AFRICA: Safari and beaches holidays

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Botswana

Go for the unmissable and unique Okavango Delta where lagoons, waterways and islands are the backdrop to truly stunning wildlife viewing. But then there is also the Kalahari Desert, the salt pans of the Makgadikgadi, and Chobe, and a Botswana safari combines easily with visiting Victoria Falls.

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Kenya

A Kenya safari offers superb wildlife watching in the Masai Mara including the spectacular annual migration. But this is just one of the great safari reserves, and then you also have the mountains, the culture, and of course gorgeous Indian Ocean beaches.

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Madagascar

Come to this huge island off Africa for creatures which are unique to Madagascar: lemurs such as singing indris, dancing sifakas and the weird aye-aye. Then there are ‘upside down’ baobab trees, fascinating cultures, tsingy rock formation and gorgeous tropical beaches.

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Malawi

Malawi gives you a fascinating and friendly taste of Africa. The vast lake is the focus for water sports and beach, then there are highlands to explore, villages to visit, and, whilst not a first choice for safari, there’s some very good wildlife viewing too.

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Mauritius

Visiting Mauritius is nearly all about the beach. The island’s coastline boasts fabulous tropical white sand beach resorts lapped by the blue waters of the Indian Ocean. Nearby Rodrigues is said to be as Mauritius was about 25 years ago.

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Mozambique

For most visitors, Mozambique is about the beaches. Within easy reach of Johannesburg there is the mainland coast and the Bazaruto Archipelago in the south, while in the north is the Quirimbas archipelago. All offer beautiful tropical beaches for remote basking and watersports.

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Namibia

Namibia’s arid lands offer stunning wilderness to be explored on safari: Sossusvlei dunes, Etosha National Park, the Skeleton Coast, rock art at Twyfelfontein, plus wildlife and traditional cultures. A great African experience whether you want to self-drive or take a luxury option.

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Rwanda

One of the special few places you can visit mountain gorillas whose survival is almost totally reliant on tourism. Rwanda is a stunning country which offers huge rewards for the more adventurous traveller to Africa.

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South Africa

For most travellers, South Africa’s highlights include: incredible wildlife safari reserves such as Kruger and Hluhluwe; Cape Town, the Cape Peninsula and the nearby Winelands; and the beautiful Garden Route. But there really is so much more too.

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Tanzania

Whether you come for a wildlife safari in famous reserves such as the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater or Ruaha, to climb Kilimanjaro, to walk with the Maasai, or just to chill out on Indian Ocean islands like Zanzibar, Tanzania will not disappoint you.

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Uganda

One of Africa’s best kept secrets, Uganda has spectacular scenery, amazing wildlife – including gorillas and chimpanzees – rainforests, river, mountains . . . A holiday in Uganda is diverse and awe-inspiring.

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Zambia

One of Africa’s prime wildlife safari destinations, with stunning parks such as South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi and Kafue. It is the place for walking safaris. It is an expensive destination but it’s completely worth it. And you get Victoria Falls too!

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Zimbabwe

The draw of Victoria Falls is strong, but this is by no means the only reason to come to Zimbabwe. Beautiful wilderness areas such as Mana Pools, and excellent wildlife reserves like Hwange National Park and Gonarezhou offer wonderful wildlife viewing.