Where to Go on Safari

Africa is home to an astounding array of wildlife, bringing the unique opportunity to witness the migration of zebras and wildebeest while feeling the vibrations of their hooves under your feet. You might watch an elephant feed her baby and lions stalk their prey. The diverse habitats of forest, savannah and desert this vast continent is made up of, brings many outstanding destinations for a safari.

As travel experts we know just where and when to go to find the highest concentration of animals, including the Great Wildebeest Migration. We can also arrange for special activities like a bush walk guided by a Maasai warrior.

The Masai Mara in Kenya and the Serengeti in Tanzania feature wide-open savannah that provide the quintessential safari experience, a real-life “Out of Africa.” Every year during the Great Migration, some 2.5 million animals, including zebra, gazelle and wildebeest, make the trek across the Serengeti between Kenya and Tanzania. Cheetah, lion and leopard are often seen sleeking through the long grass, while Ngorongoro Crater is one of the few places on the continent where one can witness the Big Five, lion, leopard, rhinoceros elephant, and Cape buffalo, all in one day. Game is guaranteed all year-round, with some 30,000 animals inhabiting this area.

The bushland and rolling plains of South Africa are also ideal for watching the Big Five while enjoying the comforts of a private game reserve. Rwanda is famous for its majestic bamboo forests and its mountain gorillas, with two-thirds of the species that remain on Earth found in Volcanoes National Park. Namibia is known for its iconic backdrops of salt pans and soaring dunes while Zimbabwe is ideal for a walking safari in some of the less=visited parks. For a water safari, Botswana is the place to go.

No matter what your goal is, from checking the Big Five off your list to spotting rare wildlife, we can help you plan the ideal safari.

Kenya

Kenya is the country that most envision when thinking about Africa, featured in famous films like “Born Free” and “Out of Africa.” This is where you’ll find the most well-known national parks and reserves like Maasai Mara. A safari here is authentic with no fences around the park boundaries or many of the camps, with the wildlife all free roaming.

Tanzania

Tanzania is filled with stunning landscapes that include everything from Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain at 19,000 feet high, to deep craters, great lakes, and wide-open grassland. Its beaches are spectacular, rivalling even the powdery sands of the Maldives. It’s famous for the Serengeti, located in the northern region which brings sightings of wildebeest, zebra, lion, gazelle, crocodile and more. The Great Wildebeest migration can be witness throughout much of the year, from October through June, although wildlife spotting is outstanding here year-round.

South Africa

With so much to see and do in South Africa, this destination is ideal for enjoying a variety of experiences. You can take a shorter safari and also take advantage of the Winelands region, beaches and cities. There are a wide range of private game reserves, including options that are malaria-free and family-friendly. If you book your trip between July and December, you’ll have the opportunity to not only spot the Big Five, but whales. This country offers some of the best whale watching in the world.

Botswana

Botswana offers exclusive safari experiences, bringing opportunities to see much more than the Big Five. It’s home to Chobe National Park which covers 4,500 square miles, with some of Africa’s highest concentrations of wildlife, particularly elephants, with around 120,000 here. The waterways of the Okavango Delta and the Makgadikgadi salt pans make for the unique experience of off-the-beaten track wildlife watching, including spotting via a traditional canoe.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is known for its safari walks, with wildlife watching done on foot with some of the world’s best guides. It’s home to Hwange National Park where around 100 different mammal species can be seen, including abundant elephant, wild dogs, and buffalo, with cheetahs, leopards, lions and giraffes all commonly spotted as well. This country is also where you’ll find Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

Namibia

Namibia is best-known for its dramatic landscapes, including striking white salt pans, petrified ghost forests and the red Sossusvlei sand dunes. The dunes are home to many animals you might not expect to see in the desert, like zebras and lions, along with oryx, antelope and ostrich. The country also boasts the largest population of free-roaming black rhino on the planet.