Akagera National Park might be a new name for many – and it’s not even the size of London – but this pint-sized park packs a punch: it’s the biggest protected wetland in Central Africa and is the only viable savannah reserve in Rwanda. Go and see it before everyone else finds out!
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…
Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park is one of those destinations that you have heard of but perhaps remain unsure about whether you should visit or not. How does it compare to the famous Serengeti or Ngorongoro Crater, for example? Is it really worth adding a few days onto your safari?
The safari seasons of Southern Africa and East Africa are not aligned, in the sense that peak season in, say, Botswana (mild, dry weather and amazing animals) is very different to that in Kenya or Rwanda, where it may be peak rainy season. Time to unpack East Africa’s safari seasons:
With all the travel advisories these days – don’t go here, be careful there – there’s one warning you never get: African Safaris May Be Addictive. Travel on an African safari for the first time and it might well be that you become hopelessly, irreversibly, even gladly, addicted to the continent.
Ask most travellers to Rwanda why they are going there, and the answer is usually: “To trek for gorillas!”. But more and more visitors to Rwanda arrive not just for the gorillas but for a wide range of other safari activities – many of which you’d expect, and some you wouldn’t…
Combine Tanzania’s classic destinations the Serengeti & Zanzibar with Ruaha National Park for a truly diverse experience. The secret behind Ruaha’s bio-diversity lies in the fact that it sits – ecologically – between East and Southern Africa, bringing together two main habitats.
Multi-day walking safaris can now be experienced also in Kenya and, to make sure that you don’t miss out on any of Kenya’s famously good game viewing, they combine with traditional wildlife watching from a vehicle. It’s not too facile to say you get the best of both worlds.
Our team travelled to East Africa to explore and learn. To make sure our travel recommendations are as good as we say they are. During October Marleen explored Kenya; starting at the famous Masai Mara and more north to the Lewa and Ol Pejeta conservancies.
Many African destinations sell themselves as a safari and beach combination but few do it with such scale and authenticity as Tanzania and Zanzibar. Let’s take a closer look at Zanzibar Island. It is actually the biggest island in the Zanzibar Archipelago…
Planning a safari to East Africa as a group of friends or intergenerational family? What about a safari that runs to your own schedule? You’ll get private guides and vehicles plus an entire safari camp to yourselves, complete with chef, housekeeping staff and child minders if you need them.
Mahale Chimp Trekking in Tanzania is a lifetime experience. The Mahale Mountains which are home to the world’s largest known population of chimpanzees, with approximately 1000 individuals inhabiting the national park. Once you’ve found the Mahale Chimps you’ll have 1 hour to hang out with them and watch as they play, groom and forage on the floor around you.
