Days 1 - 4 Safari Introductions in Kenya

Stay at Giraffe Manor, Nairobi

Ever shared your breakfast with a Rothschild giraffe? At the aptly-named Giraffe Manor, the resident herd are known for slipping their long necks through open windows in search of treats, before disappearing into 140 acres of native forest.Evoking thoughts of an English country house, Giraffe Manor is an exclusive boutique hotel where the bustle of central Nairobi is a distant memory. 12 acres of private gardens blend effortlessly with the surrounding trees to create an ambience closer to 1920 than 2020.Giraffe will be your neighbours, all day, every day you stay.

Nairobi National Park Introductory Safari Game Drive

Nairobi National Park is a great stopover that hints at all the natural spectacles Kenya can offer. It’s a wonderful introduction to the safari experiences awaiting further afield.In sight of the city’s central business district, the 300 acre Nairobi National Park has an extraordinary diversity of plains species. Just a short drive from the city’s airports and skyscrapers, highly-endangered black rhino roam. Prides of lion stalk prey including buffalo and hartebeest. Baboons run amok. Hyena, cheetah, and leopard also make their presence known.It’s a wonderful place to explore before a safari elsewhere, proving that Nairobi layovers are never dull.

Lewa Rhino Safari

A backdrop of Mount Kenya. The rarest of the big five. One of only a handful of reserves where sightings of both svelte black rhino and bulkier whites are almost guaranteed - rhino numbers equal 14% of Kenya’s entire population hereAnimals don’t get much rarer than black and white rhino. Hunted near to extinction first for sport and then for their horns, Lewa is helping these majestic beasts back from the brink.

Lewa Conservancy Game Drive

Lewa’s grasslands support some of the most evocative and yet endangered species in Kenya. Boasting more than 150 highly-endangered black rhino – a significant proportion of the country’s total population – Lewa is one of the leading places to witness these animals in the wild.Add to that the chance to admire the sleek silhouette of endangered Grevy’s zebra, found almost exclusively in Kenya’s north, and you have game drives beyond the usual.

Rutundu Wildlife Hideaway By Helicopter From Lewa

No electricity. No phone signal. No distraction from the natural beauty of the northern slopes of Mount Kenya – the country’s highest peak – or the secluded lakeside location.A true escape from the modern world, this hideaway consists of two simple log cabins that emphasise their wilderness location. Fill your days relaxing, walking, fishing or horse riding. Spend your evenings watching the sun sink over the waters of Lake Rutundu before enjoying the warmth and crackle of the open fires.This is a romantic retreat with royal approval – Britain’s Prince William is said to have proposed to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, here. A helicopter journey from Lewa that is just the start of a spectacular getaway.

Elewana Loisaba Star Beds Safari Stay

Handcrafted four poster beds piled high with traditionally-weaved blankets. A secluded wilderness locale. The sight of a billion shining stars together with meteors shooting across the sky. The sound of every rustle, grunt, and roar of animals roaming freely just meters away.Loisaba’s Star Beds are wheeled out into the open each evening, to make the most of their elevated platform position. Here you can enjoy a luxurious night beneath a canopy of stars, with animals grazing below.Come morning, you’ll be gently nudged from sleep by a combination of dawn chorus and lightening skies.

Days 5 - 9 Best of the Primates in Rwanda

Kigali & Rural Rwanda Cultural Drive

Combine the best of capital city Kigali and the Rwandan countryside, on a convenient guided drive between the airport and the gorillas. Touch down in Rwanda and spend time in Kigali, probably the cleanest capital in the world. See the moving Genocide Memorial Centre and get a taste of city life. Then meander through the Land of 1000 Hills, stopping at local villages along the route. Your journey to Volcanoes National Park will provide a great introduction to Rwanda’s now and then, setting you up for the encounters with gorillas and monkeys.

Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

It seems surreal, the world’s largest primates marooned on these volcanic mountains in the sky. But take just one step beneath the rainforest canopy and the experience is real. You walk through dense tangled forest, tracking a troop of critically endangered mountain gorillas. And there’s a moment when time stands still.A wild mountain gorilla is staring at you, gesturing, communicating, revealing. Welcome to their world. Welcome to the world’s most intimate wildlife experience.Only 1000 of these animals remain. None have ever been captive (this is an animal you can only see in the wild, in Rwanda or Uganda). You will spend an hour with an entire troop, from a distance of around seven metres. Sometimes the troop spreads and the gorillas are all around you. And an hour can feel like a lifetime when such rare nature is so close.

