One of the most incredible lodges ever built must be the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge ! Not only because of its design, but its location is simply unsurpassed! From here, one has 180 degree views of the Ngorongoro Crater which can be seen from virtually every aspect of your room. The rooms have glass windows and doors from floor to ceiling, allowing totally unimpeded views. Apart from being home to some of the world’s best game viewing – nowhere is quite so dense in terms of wildlife as the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.

Ngorongoro Crater Lodge with AfricanExplorations.com

Fresh roses are flown in daily and placed next to one’s bath and a butler or steward is appointed to each room and there to serve you drinks, perhaps arrange dinner on your verandah or even have poured your bath for you when you arrive back from a game drive, cold but exhilarated in the winter months. Tanzania luxury safaris have never been so good!

Tanzania Luxury Safaris with AfricanExplorations.com

Chandeliers hang from the bathroom ceiling and one can see the Crater Floor from one’s bath! This is also one of the prettiest regions in Northern Tanzania and is a world heritage site. All I can say is that no safari to Tanzania is complete without a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater and if one can afford it, to include the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge! There is also tremendous walking in this region and one can see the cultural interaction between the Maasai and their cattle – a very genuine and peaceful scene!

A Zambia safari is truly unique – this country lends itself to some of the finest walking safaris in Africa! Whether it is in the south Luangwa, north Luangwa or a region that is always left out on people’s maps – Kafue. No Safari to Zambia should be complete without including Kafue and the Busanga Plains which must rate as one of the most beautiful regions in the country. And brimming with wildlife too – not spilling over with wildlife – there is a difference! Whether it is on a boat (where on my last safari I spotted leopard in broad daylight!), or by vehicle – this region is just so rewarding. The last visit to Busanga Plains heralded several prides of black maned lion, wild dog and a plethora of other animals. The birdlife is sensational – crowned cranes amongst many others!

Zambia Safari with AfricanExplorations.com

Add to that the lower Zambezi which is simply magical – this huge river with all its abundant wildlife on the banks of the river and some of the most beautiful camps and lodges with phenomenal guiding – finishing off perhaps with Livingstone – the Zambian side of Victoria Falls – and you have yourself the finest safari imaginable!

Anjajavy is a little piece of heaven in Madagascar! If anyone is looking for a Madagascar Holiday, then this surely must be included!

The most luxurious and only Relais et Chateaux in the country is Anjajavy. It is easy to reach from the capital, Antananarivo and on arrival, one is taken on a beach track to the lodge. The villas are large, spacious, and have French doors opening out  to the sea.  There are walks to 5 different beaches from the hotel and they can arrange a picnic for you on one of them! There is a lovely large swimming pool overlooking the beach and tea is served at 1700 each day in the oasis – a beautiful garden they have built. The cuisine  is excellent.

Anjajavy with AfricanExplorations.com

There are lots of points of interest  here, including  brown lemurs and Sifakas and grey limestone tsingys. The birdlife is spectacular and includes black kites, weavers, Madagascan sun birds, and pied robins.  I also saw several Couas. Madagsacar has 258 bird species and 71 species of lemur! There is also fantastic kayaking. Anjajavy is also renowned for its fly fishing.   One can catch dog tooth tuna, yellow fin tuna, wahoo, king mackerel and most other big pelagic game fish. Massages are conducted in ones own villa.

Debs Tittle is one of the most wonderful guides in the south Luangwa in Zambia. She is simply amazing! Debs will take you out on fantastic walking safari on a completely private basis – whether it is just two of you or perhaps a group of friends. A fly camp is erected and these safaris are generally for just a couple of nights (although we can make them as long as you like as it is entirely flexible!). Some people will add this on to a more traditional lodge based game viewing safari which is experienced both by vehicle as well as on foot – with other people in the camp. However – this is for someone who is trying to get away from sharing this experience with others – who is looking for a more personal or exclusive style of walking safari.

