One learns so much more on foot: your surrounding environment comes alive with the scent of sage plants and the potato bush permeating the air in the early morning dew; the medicinal properties of plants and trees are explained in full detail and the adrenaline courses through one’s veins when tracking an elephant on foot, keeping downwind, moving with the herd.
Sleepouts And Treehouses
A treehouse! A sleepout! Surely both words make an instant connection to the child in every adult as well as to children themselves? Treehouses and sleepouts can seriously extend the fun and enjoyment, in a clement climate of course, of time spent in the bush, in the desert or even by the ocean.
Fly-Camping
Fly camping is, for many, the ultimate bush experience and is for those people who don’t want to be “stuck in a vehicle” or just want an exciting and adventurous change from staying at, especially, a permanent camp or lodge. Flycamping also works well for those who want to explore a region mainly on foot, by canoe, on horseback or walking with camels, which could easily be a multi-night experience.
Classic Authentic Permanent Tented Camps
If you are looking for that essential experience in the African bush which offers perfect comfort whilst not losing the essence and feel of being properly “on safari” then a classic permanent camp fits the brief!
Design Inspired Lodges
Design, style, comfort, excellence, location. Shake - don’t stir! – these ingredients and blend in varying quantities for perfection to suit all tastes. Luxury lodges in Africa, especially the uber-stylish, are ideal for anyone wanting to celebrate a “big” anniversary or birthday, or just those who simply place a high importance on design and style, in whatever measure, as part of their visit to Africa.
Luxury Tented Camps
Africa is a continent that evokes the senses, the “feel” of the bush challenges one’s sight, hearing and smell especially. Being in a lodge removes to a great extent one essential part of this trio: the sound of the bush, especially at night. Canvas walls allow the sounds of the bush to permeate one’s room, without losing any iota of luxury; the best of all worlds and a huge layer of extra value.
Ranch Houses
If one is looking for adventure, whether as a couple of a family, or somewhere that’s just vast fun with plenty of variation in activity for a group of friends mixed with wonderful hosting and a totally relaxed atmosphere, then a ranch is the answer.
Robinson Crusoe Chic Hideaways
The ultimate in barefoot luxury has to be a Private Island or Coastal Retreat where the essence of “barefoot living” is mixed with perfect comfort, service and style. The oft-used image of miles of white-sand beach with just “you” leaving a pathway of footprints etched into the damp sand at the water’s edge may be slightly hackneyed but, in real life, it is a perfect antidote to the mad, rushed, “real” world. It is attainable!
Bush Camps
Bush Camps are perhaps the ideal balance between more rustic “fly” or “mobile” camps and more permanent camps offering a more advanced luxury experience. Bush Camps tend to be a southern African phenomenon, because they are often closely allied to walking in certain parts of Zambia and Botswana.
Beach Lodges
Oh my word! Where to start? We have such an array of styles in our beach lodges. Tell us what comes to mind, what your mind conjectures in terms of “Beach Lodge” and we can almost certainly fill the brief.
Boutique Hotels
Boutique Hotels are always wonderful, mixing sympathetic and often unusual décor and style with a very personal hosting ethic – and all in a small and intimate package. So often such properties are also owner-run, which fits brilliantly well with our - and your, as our clients - own preferences. In the same vein, Africa has some examples of the boutique hotel genre that rival anything available anywhere else – and not all are in cities even if many are more urban.
Private, Mobile tented camps
Travelling as a family? Perhaps a small group of friends or just two couples spending some time together on holiday? Wanting to be able to get “close to the action” in terms of game, or be near a specific activity? Do you feel a yearning for something authentic in terms of Africa-bush-living and yet not wanting to give up any basic comforts (Heaven forbid!)?
Private Villas & Houses
Time off in this manic, I’m-always-available, information-driven, day and age is precious; a bracket around a few days or weeks that may be the culmination of a long period of work and a considerable amount of planning. No matter how hard we try, with all the pressures that surround us it can be a tough balancing act to make enough time to “spend” (what an apposite word that is!) with those who matter and doing the things we wish.