Go Gorilla Trekking Twice

Volcanoes National Park is remote. It’s literally the very heart of Africa. Getting here is a challenge and trekking gorillas will take time. It’s as far from a zoo experience as you can ever possibly be. So after you come to Volcanoes National Park why go gorilla trekking only once? On a second gorilla trek you will visit a different troop, a different family with their own behaviours. Some troops have multiple silverback males, others have newborns. You can experience contrasting emotions and gorilla trekking is too good to only do once.Most preciously, a second gorilla trek will give you time. The first trek will fill you with anticipation, adrenaline and understanding. On a second trek you know exactly what to expect. You can put your camera down and let the entire experience sink in.

Bisate Lodge, Volcanoes National Park

An icon of Rwanda’s blossoming luxury tourism industry, Bisate Lodge is a seriously high-end lodge located upon the forested slopes of an old volcano. Designed like Rwanda’s traditional palaces, it’s a superb base for gorilla trekking.At Bisate you get a taste of old Rwandan culture along with a level of luxury most visitors do not envisage for East Africa. Like East Africa’s other great safari lodges there’s a premium on unique views, discreet service, and an incredible amount of space. And like all the great lodges, Bisate will completely immerse you in nature. You are in the rainforest here, gazing up at volcanoes. While it’s exclusive and expensive, it’s not only a place to stay, but a moving experience into the gorillas’ world.

Nyungwe Forest Chimpanzee Trekking

Damp scents float across a mysterious Congo Basin landscape. The forest is thick and the guide chops a fresh path with his machete. Sounds envelop you. Monkeys are chirping. And chimpanzees are communicating. Deep in Nyungwe Forest you will trek along remote trails to meet a chimpanzee troop. While this is possible in various parts of East Africa, Nyungwe is the most exclusive and remote location. A chimpanzee stares back at you. And another. They are all staring, an entire troop fixated on you. They are curious, inquisitive, wondering about their visitors. And now you have an entire hour to wonder about them.Slowly the chimpanzees become accustomed to your presence and you settle into the experience, just you and a wild chimpanzee troop in the Congo Basin.

Congo Basin Monkeys & Mangabeys Safari, Nyungwe

Long elegant tails alert you to a troop of colobus monkeys, high in the forest canopy. A golden monkey chirps as it swings past. Soon you’re surrounded by what seem to be hundreds of vervet monkeys.Onwards you walk, deeper into the Congo Basin, further along paths where no vehicles have even ventured. Extremely rare monkey and mangabey species live here and your guide helps you find them. They are species you cannot see anywhere else. The Nyungwe Forest is possibly the finest destination on the planet if you’re interested in monkeys. 25% of Africa’s primate species live here. And it remains completely off the beaten path, even if there is now a luxury lodge helping to bring in visitors.

One&Only Nyungwe House, Nyungwe Forest

Blissful is an understatement for describing this contemporary lodge in Rwanda’s remote Nyungwe Forest. To one side you’ll gaze upon rolling tea plantations, while to the other there’s the raw and untouched charm of the Congo Basin. You’re halfway between rainforest and culture, part way between modern indulgence and wild adventure. Nyungwe House finds this delightful balance. It feels like you’re on an expedition into the unknown, yet it’s also very comfortable and familiar. The design is magnificent yet it’s the location that really makes it special. One&Only Nyungwe House is helping to open Nyungwe Forest to a new market of travelers, so more visitors can enjoy the splendours of its monkeys, chimpanzees and mangabeys.

Days 10 - 13 The Great Wildebeest Migration in Tanzania

Serengeti Walking Safari in Grumeti

The Serengeti is home to wildlife’s greatest show, the rumble of wildebeest and zebra on their annual migration. Animals carpet the grasslands throughout the year. Elephants and giraffe dominate the horizon and you’re never too far from lions.Thomson’s gazelle hop around and hippos fill the rivers. Now you can walk in this landscape, as well as do game drives. It’s very safe to walk here. Remember, the Masai people have herded their animals across this landscape for centuries, so they know how to avoid lions. With Masai guides you will walk in the Serengeti, an intimate safari experience dominated by endless herds and close-up encounters. It’s only possible in Grumeti, a private concession to the west of the national park.

