Indawo Ekuyiwa Kuyo
‘A place where one is going’ - Xhosa
Africa is not one experience. It is a collection of landscapes, rhythms and stories, each country offering something distinct. From vast desert horizons to river-lined safari valleys, from iconic plains to forested mountains, no two journeys feel the same.
Below we highlight a selection of destinations across Southern and East Africa to spark ideas and help you begin shaping your own journey. These are not packages, but starting points — each one tailored, guided and designed around how you want to experience Africa.
Whether you are drawn to space and silence, exceptional wildlife, cultural depth or complete variety in a single trip, there is a destination that fits.
And often, the most rewarding journeys combine more than one.
Botswana
The Safari That Feels Like Africa Before the Crowds.
If you ask travellers who’ve been more than once to Africa where they’d go back to without hesitation, Botswana is usually the answer. Not because it shouts the loudest — but because it doesn’t have to.
‘Botswana isn’t about ticking animals off a list...’
Botswana is where safari feels raw again. Vast, quiet, and beautifully unhurried. The country deliberately limits visitor numbers, which means fewer vehicles, fewer lodges, and far more personal wildlife encounters. Instead of queuing at sightings, you often find yourself alone with the moment — exactly what people imagine Africa should feel like.
At the heart of it all lies the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO-recognised inland oasis where floodwaters arrive each year in the middle of the dry season, drawing wildlife from miles around. Elephants wade between islands, lions hunt floodplains, and rare species like wild dogs thrive here.
You don’t just drive through it — you glide silently in a mokoro canoe or drift by boat while fish eagles call overhead.
Then there’s Chobe National Park, home to some of the largest elephant herds on Earth. Watching hundreds gather along the river at sunset isn’t just a sighting — it’s a spectacle.
And beyond the water lies the desert. The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans stretch to the horizon like another planet, while the Kalahari offers black-maned lions and an atmosphere that feels older than time itself. Botswana’s landscapes shift constantly — wetlands to savannah to desert — making each day feel like a new country.
What truly sets Botswana apart is the feeling of immersion. You aren’t observing nature from a distance — you’re moving through it slowly and respectfully. Guides here read the bush rather than chase it, and experiences unfold naturally rather than on schedule.
It’s not the easiest safari destination. And that’s exactly why it’s so rewarding.
Botswana isn’t about ticking animals off a list.
It’s about space, silence, and the rare privilege of feeling part of the wild instead of just visiting.
Namibia
Namibia doesn’t overwhelm you with noise or crowds. Instead, it quietly expands around you — horizon after horizon of open land, dramatic skies, and landscapes so vast they change the way you think about distance. This is a country where the journey itself becomes the highlight.
‘The Beauty of Space.’
Most travellers arrive expecting desert. What they discover is variety. In Sossusvlei, apricot-coloured dunes rise higher than skyscrapers, glowing at sunrise and turning deep crimson at dusk. Climbing one in the early morning — shoes in hand, sand cool beneath your feet — is one of those rare travel moments that stays with you long after you’ve gone home.
Then comes the coast, and Namibia changes character completely. Along the Skeleton Coast, Atlantic fog rolls across shipwreck-strewn beaches and desert meets ocean in a way that feels almost surreal. Seals gather in noisy colonies while brown hyenas patrol the shoreline — wildlife adapted to a place that looks nearly lifeless at first glance.
Further inland lies Etosha National Park, where safari takes on a different rhythm. Instead of dense bush, animals congregate around shimmering waterholes in open salt pans. You don’t search endlessly here — you wait, and the wildlife comes to you. Watching elephants, giraffes, and even predators approach the same water source creates a natural theatre that unfolds hour by hour.
What makes Namibia special isn’t just what you see — it’s how you experience it. Long scenic drives, remote lodges, star-filled skies, and the feeling that you have an entire landscape to yourself. There’s a calmness to travel here that’s hard to replicate anywhere else.
Namibia suits travellers who value space, photography, and atmosphere as much as wildlife. It’s not rushed and it’s not crowded.
It’s a destination that rewards curiosity — and leaves you with the rare sense that you’ve truly been somewhere different.
