You could say there are two sides to African safari travel. On the one hand, the famous places – the Kruger Park, the Serengeti, the Masai Mara, Victoria Falls; you know them, you may have travelled to them. And on the other hand, the destinations you may have heard of, or perhaps not at all – Kafue, Linyanti, Gorongosa and Murchison Falls.
The question is, however, not so much why you haven’t heard of them but more why should you visit them. After all, the trouble with the famous places – of course – is that they are the most popular and busiest places to go to, and usually come with the highest price tag. Moreover, the less-famous destinations are often those with unique experiences: zebra migrations, chimpanzee trekking, rhino trails and tree-climbing lions. You’ll still enjoy fabulous accommodation, great guiding and all the classic wildlife and views – just with far fewer other visitors.
Ignore the tour buses: Africa is covered in paths less travelled: here are our top ten.
1 HEAVYWEIGHT TANZANIA: RUAHA & NYERERE PARKS
A Tanzania safari is almost synonymous with its most famous wildlife destination – the Serengeti – which is part of the dependable ‘northern circuit’ but we’d also suggest heading east for the country’s two biggest and wildest reserves. With its signature baobab trees, Ruaha National Park is well-known for its elephant herds and big cats whereas the jumbo-sized Nyerere Park is famous for its boating safaris and amazing birding. Both offer experiences not permitted in the more popular reserves such as night drives and bush walks, and the lack of other visitors ensures a virtually exclusive safari.
2 WILD WEST TANZANIA: KATAVI & MAHALE
Big herds of buffalo mean big prides of lion, and that’s the sort of thing that Katavi National Park delivers: big game viewing. But because it is off the beaten path, it is barely visited by other safari travellers. And it’s even more apparent at nearby Mahale Mountains National Park; these jungle-clad mountains tower over a clear-water lake and are home to Africa’s biggest protected population of chimpanzees. It’s a magical, verdant world with activities ranging from chimp trekking and birding to snorkelling, diving and kayaking – with almost no-one else around.
3 KENYA’S HIDDEN SAFARI GEMS
Everyone knows Kenya’s Masai Mara but for an itinerary bursting with bio-diversity, safari travellers should book time in the country’s lesser-known wildlife destinations: the Samburu National Reserve, and the Lewa or Laikpia Conservancies. Samburu should sound familiar – it’s where the ‘Born Free’ lions come from, and its arid landscape is home to animals you won’t find in other parts of Kenya. The Conservancies are essentially private reserves that are fast becoming the absolute must-go destinations for not just diverse wildlife but rare ones too: Big Five Lewa has both black and white rhinos, while Laikipia adds wild dog to the list and the country’s second biggest elephant population.
4 BIG GAME, BIG RIVER UGANDA
If you’re going to Uganda then chances are that it’s for a gorilla trek but it’d be a shame to miss out on the country’s big game destinations: Queen Elizabeth National Park blends classic wildlife watching by boat and vehicle with local specials: this is where you may see lions climbing trees as well as chimpanzees roaming the park’s forests. Murchison Falls National Park lies a half-day drive away and is home to a similar set of land and river experiences, but Murchison has a trump card up its sleeve: this is where the River Nile squeezes spectacularly through a narrow ravine, creating the eponymous, and magnificent, Murchison Falls.
5 NAMIBIA’S LAST OUTPOSTS
Northern Namibia’s Kaokoveld has only recently opened up to travellers; vast, remote, untamed, this unfamiliar world is home to remarkable desert-adapted animals – even elephants – that eke out a living in its red sands. And suddenly, the dry desert gives way to the Atlantic Ocean and the eerie Skeleton Coast: cold, unforgiving, hauntingly beautiful. Served by amazing fly-in accommodation, this is a destination for the landscape connoisseur, for people seeking retreat, silence and the raw elements. Combine it with the green and well-watered Caprivi Strip for a study in contrasts.
6 SECRET SOUTH AFRICA: KWAZULU NATAL
We’re not saying don’t go to Cape Town or the Kruger Park; we’re just suggesting a destination that puts the Africa into South Africa. KwaZulu Natal is perhaps South Africa’s most diverse province: home to big game reserves (it’s especially renowned for rhino) and some of the country’s best safari walking trails, it’s also a destination of warm-water ocean snorkelling and scuba diving, exceptional birding and some of the most compelling history and culture in South Africa: visit Boer War sites, walk in the footsteps of Ghandi and Churchill, and experience the colourful culture of the Zulus.
7 THE LINYANTI WETLANDS
You’ve heard of Botswana’s wildlife showpiece: the Okavango Delta. Trouble is, everyone else has as well. The Okavango is not overcrowded by any means but if you are looking for a similar wetland experience where you’ll outnumbered by animals rather than other visitors, then Botswana’s Linyanti Wetlands are the answer. Accessed via private wildlife concessions, the Linyanti is a world of both land and water and its wildlife reflects this: African wild dogs hunt antelope on grassy floodplains, elephants and buffalo drink at the riverside, and big herds of zebra gather in the dry season before migrating south with the rains.
8 ZIMBABWE LAND & LAKE
If you’re going for a water and land combination, then why not choose southern Africa’s biggest waterbody – Lake Kariba – and its accompanying Matusadona National Park. There is an emphasis on big game here: as well as cheetah and wild dog, you can look for the Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant) by boat, vehicle and on foot with some of the best guides in the business. Highly recommended for the more adventurous safari traveller as well as dedicated birders and big cat fans, Matusadona is easy to add onto your Victoria Falls holiday; a short domestic flight connects them and there are several accommodation options on the sunset shores of Lake Kariba.
9 ZAMBIA’S BIG GAME & BIRDING
Victoria Falls might be Zambia’s number one tourist destination but the Kafue National Park is where we’d suggest adding on a few days. It’s not as famous as the South Luangwa but Kafue is just as good for the classic animals of Africa such as elephant, lion and buffalo, and it also has a little secret: the Busanga Plains. Set in the northern area of the park, the wetlands of Busanga become a wildlife haven in the dry season as great herds of thirsty animals gather there, attracting large numbers of predators: big cats, wild dogs and hyenas. It also draws in tens of thousands of birds, making it an excellent birding destination.
10 GORONGOSA: MOZAMBIQUE’S PHOENIX
From the ashes rises the phoenix, and so it is with Gorongosa National Park; Mozambique’s once premier wildlife destination is recovering after decades of neglect, and is not just putting wildlife back into the area but the benefits of tourism and conservation have uplifted and improved the local communities too. There are elephants and lions there – even wild dog – but don’t go to Gorongosa for abundant wildlife; go to Gorongosa for stunning scenery, a wild remote ambience and the knowledge that your presence there is the reason wildlife is back and growing. You can even combine it with an Indian Ocean beach holiday – diving, snorkelling and sailing.
