All you need to know about the African safari

Kenya

🌅🍻 . Rekero. Sunset. Bliss. . #safaristyle #sundowner #maasaimara #rekerocamp #asiliaafrica #datenight #sunset #decking #riverview #safari #sunsetdrinks #africa #luxurylifestyle #luxurytravel #evening #kenya #whyilovekenya #vacationmode

A post d by Niels Van Gijn (@silverless) on Aug 19, 2017 at 12:58pm PDT

There’s nothing quite like the vast expanse of the Masai Mara in southern Kenya, where the pageantry and drama of wildlife and ease of spotting it make this an unmissable experience. Every year, from July to October, close to two million wildebeest migrate here from the Serengeti plains in Tanzania in search of fresh red-oat grass, and joining the bandwagon are herds of topis, zebras and Thomsons’s gazelles, before moving back in a clockwise direction. Enormous crocodiles wait in anticipation at the river crossings, as do predatory big cats and hyenas on the grasslands. Dark clouds, shards of light and rainbows lend an even more theatrical air to this incredible journey. Stay in the thick of the action, where your safari starts at breakfast and continues into the night with the sounds of mating hippos and grunting leopards. Drifting slowly above it all is a great way of getting an eagle’s-eye
view of the Mara, so take an early morning ride on a hot-air balloon, when the skies are pink and golden, and down below, the savannah grasslands are dotted with animals as far as the eye can see.

When to go: July—October is peak migration time.
Where to stay: Rekero Camp (Website; doubles from KES1,79,530 or Rs1,11,610 inclusive of all meals, game drives and local drinks) is a cosy bush camp squirrelled away in a thicket near a crossing of the Talek River.
Insider tip: Ask your guide in the Mara
to take you to a Masai village and buy some beautiful beaded jewellery.

Ethiopia

The most endangered canid in the world “The Ethiopian Wolf”. Only 400-450 left living in the Ethiopian highlands. We’ve been invited to participate to the @wcff_org film festival this year, an amazing opportunity to promote the conservation of this beautiful animal! Let’s finish this film and be part of the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival!! #wcff #conservation #ethiopianwolf #ethiopianwolves

A post d by Martin Ureta (@himartin) on Feb 4, 2017 at 8:14am PST

It’s not the typical safari destination that comes to mind when one thinks of Africa, but to ignore it would be a big mistake. Ethiopian wolves, Abyssinian hares, nyalas, colobus monkeys and Anubis baboons are just some of the wild creatures you’ll encounter in this land that’s known for its Coptic churches and ancient tribes. The safari circuit in the country has really picked up steam with the arrival of lovely lodges, helicopter charters and professional guides to take you through its stunning landscapes. Traditional heritage sites such as Lalibela, famous 
for its rock-cut churches, and historic cities such as Axum and Gondar in the north are now add-ons to wilderness holidays in the south where lakes and forests abound. Explore Bale Mountains National
 Park on horseback with an expert local guide; visit the wolf den and watch the cubs playing.

When to go: November—March when the days are clear, warm and dry.
Where to stay: Bale Mountain Lodge (Website; doubles from ETB13,470 or Rs36,900 inclusive of meals, drinks and a guided activity per day) is a charming boutique stay in the national park.
Insider tip: Go on a helicopter safari with Tropic Air (Website), from which you can see the UNESCO-listed Simien Mountains (also home to native wolves) as well as the Danakil Depression, more than 400ft below sea level. And if you have some time, drive about nine hours and make a trip to Omo Valley, where the fascinating ancient Mursi tribe lives.

Zimbabwe

Glamping 💫💫 🇿🇼 Via @go2africa ・・・#zimbabwe #camping #luxe #glamping #glampinglife #ruckomechi #ruckomechicamp #travelafrica #luxurytravel #travel #sky_scapes #sky_perfection #sky_brilliance #sunset #details #luxurystyle #outdoor #traveling #outdoorphotography #landscape #vieewszimbabwe … … … … … Relax beside the cosy campfire at Ruckomechi Camp, located in the heart of Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe.