Zimbabwe
Where Safari Meets Story
Zimbabwe feels like one of Africa’s best-kept secrets. It has all the ingredients travellers dream about — iconic wildlife, legendary landscapes, and remarkable guiding — yet somehow still retains a sense of authenticity that many destinations have lost. You don’t just visit Zimbabwe, you engage with it.
It’s Africa with character —
immersive, soulful, and unforgettable.
The journey often begins at Victoria Falls, where the Zambezi River plunges into a deep basalt gorge in a roar of mist and rainbows. Locals call it Mosi-oa-Tunya — “The Smoke That Thunders” — and standing on the rainforest paths beside the falls, you quickly understand why. But the magic here goes beyond the viewpoint. Sunset cruises on the river drift past hippos and elephants, while the town itself hums with energy, adventure and warm hospitality.
Go North to Mana Pools National Park which offers something rare: a safari experienced on foot. Walking through the floodplains with a professional guide, tracking animals and reading the bush at ground level, brings a powerful sense of perspective. Here, you are not just observing nature — you are part of it.
Head South into the wilderness and Zimbabwe truly shines. In Hwange National Park, huge elephant herds gather at waterholes and predators move across open grasslands. Game viewing feels wonderfully uncrowded, and the quality of guiding is often considered among the best in Africa — patient, knowledgeable and deeply connected to the land.
Zimbabwe also carries a strong sense of human history. Ancient ruins, living cultures and welcoming communities give depth to the journey, balancing wildlife encounters with meaningful connection.
What makes Zimbabwe special is its atmosphere. It feels genuine, unpolished in the best way, and quietly confident. There’s space, exceptional guiding, and a warmth that visitors remember long after they leave.
Zimbabwe isn’t just another safari destination.
It’s Africa with character — immersive, soulful, and unforgettable.
South Africa
One Journey, Many Worlds
South Africa is often the first trip to Africa for many travellers — and just as often, the one that makes them want to come back. What sets it apart is variety. Few places in the world let you combine cosmopolitan cities, world-class food and wine, dramatic coastlines, and Big Five safari all in a single journey without ever feeling rushed.
Diverse, welcoming, and endlessly rewarding
Most adventures begin in Cape Town, a city framed by ocean and mountains. Riding the cable car up Table Mountain reveals a view that instantly explains the city’s reputation. Within an hour you can be tasting wine in the Cape Winelands, walking with penguins along the coast, or driving the spectacular peninsula roads where cliffs meet the Atlantic. It’s relaxed, scenic, and effortlessly enjoyable.
Then the landscape changes completely. Fly north and you arrive in the safari heartland around Kruger National Park and its surrounding private reserves. Here the pace slows to sunrise game drives, afternoon bush walks and evenings around the fire. Wildlife viewing is exceptional — lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards and buffalo are all regularly seen — but what really stands out is accessibility. You can experience a true African safari without sacrificing comfort, making it ideal for first-time visitors and seasoned travellers alike.
South Africa also offers experiences beyond the obvious: whale watching along the coast, scenic drives through the Garden Route forests, historic battlefields in KwaZulu-Natal, and vibrant cultural encounters throughout the country. The infrastructure is excellent, travel distances manageable, and the range of accommodation remarkable — from boutique guesthouses to some of the finest lodges on the continent.
What makes South Africa special is balance. You can wake up in a city café, spend the afternoon tasting wine, and end the week watching elephants cross a river at sunset.
It’s not just a safari destination.
It’s a complete journey — diverse, welcoming, and endlessly rewarding.
Built from experiences, shaped by you.
Combine land, water, culture and wildlife your way…
Zambia
The Original Walking Safari
Zambia feels like safari in its purest form. Less polished than some destinations, less crowded than most, and all the better for it. This is where the rhythm of the bush dictates the day, not a schedule, and where guiding is considered an art rather than a service.
This is safari as it once was -
quiet, skilled, and unforgettable.
The country’s wild heart lies along the South Luangwa National Park, often regarded as the birthplace of the walking safari. Here you leave the vehicle behind and explore on foot with an expert guide, learning to read tracks, scents, and subtle signs of life in the sand. The experience shifts your perspective completely — suddenly giraffes feel taller, elephants feel larger, and every sound carries meaning.