Serengeti Horseback Safari in Grumeti

From the camp you can hear the drumroll of hooves. Wildebeest and zebra are everywhere, marching on the migratory route. And you can join them on horseback. Galloping with the herds you become part of the landscape. This is the Serengeti and yes it’s lion country as well, but with expert trackers and good guides you can traverse the ancient grasslands on horseback. Grumeti is a private concession to the west of Serengeti National Park. It’s the only place in Tanzania to do a horseback safari and you must be an experienced rider. To gallop with the great wildebeest migration is an experience beyond what words can conjure.

Elewana Serengeti Pioneer Safari Camp

An authentic tented camp on the Serengeti plains, Elewana Pioneer Safari Camp gets you incredible close to the action. Canvas walls ensure you can listen to all the animals grazing nearby. Dinner is served beneath the stars and various animals stroll through the camp. There are very few permanent structures in the Serengeti. Camps like this one blend into the surroundings and leave no lasting impact. So you can fully experience the grasslands without interrupting their natural splendour.

Serengeti Mobile Camping Wildebeest Migration Safari

Close to 2 million mammals migrate around the Serengeti grasslands, mostly wildebeest, zebra and Thomson’s gazelle. A mobile camping safari will place you centerstage in all drama and charm. Because where there are herds there are also predators. The animals are continually on the move to fresh pastures, so you need to safari in the right place at the right time. And that’s difficult because the animals move due to increasingly unpredictable weather.Enter a mobile camping safari. The luxurious camp moves with the herds, so you can be guaranteed of the best possible vantage points for the great wildebeest migration. Yes it is safe. And it’s seriously thrilling.

Hot Air Balloon Above the Serengeti Grasslands

From a hot air balloon the famous grasslands begin to make sense. You have the ultimate view over migrating herds and can make out the grazing patterns of wildebeest and zebra. You can also track elephants and giraffe as they roam the open plains. It starts at dawn, the balloon filling with the air as sunrise marks the horizon. Fabulous colours illuminate the grasslands and you drift on the wind, savouring the most famous of all Africa’s hot air balloon flights.Touch down to a Champagne breakfast and you will have another perspective. All those animals you witnessed from on high, you will now start to track on a morning game drive.

Days 14 - 16 More Stunning Tanzanian Safari

Ngorongoro Crater Game Drive

A lion pride greets you amid the morning mist. An elephant says hello, its tusks curling above your vehicle. Buffalo huff and puff as they march along. Now a hippo. And another. More than ten of them wade about a lake. Next a rhino, one of the few in East Africa, elegant and graceful as it marches around. You are in Ngorongoro Crater, one of the true wonders of the world, one of Africa’s ultimate safari stops. Over 30,000 animals congregate in the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera. They represent all the major species (bar giraffe) and you can get exceptionally close on this game drive.

Ruaha National Park Multi-Day Safari

Lost in the heart of Africa, Ruaha National Park continues to provide a very off the beaten path luxury safari. Here there is very little but wildlife and a very wild atmosphere.The elephants are massive and you wake up to them hooting close to the camp. Lions bask in the sun through the day, yet in the early morning you can track them hunting zebra. Giraffe mingle with hippos and buffalo, with over a dozen antelope species the backing cast.Best of all, there are hardly any other safari goers here. So if you seek a luxury safari in a wilderness where few others venture, Ruaha is unrivalled. You will need more than one day and this safari will be tailored to your interests.

Selous Game Reserve Boat Safari

Wildlife and wilderness appears very different from the water and Selous is the best place in East Africa for a boat safari. Cruise through forest and savannah, as elephants and giraffe greet you from the banks. Admire how lions snooze in the high grass, laying an ambush. Traveling serenely amid birdsong, until baboons shout of their presence. And feast your senses on an undisturbed wildlife world. A Selous boat safari is a great complement to other activities. In this large reserve you can safari on foot and in a vehicle, before drifting through the wild in a boat.