A post d by Vieews (@officialvieews) on Sep 3, 2017 at 3:49pm PDT

When to go: June—October.
Where to stay: Ruckomechi Camp (Website; doubles from US$1,990 or Rs1,27,530) offers beautiful luxury tents and easy access to Mana Pools National Park, while Singita Pamushana Lodge (Website; doubles from US$2,990 or Rs1,91,520) is a stunning property in the private Malilangwe Game Reserve.
Insider tip: Anthony (Ant) Kaschula (Website) is an excellent guide.

Zambia

We love traveling and we love finding new destinations for our guests. Elin and Graham recently went to Liuwa Plain in Zambia, one of Africa’s last great untouched wilderness areas. A photographers dream with vast open plains with an abundance of wildlife and unfenced wilderness. Liuwa is one of those places that leaves you with an inner peace for weeks after your travels. #zambia #safari #liuwaplain #normancarrsafaris #getafricatravel

A post d by Get Africa Travel (@getafricatravel) on May 18, 2017 at 5:07am PDT

In the 1950s, Norman Carr, a Zambian visionary, inspired the locals and Chief Nsefu to conserve wildlife and land in the Luangwa Valley. He also pioneered the walking safaris Zambia has come to be known for. Robin Pope and others built upon this legacy, offering safe and unique experiences. Take in the life-sustaining Luangwa River and its oxbow lagoons on foot, without the clamorous noise of the jeep’s engine, and experience the frisson of seeing an undisturbed leopard lazing under a bush. Track game by following the spoor, peer into a weaver’s elaborate nest or spend ages observing the complex configuration of safari ants on the march. We were once trumpeted off our trail by a herd of elephants; 
it was a pulse-raising moment, but our gun-toting guides steered us swiftly and adeptly, always keeping the situation under control.

When to go: May—October, in the dry season.
Where to stay: Norman Carr Safaris (Website; doubles from US$1,850 or Rs1,18,540) organises walks between six seasonal camps located between the South Luangwa Valley and Liuwa Plains National Park. After hours of walking at a leisurely pace, you’ll find your bags, chilled wine and a delectable meal waiting for you. The stunning Chinzombo Camp nestles on a ridge beside the Luangwa River, where you can spot wildlife via jeep and boat.
Insider tip: Up the ante on your photography skills with Albie Venter (Website), a brilliant teacher and wildlife photographer, who can help put together a safari experience for you as well.

Rwanda

————————————————————COMPETITION FOR A TITLE ”A Brush with Gorillas” Over the next week or so Simon Stevenson, will be sketching an image of a female mountain gorilla and her youngster from a beautiful photograph taken by Private Safari Guide @oliver.nicklin Your job is to give it a name in the below. The person with the winning title will receive a signed limited edition print / canvas of the finished sketch as a prize. @governorscampcollection @sabyinyo_silverback_lodge ———————————————————— www.abrushwithafrica.com ————————————————————

A post d by Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (@sabyinyo_silverback_lodge) on Dec 6, 2016 at 5:32am PST

Hike up the forested slopes of the Virunga Mountains, a chain of volcanoes in The Land of a Thousand Hills, for a guided close encounter with charismatic, endangered mountain gorillas. Kneel
low in silence before these regal creatures and wait
 for them to assess you; as soon as they perceive no threat, they’ll go about their business, stripping and eating the salad bowl they live in. While the giant silverback keeps a watchful eye and a female kisses her newborn tenderly, the raucous kids stay busy screeching, bullying the younger ones, until an aunt smacks the nearest culprit, reminding you that most of their DNA is d with us.

When to go: Rwanda is close to the equator, so anytime is good, but the driest months are June—September and December—February.
Where to stay: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (Website; doubles from RWF7,79220 or Rs59,290) is a cosy nine-key a air with volcano views and a great location near the entrance to Volcanoes National Park.
Insider tip: Head to the village in
 the foothills to have banana beer with the locals and catch a local dance performance. And spend a day in capital city Kigali—visit the Genocide Memorial Centre, the final resting place of over 2,50,000 Tutsi people massacred in the 1994 genocide. It’s a heartbreaking experience, but an important one ‘to be learned from and never to be repeated’.

