Add Underwater to Your Safari – Africa’s Marine World
Everyone knows you come to Africa for a safari and beach holiday but what about getting a bit more out of the beach part? Sure, you can lie around in a hammock and go on a dhow cruise, but more and more travellers are taking advantage of Africa’s coastline and adding a marine aspect to their safari. And you needn’t even get your feet wet.
Africa’s beaches are a traditional post-safari experience – the perfect way to wind down before you fly home.
Africa is home to 12% of the world’s coastline. The areas you’ll be interested in – East and Southern Africa – have largely warm and tropical Indian Ocean coastlines with distinct wet and dry seasons. Many are famous for their marine tourism and are renowned snorkelling and diving destinations; others offer swimming with dolphins. But don’t discount the colder oceans of South Africa’s Western Cape: these clear, rich waters teem with marine life, not least sharks and whales.
More & more travellers are taking advantage of Africa’s underwater world to add a different dimension to their safari.
How to do it? Keen scuba-divers can bring their own gear or rent at their lodge (many have PADI centres); nearly all coastal lodges will have snorkelling gear available at no cost. There’s no need to bring anything: wet suits are provided for cold-water activities; non-motorised sports are free. All of which is ideal for scuba divers, sailors and surf-boarders but there’s another level to underwater tourism, so to speak.
Scuba diving is one of the best ways to see Africa’s ocean creatures: you can hire all the gear there.
Marine tourism is growing not so much due to diving and snorkelling but because of all the other things you can do without getting wet. Ocean safaris – looking for whales, dolphins, sharks and seals – are conducted from charter boats with an on-board marine biologist; glass-bottomed boats drift quietly over coral reefs; guides take you to observe turtle-nesting sites on protected beaches. This is tourism that is intrinsically linked to conservation and is largely non-impactful; it can be enjoyed as much by nature lovers and conservationists as families and multi-generational groups.
But a marine experience in Africa can equally be enjoyed on dry land.
Where to do it? That usually depends on where you plan to go on safari.
EAST AFRICA & MARINE SAFARI
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda are best combined with the beaches and islands of East Africa’s Indian Ocean. Kenya’s beaches and Tanzania’s Zanzibar usually provide the perfect tonic after a dry and dusty Serengeti safari (or wet and muddy gorilla trek). Fly a couple more hours east and now you have Mauritius or the Seychelles. Long time favourites for couples and honeymooners, these destinations are especially good for families – the coastal waters are warm and shallow, and there are baby-sitters, kids’ clubs and water sports on offer at the resorts.
Warm water, safe swimming, sunny weather: East Africa’s tropical beaches are great for families.
All provide excellent scuba diving and snorkelling destinations but it’s worth doing some research on exactly where – the best diving in Zanzibar is in the north, for example, but it’s best off the east coast of Mauritius. And you’ll need to work out when: if you are planning to visit Kenya or Tanzania for the great wildebeest migration, then see how the migration works in order to get your timing right: the wildebeest are on the move in the Serengeti over April and May, for example, but that’s also when Kenya’s beaches are under their heaviest rain of the year.
Ask us how to get your timing right to combine the wildebeest migration with a marine experience.
SOUTHERN AFRICA & MARINE SAFARI
The warm and tropical theme continues into Southern Africa: the beaches and islands of Mozambique offer the same marine experience as those in East Africa, and combine easily with Southern Africa’s classic safari destinations: Botswana, Victoria Falls and South Africa’s Kruger Park. In fact, there is a direct flight from the Kruger to the Mozambique coast, making it super-easy. There’s great diving and snorkelling in Mozambique plus the chance to see some real heavyweights: whale sharks.
Southern Africa’s warmer waters are famous for the chance to swim with whale sharks, the world’s biggest fish.
Southern Africa safari and marine destinations largely share the same climate and are best visited in the dry season (June to October) when the conditions for wildlife watching are at their optimum and the coast is warm and dry. It’s a bit different in South Africa’s Western Cape where the annual rains arrive at this time, but they herald the arrival of migrating southern right whales, seen from land or by ocean safari. Such is the natural wealth of South Africa’s coastline (some 15% of all marine coastal species live along it) that marine tourism now encompasses not just whale watching but also shark-cage diving, swimming with seals, and tours to watch turtles laying eggs.
Highly recommended for nature lovers and adventure seekers, the cold waters of the Cape combine with the natural wonders of Cape Town and the fine food of the Winelands, making it an irresistible itinerary for couples and honeymooners. Add a few more days onto a Cape Town itinerary and now you have time for the nearby town of Hermanus, the world’s best land-based whale watching destination and famous for its marine safaris. Another couple of hours along the coast and you have the epicentre of the whale migration at a private nature reserve of mesmerising natural beauty: de Hoop. See it before the rest of the world discovers it.
The Western Cape delivers some of the best whale watching in the world between August & the end of October.