Debs Tittle with AfricanExplorations.com

This is a fantastic experience and she opens up the entire world of the bush for you and brings everything to life – explaining the finer points of the ecological system – the termites, the dung beetles and their relationship with the soil and the environment. Then you also see wildlife in close proximity – follow their tracks and watch their behaviour. No rushing back in a vehicle or having to consider others – this is a privileged experience – just for you – with one of Zambia’s top guides! This truly is an opportunity of a lifetime and not to be missed!

Walking Safari with AfricanExplorations.com

San Camp must rank as one of my favourite ten camps in Africa. It is simply astonishing! First of all – take the location. It simply couldn’t be surpassed!

San Camp sits in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, which represent the last visible remains of a ‘super lake’ once known as Lake Makgadikgadi. This lake covered an area of 80 000 square kilometres and covered most of northern Botswana.

San Camp with AfricanExplorations.com

There are just a handful of  tents with white canvas on dark wooden platforms that command possibly the most incredible view of any camp in Botswana – hundreds of miles of white salt pan. The rooms are truly glorious and luxurious with a bedroom and sitting area, ensuite bathroom and a shower with a view over the pans. The tents are rectangular with octagonal ends and are elegantly furnished with a colonial feel.

San Camp with AfricanExplorations.com

Visit to a family of meerkats who have been habituated so that one can get very close to them; or a walk with bushmen who will show one how to light a fire with their traditional sticks, find water and track game and birds; quad bike excursions are also offered and there are wildlife researchers operating in the pans who are studying brown hyena which you can also see.

San Camp with AfricanExplorations.com

Alfajiri Villas are simply gorgeous – situated  on the Kenyan coast of Diani. There are just a handful of glorious, spacious villas, each with their own swimming pool overlooking the sea.

Alfajiri Villas with AfricanExplorations.com

The villas have received all sorts of accolades over the years and are of differing sizes, depending upon the size of the group. They are completely private from one another, but close enough to be perfect should there be several famillies travelling together who want their own privacy but also be close to one another. There is also a smaller villa which is perfect for a couple who simply want to have quality time with one another, rather than being with other people!

Alfajiri Villas with AfricanExplorations.com

Apart from having your  own swimming pool and the Indian Ocean being your playground right in front of you, snorkelling and diving are also on offer and there are tennis courts closeby as well as membership to a golf club.

The villas come complete with ayahs (nannies), so your children are beautifully looked after, should you be having a pampering massage in the garden, overlooking the sea. Kite flying is popular with children here, too.

Possibly the most wonderful aspect is the cuisine. This is absolutely their high point. Owner managed by an Italian couple, this is something they take very seriously! Parmesan cheese and the finest quality olive oils are flown in from Italy. Hand made pasta is made for you daily – simply say when you would like it, what sort you would like and what sauce, if any, you would like to accompany it! Perfect for children!  Then lobster, crab and array of beautifully cooked fresh fish is always on offer. There is no menu here – you can create your own, on a whim – or take their suggestion.

Ant’s Nest is one of our favourite places where we take our own family holidays too.  This is in a non-malarial area which is really beautiful, situated in the Waterberg Mountains. There is a lovely farmhouse which one can take over as a family or there is Ant’s Hill, which is also lovely – which one shares with other people. There is horse riding here and one can ride amongst the game – the horses are excellent and cater for all abilities!

Ants Nest with AfricanExplorations.com

There is game viewing by vehicle and also on foot. They also do game counts, so if you want to be there for a game capture we can always arrange for your family to be involved in this which is very exciting. There is a swimming pool and there  are also more game concentrated areas where one can visit from Ant’s Nest. This is a real home from home atmosphere, the house is gorgeous and to have that wonderful climate too, is simply heavenly!

Ants Nest with AfricanExplorations.com

Most clients return and say that going to stay at Ant’s Nest is akin to reliving a carefree childhood – something that is so often denied to our children these days!

