari destination at both ends of the price and experiential spectrum. No other major African park is so well geared to budget-conscious self-drivers. Equally, some of the all-inclusive private and concession lodges associated with Kruger and its immediate surroundings (including MalaMala, Sabi Sabi and Londolozi) rank among the most exclusive, prestigious and costly in Africa.
Pilanesberg Safari Tours & Holidays
Nestled in an ancient volcanic crater up to three hours’ drive from Johannesburg, Pilanesberg Game Reserve is a top-notch 572km²/221mi² park set in the wilds of North West Province. It is home to all the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino) and makes for a great all-round safari destination. As the closest major park to Johannesburg, it is particularly suited to business travelers wanting a short bush break. Pilanesberg lies in a malaria-free area, so families with young children often find it preferable to the better-known Kruger National Park. Pilanesberg is also often visited in combination with Sun City, a glitzy but family-friendly resort complete with luxury hotels, casinos, golf courses and a water park that stands right outside the park boundary.
Mt Kilimanjaro Climbing, Trekking and Hiking Tours
For many visitors to Africa, climbing Mt Kilimanjaro is a once-in-a-lifetime challenge. The climb takes in muddy rainforests, unique high-altitude plants and alpine meadows before finally arriving at the glacier-coated summit. Standing tall above the savannahs of East Africa, Mt Kilimanjaro (5,895m/19,340ft) is an icon of Africa. But just how do you go about climbing Tanzania’s Mt Kilimanjaro and how fit do you have to be? We answer some of these common questions below.
Masai Mara Safari - Tours
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If Africa had a Top Five for safari parks, the Masai Mara safari would easily make the final cut. It’s a classic safari destination and one of the best places to see lions, leopards and cheetahs, as well as being home to iconic savannah country that long ago came to define the East African safari. It also has the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino), a good mix of public areas and private conservancies, and extraordinarily rich accommodations offerings.
Okavango Delta Safari Tours & Holidays
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The Okavango Delta is an African classic, a vast network of waterways that changes with the seasons, but always hosts memorable wildlife populations. The diversity here is endless, with islands that exist one year but are gone the next. This world in motion should be drama enough for most visitors, but it is here that Botswana’s wildlife reputation was born and so many wildlife documentaries were filmed. To put it another way, the Delta is one of the best places on the planet to see wildlife.
Ngorongoro Crater Safari Tours & Holidays
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A Ngorongoro Crater tour is usually combined with a safari in neighboring Serengeti National Park. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area protects the volcanically formed Crater Highlands, which are dotted with deep volcanic craters. The best known, Ngorongoro is the world’s largest intact caldera and a natural wildlife reserve with few peers. Ngorongoro safari tours offer your best chance in Tanzania of spotting all the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and black rhino) in one game drive. The crater is also notable for the spectacularly scenic combination of the verdant plains of the lake-studded crater floor and imposing 600m-/1,968ft-high cliffs that enclose it on all sides.
Amboseli Safari Tours & Holidays
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Amboseli National Park is one of East Africa’s most rewarding safari destinations, and a real classic of the Kenya safari circuit. Compact enough to get around easily, filled with wildlife, replete with good accommodation in and around the park, and with the best Kilimanjaro views to be had anywhere on the continent, Amboseli should be on the list of every safari visitor to Kenya. It’s also close to Nairobi, making it easy to visit in a short time frame, and combine it with other parks as well.
South Africa Safari - Compare 964 Tours
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South Africa is one of the world’s most varied holiday destinations. From the classic safari country of Kruger National Park to the stately ‘mother city’ of Cape Town; from the snow-sprinkled heights of the Drakensberg to the parched red dunescapes of the Kalahari; from the gorgeous Winelands around Stellenbosch to the idyllic beaches of the Garden Route – South Africa is a true all-rounder that attracts more than its fair share of repeat visitors. It is also the most affordable and well equipped of African safari destinations, particularly well suited to family holidays, to those seeking a malaria-free holiday, to dedicated foodies and wine-lovers, and for combining a foray into Big Five country with a beach holiday and/or city break.
Namibia Safari Tours & Holidays
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A safari in Namibia is as much about the wildlife as the country’s scenic beauty. It is home to Etosha National Park, one of Africa’s most iconic wildlife reserves, but there’s so much more to discover. The national parks of the Zambezi Region (formerly Caprivi Strip) are finally getting the attention they deserve, while the dune-scapes of the Skeleton Coast and its hinterland are simply extraordinary. These are just the starting points for exploring a country rich in experiences and safari opportunities.
Mozambique Tours & Safari Packages
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Mozambique’s main draw are the countless paradisiacal palm-fringed beaches that line its 2,600km/1,616mi Indian Ocean coastline and innumerable offshore islands. Serviced by some first-class luxury resorts, it is the perfect country for a relaxing beach holiday, as well as for more active marine pursuits such as snorkeling, diving and coastal safaris. Inland, Mozambique’s national parks and reserves were once major attractions, but a prolonged civil war that ended in 1992 left them poached out and depleted of wildlife. Despite this, recent rehabilitation efforts mean that some of these little-visited parks are now slowly emerging as worthwhile goals for adventurers seeking an off-the-beaten-track safari experience.
