I Love Africa!
For first time visitors, South Africa is perfect. There are plenty of wildlife spotting opportunities; penguins strolling on Boulders Beach, whale and dolphin spotting in Hermanus, shark cage diving and many Big 5 game reserves , as well as fantastic cities to explore; Cape Town is a fun, vibrant, cosmopolitan city, surrounded by stunning scenery and the coast. The food scene is exceptional, with new innovative restaurants popping up all over the place in close competition, and a foodie scene to rival that of Cape Town is the city of Johannesburg; more edgy, cool and fast paced. You can wash it all down with their world-renowned wines, best enjoyed amongst the vineyards themselves with the panoramic views of the surrounding Winelands. Or better still, board the vintage wine tram, which takes you on a tour of some of the region’s best wine estates, best enjoyed with a glass of wine in hand while getting to know your fellow tram buddies; you will be the best of friends in no time. If trains are your thing, they have one of the world’s best; The Blue Train! There are also some lovely scenic tourist routes, such as the Garden Route. Best explored on a selfdrive, which is very easy, as they drive on the same side of the road as us Brits! South Africa really has it all!
Zimbabwe is less travelled but is it equally as exceptional, with outstanding animal interactions; you can walk with Rhino, hand feed elephants, and there are plenty of excellent game reserves too. There is no better way to spend your afternoon than sitting in the grounds of The Victoria Falls Hotel with a spot of afternoon tea; with the thundering falls behind you. You can of course get closer to Victoria Falls, you can even White Water Raft in it! And spend your evening cruising down the Zambezi River at sunset.
For a more hardy Africa, head to the East. In Tanzania the wildlife opportunities are immense! Even during the transfer from one lodge to the next, giraffe will pass by picking leaves from trees, herds of zebra can be seen fooling around and great herds of buffalo grazing. Occasionally an elephant will appear from the bushes too, no transfer is ever dull! There are too many game reserves to recommend, but my personal favourite is the Ngorongoro Crater, where you drive into the deep ravine, to find a wealth of wildlife living within. I could not believe my eyes, when a tribe of Maasai were washing clothes in a river and about 100 yards away were a pride of lions, all were living together in harmony with mutual respect. The nearby luxury camps and lodges are out of this world too, and allow you to stay in absolute luxury though still combined with the stunning nature – outside showers are amazing! After your busy exploration, you can take a short flight to the island paradise of Zanzibar. What a holiday combination!
And my personal favourite destination; Namibia. Oh Namibia, what haven’t you got to offer! Incredible wildlife opportunities, awe-inspiring, otherworldly scenery of towering dunes, Luna landscapes, and vast desert that has an eerie beauty to it. It is a photographers and Instagrammers dream! In Swakopmund (Wavis Bay) you can take a cruise in search of dolphins, whales, sunfish and leatherback turtles while enjoying an oyster brunch; by which time It is common for the cape fur seals to climb onboard the boat, and pelicans make an appearance, in hope that you will share! Only in Africa would a seal be a pest as opposed to a pigeon! A self drive holiday is very popular in Namibia, and again driving is very easy, the roads are wide and uncomplicated, and they drive on the left too.
And if you want a moving, once in a lifetime, wildlife experience, head over to Rwanda, home of the Mountain Gorilla. Your trek will begin after an exciting orientation talk with your guides, and you will hike high into the bamboo forests of the Volcanoes National Park in search of the majestic Mountain Gorillas. To be in the presence of these magnificent creatures is an absolute privilege, and an experience that I will absolutely treasure for a lifetime. I still pinch myself now, when I reminisce on that wonderful trip. Although active, you do not need to be an experienced trekker. The extremely experienced guides will assign a Gorilla family to you based on your level of fitness, and this will depend on how arduous your trek is to reach the family, you get a lot of support along the way. Of course you are never guaranteed to see the gorillas, but the chances are very good. Rwanda is a fascinating country with more than just gorillas to offer and can be combined with Uganda, with has fantastic wildlife spotting opportunities too.
And after an absolutely epic day, as it always is in the African continent, there is no better way to reflect and unwind than a drink from the bush bar! The bush bar is a frequent offering at the end of the day, but always catches you by surprise! You could be on the top of a mountain, resting of the hood of your 4x4, in some ridiculously scenic but remote location and out will pop a fully-fledged bar, with an icy cold gin or beer! Sometimes even an entire banquette will present itself in the form of a bush dinner, I don’t know how they manage it, but I love it! And as the old saying goes “only in Africa!”
We have many epic African itineraries, and we have partners on the ground in each destination that we feature so you are in the best of hands. Please get in touch if you would like to make your dream African adventure a reality!
