Going on safari needn’t be a matter of foregoing an ounce of comfort. It’s possible to stay in luxury safari camps and lodges whose facilities equal any world-class hotel, and whose wild locations are second to none.
Experience the Big Five in the epitome of African luxury.
Contact us or fill out an enquiry form and one of our travel experts will help you tailor make your perfect safari
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Enjoy an authentic African experience, with peace of mind
Experience our Tailor-made Luxury Safaris in Africa
What You Need To Know
There are a few sweet spots in southern Africa – the most accessible to spot the Big Five.
Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater
Combined with the Serengeti are the most sought after Big Five luxury safari regions in Africa. Ngorongoro has a healthy black rhino population and some leopards in the Lerai fever tree forest. It also holds some of Africa’s biggest elephants alive today as well as good buffalo and lion numbers. It’s tricky to spot a leopard in Ngorongoro, but if you combine it with the Serengeti then you’ll almost certainly see leopard in its Seronera or Lobo areas.
Namibia’s Etosha Pan
An incredible dry-season park and wonderful for black rhino, lion, elephant and leopard which are often seen at Etosha’s waterholes. The Caprivi Strip however and the Waterberg are excellent for buffalo sightings on your luxury safari.
The Masai Mara in Kenya
Maybe a tricky place to see black rhino, but the rest of the Big Five is guaranteed. Combine the Mara with Lake Nakuru and you’re bound to see the entire Big Five in Kenya on your luxury Safari.
South Africa
It’s easy to spot the Big Five in the Kruger National Park or most other game reserves. The added benefit of rangers and guides make the experience of sight prolific wildlife that much easier. Finding the Big Five on a self-drive is far more challenging, but it allows you to fully immerse in the environment on your own terms.
Medicine – make sure that your vaccinations are completely up to date, this is especially important for typhoid, hepatitis, cholera and yellow fever. Malaris is also prevelant in some African countries and you will need to find this out before travelling and take the necessary precautions. It’s also advisable to get a general antibiotic from your doctor in case of infections.
Insurance – be sure to take medical and travel insurance. This is important.
Let family and friends know when and where you are travelling to. Alternatively, you can register your itinerary with your embassy.
Bring cash money with as well as a VISA or moneycard. Let your bank know that you are travelling to Africa.
Dress appropriately and avoid excessive jewellery.
Make copies of all your documents.
Take a universal power adapter.
Be prepared to see a lot of confronting things. This is dependant on the country or region you’re visiting, but Africa is a developing continent with a lot of hardship and beauty.
A general rule of thumb when travelling to Africa for a luxury safari to view game is to go during the dry season. When vegetation is sparse and animals generally congregate around watering holes more so than usual. In Southern Africa, this will be from May-October although the wet season offers exceptional birding and lush vegetation. Eastern Africa is a bit more complex and depends largely on the type of safari experience you’re after. In Kenya for example, the best time to go is between January and the end of March. However, for the Masai Mara migration, you’ll need to go between mid-August and late October when the herds have returned.
Comfortable, muted clothes.
A good pair of walking shoes
Sandals
Hat
Long pants
Shorts
A light jacket/jumper (for mild summer evenings)
Warm clothing for winter months – the evenings can get cold.
Africa’s northern half is primarily arid and in some regions desert, while its central and southern areas contain both very dense jungle (rainforest) and savannah plains. Africa is the hottest continent on earth, with dry lands and deserts comprisoing 60% of the entire land surface.
This is a safari style holiday.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Reserve – Uganda
Etosha National Park – Namibia
Chobe National Park – Botswana
Masai Mara National ReserveKenya
Hwange National Park – Zimbabwe
Kruger National Park – South Africa
Volcanoes National Park – Rwanda
Zambezi Valley – Zambia
Serengeti National Park – Tanzania
Gorongosa National Park – Mozambique
Popular Luxury Safaris in Africa
Each of our popular itineraries can be tailor-made to suit your budget as well as your specific interests.
Safari lodges have guest rooms similar to a hotel with en-suite bathrooms. They are comfortably furnished with facilities normally associated with a hotel rooms, except your rooms are normally set in beautiful wilderness settings, with nature and wildlife around.
Tented lodges have rooms which are tents on a platform and with a roof and also have en-suite facilities with showers, flush toilets and hot water. Basically all the amenities of a hotel room, except canvas walls and roof.
The boutique lodges and camps can be very stylish and smart in terms of design and decor, often with very spacious rooms and even going so far in some cases as having plunge pools for each room.
Eco-camps and smaller tented camps have insect-proof tents with en-suite facilities including a safari shower and flush toilet. They give a more authentic safari experience but the tents are comfortably furnished with proper beds and you don’t need to bring your own sleeping bag! The emphasis is usually on having excellent guides and great wildlife viewing away from the crowds. Guests often eat together and people travelling alone usually say that they found the atmosphere friendly and enjoyed meeting other like-minded travellers around the campfire in the evening or at dinner.
The Adventure Camps are a budget option with guests bringing their own sleeping bags and towels. Accommodation is in small dome tented with a mattress on the floor. Each tent has its own nearby cubicle with a flush toilet, safari shower, and wash basin. The Adventure Camps are suitable only for those who don’t mind “real camping” and can put with some degree of “roughing it”. Apart from the accommodation in simple dome tents, the meals and the guiding are the same standards as the higher quality camps and game drives are in 4x4 safari vehicles. For those on a limited budget, the Adventure Camps are a good alternative to the big tourist lodges and minibus tours for those for whom the safari experience is more important than hotel accommodation.
Parents who are travelling with their child but not their spouse and those who wish to send their child on a trip accompanied by someone other than a parent or unaccompanied require an unabridged birth certificate. (It does not affect those travelling within South Africa.)
An Unabridged certificate is a certificate that reflects the particulars of both parents of the child. All children born in South Africa after 14 March 2013 were issued with a valid unabridged birth certificate automatically and free of charge.
Everyone born before that and those from countries who do not automatically issue an unabridged certificate must apply for the document well before their travel date.
The application process for Unabridged Birth Certificate are as follow; You can apply at your nearest Home Affairs office where your Biometric information will be varied. You will need your ID book along as well as your child’s ID number.
All documents submitted must be originals or certified copies. The Unabridged Birth Certificate costs R75. It can take up to eight weeks to acquire an Unabridged Birth Certificate from the date of application.
Tipping is not compulsory on a safari in Zimbabwe and the amounts that you tip each person is also not set.
Do remember, when tipping large amounts (eg. to the guide at the end of a 10-day safari), place the tip in a sealed envelope - and hand it directly to the person for which it is intended.
Countries in the Southern African region have a very varied climate and depending on what time of year you travel you may need to pack for all weather conditions. Getting stuck in a storm on safari is possible so always make sure you pack something waterproof. Certain areas and cities experience mild weather conditions all year round.
To make the most of your Victoria Falls safari, it's best to travel during the months of February to May. Due to the summer rains, the thundering Victoria Falls will be flowing at their fullest.