Wildlife viewing is exceptional, especially predators. Leopards thrive in this valley and sightings are famously frequent, while lions and wild dogs patrol the riverbanks. Evenings often end beside the Luangwa River watching animals gather at dusk, the sky turning copper as hippos begin their nightly chorus.
The Lower Zambezi National Park offers a completely different safari mood. Canoeing quietly past elephants drinking at the shoreline or fishing from a small boat adds a gentle, immersive dimension rarely found elsewhere. Safari here isn’t just watching — it’s participating.
And of course, Zambia shares one of Africa’s great wonders: Victoria Falls. Seen from the Zambian side, you can stand astonishingly close to the cascading water, feeling the spray and power up close.
Zambia suits travellers who value authenticity over luxury polish. It’s intimate, uncrowded, and deeply connected to the natural world.
This is safari as it once was — quiet, skilled, and unforgettable.
Kenya & Tanzania
The Classic Africa You Dreamed Of
For many travellers, the image of Africa lives here: endless golden plains, lone acacia trees, and wildlife moving in vast numbers across the horizon. Kenya and Tanzania deliver the iconic safari — not as a cliché, but as a living landscape that still feels every bit as dramatic as the photographs promise.
‘It’s a destination that rewards curiosity…’
For many travellers, the image of Africa lives here: endless golden plains, lone acacia trees, and wildlife moving in vast numbers across the horizon. Kenya and Tanzania deliver the iconic safari — not as a cliché, but as a living landscape that still feels every bit as dramatic as the photographs promise.
In Kenya, the Masai Mara National Reserve sets the scene. Big cats roam open grasslands, and sightings unfold naturally throughout the day. When conditions align, the Great Migration crosses these plains — thousands of wildebeest and zebra moving together in one of the planet’s greatest wildlife spectacles.
Cross into Tanzania and the scale expands further across the Serengeti National Park, where the migration continues year-round in different regions. Here you don’t chase animals; you watch ecosystems in motion. Lions rest on kopjes, cheetahs scan the horizon, and herds stretch further than the eye can follow.
Then comes the extraordinary Ngorongoro Crater — a collapsed volcanic caldera that holds one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. Descending onto the crater floor feels like entering a natural amphitheatre where nearly every species shares the same stage.
Beyond wildlife, cultural encounters add depth. Visits to Maasai communities reveal traditions still practiced today, connecting the safari to living heritage.
Kenya and Tanzania are ideal for travellers seeking the legendary Africa — sweeping landscapes, abundant wildlife, and cinematic moments at every turn.
This is the safari that first captured imaginations — and still does.
Uganda & Rwanda
The Forest and the Gentle Giants
Some journeys are measured in sightings. Others are measured in moments. Travel to Uganda and Rwanda belongs firmly to the second kind — a safari not defined by numbers, but by a single unforgettable encounter.
‘But more importantly,
you leave with perspective.’
Hidden within mist-covered mountains lies one of the most moving wildlife experiences on Earth: trekking to see wild mountain gorillas. In Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Volcanoes National Park, small guided groups hike through dense rainforest, following fresh tracks and broken stems until, suddenly, the forest opens and you’re face-to-face with a gorilla family.
The moment is quiet, almost surreal. Youngsters tumble through vines, mothers cradle infants, and the great silverback watches calmly from a few metres away. There’s no barrier, no vehicle — just respectful proximity. It’s less like observing wildlife and more like being briefly welcomed into another world.
But these countries offer more than gorillas. Uganda is wonderfully diverse: boat safaris along the Nile in Murchison Falls National Park, classic game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and chimpanzee tracking in lush forests. Rwanda complements this with refined lodges, rolling green hills, and a powerful cultural history that adds depth to the journey.
The landscapes here feel alive in a different way — layered, green, and intimate rather than vast and open. You trade big horizons for immersive experiences, and every day feels purposeful rather than busy.
Uganda and Rwanda suit travellers seeking meaning as much as adventure. It’s not about ticking off animals, but about connection — to wildlife, to landscape, and often to yourself.
You leave with photographs, yes.
But more importantly, you leave with perspective.