A year of Safaris

What better way for those in the northern hemisphere to escape winter blues than combining a wildlife safari with a few lazy days beside the Indian Ocean? January’s warm, generally dry weather makes it an excellent time to enjoy both sides of Kenya.
 
Our Elephant Safari explores the wonderfully contrasting landscapes of Tsavo West and Tsavo East, where vast open plains, volcanic hills and woodland are home to the region’s famous, red-dusted elephants. There’s the chance to explore on foot, visit the remarkable Mzima Springs and enjoy the intimacy of small safari camps before swapping the bush for the white sands and warm waters of Diani Beach.
 
It’s a lovely combination of adventure and relaxation, particularly appealing after the Holiday rush.

Every February, one of Africa’s greatest wildlife spectacles unfolds on the southern Serengeti plains, where enormous herds of wildebeest gather to give birth. Hundreds of thousands of calves are born within a remarkably short period, attracting lions, cheetahs and hyenas to the herds.
 
Our Flufftail Guided Safari offers a wonderful opportunity to experience this extraordinary event. Travelling with your own specialist guide and private 4WD vehicle, you’ll explore the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti, staying at intimate safari camps including Olakira, which moves to the Ndutu area for the calving season. The flexibility of private guiding means you can spend longer at particularly interesting sightings, making this an exceptional safari for wildlife enthusiasts and photographers.

With long, sunny days, warm temperatures and the summer crowds beginning to thin, March is a wonderful time to explore South Africa’s Western Cape.
 
Our Waterbuck Self-drive combines some of the country’s most beautiful scenery with excellent food, wine and characterful accommodation. Explore Cape Town’s dramatic peninsula and vibrant neighbourhoods, linger over lunch at a Franschhoek wine estate or follow the spectacular coastline of the Garden Route. Staying in carefully chosen boutique hotels and guesthouses, you’ll have the freedom to discover the region at your own pace, with plenty of opportunities for unexpected detours and leisurely afternoons. It’s an appealing combination of independent adventure, comfort and some of South Africa’s finest experiences.

April reveals a different side of Botswana. As the summer rains retreat, the Kalahari can remain surprisingly green, with grazing herds attracting predators to its vast open plains. Skies begin to clear, temperatures become more comfortable and the landscapes are often spectacular.
 
Our Porcupine Safari explores four contrasting wilderness areas, from the predator-rich Savuti and wildlife-filled floodplains of Khwai to the waterways of the Okavango Delta. The journey culminates in the Central Kalahari, where Tau Pan Camp overlooks an enormous open landscape frequented by desert-adapted wildlife, including the region’s famous black-maned lions. It’s a wonderful opportunity to experience Botswana’s extraordinary variety, combining traditional game viewing with the beauty and solitude of the green season.

Namibia’s vast desert landscapes are particularly beautiful in May, when the summer rains have generally finished, the skies are clear and temperatures are ideal for exploring.
 
Our Discover Namibia Self-drive Safari takes you through some of Africa’s most remarkable scenery, from the towering red dunes of Sossusvlei to Damaraland’s rugged mountains and the wildlife-rich plains of Etosha. Climb a dune at dawn as the first sunlight transforms the desert into extraordinary shades of orange and red, search for desert-adapted elephants among ancient riverbeds, and watch for black rhinos visiting Etosha’s waterholes after dark. With carefully chosen lodges and the freedom of your own vehicle, it’s a wonderfully varied introduction to Namibia’s landscapes, wildlife and extraordinary sense of space.

June is a lovely month to explore Zimbabwe. The dry season is underway, wildlife viewing is improving and Victoria Falls is usually still thundering with water from the summer rains.
 
Our Klipspringer Safari brings together three wonderfully contrasting experiences. Feel the spray rising from Victoria Falls, watch elephants gathering at waterholes in Hwange National Park and explore the extraordinary granite formations of the Matobo Hills. Along the way, enjoy the intimate atmosphere of small safari lodges, excellent guiding and opportunities to discover Zimbabwe’s fascinating history and cultural heritage. With comfortable daytime temperatures and increasingly reliable wildlife viewing, June is an excellent time to appreciate the remarkable diversity of this safari destination.

July brings excellent dry-season conditions to Zambia, with sunny days, cooler evenings and wildlife increasingly gathering around the country’s rivers and remaining water sources.
 
Our Vervet Monkey Safari combines two of Zambia’s finest national parks with exceptional accommodation and guiding. In South Luangwa, the beautifully designed Puku Ridge overlooks a wildlife-rich floodplain, while Chiawa Camp occupies a spectacular position beside the Zambezi River. Here, the variety of safari experiences is particularly appealing: track wildlife on foot, explore by 4WD or drift quietly along the river by boat or canoe, watching elephants and other animals from the water. It’s a superb combination of wilderness, comfort and adventure, particularly rewarding for travellers who appreciate outstanding guiding and luxurious, intimate camps.

Few African holidays offer such extraordinary contrasts as trekking through Rwanda’s mountain forests in search of gorillas, then heading to Kenya’s vast savannah plains during the Great Migration.
 
August is an excellent month for both experiences. Rwanda’s dry season generally brings favourable trekking conditions, while enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra are usually moving through the Maasai Mara, with the possibility of dramatic river crossings. Our Gorillas and Maasai Mara Safari combines time with a habituated gorilla family in Volcanoes National Park with four nights at Rekero, an intimate safari camp overlooking the Talek River. From the quiet intensity of a gorilla encounter to the extraordinary spectacle of the migration, this is a journey filled with unforgettable wildlife experiences.

September is one of the finest months for a walking safari in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park. The dry season is well advanced, vegetation has thinned and wildlife is increasingly concentrated around the Luangwa River and its remaining lagoons.
 
Our Perekani Walking Trail offers an unusually immersive experience, exploring remote areas of the valley on foot with exceptional guides and armed scouts. Moving between small, intimate bushcamps, you’ll discover the details easily missed from a vehicle: fresh tracks in the sand, the alarm calls of birds and the subtle signs of wildlife moving through the woodland. Evenings bring beautifully prepared meals and stories around the campfire, with the sounds of the African bush all around. For those who want to experience the wilderness more deeply, few safaris are as rewarding.

Why choose just one African destination when you could experience five? December offers the opportunity to enjoy Cape Town’s summer sunshine, rewarding wildlife viewing in Kenya, Rwanda’s shorter dry season and the beautiful green landscapes of Botswana’s Okavango Delta.

Our Highlights of Africa safari brings together some of the continent’s most memorable experiences in one remarkable journey. Explore Cape Town’s spectacular coastline, discover the waterways of the Okavango, marvel at Victoria Falls, search for big cats in the Maasai Mara and trek through Rwanda’s mountain forests to spend time with gorillas. Staying at exceptional hotels and safari camps throughout, it’s an ambitious and wonderfully varied adventure, ideal for travellers wanting to experience several very different sides of Africa.