Sand Rivers Selous Safari Lodge

Located in a lively part of Selous Game Reserve, Sand Rivers is a luxurious safari lodge open to the daily rhythm of wild Africa. From decadent wooden suites you watch and listen to the Rufiji River’s ebbs and flows, how different animals come and go throughout the day. Here the safari never stops and you may have an elephant literally just a couple of metres below you. Sand Rivers is in a place of wildlife abundance yet apart from the main visitor areas of Selous. So the safari is rarely interrupted. And from here you can tailor a program packed with game drives, walks and boat trips.

Days 17 - 20 Indian Ocean Relaxation in Zanzibar

Cruise the Zanzibar Archipelago in a Traditional Dhow

Timeless vessels of wood and fabric, dhows have been navigating Zanzibar’s waters for over 1000 years. They’re spacious and comfortable on deck. So sit back and feel the wind pass your ears, as you cruise around the Zanzibar coastline. You’ll travel with a sail as dhows do not have motors. And it can feel like you are experiencing a living piece of history.This is a flexible and private experience. You can choose for a short sunset dhow sail, or something more adventurous, including multi-day cruises around the island including accommodation on the beach.

Stay at andBeyond Mnemba Island

A private island perched off Zanzibar’s coastline, Mnemba offers the most exclusive stay in the archipelago. Just a handful of guests on a big island, with little but palm trees and uninterrupted sound. This is a total escape, the kind that attracts celebrities and politicians. As with all andBeyond properties there’s a dedication to discreet service and leaving you alone in paradise. From Mnemba you have direct beachfront access to Zanzibar’s best diving and snorkeling sites. You can kayak and explore the area in a dhow. And it’s easy to make a trip to the mainland for the day.

Zanzibar Spice Plantation Tour

Exotic aromas drift on the ocean breeze. Vibrant colours fill the plantation, the hues as vivid as the smells. Zanzibar is famously called the Spice Island yet it was never originally a place to grow spices. Instead it was a trading place. For over a millennia spices have gone east and west from here. Gradually these spices have been planted.You will visit a flourishing plantation to understand this history, so you can smell and taste the spices that made Zanzibar. Then at the Spice Market you’ll appreciate how history really lives on. This is a private tour and can be adapted to include other cultural attractions.

Pemba Island Tropical Getaway With Private Boat

Zanzibar’s beaches are legendary. And there’s another island as well, one that’s far less known and barely developed.Pemba is Zanzibar’s sister island and there’s nothing there, other than a couple of small villages and a handful of resorts. Expect gaping white sand, absolute tranquility, superb marine life, and a private boat to take you anywhere.This island getaway will provide you with a captain and guide, so you can explore the entire Pemba coastline, whenever you want. Sail to beaches without footprints, discover tiny coves, and sail into the sunset.This is a multi-day experience and can be adapted to your choice of accommodation.

Days 21 - 25 Best of Botswana Safari, plus Victoria Falls

Linyanti Concession Fly-In Safari

Linyanti is the home of predators. Endangered wild dogs move in large packs. Hyenas hunt on open plains. Lions and leopards can be found in abundance. Cheetah kick up dust. All these animals battle for food in a land of plenty, in a concession that creates one of Africa’s most luxurious safari experiences.You will fly into Linyanti by light aircraft and spend three days immersed in a landscape that blends woodland, savannah, riverine forest and floodplains. An iconic safari program will include daytime and nighttime game drives, game walks and photography hideouts. The mix of habitats supports a thrilling cast of animals, from massive elephant and buffalo herds to small and unusual predators. Best of all, there are few other people around. Luxury comes from privacy here, as you bask in the wonders of African wildlife, with a private guide and program.

Linyanti Nighttime Game Drive

It’s different at night. It’s spooky, scary, surreal. Sounds and the moon guide your journey. You can hear buffalo munching nearby. Giraffe are silhouetted along the horizon. You may encounter a lion. Nighttime game drives aren’t possible everywhere. They are a special treat, a showcase into the untold thrills of Africa’s savannah. The guide stops the vehicle and you listen. A spotlight illuminates the animals, many much closer than you can imagine. Nighttime is when the predators prefer to hunt, so you may see a lion with a zebra carcass, or the piercing blue eyes of a leopard. And somewhere out in the wild you will come face to face with elephants and wild dogs. It will be a private nighttime game drive and you won’t see any other vehicles.

