Things to do in Africa

An East African safari has come to define the ultimate in wildlife experiences, evoking images of khaki-clothed explorers in the savannah, wielding binoculars and cameras and climbing in and out of dusty jeeps. But safari today takes many forms and can be done across Southern Africa too – here, the savannah gives way to the wildlife of the desert and Delta. Once journeys for hardened explorers mapping landscapes and creatures previously unknown to Europeans, safaris now welcome all manner of travellers; and the vast space of Sub-Saharan Africa still ensures stretches of wilderness and plenty of untrammeled corners.

The backdrop may be little changed, but the means of discovering its wildlife has evolved greatly. There are now so many fantastic forms of safari: you can bush walk with the Big Five with expert guides who can teach you how to pick up on the merest sight, sound, or smell of an animal; or you can get on your bike, literally, and pedal your way to wildlife watching prowess. You can choose a guide specifically for their skill in opening the eyes of children to the joys of the wild; or you can get hands on with conservation, tracking and tagging leopards or elephants and setting up camera traps to learn all about their fascinating behaviours.

Besides that seen on safari, Africa is bursting at the seams with incredible nature from Botswana’s Okavango Delta where you can take a trip in a Mokoro dugout canoe listening to hyenas laughing as you go, to the many weird and wonderful species of lemur that inhabit Madagascar.

Walking with local guides and tribespeople is a fascinating introduction to nature’s nuances and the ultimate way to become part of the landscape chancing on random discoveries as you go be that a newly hatched croc egg, or a fisherman making the most of an unpolluted water spot.

The continent is jam-packed with national parks: Zambia’s South Lunagwa is home to big game as well as over 400 species of bird, and in Kenya’s Amboseli you’ll spot hippos lounging in the soggy swamplands loomed over by the ever watchful eye of snow-capped Kilimanjaro.