Thinking about experiencing a Congo safari? But the Congo is a travel destination that generates a lot of questions: where is ‘the Congo’? There are two countries with ‘Congo’ in their name: which one do you go to – and how? Can you go gorilla trekking? And what other activities do you do on a Congo safari? Time for some answers – starting with ‘yes’ to gorilla trekking.
The Bazaruto Archipelago is water-sport heaven and most resorts offer free equipment for non-motorised activities such as snorkelling, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding. Book at the lodge for activities like scuba diving, seahorse safaris and sailing dhows at sunset.
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…
South Africa’s Winelands lie in the valleys of the Western Cape’s magnificent mountains and are as diverse in character as the wines they offer. Climate, altitude and proximity to the ocean all play a part in producing not just fine wines but excellent food too.
What’s a non-stop safari destination? It’s a place that delivers great wildlife sightings not just on the scheduled morning and afternoon drives (you’d expect that) but also on the vehicle transfers to and from the lodge. Think of it as a third “free” game drive.
We’ve chosen our favourite safari lodge swimming pools, spread out across East and Southern Africa. If you are on safari in Green Season or – even warmer – the Amber Season – then by lunchtime you’ll be thankful you chose a lodge with a pool, but not just any old pool …
If you thought going on safari by yourself was unusual, think again: solo safari travel now makes up some 10% of business for several operators. It’s a growing trend, and the safari industry has responded by making solo travel easier and more affordable than before.
Close to Cape Town, Hermanus is famous for its whale watching but that’s just the start of that this town has to offer. Bring hiking boots, a camera, binoculars and a taste for fine food and wine. Got children? Even better: I hope they like penguins. Let’s see what Hermanus has to offer.
This small national park is somewhat hard to define when compared to the country’s other safari destinations such as Hwange and Mana Pools. Striking a balance between a safari & a hiking/biking destination, Matobo is also one of the best places for a rhino encounter…
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…
Whether you are a newly-wed or a parent planning a safari with kids under 12, here’s some advice for choosing your African Safari Lodge or Camp. Although many accommodations claim to cater to both kinds of travellers, there are certainly those more suited for one rather than the other.
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.
Rising in central Africa, the Zambezi is home to or near several of the continent’s most iconic destinations – Victoria Falls, Chobe River, Lake Kariba – and offers the fullest range of safari activities: drives, walks, flights, river cruises – plus white-water rafting and canoe adventures.
The big thing about a Chobe River Safari is that it’s one of the most seasonally-affected destinations in Botswana. Rain is the most important factor, or more precisely, the lack of it. But peak season brings other aspects to the experience – not all advantageous to the traveller.
Cape Town’s best nature and wildlife tours are easy to do on a self-drive holiday. But if you want to go birding at the best spot in town, or you’d like explore low-tide rock pools and learn about the plants that cover the mountains then you’re going to need a specialist guide.
Planning your first safari can be daunting. There’s the question of what to wear, what to bring and what to expect. And it gets more confusing when people start using familiar words in unfamiliar ways: what can you look forward to on a bush breakfast, for example?
There are different regions to Etosha National Park – its famous pan is only a quarter of its area – and these regions each have a character. You’ll need to decide about your accommodation: private lodges, state-run safari camps or camping facilities. Oh, and there’s a rainy season too.
Every safari lodge in Africa has a view but there are views and there are views. The one from your kitchen window compared to the one from the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater, for example. And the view from a safari lodge can tell you a lot, not just about the landscape but the experience too.
Anyone planning an African safari can be forgiven for equating ‘peak season’ with ‘the most expensive season’. And while there’s no getting around the fact that you’ll be paying the year’s top price for a lodge or a safari in peak season, it’s worth considering why.
With a quarter of the world’s 10 000 bird species either living on or migrating to the continent, it’s fair to say that Africa is a birding destination par excellence. From the world’s biggest bird – the ostrich – to some of its most familiar – flamingos, hornbills and parrots.
No-one does sun, safari and scuba better than Africa – even in the continent’s cooler, drier months of June, July and August, which makes it a great destination for that vacation this year. These three months also see some of the best game viewing across Africa…
Of all the natural wonders that lie in wait for visitors at Victoria Falls, surely a lunar rainbow is the least expected. By the light of the monthly full moon, the misty spray of the waterfall reveals an arc of light, as surely as sunshine produces a rainbow on rainy days.
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.
In serious bird watching circles, the Shoebill Stork (Balaeniceps rex) is known as a ‘Mega Tick’ or even a ‘Lifer’, conveying the magnitude of such a sighting on one’s life list of recorded species. Birds like these are hard to find: they are rare – the Shoebill is listed as Endangered.
As the savannah landscapes dry up across Southern Africa, the opposite is happening in the South Africa’s Western Cape: colourful sunbirds and sugarbirds take advantage of bright flowering winter-aloes and the ocean welcomes the southern right whales, migrating from the Antarctic to the Cape.
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…
As sure as wine and cheese go together, the Cape Winelands is a destination that combines naturally with two wheels. After all, if you are there to taste wine then you certainly don’t want to be driving a car and it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to put in a little exercise too.
