African Safaris are simply magical! Coming from Africa, I know I am biased, but I really cannot imagine taking either myself or my family on any other kind of holiday! It is filled with magic, wonder, gorgeous colours, smells, vibrancy, adventure, breathtaking scenery, awesome wildlife and a people whose friendship you will come to treasure for years!

African Safaris with AfricanExplorations.com

It really is a non stop sensory overload! Whether it is learning about the various tribes that inhabit this diverse and fascinating continent – tribes whose stories teach their children about the rights and wrongs of every day life and survival in general. Tribes who dance with amazing rhythmic energy and who move into a trance to mark celebrations. Wildlife to stir your very being, as you sit and witness  the entire spectacle unfold before you – watching a pack of wild dog, Africa’s most efficient predator, move towards a kill, skilfully communicating their every move with each other. Watch a honeyguide bird lead people and honey badgers to a nest of bees. Learn about the night sky and the solar system. Remember what being in touch with nature is all about – and how much better we all feel for being so much closer to it!

African Safaris with Nicola Shepherd's AfricanExplorations.com

Ride horses amongst the legendary wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara in Kenya, sail on Lake Malawi or in Madagascar, dive in Mozambique, walk in search for wildlife in the selous in southern Tanzania or even Luangwa in Zambia, canoe in the Mana Pools region in Zimbabwe, game view by open vehicle, documenting the most spectacular animals with your camera.

Kutendala with AfricanExplorations.com

All this, and so much more, is waiting for you on an African safari!

Chada Camp Katavi with AfricanExplorations.com

In terms of pure luxury, some countries tend to lend themselves more than others. What is luxury? Is it a hot shower to step into at the end of the day? Is it a wonderful bath that has been poured for you, complete with candles to relax and soothe your muscles? Is it purely in terms of accommodation? Is it being able to have quality time by yourself? We have several clients who have travelled with us for twenty years, who insist on staying at ‘nothing but the very best’ and we have a long list for you too! In Namibia, you can sleep in a beautiful room in the desert, with windows in the ceilings so you can look at the night sky above your head at all times! They also happen to have the most amazing telescope and professionals to guide you through our solar system! In Botswana, lay back in your Victorian roll bath with antique persian rugs surrounding you, watching elephants browse outside your tent and then ride them the following day (should you wish)! In Kenya, have your own camp set up for you wherever you wish, complete with private helicopter. In Zambia, sit in your villa close to Victoria Falls, perhaps having a champagne lunch on Livingstone Island with the Falls in the background, complete with a permanent rainbow? In South Africa, we have the most perfect luxury villas and character hotels in the Cape where you can watch the waves pounding on the Atlantic Ocean. Have the very best wine tasting sessions in the Cape winelands with the cellar masters at the most exclusive wine estates. Walk with the finest walking guides in Zambia and Zimbabwe, knowledge being paramount! Have a privately guided flying safari around Africa.

Certainly, for the “first timer”, a visit to the Mara is a must and, for those taking children who might be nervous about the bush/child equation, staying somewhere which has a swimming pool (something to do which is “not animals”!) and also fenced might be a good option. A fenced off camp, meaning that precious totos can run around at will, in total safety in one of the most concentrated game regions in the world, is a good idea and one of the best is Mara Intrepids Camp. What is so unique is that they are the only company in East Africa to offer a ‘kids’ club’; Nirvana for most parents and almost unheard of in the safari world! The real hit was when our 7 year old daughter was taught to use a wooden bow and arrow made from combretum, this was put to good (harmless!) use as she became expert at fending off the vervet monkeys who visited the dining tables in an effort to claim leftover titbits. Hiring a private vehicle is an absolute must here as one can then dictate the length, and focus, of game drives and have full attention from one’s guide. Our guide was one of the finest I have ever come across in all my years of living in (and, sadly, now out of) Africa. Despite it being out of season we saw a plethora of game: elephant, cheetah (even trying to make a kill on several occasions), buffalo, giraffe, topi, impala, thompson’s gazelle, lion, hyaena, cookson’s hartebeest, buffalo, dik dik, warthog, guinea fowl, black shouldered kite, rufous nape lark, eagles – the list goes on and on. Our other Masai guide, who taught at the kids club in traditional dress, had impeccable English and was excellent at imparting fun information. Olivia learned to drive a Land Rover, too (steering, sitting on her guide’s lap)! At her insistence, she went on her own with our guide to the Masai village where she saw the manyattas and was surrounded by children who taught her how to make bangles, necklaces and belts with beadwork. They also taught one another singing and dancing from both sides of the globe. This was an educational and rewarding experience and a complete hit and success all round!