AFRICAN SAFARI TRAVEL

The word 'safari' means 'to journey' in Swahili, the native language of East Africa. It is in East Africa where the word safari came to popular usage in reference to hunting and touring expeditions of the early 1900's. Today the term refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph wildlife in all parts of Southern & East Africa.

An African safari vacation can be truly unforgettable and often life changing. For most people, an African safari is the realisation of a lifetime dream. Planning a safari can sometimes be a daunting task and that is why we have created the African Safari Travel Guide - to help you plan and realise your own African safari vacation.

NAMIBIA

Mysterious and enigmatic, Namibia possesses a unique beauty. From the harshly inhospitable Skeleton Coast with its shipwrecks to the vast salt pans of the Etosha National Park, Namibia is one of the most amazing countries in Africa.

Botswana

Botswana offers a great deal to travellers - a fascinating culture and eco-system exists in a very largely unspoilt country. The Okavango Delta is home to one of the greatest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. Fed by the Okavango River which, rather eccentrically, does not flow into the sea, this is the greatest inland river delta in the world.

Zambia

Zambia is an exciting land , part of what was once called 'darkest Africa', the land in which Livingstone died and a land of mighty waters. Zambia is deservedly famous for its diversity of wildlife. Both the Lower Zambezi and South Luangwa National Parks are ideal for game viewing. and the Victoria Falls area offers numerous adventure activites.

Tanzania

Tanzania is famous for sharing with Kenya the fabulous wildebeest migration of game from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara, which is on the Kenya/Tanzania border. The Ngorongoro Crater is yet another of Tanzania's natural wonders. This natural arena for wildlife is stunning when viewed from above, but possibly even more amazing from the crater floor.

Uganda

Situated in the heart of Africa and astride the Equator, Uganda is a lush and fertile country with spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife. Known as the Pearl of Africa, Uganda's beauty is only surpassed by its most famous attraction - Bwindi, home of the elusive Mountain Gorilla. Half of the total population of the world's gorillas live in the Virunga Mountains.

Kenya

Kenya is a stunningly beautiful country ... from the bleached sands of the eastern coast lapped by the aquamarine waters of the Indian Ocean to the primitive aridity of little-visited Turkana, Kenya offers a wonderful variety of landscape, a people that are utterly charming and friendly, a rich and fascinating culture and, of course, fabulous wildlife.

The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Swamp), in Botswana, is the world's largest inland delta. It is formed where the Okavango River empties onto a swamp in an endorheic basin in the Kalahari Desert, where most of the water is lost to evaporation and transpiration instead of draining into the sea.

The Okavango Delta is a subject to seasonal flooding. The Okavango river drains the summer (January-February) rainfall from the Angola highlands and the surge flows 1,200 kilometres in approximately one month. The waters then spread over the 250 km by 150 km area of the delta over the next four months (March-June). The high temperature of the delta causes rapid transpiration and evaporation, resulting in a cycle of rising and falling water level that was not fully understood until the early 20th century.

The flood peaks between June and August, during Botswana's dry winter months, when the delta swells to three times its permanent size, attracting animals from miles around and creating one of Africa's greatest concentrations of wildlife.

The Sabi Sand Game Reserve is the birthplace of sustainable wildlife tourism in Southern Africa, and is the oldest of all the private game reserves in South Africa.

Wildlife viewing is second to none. The Sabi Sand Game Reserve enjoys good quality viewing of leopard (the most elusive of predators), as well as elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, zebra and a vast variety of antelope and other species.