The Art of Safari - What's your style?

There’s no such thing as a ‘standard’ safari.

A tailor-made African safari holiday can be as adventurous, luxurious, immersive or relaxing as you want it to be.

Whether you’re planning a family safari, a romantic honeymoon, a multi-generational adventure or your very first safari in Africa, the beauty is that your experience can be designed around you.

Africa has a way of getting under your skin. The wide-open spaces, glittering night skies and extraordinary wildlife can make everyday life suddenly feel very far away. Around a simple campfire, beneath a sky full of stars, people often tell us that their lives have been thrown into sharp perspective.

You feel very small in a big, wild world.

And somehow, that’s part of the magic.

A journey through Africa has a way of humbling you. It allows you to cast off the attachments and responsibilities of everyday life and reconnect with something much more instinctive – with nature, with the people around you and, perhaps most importantly, with yourself.

It can feel a little like coming home.

So, when we’re helping you plan your African safari, we don’t always start with where?

We start with why?

How do you want to feel?

Perhaps you want to reconnect with nature and give your children the freedom to experience the wild away from screens and schedules.

Perhaps you’re looking for the ultimate wilderness adventure, with heart-in-your-mouth wildlife encounters and exhilarating activities.

Maybe you’re dreaming of precious family time, sharing extraordinary experiences that you’ll still be talking about around the dinner table years later.

Or perhaps you want to disappear completely. A beautiful, intimate retreat where days unfold slowly, with nothing more pressing than deciding whether to have your G&T before or after your afternoon game drive.

It could be all of these things.

From making eye-to-eye contact with our closest cousins on a gorilla trekking safari, to sipping a crisp G&T as the African sun sinks over the savanna from your luxury lodge, there are countless ways to experience Africa.

Once we know your ‘why’, we can work out the ‘how’.

Here are just some of the elements that can shape your tailor-made safari.

Where will you stay?

Your accommodation can completely change the feel of your safari. From beautifully designed luxury lodges to intimate mobile camps, the right place to stay is an important part of creating your perfect African safari holiday.

Permanent Tented Camp

Don’t let the word tent fool you.

Permanent tented camps can be wonderfully luxurious spaces, often with proper beds, en-suite bathrooms, hot showers and private decks overlooking the wilderness.

The beauty is being immersed in nature while retaining all the comforts you’d want after a day exploring. You may fall asleep to the distant call of an owl or wake to the sounds of the bush coming alive.

Our Top 5 Tented Safari Camps for Families 

Luxury Safari Lodge

For those who love their creature comforts, a luxury safari lodge can offer the ultimate combination of wilderness and indulgence.

Think beautiful interiors, exceptional food, swimming pools, spa treatments and spectacular views, all with wildlife right on your doorstep.

The 5 Best Safari Lodges for families in East Africa

 

Mobile Safari Camp

For the more adventurous, a mobile safari offers an experience closer to the way safari was originally enjoyed.

Your camp moves with you, allowing you to explore different areas while keeping the luxury element. With fewer permanent structures and a wonderfully intimate atmosphere, it’s a fantastic way to feel genuinely connected to the landscape.

Safari Lodge or Tented Camp? Which one is right for your Family?

Fly-In Safari

Sometimes the most extraordinary places are the hardest to reach.

Domestic charter flights and small aircraft can whisk you from one wilderness area to another, landing on remote airstrips that bring some of Africa’s most exclusive and untouched destinations within reach.

And for those looking for something truly unforgettable, there are also helicopter safaris, taking the concept of ‘game drive’ to an entirely different level.

Self-Drive Safari

For independent spirits, self-drive safari holidays in South Africa and Namibia can be an incredible adventure.

You set the pace, choose where to stop and have the freedom to explore together as a family. It can be a wonderfully rewarding way to travel and a fantastic opportunity for some serious family bonding along the way.

Water-Based Safari

Africa isn’t all about the savanna.

From the Okavango Delta and its waterways to the great rivers, lakes and Indian Ocean coastline, water can become a central part of your safari.

Canoeing, boating, fishing and simply watching wildlife from the water offer a completely different perspective.

What do you want to experience?

The best safari isn’t necessarily about ticking off the ‘Big Five’. It’s about choosing experiences that make your heart beat a little faster.

