Luxury Africa Travel Guide and Safari Planner

Going on safari in Africa is usually a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Naturally, you want your trip to be as “perfect” as it can possibly be!

But planning a trip to Africa can be daunting. Africa is huge. It’s bigger than the U.S., China and all of Europe combined! (See all our Africa posts.)

Some destinations, like the Serengeti, for example, have over 100 safari camps.

So how do you pick which country is best for your African safari? What’s a good safari itinerary? Should you visit Cape Town as well, or add on some R&R beach time afterward?

Africa travel guide

We spent 12 weeks in southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique and Zanzibar) on two separate trips.

We’ve also visited Egypt twice, visiting Cairo as well as the ancient Egyptian temples you typically explore on a Nile River cruise.

Throughout, we gathered information and tips that can get you started on the right path – all compiled here in this luxury Africa travel guide!

How to go on safari

Closed safari vehicle

In eastern Africa (like Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda), you typically ride in a closed safari vehicle on game drives.

In Tanzania, for example, you stand up in the vehicle and pop your head out of the roof (or open a sliding glass window if you don’t want to stand).

Open safari vehicle

On the other hand, in southern Africa (namely, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia), game drives are done in open-sided 4×4 vehicles (e.g., Land Rovers).

Note that in wildlife-rich Kruger National Park in South Africa, you have to go in a closed vehicle.

We wanted to ride in open vehicles (which are safe, so long as you stay seated inside).

It’s easier to take photos in an open vehicle, and you’re closer to the wildlife so you can hear, smell and see them better.

For this reason, you too might want to choose southern African countries when planning a safari.

River boat

Most wildlife viewing is done by game drives on land. But for a unique experience, you can view the animals from the water.

On a river safari on the Zambezi Queen, you sleep in an elegant floating houseboat.

Think cocktails at sunset while watching elephants play in the water.

By day, small aluminum skiffs whisk you along the Chobe River to duck into reeds and shallows for close-up views of crocodiles and birds.

Best places in Africa for a “Big Five” safari

So you want to see the “Big Five” – lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino? These are the animals that traditionally were the most difficult and dangerous to hunt on foot.

The following are great places to go.

South Africa travel guide

The best time to go to South Africa for a safari is May to October, which is South Africa’s dry season.

Sabi Sands Game Reserve

Sabi Sands in South Africa is a private game reserve abutting Kruger National Park.

There’s no fence between Kruger and Sabi Sands, so animals can freely roam throughout. It’s famous for its “Big Five” safaris – you’ll see all the bucket-list animals on a 3-night safari.

You can also go off-road on game drives in Sabi Sands, meaning you can follow a lion hunting down an impala.

Private game reserves vs Kruger

Private game reserves are less crowded, allow off-roading, limit vehicles that may gather at a wildlife sighting, offer night drives and boast more luxurious digs.

Leopards

Sabi Sands has the biggest concentration of leopards in the world – if you want to view leopards, Sabi Sands is the place!

Rhinoceros

South Africa is also home to most of the world’s rhinos.

We had an exciting up-close-and-personal rhino encounter on our “Big 5” safari in Sabi Sands.

South Africa: Bottom line?

South Africa is the most developed country in Africa, known for its high hospitality standards.

Lodges (except for budget accommodations) generally offer top-notch comforts – hot water bottles when going on game drives in cold mornings, sun-downers at sunset and delicious home-made food (including fresh cakes for afternoon tea).

Air-conditioned accommodations are often in rooms or cottages (though there are some luxury tented camps).

Guides are experienced, and game drives deliver.

For a first, easy or “civilized” safari, you can’t go wrong with a South African safari!

Botswana travel guide

Chobe National Park

Chobe National Park was Botswana’s first dedicated national park.

With one of the largest concentrations of game in Africa, a Chobe safari is a sure bet for seeing hordes of animals.

Elephants are the stars (as they are in Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park below).

Chobe is also quite accessible.

Unlike most safaris in the Okavango Delta, you don’t need to fly in. You can access Chobe by road from Kasane.

Zambia travel guide

Raw. Authentic. Wild.

Chances are that your dream of a true “Out of Africa” safari looks something like a safari in Zambia.

Two of the best places in Zambia are Lower Zambezi National Park and South Luangwa National Park. And they offer totally different safari experiences.

Lower Zambezi National Park

Watching wildlife from the water is a wonderful contrast to your usual four-wheel game drive.

From a small skiff or canoe, you can get very close to elephants, buffalo and birds without disturbing them.

Dodging hippos is exhilarating!

And the Nile crocodiles will ensure you keep your hands in the boat.

South Luangwa National Park

This the place to try a walking safari. (Norman Carr pioneered walking safaris back in the 1950s.) 

