Safari planning | African destinations | Seasons in Africa

Types of safaris | safari costs | special interest trips | formalities | booking your safari

Over the years we've had the pleasure of putting together several thousand safaris for clients who've made "special requests"...

Some people call them "tailor-made safaris" or "custom designed safaris", others refer to them as "bespoke"(!?).

Sounds like BS and justification for "big bucks safaris" to us!

Let's be sensible.  By anybody's standards, a safari can be quite an investment in both time and money but it's simply not a serious complication to put together a honeymoon safari, a family trip with kids or a photographic safari to find lions in trees, to concentrate on wild dogs in their dens, explore some remote archaeological site or film Pel's fishing owls in a lonely riverine grove. 

These are some simple client requests so there's no need to pay a premium for the special need!  If you have something you think may be out of the ordinary then just ask....

Honeymoon safaris

Once in a lifetime trips are generally fashioned around some of our standard safari modules often combining some time to relax with an active trip, sometimes mostly relaxation.....  
...extensions to Victoria Falls and Cape Town add some urban-African flavour and tropical breaks to Malawi, Mozambique or Mauritius round off a simple honeymoon.  

If you'd prefer to include private getaway spots with more than the average hint of luxury they're sometimes more difficult to find at the right time and price but remain easy enough to arrange.

Safaris for kids

The real keys to planning a safari for kids lie in the selection of bases, guides and activities that are suitable.  Some activities which are specifically age restricted to 15+ including walking and canoe safaris can still accommodate 11 year olds.  They may however require a specific guide and are limited to certain camps and locations.  Some activities are strictly not permissible for youngsters.

Kids often change character in the bush.  Without exception we've found that youngsters whose attention span is normally no greater than that of a flea suddenly become totally engrossed in the new and foreign safari experience.  They can turn into "knowledge sponges" and sometimes put us adults to shame.  Like being introduced to a new plant on day 1 and then being able to identify it botanically and list it's tribal uses verbatim on next sighting in completely new terrain several days later.... (to the parents the second sighting was just another amazing vegetable).

We've had excellent safaris with children - in all cases it's had to do with the nature of the parents so you'll know instinctively whether your children will fit a safari.

Safaris for family groups

Family reunions are fairly regular requests that we accommodate.  Sometimes including members of the group who've never experienced Africa and who've joined from separate continents.
  
We've found that specific camps offering a wider range of activities to cater for different ages and interests at the same time tend to do the job best.  

These trips are best organised well in advance and it's best to know who the real leader of the pack is from the outset!  (Take me to the matriarch...)

Some real special interest safaris to ponder this coming season...

• Uganda birding safari with Ian Davidson which includes visiting the Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Chimpanzees in the Queen Elizabeth National Park.
   
• A tented safari to the patchwork of savannah and dense jungle in the Congo's Odzala National Park.  Led by John Addison with Daryl Balfour, travelling by foot, motorised dugout and 4x4. It's hot, humid and serious exploration whilst tracking habituated Lowland Gorillas, elephants and giant forest hogs with pygmy guides.
   
• Chimpanzee trekking at Gombe Stream and in the Mahale Mountains on the shores of Lake Tanganyika with John Addison and Keith Meadows.
   
• Uganda primate safari with Phillip Briggs. Includes a visit to the Mountain Gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, plus Chimpanzee trekking at Kibaale Forest, game viewing in the Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Mburo, Murchison Falls National Park on the Nile, and the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Lake Victoria.

These are only 4 of plenty scheduled special interest safaris for this next season, contact us for details...

Safari planning | African destinations | Seasons in Africa

Types of safaris | safari costs | special interest trips | formalities | booking your safari