A white rhino calf sways on his feet, then collapses to the ground. His mother, a robust 13-year-old cow with legs like tree trunks, needs a little more encouragement. After gently tipping the sedated rhino to the rust-hued dust, the anti-poaching unit spring into action, working quickly to microchip the mother and collect DNA from her horn – a process that could save her life.
Seeing, feeling these endangered creatures up close and in such a vulnerable state on this Rhino Conservation Experience safari in South Africa is something I will never forget.
A safari transforms you – it’s a slow, soulful meditation that opens your heart to the wild. And once you’ve caught the safari bug, it’s impossible to shake it.
From the annual migration in Kenya to trekking to see mountain gorillas in Rwanda, here are seven of the best destinations for an African safari.
Botswana
What: In the wet safari capital of southern Africa, eyes and ears sink below the surface of a glassy lagoon and gaping jaws emerge from the water like a giant Venus fly-trap. The Unesco-listed Okavango Delta swells every year between March and August in landlocked Botswana, a wildlife destination like no other. A mix of wet and dry landscapes allows for safaris on mokoro (traditional dug-out canoe), boat and 4WD to glimpse what’s known as the Big Five (lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and buffalo).
Where: Lions, leopards, black rhinos, cheetahs and wild dogs roam Botswana’s Chobe National Park, Moremi Game Reserve and Kalahari Desert, while the Okavango Delta lets you float up-close in mokoro or motor boat to birdlife, hippos, crocs and African elephants. An adventurous 17-day Botswana Leopard Trail camping tour (from $5990 per person) with World Expeditions covers it all.
Tip: Bookend a budget exploration with some creature comforts, such as a three-night river safari on luxe houseboat Chobe Princess.
Namibia
What: A mosaic of Mars-like plains, burnt-orange mountains and inky skies, the Namib Desert, the world’s oldest desert, is one of the most inhospitable places on earth. And yet, Namibia’s famed desert elephants have adapted over time to thrive here. Larger feet allow them to travel up to 150km a day on sand, and their sharp memories and generational knowledge of watering holes guides them over great distances in search of water.
Where: In Damaraland, between Etosha National Park and the Skeleton Coast, wildlife-watching comes with a chaser of Champagne. Between dopamine hits of desert-adapted elephants, endangered black rhino, lions and giraffes, you can cool off in the pool at luxury tented Wilderness Damaraland Camp, the second stop on a nine-night private safari with Wilderness Destinations ($US9890 a person or around $A14,600).
Tip: Namibia is home to Africa’s only International Dark Sky Reserve. But you can do more than gaze. Starry sleep-outs feature on most luxe itineraries, including the rooftop “sky-beds” at Wilderness Little Kulala at Sossusvlei on the nine-night safari.
Kenya
What: A powerful and poetic display of survival as millions of creatures embark on nature’s most thrilling journey in search of rain and fresh grazing. The Great Wildebeest Migration is riddled with danger as large herds of wildebeest, zebras and other wildlife migrate across the Masai Mara and Serengeti in Kenya and Tanzania every year. Kenya’s Masai Mara, a reserve covering 1500sq km, offers front-row jeeps between July and late August.
Where: River crossings – the Russian roulettes of safari – are the most gripping part of the migratory display. Bench Africa’s eight-day Migration Safari itinerary ($5205 a person) positions you near the banks of Kenya’s Mara River to see the animals gather, wait and watch, before taking the plunge and madly splashing across the river as though their lives depended on it – because they do. David Attenborough, eat your heart out.
Tip: Tag on a visit to Kenya’s Laikipia Wilderness Camp to get a glimpse of Giza, a rare two-year-old female black leopard whose territory is nearby.
Zimbabwe
What: It’s easy to transfixed by the magnificence of a large land beast, but looking up is just as soul-stirring. The first time you lay eyes on the brilliant aqua and purple plumage of a swooping kamikaze-like African lilac-breasted roller or hear the loud distinctive call of an African fish eagle, you’ll understand. With its abundant birdlife, elephant herds and roaring Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe is about all creatures, great and small.