Whether walking or driving though, you’ll be saucer-eyed by the wildlife.

The park boasts countless large lion prides, and when a leopard drags its kill up a tree, your vehicle may be the only one there.

Lusaka

You’ll probably need to overnight in Lusaka to reach the above safari parks.

Zambia: Bottom line?

For a safari on steroids, Zambia is epic.

The country sees fewer visitors than, say, Kenya and South Africa. The safari experience is intimate. And each day is a unique journey of uncontrived discovery.

Victoria Falls travel guide

The spectacular Victoria Falls (spanning both Zambia and Zimbabwe) is a popular stop on the safari circuit.

Local tribes used to call the falls “the smoke that thunders.” Indeed, the noise of the crashing water can heard more than 20 miles away!

Be sure to watch the free vulture feeding at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge – educational and fascinating.

Other safari destinations

Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia are other top “Big 5” safari destinations.

For gorillas, Uganda and Rwanda are the places to go.

Read more about where to go on safari and which countries and parks offer what experiences on Wanderlust: “The Best African Safaris For Any Traveler.”

Safari itineraries

Itinerary 1 (South Africa, Victoria Falls and Botswana)

This 2-week South Africa safari itinerary packs in 2 game-rich land safaris (SA and Botswana) with Victoria Falls and a luxury river safari.

See the link to the map of this itinerary.

Itinerary 2 (Epic Zambia)

This ultimate 2-week Zambia itinerary immerses you in Zambia’s wilderness, combining a river-based setting (for canoeing and seeing elephants, hippos and crocs galore) with the drier South Luangwa (for walking safaris and to see lions).

See the link to the map of this Zambia itinerary.

Best time to go to Africa

Africa is a vast country, with so many different and diverse regions. The best time to travel to Africa depends on the country you plan to visit and the activities (safari? hiking?) you want to do.

Best time to visit South Africa

South Africa is a large country, with so many different and diverse regions, from Cape Town to Kruger National Park. The best time to go to South Africa therefore depends on what you want to do there and where you want to visit.

For our June visit, the safari weather was perfect in Sabi Sands National Park but Cape Town was slightly coolish.

Best time to go on safari

For an African safari, the best time to go is during the dry season – usually May to October.

When rains are infrequent, large numbers of animals concentrate around the waterholes and riverbeds.

Peak season

September and October are the driest months. This is peak safari season and these months are often cited as the “best” time to go on safari (when you’ll see the most animals).

However, they’re also blazingly hot months. One safari camp manager told us that locals call September the “suicide month” because it’s so hot. Temps are in the high 80s to low 90s F (30+ C) and may not drop at night, which makes sleeping in a tent uncomfortable.

May and June

Both times we visited South Africa, Botswana and Zambia, we went from mid-May to late June. For us, the weather was perfect.

We still saw hordes of animals, and the scenery was green and not parched-looking like it can be in September.

On early morning game drives and for dinner at night, we’d need a fleece jacket. Temps would drop then to 50 F (10 C). But come mid-day, the temperature would be in the 70s F (low- to mid-20s C) and we’d be in T-shirts and thinking about a dip in the pool after lunch.

Other places to visit in Africa

Cape Town

If flying all the way to South Africa for a safari, you might want to visit the Mother City – there are many fabulous things to do Cape Town!

Highlights? Strolling the beautiful Camps Bay area, laughing at the penguins at Boulders Beach and visiting the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens.

Table Mountain

Taking the gondola or hiking up Table Mountain is very popular too. (Note: You can hike on top of Table Mountain after taking the gondola up – that’s what we did.)

Day trip to Stellenbosch

Also be sure to visit the Winelands (as the wine country is called).

We had fun, tasted luscious wines and learned lots about South African wine on our Stellenbosch wine tasting day trip.

Beach break in Zanzibar

Zanzibar, 23 miles off the coast of Tanzania, is ideal for the “beach” part of a bush-safari-and-beach vacay.

What to do in Zanzibar, apart from the beach?

There are lots of fascinating things to experience in Stone Town.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Zanzibari capital is a maze of winding alleys – a place of haunting old slave markets, palaces and atmospheric boutique hotels.

In Zanzibar, we also went “reef walking,” toured a spice farm and saw rare red colobus monkeys in the Jozani Monkey Forest.

Morocco

Tetouan (near Tangier)

Market day is the best day to explore Morocco’s colorful Tetuoan Medina. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it makes for a great day trip from Tangier.

Marrakesh

Snake charmers? Harems? Marrakesh is indeed magical! It’s one of the most tantalizing places to visit on a Morocco cruise.

Egypt

See our article on ancient Egyptian temples and tombs.

More Africa travel information

See all our Africa posts.

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