Mt Kenya vs Kilimanjaro – what’s the difference?
It’s one of the most-asked questions in African travel and a tricky one. Africa’s tallest two mountains can be hiked to their summits but they are quite different in experience, cost & logistics.
- Safari Online
- Our Travel Blog
Our Travel Blog
Ilona’s Botswana educational trip
Ilona’s Botswana educational trip was truly special, from the warm-hearted locals and amazing wildlife to conversations around the campfire and breath-taking sunsets – she cannot wait for her next adventure!
Tswalu – The Red Kalahari
You can visit the Kalahari and view its wildlife in several countries – notably Botswana – but if you are looking for the purest distillation of the Kalahari experience, then South Africa’s Tswalu Reserve stands head and shoulders above everyone else.
Kids & the Okavango: Young Explorer Camp
Family safaris to Africa are becoming more and more popular because they are becoming easier and easier to do. Now you can explore the wildest places from the comfort of a camp that has been designed for families and one of the best places to experience this is Botswana’s Okavango.
Cape Town’s best Nature & Wildlife tours
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.
Exploring the Skeleton Coast
Combining Shipwreck Lodge with a stay at Hoanib Valley Camp, allowed us to enjoy a one-of-a-kind self-drive activity through the interior of the Skeleton Coast with a transfer vehicle driving ahead of us…
Flying Safaris – Maximise your Time & Experience
If you’re aiming to get the most out of your African safari experience or if you want to visit the best, most wildlife-rich destinations – then you’ll need to buckle up and spend some time in the sky.
National Parks vs Private Reserves – what’s the difference?
It’s probably something that’s come up in your research: some lodges and safaris take place in National Parks while others make us of Private Reserves or Concessions. So what’s the difference?
Top 5 New Year’s Eve Destinations
New Year’s Eve safaris deliver a unique experience: the weather is warm and the sun bright during the southern summer. Africa’s wildlife reserves are lush and green and on the coast, beaches bustle with holiday activity and Africa’s most-loved city – Cape Town.
First-time Safari guide & the Words you’ll need
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?
Spotlight on Etosha – what you need to know
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.
Our Best Safari Lodge Views
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.
Cape Town & Kruger with Kids: put to test
I’ve often wondered about the Cape Town/Kruger Park combination with kids: does it really work as well as everyone says it does? Is it easy to do – really – with young children? Is there enough to do and see? How many hours do I have to spend driving?
South African Safari with Kids
Read all about the Kohrs family safari in the northern part of South Africa. They had such an
amazing time together and created lifelong memories. Follow the link to the blog where you’ll also see more photos and a video.
Mozambique’s Coral Lodge has it all
Well, if you are planning a safari in Africa and want to combine it with a beach holiday then you no longer need fly all the way to the Seychelles – it’s lying on the Mozambique mainland. Set on a tropical peninsula, Coral Lodge lies on pristine beaches surrounded by the balmy Indian Ocean.
Peak Season Safaris – What You Need to Know
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.
Best safaris along Africa’s Rivers
On a continent known for its aridity, Africa’s rivers carry a great deal of currency. And the animals know it too: name any great wildlife reserve in Africa and you’ll find a teeming river at its heart. What could be better for a safari?
Africa’s Top Birding Destinations
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.
Why Go on safari in Shoulder Season?
A safari shoulder season is essentially the time between peak and low season. And since the shoulder season edges both peak and low, it carries with it aspects of each. For example, you should see better wildlife during a shoulder season than a low season…
Cultural Activities on Safari
It’s the age-old question: how do you experience cultural activities on an African safari? How to do it in a way that delivers genuine, non-intrusive cultural experiences without resorting to stereotype? Or indeed exploitation?
Scuba & Safari – Best Places This Year
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…
Houseboat safaris in Africa
Do it differently & go on a houseboat safari: great wildlife, birding & fishing on Africa’s rivers or the Indian Ocean. If you’re the sort of safari traveller who likes a 24-hour safari experience, then a houseboat safari in Africa is going to be your kind of thing.
Kruger’s Private Game Reserves
“To get lost is to learn the way.” Vaneshree and her husband had the privilege of an unforgettable week away in the Kruger National Park and this African proverb perfectly describes the start of their self-drive safari adventure.
Plan your 2023 Victoria Falls Lunar Rainbow
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.
