Africa, by its sheer size and the convoluted nature of the countries that make up this fascinating continent, can be slightly daunting when one is thinking of planning a safari or a vacation. Of course one wants to see as much as possible on what may be the “trip of a lifetime” but balancing activities and locations with the logistics of travelling around and making sure that the lodges, camps or hotels in which one might stay are “just right” can be a real task and a huge responsibility without essential first-hand knowledge of the destination.

I Left A Footprint In Africa - Africa Custom Vacation at Chada Katavi With AfricanExplorations.com

That’s where a long-established specialist like African Explorations comes to the fore. With over 20 years of trading as a specialist tour operator based in the UK, dealing with clients worldwide, we are experts in Africa custom vacations. Put simply: we know what we are doing. Our small team of dedicated, highly knowledgeable, professionals have all lived, worked in or otherwise have vast in-depth knowledge of the countries in which they create safaris and holidays for their clients. It is this knowledge, constantly updated, that is the anvil on which we forge your loose ideas into a gorgeous-but-workable end product that offers the correct balance of value and experience to ensure a superb vacation, whether it be a couple, a family, a single traveller or a specialist group. And there’s no downside for our clients because it costs no more to use us than it would if one was able to create the same trip oneself!

Camp Overlooking The Zambezi - Africa Custom Vacation With AfricanExplorations.com

An Africa custom vacation can engage with almost any client interest, be it wildlife, culture, a specialist activity or maybe some other reason for travelling to these fabulous destinations. We are proud to create vacations that are completely tailored to our client’s requirements, down to the last small detail to the extent that it is almost unknown for us to send two different clients on exactly the same vacation. This may seem surprising but every individual on this planet is different; ergo each safari – if truly personalised – will be unique and cater for differing desires and personalities!

Samburu - Kenya - Africa Custom Vacation With AfricanExplorations.com

Africa custom vacations are, simply, our life. Our only requirement is that the vacation we create is exactly right for you, our client!

This is a big subject but, on balance, if one had to choose one’s best African safari it would probably be to the south of Tanzania which is, in effect, one vast eco system.

This broad swathe of Africa encompasses the huge Selous Game Reserve which, at some 55,000 sq. kms., is the size of Ireland and one the largest reserves in Africa. The Selous’ eastern border lies on Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coastline but the whole ecosystem then runs westards to include Katavi NP and then the tiny Mahale which lies on Tanzania’s western boundary on lake Tanganyika. This whole area remains virtually unvisited due to distance (and therefore cost) but is, essentially, a superb area for a safari as it is the absolute essence of the bush condensed into a luxury Tanzanian safari.

I would start in the Selous which is, simply,  primaeval.  Mainly a riverine environment surrounding the Rufiji River and its environs and not “game rich” like, say, the Serengeti the Selous offers a glimpse into an area that is  unspoiled wilderness whilst having adequate and exciting game viewing opportunities> Ther are also a range of activities such as game drives, river safaris, walking and flycamping and some really great camps.

Sand Rivers Selous - Best African Safari With African Explorations.com

After at least four days in the Selous our finest African safari would fly westward to Katavi NP.  Katavi is heaven! Here is wilderness that excited the first explorers and, situated in the mid south west of Tanzania, it is (and feels) utterly remote. Another sub-ecosystem that is based on a river – the Ruaha – which runs through the Park, the walking is superb as is the mix of eastern and southern African species. Katavi’s pristine wilderness is home to spectacular pods of hippo and huge herds of buffalo. Add to this mix a genuine, remote, yet excellent bushcamp with the best guiding possible makes Katavi a “must”!

Chada Katavi tent exterior - Best African Safari With African Explorations.com

Finally, only a short light aircraft flight from Katavi, we’d end our “best safari” with an eclectic, lovely, camp set right on the shores of Lake Tanganyika – the second deepest lake in the world. With the verdant Mahale Mountains as backdrop, Mahale is a wonderful, remote (again! Perfect!), “bush and beach” location to end a safari. Mahale is a tiny park by African standards and yet this is one of the few places for genuine viewing of habituated chimpanzees, one of man’s closest relatives.

