SELECTED ARTICLE FROM OUR SPECIALISTS

We hope all our guests have enjoyed their Christmas break and would like to wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

We thank all our guests who have travelled with us in 2017 and previous years, as well as those who have already booked for 2018 and beyond. Most Safari countries are experiencing excellent forward bookings and we would urge guests wanting to travel in 2018 to book as early as possible.

ZIMBABWE
We are very confident that the change of leadership in Zimbabwe will result in Zimbabwe returning to the mainstream safari circuit. Zimbabwe is a great safari country with Hwange National Park and Mana Pools, two of Africa’s very finest reserves within its borders, as well as a number of excellent, but less well-known reserves. At present visitor numbers are low and prices quite affordable whilst the game viewing is exceptional, so we would encourage you to visit Zimbabwe while it remains largely
undiscovered. View Tours

CONSERVATION SUCCESS
Despite the ongoing battle against Rhino and Elephant poaching in many African countries there is also plenty of good news. Some parks that had been neglected for years have received substantial investment and have been restocked and given the protection they need, creating new and exciting destinations to visit, mainly under the management of the philanthropic “African Parks organisation” These include parks in countries as diverse as Rwanda, Republic of Congo, Chad, Zambia and Malawi. 400 elephants were recently translocated in a huge operation to return the Nkhotakota National Park in Malawi to its former glory. 200 Black and white Rhinos have moved from South Africa where they were at high risk of poaching to Botswana where they were locally extinct. They are breeding and spreading well. Lions once again roam free in Akagera. Majete and Liuwa Plains National Park. The importance of tourism as the main source of sustainable funding cannot be underestimated.

NEW CAMPS IN BOTSWANA
In Botswana former hunting concessions have opened or are due to open for photographic tourism following the ban on commercial hunting in the country most of these camps are in huge private concessions with just one safari camp, creating exclusive and genuine wilderness experience. See below.

Kadizora Camp -Northern Okavango Delta

Nogatsaa Pans Lodge – Chobe Game Reserve

Gomoti Plains – South East Okavango Delta

Qorokwe Camp – South East Okavango Delta

Dinaka Camp – Central Kalahari Game Reserve (Opening March 18)

CLASSIC LONGER SAFARIS
At Safari Club we have been busy creating some new flexible, private safari tours which will appeal to guests who are time rich and would like to explore an African country in a bit more depth, some of these are partially self-drive, whilst others are privately guided and may include overland and air travel connections. See below.

Kenya Overland Adventure – 18 Nights
This leisurely safari includes both air and privately guided overland elements. Whilst avoiding the busiest areas, Samburu Reserve, Laikipia Plateau, the Maasai Mara, Amboseli and Tsavo National Parks all feature, the safari ends with a few nights at the idyllic South Coast.
View Tour

Northern Namibia Overland Self Drive Tour – 16 nights
This is a private self-drive safari visiting this scenically stunning country with its fabulous wildlife and fascinating semi nomadic people. With a good road network Namibia is the perfect country for the adventurous traveller to explore. Your tour visits the spectacular red dunes at Sosussvlei, Walvis Bay famous for its prolific, birdlife and dolphins, the seal colony at Cape Cross, the remote and windswept Skeleton coast. You will then travel into mountainous interior where desert adapted elephant, lions and the last free ranging black rhino roam. Etosha National park is the jewel in Namibia’s wildlife crown and here you will drive yourself through the reserve seeking out the plentiful game that can usually be found close to the waterholes. Your safari finishes at the Afrikat foundation at OKonjima famous for its cheetah rehabilitation programme.
View Tour

Tanzania Overland Adventure – 12 nights
This tour is a twelve night, privately guided safari through Tanzania’s Northern Circuit, you will visit Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks as well as the Ngorongoro Crater. The highlight of your tour is the Serengeti National Park where you will visit the Central, Western and Northern regions of this huge reserve. The itinerary may be adapted to suit seasonal game movements and offers the opportunity of witnessing the Great Migration as it passes through the reserve. Could be easily combined with a few nights on the beach. Accommodation is in mid-range tented camps and lodges making this trip particularly good value especially for small groups and families.
View Tour
View Family Tour

South Africa Overland Adventure – 29 days
The ultimate month-long adventure through Africa’s most diverse country travelling in a mixture of self-drive and air and including the classic Luxury Rovos Rail journey from Cape Town to Pretoria. Your journey includes the Anglo/Zulu and Boer war battlefields of Rorkes Drift, Isandlwana and Spion Kop as well the Drakensberg Mountains, Durban, Oudtshoorn, the Garden Route, Whale Coast, Winelands, Cape Town and a Rovos Rail experience. Your tour ends with a “Big Five” safari in the outstanding Timbavati Area of Kruger National Park. A fantastic and safe adventure giving a real insight into the splendours of the Rainbow Nation.
View Tour

AFFORDABLE SAFARIS – OUR TIPS

Going on safari is never cheap, but, considering that most things are included, the total cost is often less than at first appears. There are a number of ways you can make a safari more affordable in some cases the savings can be very large without compromising the experience.

• Avoid peak season travel, most destinations have low and mid-season rates and often these can be half the price of high season rates. With good guidance we can advise on where you will get a great experience outside of low season. Particularly good value can be had in Botswana or Kenya both of which have great game viewing at any time.
• Travel with friends, you won’t save much on a flying safari, but privately guided overland trips and self-drives in countries like Namibia, South Africa or Tanzania can be much cheaper.
• Don’t try to do too much, getting from place to place in some countries can be expensive in Africa, it may be better to spend between 6 and 10 nights between two or three different camps in different parts of some of the larger reserves. The Serengeti. South Luangwa, Kafue, Hwange and the Okavango Delta for example.
• Reduce the average daily cost of your African holiday by adding time at the beach in Kenya or Tanzania or maybe spend a few days at Victoria Falls, Lake Malawi or Cape Town.
• Consider carefully which country to visit, as a general rule South Africa, Zimbabwe, Southern Tanzania and Kenya are more affordable.
• Book as far in advance as possible, the most cost-effective lodges and those offering special deals tend to get booked up very early. Nine months is perfect.
• Late availability deals are sometimes available for guests able to travel at short notice who are flexible with dates and location. It is worth asking!
• Travelling with children, try half term or Easter as the summer holiday period is invariably expensive.
• Consider more simple accommodation, whilst it is certainly true with safari holidays that you get what you pay for, spa’s, butlers, gyms, pools and other extras are included in the rate at more expensive lodges and camps but you may struggle to find time to use them. The essential ingredients of a wonderful safari are safety, comfort and great game viewing, guiding and interpretation, all possible at an affordable price.