Southern Africa Desert Safaris – What you need to know
The first thing to note about Southern African desert safaris is that they are probably not what you might have in your mind’s eye. Find out more with the experts!
High & Low: How Victoria Falls Works
Victoria Falls sits at the centre of many African safaris and expectations of visitors are high. This Natural World Wonder has distinct high and low levels of water depending on the time of year, which then influence the rest of your safari activities there…
Safari Guide Training
Safari guide training is gaining popularity as an alternative to a traditional safari. Instead of sitting in the back of a 4X4 and listening to all the information, travellers are now immersing themselves in experience by learning, training and practicing how to become professional safari guides.
African Bicycle Safaris
Much of your African safari is enjoyed from a vehicle so why not diversify your experience by swopping four wheels for two. Bicycle safaris are fast becoming a feature of activities offered across Africa and deliver a different perspective to the environment.
Kenya’s Masai Mara & Private Conservancies
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.
Luxury Train Travel in Africa
Train travel is truly about the journey. Step aboard and the experience begins: you’ll enjoy top service, fine dining and great South African wine plus all the fineries of luxury travel like air-conditioned suites and room service.
Want to know more about the Shoebill?
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.
Southern Tanzania and Zanzibar
“Everything in Africa bites, but the safari bug is worst of all” – Brian Jackman. And would only add: “The only antidote is to go back on safari again and again.” So this time Sabrina and her husband ventured to East Africa, specifically to Southern Tanzania and Zanzibar.
Africa Marathons and Safaris
The timing of the best African marathons, held in iconic destinations from Cape Town to Mount Kilimanjaro, coincides nicely with some safari highlights across both East and Southern Africa, so it makes a lot of sense to combine your African marathon with a safari.
10 Reasons to book a Botswana Low Season Safari
If you’ve done Botswana in the peak season, or you are a nature photographer, or a birder or if you just want to see something that will surprise you, then Go Low.
Green Season Safari: Southern vs East Africa
Africa’s Green Seasons are synonymous with some of the year’s most exciting wildlife events – great migrations of antelope and zebra, the mass birthing of animals, the appearance of migrant birds, and the enrichment of the landscape with colour and form.
Adding Whales & Flowers to your Safari
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.
Secret Safari: Kalahari Zebra Migration
Who would think that Africa’s second biggest zebra migration happens in the Kalahari Desert? In fact, if you want to see zebra herds rivalled only by those of East Africa’s mighty migration – then you need to go to Botswana’s Kalahari Desert.
Our Hidden Gems of Zambia
Where does the traveller look for a more off-the-beaten-path safari experience? Those who want something a bit different, perhaps unique, and definitely without any crowds… Let’s open Zambia’s natural treasure box and find those hidden gems.
Zanzibar Safari & Beach: what you need to know
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…
Africa’s Best Canoe Safaris
So here’s the dilemma: you are planning an African safari and want a bit of adventure and a lot of wildlife. But you’d also like to reduce your impact on the environment you are visiting. And it wouldn’t hurt to have a comfortable bed and good food too…
Changing Conservation: Gonarezhou
Gonarezhou is the second biggest national park in Zimbabwe but chances are you’ve never heard of it. It’s a wildlife reserve with all the animals you’d expect – elephants, lions, hippo, buffalo – but it’s also the place where a revolution in conservation was born.
The Cape Winelands by Bike
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.
Nature Unleashed: Madagascar Masoala Forest
Lying on Madagascar’s north-eastern coast, Masoala is a World Heritage Site and protects the greatest area of lowland rainforest in the country as well as mangrove swamps and coral reefs. At the heart of it is Masoala Forest Lodge…
Five Star Guiding at Mana Pools
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.
Saddle up: Okavango Delta Horseback Safari
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.
Best Photography Hides in Southern Africa
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…
Back to basics: Safari Sleep-outs & Fly Camping
Sleep under a canopy of stars and wake up to simplicity: a basin of hot water and fresh coffee. The rising African sun floods the landscape with golden light, and your guide and vehicle are ready for the new day’s adventure.
Africa’s fives: the Big, Small & Ugly
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…
Congo Safari: Understanding the Congo
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.
Photographic Safaris & Camera Rental
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.
Easy Guide to Africa’s Safari Seasons
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!