Chobe River Safari

Hippos bellow as you approach. Their wheeze-honks fill the air and their antics cause chaos in the water. From the riverbank a zebra herd watches on. Elephants play nearby, using their trunks as snorkels. Now there are more elephants, hundreds of them emerging from the trees. Plus antelope and a warthog scurrying along. You can get very close, as you cruise on the water and admire life along the banks. And looking up you will find these animals to be much bigger than you imagined before. A Chobe River safari is an iconic Botswana experience. You will have a private boat and guide, for a slow cruise through wildlife paradise.

Day Trip to Victoria Falls from Chobe

You hear it before you see it. Mosi au Tunya as it is known, “the smoke that thunders.” 1000 tons of water drop over the edge, every single second. And you can experience these falls on a day trip from Botswana. It’s only a one-hour journey from Chobe National Park into Zimbabwe, for a day at Victoria Falls. You may even see elephants crossing the road at the border post. High water is from April to August, when there is so much spray and roar you hardly see the water. October to February is quieter, more beautiful, yet not as dramatic.

Okavango Game Drive in Moremi Game Reserve

A blur of black and white stripes gallops past your vehicle. You turn to see a hyena, a strange figure on the savannah. An elephant marches past. Two lionesses watch you as they sleep with one eye open. Now a hippo, a monster emerging from the water. Moremi is the legendary game reserve at the heart of the Okavango Delta. You will be exploring with a private guide, on a private game drive that can be anywhere from three hours to three days. This is an oasis of life and sometimes there are so many animals you don’t know which way to look. Red lechwe gather in their thousands. Roan antelope run from leopards. The rhythm of life extends and it’s all yours.

Okavango Delta Mokoro Safari

The world’s greatest oasis is yours. Waterways twist between animals. The banks are filled with life, filled with herds taking a drink in the morning sun. And look closely, for you will see the predators that stalk these herds. A mokoro is a traditional dugout canoe, used by local tribes for generations. It’s a silent mode of travel and the closest you can get to big animals. An expert will gondolier you down the waterways, this silent mode of travel ideal for not disturbing the animals. A mokoro is an unmissable part of any Okavango safari. It’s your intimate insight into this otherworldly oasis.

Okavango Delta Motorboat Safari

The Okavango Delta is most easily explored by motorboat. Every year the floods arrive, washing away all the tracks and roads, creating a network of islands and enclaves. With a motorboat you can travel freely and follow the animals on their continuing migrations.A motorboat is the best way to explore the scale of the Okavango. Cruise between lush islands of reeds and trees. Stop besides large pods of hippos. Explore an endless expanse of blue and green colours. Admire all the animals drinking along the banks.Most Okavango camps include motorboat safaris as standard in their programs. You will have a private guide and can tailor the safari to be a few hours or a few days, in this great animal-filled wilderness.

Mombo Camp, Okavango Delta

Wonderfully situated on the tip of Chief’s Island, Mombo Camp is the camp most others aspire to be. The surrounding landscape teems with life all year around, a land of plenty where it’s common to wake up next to wandering elephants. Just nine tents are spread across a huge area and you can sense the camp’s 30-year history through all the vintage touches. You will enjoy luxury here, luxury on par with the world’s leading five-star hotels. Except you’re deep in the wild, at a low-impact, solar-powered camp. Watch wildlife from your private plunge pool, sink into a copper bathtub, and head out into one of the most exclusive safari areas in Africa.

Days 26 - 27 Aerial Safari Across Namibia

Namib Desert Scenic Flight

Sand, everywhere. Thousands of square kilometres of ridges. The tallest sand dunes on the planet. The largest expanse of sand dunes anywhere in the world. Yet no two angles are ever the same. Experience this visual euphoria on a Namib Desert scenic flight. Every ridge has its unique shape, each dune its own style. From red to orange to yellow the colours change. And as the shadows move so does your perspective. Flying over the Namib Desert is one of Namibia’s most iconic travel experiences. Half-day tours depart from Sossusvlei or Swakupmond, soar low over the desert then touch down at Sossusvlei. After discovering Sossusvlei and Deadvlei you take a different route back, admiring where the desert meets the Atlantic.