Yachts, Catamarans & Houseboats
Some of us are just drawn to the magic of water and for many people the relaxing effects of being on or by the water are part of the rejuvenation that comes with a holiday. So, for those who like to take to the water, whether it’s for the gentle soothing of the sound of the ocean, or being on a river, or taking the helm and sailing under the guidance of a skipper, the sailing and houseboats that we have to offer add another dimension!
One learns about spoor-marks, identifying game trails and movements that have taken place during the night, and following the tracks of nocturnal creatures. Smaller creatures are given great emphasis, from the dung beetle to the termite that are intrinsically linked and play a vital role in this fragile eco system.
Zambia is the spiritual home to some of the finest African walking safaris, but we also arrange proper walking safaris over several days in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Highlands in northern Tanzania, the Selous and Ruaha and Katavi in southern Tanzania, and in Laikipia and the Maasai Mara in Kenya, with some of the finest walking guides. We also have superb walking in Tsavo. South Africa has some excellent walking safaris in the Limpopo region, which is extremely beautiful but not as game-rich as its other African counterparts.
The season for African walking safaris is June-October, which are the cooler months and therefore more comfortable to walk in. This is the start of winter, when the foliage has fallen from many of the trees and the grasses are short, providing wonderful visibility and making for safer walking.
Walking safaris are never a route march and they can be just for a couple of you, to a family or group of friends, with total exclusivity, with your own private guide and back up vehicles and crew, to joining a set departure in Zambia during the African winter months. Around 6-10 kilometres are covered each day and one can either walk from camp to camp, over perhaps five days, with a maximum of six in a group, to walking for just two days, to perhaps just a single day, from your main lodge. In the evenings, sit around a fire at your camp, looking up at the stars above and chatting to others about the wonders of your magical day in Africa!
Accommodation on African walking safaris can range from fairly rudimentary to pretty luxurious and you can decide what suits you most! Sleep in either a tent with a bedroll on the floor, with a separate bucket shower with lots of hot water and a short-drop loo, or literally a mosquito net covering a bedroll. It may be a pup tent or a permanent structure on stilts made from reed and thatch with open-fronted rooms, to reed-thatched, simple, rustic grass huts with all the comforts one requires. Just let us know which you feel more comfortable sleeping in!
However – nothing quite equals the thrill and adrenaline of being on a walking safari and we recommend it every time, as a stand alone safari or part of a vehicle based safari.
A Fixed Wing Flying Safari is a unique concept of travel in Africa. It introduces another dimension to a typical African safari, that of the beauty of the continent from the air. Accompanied and guided by experienced pilots who are also experienced safari guides a Fixed Wing Flying Safari is a truly memorable and exclusive experience.
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Epic helicopter journeys exploring corners of Africa that few have been to or even ever heard of. We specialise in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, the Congo and Namibia. Our tailor-made safaris cover wild and spectacular mountains, valleys, forests and deserts, with a focus on ‘remote and unknown, unexplored and unforgettable’.
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- Utterly designed and tailored around you and your requirements
- Totally unique every time you travel with us
- The very best hand picked guides which can make the difference between a good and an outstanding holiday
- Established over 30 years ago we have been around longer than most
- Our specialists come from, have lived in or travelled extensively in the regions we cover
- Unparalleled knowledge provides you with the best possible experience
- Philanthropy is our philosophy
- Our founding principle is to always ‘put something back’
- An amount from each holiday is donated to our selected conservation and humanitarian charities
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By Marcela Kunova - 20th April 2017
Nicola Shepherd, founder and CEO of The Exploration Company, organises unusual trips for HNW and UHNW clients ranging from birthday parties at an Indian Maharajah's palace to reliving Sir Vivian Fuchs's 1950s expedition to the South Pole. Citywealth caught ...
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