Rise & Fall: How the Okavango Delta “works”
If you’re planning a safari to Botswana’s Okavango Delta, then it’s a good idea to understand how it works. This way you can safely set your expectations concerning the wildlife you may see or the activities you will be able to do…
Room with a View: Africa’s Top 10 Star beds
We go on safari to see wildlife during the day but Africa’s main show is at night. Elevate your safari experience with a night in a Star bed; they are available only at certain lodges across Africa but we’ve made it easy for you with our choice of Africa’s Top 10 star beds right here.
Accessible Safaris
Many safari travellers visit both East and Southern Africa but not many have done it confined to a wheelchair. But Tineke Dirks from the Netherlands has, and is happy to prove that it is completely possible.
Wild Night: a Salt Pan Sleep-out
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…
Top 5 Luxurious Beach Holidays in Mozambique
Safari Online’s Top 5 luxurious beach holidays in Mozambique: we’ve seen them for ourselves and rate them as much for their comfort and cuisine as the range of activities that they offer. Pop on a sun hat and have a look for yourself.
From Desert to Delta: Tsodilo Hills & Okavango
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…
Botswana multi-generational Family Safari
A Botswana multi-generational family safari is one long remembered. Big cats at dawn; elephants at the waterhole; sunset drinks on the river – your family will be talking about this holiday for years to come.
Exclusive Use Safari Camps in Southern Africa
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.
Best South Africa Malaria-free Safari Reserves
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.
Counting the Giants: an Aerial Whale Survey
Southern Right whales visiting the coastline of South Africa’s Western Cape have been recorded in a recent aerial survey & the results not only give us an idea about how many there are but also where they are most easily seen. And it’s all pointing to one place.
Karina’s Fly-in Botswana Safari
From 21st to 29th August 2021, our travel-specialist Karina traveled to Botswana and its top safari regions: Central Kalahari, Magkadigkadi, Okavango Delta, Moremi and Chobe’s Savuti and River. We do regular site inspections to ensure our travel recommendations are as good as we say they are.
Shinde: Diamond in the Delta
Deciding which safari camp to visit in Botswana’s Okavango Delta is not always easy: do you go to a water camp or a land camp? At Shinde you get both: year-round water activities plus day & night game drives in wildlife-rich private reserve.
Rhino Conservation Safari & Conservation Week
A unique rhino experience gives you the chance to play your part in their continued survival. Malaria-free Marataba is offering a unique Rhino Conservation Week, split into two experiences of three nights each. See when…
Under a Sky of Stars: Kubu Island
Kubu Island is simply one of those amazing places for landscape and astrophotography. I have quite an obsession with astrophotography and “shooting” the stars at Kubu has long been on my bucket list. Due to the remote location of Kubu, there is hardly any light pollution.
Exclusive Use Safari Camps in East Africa
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.
Top 10 Garden Route family activities
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.
Top 10 Cape Town activities for families
South Africa’s leading holiday destination, Cape Town’s unique location means a truly amazing range of activities for families. It’s a city where you can walk on mountains, play on beaches and enjoy wildlife, adventure and cultural tours.
Bucket List Africa – 15 Incredible Experiences
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!
South Africa Safari & Malaria
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.
Madikwe Family Safari
The Kohrs family share their thoughts on their safari experience at the Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa. Travelling with their two children aged 2 and 4, they had a fantastic time: find out about the lodges they visited, what made their stay excellent and what to consider when travelling on safari with kids.
Children’s Activities in Victoria Falls
Whether you’re bringing toddlers or teenagers, the range of children’s activities in Victoria Falls makes it the perfect destination for a family safari. These activities are professionally run, age-appropriate and create life-long memories.
Okavango Delta with Children
A safari to Botswana’s Okavango Delta with children promises to be a memorable family holiday. An unspoilt landscape of lazy lagoons and grazing grasslands, the Okavango Delta is home to abundant wildlife ranging from elephants and big cats to monkeys and mongooses.
Botswana malaria risk for children
Planning a Botswana family safari & need to know about malaria? Read about reducing the malaria risk for children here. Botswana is a country mostly free of nasty diseases and natural disasters but there is a malaria risk for children and adults.
Travelling to Botswana with Teenagers (Ages 12+)
Travelling to Botswana with teens gives you the widest range of destinations for a family safari. And compared to travelling with younger children, you’ll also have a larger window of opportunity to travel.