Where: Pick your guide’s brains on a birding safari in Mana Pools National Park; fish for your lunch at Lake Kariba; discover herds of elephants at Matusadona National Park; night-safari in Hwange National Park; and cruise the Zambezi River at sunset on an 11-night Classic Zimbabwe safari with Lightfoot Travels ($11,400 a person).
Tip: Feeling courageous? Take a dip in Devil’s Pool atop Victoria Falls, a natural pool right on the edge of this behemoth waterfall.
Rwanda
What: Standing up to 1.8m tall, the eastern mountain gorillas are critically endangered. With around 1603 counted in the wild in protected national parks in central Africa, Rwanda is one of the last remaining places to see them on a trekking safari. The best time to visit is the dry season, from June to September.
Where: Hike through bamboo forests in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park in the Virunga conservation area, which is an accessible two-hour drive from Kigali airport and where Dian Fossey undertook her study of gorillas, documented in Gorillas in the Mist. On Go Gorilla Trekking’s four-day Rwanda Gorilla Safari ($3115 a person), you’ll encounter one of the 10 gorilla families here. One hour observing them will stay with you forever.
Tip: Extend your trip to explore Volcanoes National Park, which has three extinct volcanoes and offers golden monkey trekking, caving and cultural tours.
South Africa
What: It’s one thing to observe a vulnerable species; it’s another thing entirely to take part in conservation efforts to protect it. South Africa offers a range of conservation-focused safaris, the profits of which help fund anti-poaching and research. Experiences such as following an anti-poaching unit while they tag an endangered rhino (available at various lodges in Madikwe Game Reserve) or meeting scientists involved in growing cheetah populations leads to a more thorough understanding of wildlife in Africa, and our role in protecting it.
Where: If you thought solo safari was out of your budget, get ready to shriek. Family-run Makutsi Safari Springs has no single supplement and offers accommodation in comfortable rondavels (bungalows) for just $2768 twin share on an eight-night Makutsi Classic itinerary with Adventure World.
Tip: The property sits on two natural thermal-mineral springs that feed the outdoor pool and attracts wildlife right into the camp. Who needs a luxury lodge?
Tanzania
What: Africa’s landscapes are vast and varied, but it’s difficult to imagine a more special place than Ngorongoro Crater. The largest intact volcano caldera in the world, this protected natural amphitheatre is about 610m deep and covers 260sq km. It boasts more than 25,000 animals, a high concentration of lions and more than 20 black rhinos. If you want to tick off the Big Five, this is where to do it.
Where: Remarkable Africa offers tailor-made packages, including an eight-day family-friendly safari (from $8690 a person), with luxury lodging at Gibb’s Farm, a working farm, and former 1920s coffee plantation, on the outer slopes of the crater. Head out on game drives over three days to breathe in the beauty of this wild volcano, then fly to the Serengeti.
Tip: This is the ideal place for a family safari, given the proximity to wildlife. Back at Gibb’s Farm, kids have 13ha to explore as well as collect eggs, milk cows and “bomb” in the pool.
Safari FAQs
Julie De Palo, reservation, group and operations manager at Bench Africa, shares her top tips:
Most affordable country?
South Africa offers some of the best-value experiences at the moment, with a weaker rand against the Aussie dollar. Value can be found in many safari packages when you consider the all-inclusive nature with accommodation, game activities, transfers, and food and drinks included.
Is Africa safe?
Nobody denies Africa has a history of civil issues. But Africa is about three times the size of Europe, so whatever may be occurring in West Africa has little impact on the other side of the continent. But leave your Tiffany necklace or Rolex at home. Don’t show off expensive phones and jewellery in public and keep arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.
Do I need a visa?
No visa is required for South Africa, Botswana, or Namibia. Buy one online for Kenya, Tanzania (and Uganda), and get a visa on arrival for free in Zimbabwe and Rwanda.
What are the Big Five?
Lion, leopard, black rhino, elephant and buffalo. Not because they’re the biggest, but because they were once considered the most difficult to hunt. Do you know the Little Five? The elephant shrew, antlion, rhinoceros beetle, buffalo weaver and leopard tortoise. And we couldn’t possibly ignore the Ugly Five: wildebeest, warthog, vulture, hyena and marabou stork.
