Africa Safari Activities

One of the great things about Africa is that there is such a variety of things to see and do. Many of the activities on offer appeal to those with a particular passion; if you love walking, the treks can be truly spectacular, birdwatchers may feel overwhelmed by the extraordinary range and diversity of birdlife, and any artists or photographers seeking inspiring landscapes will be thoroughly spoilt for choice.

A GUIDE TO AFRICAN SAFARI HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

Walking Safaris

Africa is a land best explored on foot! Stunning landscapes, great guides: getting out and about on foot awakens the senses and brings you closer to the action. There are myriad choices for walking in all the best safari countries, whether just a brief excursion or over a period of days; different countries provide a variety of landscapes and wildlife.

The best parks for walking safaris in Africa:

Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park – The home of walking safaris, Zambia is the place to go if you are mad keen on walking through the African wilderness. With excellent wildlife, and engaging guides, your walking safari experience here is up there with the most intimate and exciting nature experiences in the world.

Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park – Specifically, Kichaka Camp in Ruaha can take you back to the old school safari which time has replaced with luxury camps. Here though, you get to fully immerse yourself into an adventure through fly camping and long hikes in a truly wild setting. Safari doesn’t get much more adventurous than this.

Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools – Zimbabwe offers a really adventurous and off the beaten track safari experience, and some of the best walking safaris on the continent. The guides (like in Zambia) have trained for at least 3 years, and are truly superb. Go on walking adventures and return to the luxury of Ruckomechi Camp by night – for an adventure without compromising on quality, it has to be here!

Some of our favourite walking lodges

Horseriding Safaris

Good riding safaris are something to treasure; for those who are comfortable in a saddle and experienced enough to manage a few hours in the bush, we have some brilliant safari experiences for you. Even for those less experienced, there are some brilliant lodges which have horses of all shapes and sizes, catering for all ages and abilities.

The best parks for horse riding safaris in Africa:

Botswana's Okavango Delta – Okavango Horse Safaris in particular offers probably the finest riding safaris in Africa. If you are a keen and experienced rider, there is honestly nowhere more magical in the world. With lovely horses and the choice of fly camping of staying in luxury and enjoying shorter rides, there is nowhere more suited for different kinds of riding preferences. We would recommend Botswana for those who really are very experienced riders, as the wildlife here is pretty phenomenal – they will test your riding abilities before going on a ride, and if they do not think you are good enough, you will not be allowed to go!

South Africa – Ant’s Nest is a fabulous and diverse place to enjoy a horseback safari. With 90 horses for all ages and experience levels, it is a perfect place to spend quite a few nights having fun and mucking about in the bush with the horses. For a horsey family it doesn’t get much better than this.

Kenya, Lewa Downs – Stay at Borana Lodge and get your own little slice of private luxury with interconnecting spacious rooms, and fill your day with horseback adventure. Also excellent for families, Lewa Downs has excellent wildlife and activities, and Borana has it all.

Some of favourite horseriding lodges

Local Culture

Much of the joy of travel is the experience of other cultures and traditions; take time to know and understand the local heritage of your chosen country. Cultural tourism is a tricky thing to accomplish well, but if it is done well it is incredibly worthwhile. The opportunity to interact on a personal level with the people whose country you are visiting will enhance your experience no end.

The best cultural experiences in Africa:

Namibia – Here live the Himba people, a distinctive semi nomadic tribe. They make up only 1-2% of Namibia’s population, and are a highly skilled tribe, herding their cattle in one of the harshest regions on earth. Their extreme liftstyle and way of life makes many people want to meet them, and on Namibia’s remote north western point.

Kenya and Tanzania is home to the Masai people. Despite western influences, the Masai are proud people and have in most parts stuck to their traditional way of life. Friendly by nature, chatting with the Masai is a great way to learn about the local culture.

Some of our favourite cultural experiences

Diving

The African Indian Ocean coast is pure heaven for divers; explore Indian Ocean islands with blissfully unspoilt thriving coral reef, marine parks and deep, deep ocean with stunning visibility. If you like to dive, this is a serious playground, and it's simply a matter of choosing where to start.

The best places for diving in Africa:

The Islands off Tanzania – Mafia and Pemba island, just off the coast of Tanzania offer some of the world’s best diving. Mafia is home to the incredible whale sharks, and some of the most beautiful underwater scenes known to man. Pemba doesn’t have whale sharks, but it offers a really off the beaten track island life experience. Up there with the best diving in the continent, and even the world, we can’t recommend these islands enough.