Travelling to Botswana with children (Ages 6+)
Families travelling to Botswana with children aged six plus will find it easier than those with very young children: there are more destinations to choose from, more accommodation options and more time in the year in which to travel.
Travelling to Botswana with toddlers & babies
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.
Is Botswana Safe for Children?
Botswana is a country full of big wild animals and remote destinations; the first question I was asked as a guide by concerned parents was – naturally – is Botswana safe for children? Yet it is a country that has been safely delivering family safaris for decades.
Why book an African Safari (Especially Now)?
What was the thing you craved most while under the recent Covid-induced lockdown? Open, sunny skies is my guess, and although it seems impossible when contemplating the four walls of your current position, there’s nothing much sunnier or more open than the African sky.
Kids Activities in Botswana
One of the major attractions of a Botswana family safari is the range of activities on offer, especially in private concessions. These are exclusive-use, privately managed reserves where guests have access to a wider range of activities than in the national parks. You’ll enjoy day and night game drives as well as fishing trips, guided walks, motor-boating, and adventures by mokoro.
Safari Vehicles in East Africa
Since you’ll be spending much of your time sitting in one, it pays to know what kind of vehicle you can expect on your East Africa safari. Rugged and with four-wheel drive obviously, but what about ease of viewing and comfort?
Tanzania and Kenya honeymoon safari
Thrills beyond those you could imagine, luxurious accommodation out in the wild, and experiences that cannot rivalled… those are the ingredients for the perfect honeymoon. And you will undoubtedly find all of that with a Tanzania and Kenya honeymoon safari.
Where to Honeymoon in Africa?
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.
Chobe Ballooning from May 2020
Experience Chobe Ballooning, in one of Africa’s great wilderness destinations, epitomises the very best of game viewing, flying over a vast concession known as the Seloko Plains in the Chobe Region of Botswana. It’s the ideal opportunity for us to share with our guests the wonders of the Chobe Region from a completely different perspective.
Okavango Delta Activities
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.
Kenya Safari Tour
I traveled to Kenya from the 20th June to the 30th June 2019 and explored the three top safari regions in Kenya. The regions that where included on my Kenya Safari tour were the Amboseli NP, Laikipia region and the Masai Mara Reserve.
Cape Town Hiking
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.
Okavango Delta Ballooning
Experience Okavango Delta Ballooning, in one of Africa’s great wilderness destinations, epitomises the very best of game viewing, flying over a landscape flooded with water and winding channels, dotted with islands, and combined with large expanses of woodland forests. This age old ballooning adventure explores the Okavango Delta in a completely unique way offering a […]
African Travel Calendar
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.
Livingstone Island Tour
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.
Botswana Houseboat Safari
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
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.
Rubondo Island Chimpanzees
The group of 16 Rubondo Island chimpanzees who were originally rescued and introduced onto the island were raised in European zoos. Many of the safari guests wonder how the chimps arrived on the island in the first place.
Ngorongoro Crater Rim or Karatu
Magnificently panoramic and packed with wildlife, the Ngorongoro Crater is one of Tanzania’s most iconic safari destinations and perhaps the easiest place in Africa to see the Big Five – lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo. But you need to make a decision about where to stay. Ngorongoro accommodation is neatly divided into two groups: […]
Serengeti Calving Season
If you’ve ever wondered why nearly two million wildebeest put themselves through the ordeal of the migration every year, then the Serengeti calving season will show you why. The southern plains of the Serengeti turn green after the November rains and fresh grazing is just what the wildebeest need for their energy-demanding calving season: several hundred […]
Great Migration River Crossings
It is early July in the northern Serengeti and the first few wildebeest are arriving at the banks of the Mara and Grumeti Rivers. More wildebeest quickly pile up behind them, shuffling nervously and peering closely at the murky brown water. None of them enters the river yet. Having eaten their way across the Serengeti […]
Lower Zambezi Fly Camping
These are the only camps in the Lower Zambezi Valley to offer a location quite like that of these Islands. Set up on two private islands in the Lower Zambezi the Fly Camping Safari experience is a back to nature wilderness adventure. Game viewing is totally flexible but is primarily on foot or on the canoes; Game Drives, Boat Cruises, […]