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Gorilla Trekking Tours
There are many amazing wildlife encounters – but few can match coming eye to eye with a mountain gorilla. A big part of what makes the gorilla trek so special is that these big apes are so closely related to humans (the difference in DNA is only about 1.6%). They do seem to touch a nerve when they look at us with interest. The gorillas’ natural habitat is restricted to a relatively small area in a historically turbulent region. But most of this region has stabilized in recent decades, which makes gorilla tours increasingly accessible. Habitat loss is now the main obstacle to the survival of gorillas, but money spent on gorilla tourism goes a long way in securing their survival.
Chimp Trekking Tours
A chimpanzee trekking safari offers a special opportunity to see our closest relatives at close range. Although it doesn’t get the same attention as gorilla trekking, the experience can be quite similar. The intelligence and social structure of chimps make them fascinating subjects for observation, and no two visits are the same. Chimpanzees live in communities ranging from 20 to 150 individuals. Like humans, they tend to have strong personalities. Their expressive faces make their identities easily recognized by us, even during a short visit. Lucky visitors will be able to hear their pant-hooting. This communal, loud calling session can be triggered by anything that excites them – including you.
African Fly-in Safaris
Imagine an African fly-in safari, flying in a small bush plane over the Serengeti or Kruger National Park, or wilder places like the Luangwa Valley. Way below you’ll spot wildlife such as elephant, hippo and giraffe. All the while you’ll watch the patterns of clouds on expansive savannah plains, and follow the twisting, turning course of great rivers like the Zambezi. Fly-in safaris can really enhance your holiday. They offer a convenient, comfortable means of travel to different destinations, either within one country or between different countries. Most safari destinations have a well-run network of routes that can land right in the heart of the bush. Some lodges even have their own private airstrip.
African Canoe Safaris
Africa offers some epic canoe safaris. The Okavango Delta, the Zambezi River and Malawi’s Shire River are great all-round African safari destinations, but they show their liveliest and most surprising sides to paddlers. African kayak safaris offer opportunities to get up close to elephant, hippo, crocodile and more. This is true whether you take it easy in a mokoro (dugout canoe) and glide into the sunset, or embark on a multiday canoe adventure. Best of all, canoes offer a way into the animals’ watery habitat. Cruising quietly along in a wooden or fiberglass craft means you won’t disturb the animals, from birds on branches to thirsty antelope at the riverbank.
African Self-Drive Safaris & Tours
An African self-drive safari might be just the thing for you if you’re a bit of an adventurer. There’s nothing quite like exploring Africa at your own pace and in your own time. While most safari packages adhere to a predetermined itinerary, a self-drive safari is where you get to take control. Yes, you’ll need to have your campsites and other accommodations booked well in advance, putting some limits on your freedom. But it will be up to you which route you take, how long you stay to watch those lions on a kill, and how long you stop for lunch. That freedom comes with a sense of responsibility – if something happens, you’re the one who’ll need to deal with it. But help is never more than a satellite phone call away and it’s a small price to pay for the sort of safari holiday that you’ll never forget.
African Birdwatching Tours
Africa offers some of the best birding safaris in the world. Birds are an integral part of the African landscape. Even on an ordinary safari, you can expect to see colorful bee-eaters and rollers, proud eagles and ostriches. Because it’s dominated by open savannah rather than dense rainforest, Africa tops the list for seeing a large number of species in the course of an ordinary holiday. Many leading African safari destinations boast a checklist of more than 500 bird species. These include Serengeti National Park (Tanzania), Kruger National Park (South Africa) and Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda). If you’ve been bitten by the birding bug, a specialist guided safari will maximize your sighting opportunities.
African Walking Safaris
Walking the wide, open African savannah in the company of an expert guide is the ultimate African safari experience. The guide can point out medicinal plants and tiny creatures and tell you stories of life in the bush. A long walking safari will give you a greater understanding of the ecosystem and its animals and plants than any jeep safari ever could. When you do see animals, it comes with the thrill of knowing that nothing stands between them and you. Altogether, a long walk through the African wilderness might be one of the greatest and most rewarding adventures you embark on.
African Group Safaris & Tours
Signing up to an African safari group tour is one of the most popular ways to go on safari. Having an expert plan the nitty-gritty of your safari package for you saves time and hassle. It means all you have to do is read up on African wildlife and hop on a plane. A small group tour can be a great way to see Africa. Special-interest group trips, such as bird watching, conservation or big cats, are recommended. A special-interest trip will put you in a group with like-minded people, and the guide will be an expert. Before jumping into a group safari though, there are a few things to consider.
African Honeymoon Safaris
Romance and indulgence go hand in hand with an African honeymoon safari. It’s the one holiday where you should pull out all the stops. Spoil yourselves and splash out on a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Africa is perhaps the most romantic continent on earth. It has everything from endless starlit skies and dramatic landscapes of shifting deserts to mighty rivers, open plains and the Great Rift Valley. Then there’s the spectacular wildlife, the stuff you’d only normally see on National Geographic or BBC Earth, right there in front of you. Add to that the beautiful beaches on Indian Ocean islands and friendly people, and the scene for your honeymoon is all set.
African Photographic Safaris
If you’re a photography enthusiast, you might want to consider booking an African photographic safari. Photography is a hobby shared by many. However, taking great wildlife photos requires dedication. By joining a photographic tour you will avoid ending up with a group of people taking selfies at every sighting. Instead, you'll be with people sharing your passion and dedication. Even if you’re accomplished as a photographer in another field, there’s still much you can learn from an experienced wildlife photographer and the skills of anticipating animal behavior. Wildlife photography on safari is unique in its need for patience and bush etiquette. You should never cross the line where your photography interferes with an animal’s existence.
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