Sossusvlei & Deadvlei at Sunrise

Two magical names igniting travel reverie, two ancient clay pans in the heart of Namibia’s desert. Sossusvlei and Deadvlei are the famous destinations attracting travelers to this desert. Approach them at sunrise. First Deadvlei. Walk a ridge above the pan, or walk across the pan, alongside the blackened frames of dead trees. Then Sossusvlei, a clay pan where you may see the only green for hundreds of miles around. The experience isn’t just Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. The experience is everything around you, everything that changes as you spend 24 hours or more in the desert. But this special morning you are here, walking two of Africa’s most mythical names, embracing wild beauty.

&Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge

Still gleaming after its vast 2019 facelift, &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge is a modern treasure in one of the world’s oldest deserts. It looks and feels like a lodge from the future, all clean lines and cutting-edge design, with massive floor-to-ceiling windows so you always have a view. Such style is the unique feature, especially in a country where accommodation is typically rustic, rather than lavish. The location is perfect, hidden from everything, enveloped by the dunes. This is perfect accommodation if you like the idea of a desert adventure, but you’re not too sure about all the sand and definitely don’t want to be uncomfortable. This desert lodge will ease you in and it comes with the full variety of activities.

Days 28 - 30 Beautiful Final Days in Cape Town

Alternative Route Table Mountain Hike

Eschew the standard Plattekilp Gorge trekking route to the summit of Table Mountain.Instead, take the 3 km India Venster trail. It may not be the easiest way to reach the highest point in Cape Town, but it is one of the most rewarding.Brush past the national park’s unique fynbos flora. Scramble across incredible rock formations. Clamber up sheer rock with the help of specially-implanted metal brackets.Your reward – astonishing views of Cape Town, Table Bay, Lion’s Head peak and the Twelve Apostles.

Abseil down Table Mountain

From 1000 metres above the roar of the Atlantic waves, stepping over the edge of this sandstone monolith takes some guts.Anyone can catch the cable car to the famed flat-topped summit of Table Mountain. Few can say that they’ve abseiled its majestic bulk. No one can say they have abseiled commercially from a higher point.But doing so – and descending more than 100 metres hanging by a rope – is worth it for the views towards Nelson Mandela’s former prison on Robben Island alone.

Sunset Cruise on Table Bay

Sail the waters of Table Bay, with the shores of Robben Island to one side and the celebrated vistas of Table Mountain on the other.Clink glasses as the sun sets in a profusion of golds, oranges, and reds. Delight in the onboard food platters. Lay out beneath one of the world’s most celebrated backdrops. Enjoy the privacy of this luxury charter aboard the iQ catamaran. Manned by professional sailors, it’s reserved for your exclusive use in the waters beyond Cape Town’s Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.

Helicopter Tour with Tasting, Cape Winelands

Touch down amid the lush landscaped gardens of the Delaire Graff Estate on the crest of the magnificent Helshoogte Mountain Pass. Dine with uninterrupted views over the vineyards of the Stellenbosch Valley. Enjoy the range of flavoursome wines that result from the region’s unique terroir within the bespoke wine lounge.‘Delaire’ means ‘from the sky’. It’s a fact that should please as much as the private helicopter tour over the breathtaking vistas to and from central Cape Town. The vineyard is also home to South Africa’s most exclusive (and expensive) wine, a tasting of which will be included.

Dinner Reservation for two at The Test Kitchen

The uncompromising evening-only policy and space for just 40 guests means The Test Kitchen is always booked up months ahead of time. And no wonder, since it’s South Africa’s most internationally awarded restaurant.The changing menu crosses continents. Pork scratchings from celebrated chef Luke Dale Robert’s birthplace of England. Korean-style vegetables from his five years in Asia. Ethiopian berbere curry for its fine flavour.The set-up crosses boundaries. A brooding ‘Dark Room’ where hushed conversation focus the mind very much on the food. A more formal ‘Light Room’, where diners complete the fine-dining tasting menu.