Mozambique – Diving in the Quirimbas and Bazaruto Archipelagos off the coast of Mozambique is truly phenomenal. Wildlife on the shore and under the surface is incredible, from hatching turtles to whales – on a dive in Mozambique, you really don’t know what you could come across.

Seychelles – If you love luxury accommodation as much as you do diving, the Seychelles is for you. With a huge array of luxury and intimate hotels in the epitome of Indian Ocean paradise, for a honeymoon couple who are into underwater adventures, we can think of nowhere better.

Some of our favourite diving lodges

Boating

Safari from a boat is a very different experience to game driving. You can view wildlife from a different perspective - seeing elephants interacting in the water up close is something you just cannot do from a 4x4. There is also no better way to view crocs and hippos as they eye each other up across the water. Relaxing with a sundowner and watching the sun set from a Mokoro over the Okavango Delta is an experience that cannot be beaten.

The best places for boating safaris in Africa:

The Okavango Delta – Africa’s watery paradise, Botwasna’s Okavango Delta offers beautiful lodges in spoiling private concessions, and the most relaxed boating safaris out there. Although relaxed, the amount of wildlife in the Delta makes them also extremely exciting. There is nowhere better to sip a gin and tonic, than at sunset, drifting into the wilderness on a little boat in the Okavango Delta.

Selous – The mighty Rufiji River, and the array of beautiful lazy lakes makes The Selous a fantastic destination for those who the view from a boat. It is also very handily a 45 minute hop from a beach, so if you would like the boating safari experience without forking out a shed load of cash, then the Selous is a fantastic option.

The Lower Zambezi – Outrageously good wildlife and more safari activities than anywhere on the continent, from beautiful water bound sundowners to canoeing around hippo pods or kayaking into the horizon; if you are into adventure and something completely different, the Lower Zambezi is definitely for you. Combine this with a walking safari in the South Luangwa and you have one of the most adventurous and beautiful itineraries out there.

Some of our favourite boating Lodges

Fishing

There are masses of options for fishermen of all interests, with testing fly-fishing on the Zambezi and from the islands of Mozambique, and lots of deep sea action for pulling in some serious kgs. Dedicated fishermen should look to Zambia, and rest assured that all of these provide great safari possibilities for non-fishing travelling partners!

The best places for fishing in Africa:

The Lower Zambezi – Where there is water, there is fish! If you are a serious fisherman, there is nowhere more exciting than trip to the Lower Zambezi. Tiger fishing here is seriously good and the beauty of this is, you don’t have to leave a safari to enjoy this!

Mozambique – Deep sea fishing off Mozambique is really incredible. Unlike the popular islands a bit more far flung, you can enjoy a really off the beaten track fishing and beach experience here – it is not too well known, but is seriously good!

Zimbabwe – Lake Kariba in is the place to go for tiger fish if you find yourself in Zimbabwe. It is actually one of the world’s biggest manmade lakes, and the life in and out of the water is phenomenal. A great option for keen fisherman of all levels.

Some of our favourite fishing Lodges

Bird Watching

The great wild garden of all the east and southern safarilands just has superb bird life, enough to convert those who really did not know that they cared. We have a number of excellent, specialist guides in every country and can advise on special interest trips.

The best parks for bird watching in Africa:

Selous – Go to the Selous in green season, and you are in a birder’s absolute paradise. You may be driving along, and clouds of little specks of vibrant colour will dart all around you. A very quiet park in southern Tanzania, you can also enjoy the birdlife all to yourself.

Liuwa Plains – Not a place that springs to mind when you think of the classic African safari parks, but one that is a seriously wild and untouched treasure. It is vast, with unbelievable huge herds of animals, but also, those who visit herald it as one of the best birding destinations ever, and an overall experience which is really magical.

Uganda – Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda offers a really outback safari experience in a land little known by tourists. There are over 600 species of birds, and it is a place for those who love adventure and colourful bird life, without anyone else!

Some of our favourite bird watching Lodges

We have been around long enough to know that you will probably have your own specialist interests that are not mentioned here, and we will arrange trips to find meteorites, dinosaurs, historic war sites, and various other specific areas of interest.