Uganda

Hard to believe that this is in the middle of the jungle… We are always striving for the highest comfort at #WildplacesAfrica and #CloudsMountainGorillaLodge #luxurytravel #traveling #Uganda #EastAfrica #instatravel #wanderlust #holidays #safari #Gorilla

A post d by Wildplaces Africa (@wildplaces.africa) on Feb 11, 2015 at 6:49am PST

The country’s chaotic socio-political upheavals had a crushing impact on its wildlife, but
as peace reigns, the animals have made a comeback. The Ugandan kob, an antelope that is iconic to the country, was once nearly extinct, but is now out of
the red zone, and the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a biodiversity hotspot, home to half the world’s endangered mountain gorilla population. But it’s not just about the fauna—the landscapes and topography are stunning and varied. Track a silverback and its coterie through dense rainforest, stroll through 
the leafy glades of Kibale National Park following chimpanzees, relax besides the sparkling Lake Victoria or enjoy a sea of sunny grasslands teeming with lions, zebras, elephants, warthogs, deer and more in Kidepo Valley National Park.

When to go: June—September and December—February.
Where to go: Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge (Website; doubles from RWF5,13,880 or Rs39,120 for December) offers exquisite views of mist-draped mountains, and is five minutes from the gorilla trail.
Insider tip: If 
you have time, head out 165km and go hiking in the Rwenzori Mountains, which are home to a number of national parks.

South Africa

The Senegal Bush Male looking into his friend darkness, using a termite mound as a vantage point. -September 2017- . @johannes_d_welman_photo on lights 👌 . . #africa #southafrica #itsallaboutthewildlife #krugernationalpark #krugerpark #malamala_gamereserve #malamala #travel #tourism #wildlife #natgeohub #natgeo #wildlife_perfection #wildlifephotography #tourist #gameranger #leopard #leopards #catsofinstagram #cat #blackandwhite #picoftheday #instalike #instagood #adventure #follow4follow #bw #safari #nature

A post d by Jacques Olivier Proust (@jacquesproust) on Sep 22, 2017 at 3:08am PDT

Everyone knows Kruger National Park, and for good reason. But right next to it is another gem, the privately owned Sabi Sands Game Reserve, which offers incredible sightings without
the rules that govern national parks. It has a huge range of super-luxe lodges, and a safari at one of these reserves can be the ultimate in exclusive luxury, as there are no day-trippers allowed, only lodge guests. Offroading is allowed here, so you’ll be able to join a pride of hunting lions, Bond style, in a thrilling chase through the toughest thicket, and the bushes your 4×4 appears to mow down bounce right back in your wake. The best part is, you don’t have to turn back at sunset. Witness the hunt with a spotlight, and then continue on a night safari, sighting porcupines, springhares, nightjars, genets, civets, bush babies and other fascinating creatures that would remain spectres but for the night drive. The nocturnal jewels, the leopards, tend to be incredibly relaxed, and viewing these highly intelligent and strikingly beautiful creatures to ones heart’s content is a rare thrill. This is also the perfect place to discover the Little Five—the buffalo weaver, ant lion, leopard tortoise, elephant shrew and rhino beetle.

When to go: June—September, in the dry season.
Where to stay: Rattray’s on Mala Mala (Website; doubles from ZAR28,230 or Rs1,36,830) is a fantastic option, with eight beautifully appointed homes or ‘khayas’ with river views and every creature comfort you could possibly want.
Insider tip: Spend some time in cities like Cape Town, where you can taste excellent South African wines, and Johannesburg, where you can shop for well-crafted furniture and design objects at shops and ateliers like Amatuli, Toguna and the Kim Sacks Gallery.

Tanzania

Guests staying at Serengeti Under Canvas and Klein’s Camp are witnessing big herds crossing the Grumeti and Sand Rivers daily in the Bologonja area. There are large herds on the Klein’s concession, with breakaway groups spreading throughout the Northern Serengeti #serengetiundercanvas #kleinscamp #travelandbeyond #greatmigration #serengeti

A post d by andBeyondSerengetiUnderCanvas (@andbeyondserengetiundercanvas) on Sep 24, 2017 at 3:26am PDT

The world’s greatest wildlife migration
takes place over a year in a loop on the Mara and Serengeti grasslands, and February, when they reach southern Serengeti’s Ndutu plains, marks the birth of hundr of thousands of calves. It’s heartbreaking to watch these little ones plop out, get unsteadily to their feet and start walking within minutes, when you know predators are waiting to make their move. The vast plains accented with soda lakes and inselbergs turn into killing fields as lions, cheetahs and hyenas gather to feast. Yet there is a beauty to witnessing this game of survival.