Game Drives

The classic safari experience, heading out with an expert guide in search of wildlife.

Every drive is different, and half the thrill is never knowing what might appear around the next corner.

Night Drives

As the sun disappears, an entirely different world awakens.

Night drives offer the chance to see nocturnal creatures and experience the bush in a completely different atmosphere, often with only the beam of a spotlight illuminating the darkness.

Walking Safaris

Leave the vehicle behind and experience Africa on foot.

A walking safari brings you closer to the smaller details of the wilderness tracks, plants, insects and birds while giving you a much more intimate understanding of the landscape.

Once-in-a-Lifetime Wildlife

Have a particular wildlife dream?

Perhaps you want to witness the extraordinary spectacle of the Great Migration, spend hours watching elephants, discover rare predators or indulge a lifelong passion for birding.

Your wildlife wish list can help shape the entire itinerary.

Active Adventures

Safari can be as energetic as you want it to be.

Gorilla trekking, horse riding, white-water rafting, volcano hikes, fishing and helicopter excursions can all be woven into your journey for those who want a little more adrenaline.

Mokoro & Canoe Safaris

Glide quietly through waterways in a traditional mokoro or canoe, often getting wonderfully close to wildlife without the sound of an engine.

It’s peaceful, immersive and a beautiful way to experience the rhythm of the African wilderness.

Boat Safaris

From rivers and lakes to the waterways of the Okavango Delta, boat safaris offer a completely different perspective on wildlife, particularly elephants, hippos, crocodiles and an extraordinary variety of birdlife.

Balloon Safaris

There are few better ways to appreciate the scale of Africa than from above.

Drifting silently over the savanna as the sun rises, watching the landscape slowly come to life below you, is one of those experiences that stays with you long after you return home.

Cultural Connection

Africa is about so much more than wildlife.

Meeting local communities and learning about the people, traditions and cultures of the places you visit can add another deeply meaningful dimension to your journey, creating connections and memories that go far beyond the safari vehicle.

Who are you travelling with?

The people you travel with will shape your safari just as much as the destination.

Family Safari Holidays

A family safari holiday can be extraordinary for children. Seeing animals in the wild, learning from expert guides and spending uninterrupted time together creates memories that are difficult to replicate anywhere else.

We’ll consider ages, interests, travel pace and family-friendly camps to make sure everyone gets something from the experience.

Couples & Honeymoon Safaris

From a private bush camp and candlelit dinners beneath the stars to a beach escape afterwards, a safari honeymoon makes for an unforgettable adventure.

It can be adventurous, indulgent, intimate or all three.

Multi-Generational Safaris

Three generations travelling together?

Africa can be a wonderful way to bring the whole family together.

The key is finding the right balance of activities, accommodation and pace so that grandparents, parents and children can all enjoy the journey in their own way.

Safari Holidays for Retired Travellers

Perhaps now is the time for that long-dreamed-of African adventure.

With the right planning, safari can be wonderfully comfortable and unhurried, with exceptional guides, beautiful accommodation and the option to tailor the level of activity to suit you.

Solo Safaris

Travelling alone can be a wonderfully sociable way to experience Africa. Many camps offer communal dining and shared game drives, making it easy to meet fellow travellers, swap stories and make new friends along the way.

With welcoming camps, expert guides and small groups, solo travel gives you the chance to enjoy an incredible adventure at your own pace, while sharing the experience with like-minded travellers.

So, what’s your safari style?

Perhaps it’s an adventurous family road trip through Namibia.

Perhaps it’s a private tented camp in the heart of the wilderness.

Perhaps it’s gorilla trekking followed by a few blissful days beside the Indian Ocean.

Or maybe it’s simply sitting quietly with the people you love, watching the sun set over the savanna, knowing that for a little while there is nowhere else you need to be.

There is no right way to do safari.

There’s only your way.

And that’s where we come in.

We don’t believe in simply booking an African safari holiday. We believe in understanding what you want to feel, who you’re travelling with and what will make the journey genuinely special to you then crafting your African adventure around it.

Because the best safari isn’t the one with the longest list of experiences.

It’s the one that feels like it was made just for you.

Not sure what your safari style is yet? That’s exactly what we’re here for. Get in touch now for a friendly chat to start planning your dream safari.

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