Mahale - Greystoke Camp - Best African Safari With AfricanExplorations.com

Mahale - Chimps and Beach - Best African Safari With AfricanExplorations.com

It’s a long 4 hour flight from here back to “civilisation” but, surely, this must be a serious contender for the title “best African safari”!

How often do you hear the words: “not like it used to be”? More to the point, what emotions and memories does that sort of phrase invoke? For, in our modern world, life races by at speed and the basics are forgotten . The children’s day is full of school, after school clubs, extra lessons, swimming, Stagecoach, music, riding or whatever their interests (or their parent’s interests!) may be.  The parents, too, are equally busy rushing around earning  a living or seeing friends. This may or may not be such a bad thing but there’s a question – how much time do we really get to spend together, properly, as a family unit and together experiencing the world in which we actually live? And how often do we get to do – and appreciate – real things in a world where the DS, TV, IPOD, PC and the good old phone are constantly-pervasive influences and distractions?

I allude to “connection”, not only with one’s family (although that has to be the ultimate point) but the actual world which spins beneath our feet. Not a world where everything is seen through a glazed window, on a screen or bought from a supermarket but a world where things are real – where the land, animals, culture and life all there to be lived, enjoyed and, crucially, experienced together at first hand and without barriers.  This is the joy of a Child Friendly African Safari – it brings families together in one, huge, ongoing and never-to-be-forgotten, life-enhancing adventure.

Enthralled - Child Friendly African Safari with Experts AfricanExplorations.com

Connection comes from simple things: The sigh of the wind through a whistling thorn bush; the roar of a lion; the stellar clarity of a Serengeti night; the smile of a child seeing his or her first giraffe; the complete assurance of a nomadic tribesman alone on vast plains; a game of cards in camp; messing about in a mudhole where no-one cares about being covered in mud; the smell of breakfast cooked over an open fire after an early morning walk; the determination of a dung beetle; a genuine grin of welcome; the midnight rustle of “something” moving through the bush just a few metres from your bed…….the list is endless but the theme is the same: simplicity, raw connection to the world around you and of which you are now truly a part.

Children naturally understand all this, of course. Preparation for adulthood erases much of the basic instict with which we are born but, if one takes children to Africa and allows them to free their sense of adventure and fun, and, at the same time, allows adults to reconnect with simple enjoyment and the instincts that live on in all of us what a holiday that becomes! What an experience! What a homecoming! What enormous fun! And how fabulously bonding the whole experience can be.

An Ol Malo Moment in Kenya - Child Friendly African Safari with Experts AfricanExplorations.com

A child friendly safari in Africa can achieve all this. However (or in whatever country) one might “do” Africa – and the possibilities are almost endless so long as one leaves electronics and preconceptions behind – the people you meet will be welcoming and fun, the places you see and stay will be awe inspiring and the experience will be real. This is magic for children and adults alike and is,  surely, not only how things should be – even if just for a short while – but also, perhaps, just a little, “like it used to be”…….

The ‘Big Five’ and the other lesser known – but just as important! – ‘Little Five’ are words synonymous with a safari to Africa. The Big Five are Buffalo, Lion, Elephant, Leopard and Rhino and can be found together in many national parks, game reserves and privately owned conservancies in Southern and Eastern Africa. In South Africa the best known park is, of course, the Kruger National Park. Nearly two million hectares in extent, the Kruger was gazetted in 1898 to protect the South African lowveld wildlife. A plethora of environmental techniques and policies makes the region an ongoing conservation success. There are also privately owned reserves contiguous with the Kruger which feature beautiful and often luxurious safari lodges and camps. Such areas include the well known Sabi Sands where seeing a huge variety of animals is almost guaranteed on an African Big Five Safari.

Elephants on the Chobe - African Big Five Safari With AfricanExplorations.com

Many of these properties accommodate children and offer specialist children’s programs, so an African Big Five Safari is not just for adults! Children’s guides keep children happy and enthralled, including trying to find the ‘Little Five’: buffalo weaver, elephant shrew, leopard tortoise, ant lion and rhino beetle as well as tracking and identifying animals, birds, and insects. Children are kept occupied for hours with short bush walks and spotting “creepy crawlies”, whilst other staff might teach them how to bake animal-themed cookies in the camp’s bush oven (for everyone’s afternoon tea!) whilst adults are busy on a game drive.