When to go: January—March
in the Ndutu area during the calving season.
Where to stay: Luxe mobile camp andBeyond Serengeti Under Canvas (Website; doubles from TZS55,53,460 or Rs1,59,000 in February) is an excellent moving base to keep pace with the unpredictable routes and timings of
the great herds.
Insider tip: Make a trip to the incredible Empakaai Crater in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and see the flamingoes near the lake.

Botswana

10 incredible #elephant photographs from our #WildernessMoments photographic competition. Scroll right 👉to see more. • • Photographers in order of images: Michael Sutherland, Liz Hart, Terrence Faulkner, Liz Hart (image 4 5), Seyms Brugger, Heinrich Rontgen, Helma Sjamaar, Andrea Brum (9 10) #WildernessMoments #wearewilderness #wildernesssafaris #wildlifephotography

A post d by Wilderness Safaris (@wearewilderness) on Oct 10, 2017 at 2:16am PDT

The Okavango Delta is one of
the world’s extraordinary natural wonders, where river water spills in sheets and rivulets through the heart of a vast, flat desert. This unique ecosystem
 of water, desert and forested thickets has a high density of wildlife and low density of tourist vehicles thanks to Botswana’s ‘high cost, low impact’ tourism strategy. Ride a motorboat on a slender channel between papyrus re in the secret world of hippos, crocodiles and painted frogs and go on a jeep safari through the adjoining woodlands and plains home to lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, elephants and buffaloes. An hour’s flight will lead you to an entirely different landscape—the salt flats and harsh, scrub desert of the Makgadikgadi Pans. Explore the land by day and the Milky Way by night. Sit by a den of meerkats that will eventually emerge and clamber all over you, enjoy an ATV ride in a lunar landscape and spend time observing the hunter-gatherer life of San bushmen.

When to go: July—October.
Where to stay: Mombo Camp and its sister properties (Website; doubles from BWP39,210 or Rs2,47,520) are stunning lodges on game-dense Chief’s Island by the delta. San Camp (Website; doubles from BWP25,490 or Rs1,60,180) offers beautiful tents on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans.
Insider tip: The ultimate luxury is to have an expert private guide on your trip. Lloyd Camp (Website) offers riveting safaris.

Namibia

The amazing Little Kulala lodge in Namibia. We spent a few nights here, including one on the roof of our desert cottage—specially prepared for a “night under the stars” experience. Did you see our write-up on the 12 Most Romantic Star B in Africa? Link in bio: @travelplusstyle. Hint: There are few experiences more romantic than a sleep out somewhere in the wilds of Africa, with absolutely nothing separating the safari-goer from the canopy of stars above. Little Kulala by @wearewilderness is where we had the fortune to spend a night under the stars.

A post d by 🌴 Dan Luiza, Travel Bloggers (@travelplusstyle) on Apr 11, 2017 at 8:52am PDT

Its starkly desolate landscape and desert-adapted wildlife make it a delight for photographers, wilderness enthusiasts and frontier explorers. At Sossusvlei in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, you’ll encounter an avenue of mountainous iron-rich sand dunes. Clamber up the silky ridge of Big Daddy, the tallest one (more than 300m high), take in the views of an endless landscape in tones going from warm apricot to burnt sienna and slide down the sides to hear an enormous roaring sound as the silica particles collide. A surprising number of species, such as the long-horned oryx, springbok and jackals, have adapted to life in this giant thirstland. Further northwest, visit the dramatically beautiful Skeleton coast, which gets its macabre name from sun-bleached whale and seal bones and ancient shipwrecks. Flying low over this coast shows you vistas of flamingoes and sea lions. At the inland Etosha salt pans, enjoy the crunch of crystals underfoot while you witness the epic theatre of lions, cheetahs, zebras and elephants.

When to go: April—October.
Where to stay: Little Kulala (Website; doubles from NA$13,480 or Rs65,540) is a boutique lodge very close to Sossusvlei, while Ongava Lodge (Website; doubles from NA$10,180 or Rs49,480) is set in the Ongava Game Reserve and offers easy access to Etosha National Park.
Insider tip: Visit a Himba village in the Kunene region to get a glimpse into the tribe’s pastoral way of life.