Destinations
We work in fewer places than most, and know them better. Each country below is one our planners have lived in, guided in or travelled for years, so our advice comes from experience rather than a brochure.
The great migration and the Ngorongoro Crater
Home to the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and the wildebeest migration. Northern Tanzania suits a first safari and the hundredth; the southern parks of Ruaha and Nyerere suit travellers who want space.
Private conservancies, horseback safaris and the Lamu coast
Kenya's private conservancies limit vehicle numbers and allow walking and night drives, so the Mara feels far quieter than its reputation. Add Laikipia for riding and rhino, and the Lamu archipelago for the coast.
Mountain gorillas in the Virunga volcanoes
A small, green and well-run country with one of the world's great wildlife encounters. Rwanda pairs easily with a Tanzanian or Kenyan safari, or stands alone with Nyungwe's chimpanzees and Akagera's savannah.
The Okavango Delta and exclusive fly-in camps
Botswana's policy of few visitors and large private concessions makes it the purest safari country in Africa. Light aircraft link small camps across the Okavango, the Linyanti and the Kalahari salt pans.
Dunes, desert elephants and the Skeleton Coast
Vast, empty and photogenic, Namibia is at its best seen from the air. Fly between the dunes of Sossusvlei, the rocky valleys of Damaraland and the fog-bound Skeleton Coast, then finish with the waterholes of Etosha.
Walking safaris, the Zambezi and Victoria Falls
For travellers who want the bush up close. South Luangwa is the home of the walking safari, the Lower Zambezi is best explored by canoe, and Victoria Falls makes a natural first or last night.
Combine and compare
Rwanda's gorillas after a Serengeti safari, Victoria Falls before the Okavango, Kenya's coast after the Mara: we plan the connections so they feel easy.
Photos by Roger Brown, Amani Allan, Mustafa Mašetić, Fabio Riccobono, Caitlin Darck, Mad Knoxx Deluxe on Pexels