Ants Nest with AfricanExplorations.com

Abu  Camp is a wonderful phenomenon – especially for those who either feel a real empathy with elephants or for those who are interested in elephant safaris.

This is the most magical experience that we have ever witnessed. One spends three nights at the beautiful Abu’s Camp and each morning, your mahout and guide tells you all about your elephant family. Learn all about their behaviour, their bonding and then ride them into the heart of the Okavango Delta – watching the elephant calves running alongside their mothers and family – splashing around in the water and playing and generally having a glorious time. This is a real privilege and the most warming experience one could possibly have!Learn about conservation issues and participate or observe mud bathing, training and veterinary care. Watch wildlife from the back of an elephant – completely peaceful and quiet – simply observing in an unobtrusive manner.

Abu Camp with AfricanExplorations.com

The rooms are beautiful and open fronted, set beneath a grove of mature trees and overlooking the waterway of the Delta yet they blend in beautifully with the environment.There is even a star bed which we can request for you so that one night you sleep beneath the vast canopy of stars – ever closer to the elephants.

Abu Camp with AfricanExplorations.com

The camp itself is gorgeous and spoiling – but in addition, one can also go out on game drives to search for other mammals and predators and also glide along the floodplains in a mokoro – a canoe – as you are poled along the floodplains. This is one of the most beautiful experiences and iconic of the Okavango Delta. Call us to arrange your elephant safari of a lifetime!

Luxury Okavango Delta Safari – these are some of the most magical safaris possible!

Luxury Okavango Delta Safari with AfricanExplorations.com

Flying across the delta, looking at the bejewelled waterway beneath you – landing on an island and immediately seeing a myriad of wildlife around you and you could be forgiven for thinking you had just landed in paradise – because that is exactly what it is!

There are so many very beautiful camps offering all sorts of different experiences in the Delta – from lodges with gorgeous architecture to a private tented, simple tented camp to a private camp which has persian rugs in your room and silver candelabra on the dinner table for night dining – with your own private vehicle and guide – this is all that awaits you!

Luxury Okavango Delta Safari with AfricanExplorations.com

Then you can go out on an elephant-back safari for three or four days where you watch and become part of the herd or even go out with a zoologist one day for a couple of hours, walking with his herd of elephant. There is even amazing riding in the Okavango Delta too.

Combine this with the Kalahari Desert and you have the safari of a lifetime!

An African safari needs to be tailormade in order to ensure that you get the most out of it. Just rationalise – how could one safari be right for thousands of people? It simply can’t – and one just ends up compromising hugely. And why should one? When paying this much money for a holiday (or anything else in life, for that matter), it has to be as perfect as possible – and the only way this is possible is to replicate an environment that you not only feel comfortable in, but indeed surpasses all your expectations and leaves you breathless!

African Safari Tailormade with AfricanExplorations.com

And that’s where we come in! We listen to you, ask lots of questions, analyse and disseminate that information and then send you a suggestion which we think  will be absolutely right for you! Whether its taking in photography lessons  with a film maker and guide in the Masai Mara, going up in a hot air balloon across the sand dunes in the Namib Desert of Namibia or flying over the harsh and beautiful Skeleton Coast. Perhaps it is seeing the wildebeest migration in the mighty Serengeti – or spending times with chimps. It could be spending time with a researcher, looking for wild dog in Botswana, or taking a houseboat on the Chobe River. Perhaps it is looking at gorillas or sitting on the back of an elephant on an elephant back safari in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. What about riding a horse across the Kalahari Desert in Botswana or sipping wine at some of the best wine estates in the Cape? It might even be canoeing along the Mighty Zambezi in Zimbabwe or viewing the Victoria Falls. It could even be undertaking a walking safari.

African Safari Tailormade with AfricanExplorations.com

These, plus a myriad of other ideas are available to you – we would love to share our knowledge and enthusiasm with you!