It may be stating the obvious but your Safari experience depends to a large degree on the quality of your guides. Of course there are great guides all across Africa but if you are looking for the most experienced and the most highly trained, then look no further than the guides of Zimbabwe.
Horseback safaris offer you the chance to ride alongside antelope, zebra and giraffe instead of disturbing them. It’s a great way to see birds and small animals going about their business as well as the African heavyweights – elephant, buffalo and rhino – in a natural, relaxed setting.
Photography hides are changing the face of an African safari. Available at a few select lodges, they provide the wildlife photographer – beginner or professional – with the perfect foil to traditional game drives and walks. Photographic hides are all about letting the wildlife come to you…
Africa’s Big Five are easy to find if you go to the right places. Not so the Small Five – creatures that require a slower pace and a keener eye to spot. You will, however, have an easier time ticking off the members of Africa’s Ugly Five, animals that perhaps only their mother could love…
The Congo. No other destination in Africa has a greater name-resonance. A land of rainforest, rivers & swamps, thunderstorms & heat. And a place of astonishing wildlife: monkeys, forest elephants & buffalo as well as gorillas & pangolins and the extraordinary bongo antelope.
They say everyone is a photographer these days, thanks to hi-tech digital cameras and online editing tools. But good cameras and the lenses suitable for wildlife photography can be ferociously expensive. Make it easy on yourself with one of Africa’s photographic safaris.
How do you decide in which season to go on safari? There are seasonal events such as wildlife migrations and then there are different climatic periods, typically a dry season and a wet season, but some destinations even have two wet seasons! Our knowledgeable team comes to the rescue!
Sure there are safari lodges in the Kalahari but what about really sleeping out? As in under the stars. And what stars there are. The area is called the Makgadikgadi Pans (try Ma-ghadi-ghadi as the pronunciation). There are two salt pans, and they are surrounded by classic Kalahari savannah…
Botswana’s Tsodilo Hills are more than just a geological oddity. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, this is a place of deep spiritual and cultural significance for the indigenous San (Bushman) people and they have left behind a great treasure. Not gold or silver, but art…
One of the fastest growing travel trends in Southern Africa is for exclusive use safari camps, for an unbeatable safari experience for families with children & groups of friends. Fully serviced and very comfortable, these camps are found across Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Whether it’s the Kruger or Kenya, an African safari usually carries a risk of malaria. And while the risk of contracting malaria on safari is generally very low, a South Africa malaria-free safari is your chance to visit genuine Big 5 reserves with no risk of malaria at all.
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.
You’d expect such a well-loved family holiday destination to have plenty of things to see and do, and you’d be right. Set in a malaria-free landscape of sandy beaches and rolling mountain ranges, Garden Route family activities range from whale watching and interactions with friendly elephants.
Table Mountain, Victoria Falls, gorilla trekking and the Serengeti Migration – if Africa doesn’t hold the record for most bucket-list destinations in one continent then it surely lays claim to the most spectacular and unique ones. Check your Africa bucket list with ours and see if you agree!
First the good news: malaria in South Africa is restricted to a very small area of the country and is seasonally driven. In fact, you can enjoy a South Africa safari and avoid malaria entirely: there are many malaria-free reserves across the country which offer excellent Big 5 game viewing.
Travelling to Botswana with toddlers and babies on safari may seem a daunting prospect but with a bit of planning it is much easier than you think. For a safe and rewarding Botswana safari with activities for the whole family, it’s simply a question of when you go and where you go.
In this blog, we’ll be highlighting some of the most exciting and gorgeous destinations for honeymooners. And the best part is that you’ll find that there are many honeymoon specials reserved for newlyweds. So, if you’re wanting to know where to honeymoon in Africa, read on.
Okavango Delta activities are a range of motorised and non-motorised excursions, all of which are led by professional guides. A lodge’s location will dictate what activities it offers. Camps based on permanent water focus on water activities while those in drier areas specialise in game drives.
Hiking trails criss-cross the peninsula and include the most iconic destinations: Table Mountain of course, but also Lion’s Head, Cape Point and – beyond Cape Town – the Cape Winelands and Whale Route. Different kinds of hikes too: half-day and full-day hiking; easy, moderate or challenging hikes; and walks focussed on wildlife or bird watching.
If you’re planning to travel to Africa, then it pays to know what happens where and when. A continent of dazzling diversity, Africa is a destination where each month delivers something special; the trick is to match your month of travel with the best experience at that time. Use our African Travel Calendar – a month by month guide.
The Livingstone Island tour is offered 5 times on a daily basis. A twin-engine boat will take you on a thrilling journey through the fast-moving channels of the Zambezi River. On the island you will be given a guided tour, learning about its history from ancient times when it served as a sacrificial site to the present day and its World Heritage status.
Providing a unique river-based experience, a Botswana houseboat safari is ideal for discerning safari travellers and those in search of a more intimate and unusual approach to a safari. Usually a chef, guide and housekeeper ensure guests want for nothing, and the focus in on a personalised stay. Guests aboard a Botswana Houseboat can look forward to plenty of rest and relaxation.
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.
