How to choose a safari destination in Southern Africa

One thing we are not short of in Southern Africa are the number of wild and open spaces teeming with wildlife. On the other hand, this can make it a challenge when trying to figure out which destination to pick. Below are a few suggestions to make that process a simpler one!

Serengeti, Tanzania

Send me on safari!

If you have decided that you are wanting to fulfill a dream of embarking on the ultimate African safari then spending a week in Botswana, Tanzania or the Kruger National Park are the safari destinations for you. Apart from your connecting flight from Johannesburg, the week ahead will have you immersed in bush life and discovering animals large and small in extraordinary locations.

You don’t get much better than drifting through the Okavango Delta on a mokoro (dugout canoe), traversing across the Serengeti, or spotting leopards in between spa treatments at your luxury lodge in the Kruger.

If safari is what you want, then by golly safari is what you will get!

&Beyond Phinda Vlei Lodge

City, sea & safari

Ok, so you would prefer a little bit of everything and that is just fine, we believe there is nothing wrong with having your cake and eating it. South Africa is your ‘go-to’ for this one and she won’t disappoint.

You can fly directly into Cape Town and start your trip off with a bang, experiencing one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the glorious Table Mountain. City tours; road trips along the Cape Peninsula; cable car rides up the mountain; beach days; and a bit of shopping at the waterfront’s luxurious Victoria & Alfred Shopping Centre are all on the cards during this section of your trip.

Once you have done all you need to do and have seen all you need to see, catch a two-hour flight into KwaZulu-Natal for a very special safari experience. Pick the number of days you would like for this part of your adventure (we normally recommend a minimum of three nights at your lodge) and if time allows leave a few days for an overnight stay at The Oyster Box Hotel (one of South Africa’s leading hotels) and a visit to The Drakensberg Mountains.

This is one of our favourite holidays to custom design because there is so much to pack in!

Etosha National Park

Take me to the desert, but please include a safari!

No problem, come this way and let us tell you a bit about Namibia. This is a country not many think to explore and unfortunately, those are the ones who miss out.

Home to Etosha National Park, the iconic red dunes of Sossusvlei and the Fish River Canyon (the largest canyon in Africa), Namibia is a place that is vast in every direction and almost too expansive to grasp. The desert is everything a desert should be, endless, dry and magical; and home to fascinating Nomadic tribes as-well as desert-adapted wildlife. Etosha is a Big Five reserve and there are beautiful lodges to stay at within the park or on its periphery.

This country is for the adventurers and those who are not afraid of stretching boundaries.