The smell of the morning dew creeps through the canvas of your tent and the soundtrack of distant zebras braying and buffalos bellowing slowly brings you round from your peaceful slumber. The morning light begins to flicker through the tangle of acacia leaves that hang over camp and the sound of footsteps nearby signals the arrival of your pre-game drive cup of tea. With the opportunity to spot the Big Five, camp under the stars and track animals on foot, it is no wonder we love safari holidays. But the question is, which safari superstar catches your eye for an adventure like no other?
From Samburu and Semuliki to the Serengeti and the Sabi Sands, with due reverence to every blade of golden grass and towering giraffe in between, African safaris have enough variety, zest and charm to keep every and any adventurer enthralled. After a few holiday-deprived years, now is your chance to launch into the adventure of a lifetime, or what we call a ‘Gratification’, by seeking out that animal that you’ve always wanted to see or exploring a game reserve that’s been hanging around on your bucket list for a while. But if you do need further convincing that this is the year to book that safari trip you’ve always wanted to take, or you’re simply wondering where to go on safari, we’ve got you covered…
- Okavango Delta – Botswana
- South Luangwa National Park – Zambia
- Hwange National Park – Zimbabwe
- Maasai Mara National Park, Lewa Conservancy – Kenya
- Selous Game Reserve – Tanzania
Okavango Delta – Botswana
The annual floods that hydrate the Okavango Delta’s winding waterways turn this area into a wilderness wonderland. With the floods falling earlier in 2022, June to July is the ultimate time to explore the delta as the verdant grasslands contrast with the deep blue hues of the surrounding swamp, and this awe-inspiring aqua maze is filled with life once again. Explore in a grumbling safari truck or on a boat cruise in search of wildlife, or even hop aboard a small plane and soar over the elephant-dotted emerald-green expanse below. Journey through the mosaic tapestry of water channels on a mokoro (dugout canoe), listening for the distant honk of a hippo, the splish-splash of a buffalo finding the best grass, or the soundtrack of the innumerable bird species found in this Botswanan bliss. In August, tourists flock like woolly-necked storks or brightly coloured bee-eaters to the Okavango, so June and July this year are the perfect months to go.
South Luangwa National Park – Zambia
Known as the birthplace of the walking safari, a place of abundant game and unspoiled vegetation, and the highlight of eastern Zambia, South Luangwa’s arid lands and bustling waterways are a great adventure destination if you are wondering where to go on safari. With sustainable travel becoming hotter every year, a trip to Zambia provides the perfect opportunity to leave the 4x4 at camp, and head out on foot with an expert guide – arguably the most thrilling way to see big game in the wild. One of the things we love about South Luangwa is that the park closes from December to May, meaning the animals here preserve their essential wildness, becoming curious, wary or intimidating and allowing you to experience the buzz of encountering a truly wild animal.
Hwange National Park – Zimbabwe
As your 4x4 rumbles over the swaying savannah of Hwange National Park, under eagle-patrolled skies, keep your eyes peeled for the pair of white rhinos that have been introduced back into the park. After 17 rhino-less years, catching sight of these prehistoric looking creatures may leave you in an Attenborough blur. As the rhinos were only released in May this year, a holiday to Hwange to see them should be a 2022 bucket list topper. With the Big Five also roaming free here, head out with an expert guide to spot an elephant brass band tuning up in the Hwange dawn or even catch a glimpse of Simba balanced on a grassy hillock doing a spot of morning yoga.
Maasai Mara National Park, Lewa Conservancy – Kenya
With the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee just around the corner, celebrating 70 years on the throne, venture to Kenya to explore as the Queen did on her last few days as a princess. The Masai Mara is a place of golden grasslands, ominously circling lappet-faced vultures, swooping superb starlings, gormless wildebeest, and the low grumbles of distant herds of elephants. It has the power to make you feel minute and momentary, but also as if you are on top of the world. If you are questioning where to go on safari, then the Mara is always a safe bet, but we also have another Kenyan safari superstar to add to your Africa bucket list. Lewa Conservancy is a hidden delight of northern Kenya and is home to the Grevy’s zebra, one of Earth’s most endangered animals. Its melt-water mountain springs, acacia woodlands and wide-open plains are home to the world’s largest population of these fuzzy-eared, white-bellied equids. Visiting the conservancy alone will contribute to funding Grevy conservation, making this the perfect place to go guilt-free galivanting on an African adventure this year.
Selous Game Reserve – Tanzania
Sundowners overlooking the largest concentration of elephants in the world, in the largest game reserve in Africa, is a difficult experience to top. With over 110,000 of these gentle giants roaming Selous Game Reserve, waterholes and rivers across the reserve are teeming with the fountainous trunks and rock-strong tusks of the Dumbo residents. Between June and October, as tributaries dry up, vegetation thins and water sources diminish, elephants flock to watering holes like teens to an iPhone or bees to a honeypot, making for eye-widening sights and photo opportunities to brag about. Sadly, Selous Game Reserve occupies the precarious position of ‘World Heritage in Danger’ after intense poaching and deforestation damaged this delicate environment, so 2022 is the year to go and explore, before the opportunity to do so disappears.
Written by Immy Kelly
Header Image © Olivier Romano