For those who like ‘lists’, how about the ‘Birding Six’? These include Ground Hornbill, Kori Bustard, Lappet-faced Vulture, Martial Eagle, Pel’s fishing Owl and Saddle-bill Stork. And then there are the “Little Six Antelope”: Grey Duiker, Sharpe’s Grysbok, Steenbok, Klipspringer, Livingstone Suni and Oribi.

The Rare Pels Fishing Owl - African Big Five Safari With AfricanExplorations.com

An African Big Five Safari is, surely, only possible on land? Not so! For those with a love of the sea and who visit South Africa’s gorgeous coastline there is also the ‘Marine Big Five’ which includes the Southern Right Whale, Cape Fur Seal, common Dolphin, Great White Shark and African Penguin. The best time for whale watching in South Africa is between July and November; several places on the Garden Route feature marine activities although the Walker Bay/Hermanus region is especially well known for easy access to marine wildlife with excellent guiding.

Cape Fur Seal - African Big Five Safari With AfricanExplorations.com

Africa lends itself to adventure holidays – simply because of the range of things there are to do – from gorilla and chimpanzee trekking, to going on walking safaris, sometimes assisted by camels and mules – walking anything from a day to ten days and depending upon which country you are in, you can be accompanied by Maasai and Samburu tribesmen, or perhaps just your guide who will set up a camp just for you and your party, or even joining a small group of other like minded companions for a week’s walking with one of the top guides of the country, learning so much on foot.

Africa Adventure Holidays with AfricanExplorations.com

From the ocean side of things, we can do one week dhow or sea kayaking safaris, or one can take a catamaran around various islands and lakes or go fishing for a few days on a lake.

Then there are horse riding safaris (or simply places where one can ride), white water rafting, canoeing down the lower Zambezi – but all done in incredible style! Don’t think for a moment that you have to forego life’s little luxuries simply because you want something a little more interesting.

Call us for some wonderful ideas  of Africa Adventure Holidays – with 22 years of experience from a team who come from Africa, we have plenty of inspiration!

That’s the thing about Africa – it absolutely lends itself hook, line and sinker to adventure holidays! Africa was MADE for adventure holidays!

Where do we start? Africa Adventure Holidays offer many things:

Horse riding with the wildebeest migration through the Masai Mara in Kenya.

Africa Adventure Holidays with AfricanExplorations.com

Going on a walking safari with donkeys and Maasai and a private guide on the outskirts of the Masai Mara in Kenya.

What about a camel assisted walking safari through the Northern Frontier region of Kenya?

How about flying in a helicopter to Lake Turkana and the surrounding areas, camping out or staying at one of the simple lodges?

Perhaps canoeing through the lower Zambezi in Mana Pools, Zimbabwe might be your thing, seeing elephant and buffalo on the banks, or perhaps canoeing on Lake Malawi.

Have a private mobile, tented camp erected in a game rich region in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia or Namibia.

Luxury Adventure Safaris with AfricanExplorations.com

Take a catamaran off the shores of Nosy Be in Madagascar, having spend some time beforehand looking for lemurs.

Take a walking safari in Zambia, finishing off sailing on Lake Malawi.

Go whitewater rafting in Livingstone, Zambia or the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

Go wild camping in the Damaraland region in Namibia or searching on foot for rhino and desert dwelling elephant.

Take a four day flying safari up the Skeleton Coast in Namibia or ride on the back of an elephant in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.

Take a sea kayak and dhow up the Quirimbas archipelago in Mozambique.

Luxury Adventure Holidays with AfricanExplorations.com

The point is, Africa has simply SO much to offer, it is difficult to know where to start! Either way, we come from Africa and have all this knowledge at our fingertips, so if its something positively extraordinary that you are after – then we are here to tailor it to your interests!