Travel
Diesel fumes and the roar of an engine can detract from the wild and natural adventure of an African safari. Here are five ways to experience the game without the drive.
ByAntonia Windsor
Published December 17, 2023
• 12 min read
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK)
The allure of an African safari is unrivalled, offering the opprtunity to spend time in the natural habitat of animals many of us know only from children’s storybooks or television. But it can be hard to feel immersed in the wildness of your surroundings when you’re in a queue with dozens of other vehicles on a game drive.
“Many don’t realise the experience can go beyond this,” says Terry Moohan, head of the Africa and India division at travel specialists cazenove+loyd. “You can walk, canoe, ride horses or admire views from the sky. Each option brings a unique perspective on the landscape and wildlife that you might not get on a traditional safari.”
There has been a surge in demand for immersive safari experiences post-Covid, observes Ben Malasai, managing director of Kenya’s Zaruma Safaris. “Rather than just passively viewing game,” he says, “the traveller actively participates and goes off the beaten track to serene places almost untouched by human activity.”
1. Hot-air balloon safari in Pilanesberg, South Africa
“Look, over by that rock: it’s a lioness and her cubs.” South African photographer Guy Stubbs lowers his camera and hands me a pair of binoculars. “See those thorn trees? Just to the right of them.”
There is warmth on the side of my face — but it’s not coming from the sun, which is only just beginning to rise from behind the mountains that surround the volcanic valley of Pilanesberg National Park. The heat on my skin is coming from the metre-high flame that’s gently roaring beside me. Because, as I focus my binoculars on a lion cub licking its belly, I’m not in a safari Jeep. I’m in a hot-air balloon.
We’d got up in the dark at 3am to head to the South African reserve, which is a two-and-a-half- hour drive from Johannesburg. As we entered the park, colour was just beginning to be painted into the sky. And on the hour-long drive from the gate to the centre of the reserve, where the hot-air balloon safari begins, we spotted a couple of rhinoceroses and an elephant.
But now, watching this lioness and her cubs from 1,000 metres is completely otherworldly. We’re drifting hypnotically above the plain in nothing more than an open wicker basket, with swathes of brightly coloured parachute silk billowing above us. The air on the other side of my face feels slightly dewy with the cool of the morning
This is the only hot-air balloon safari to launch from inside a park in South Africa. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and — at R6,000 (about £262) for a one-hour flight — it’s a relatively cheap way to potentially spot the ‘big five’ (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros and leopard) that lurk among the 7,000 creatures in Pilanesberg. In a hot- air balloon, you don’t disturb the animals and get a bird’s eye view of their behaviour. It’s also a more peaceful and sustainable experience than a helicopter.
As I hand the binoculars back to Guy, I notice a herd of hippos heading to the water, their grey bodies standing out against the golden dry grasses. This was definitely worth the early start.
How to do it: Africa Collection offers a five-night stay at the Palace of The Lost City at Sun City on a B&B basis. This includes a hot-air balloon safari in the Pilanesberg National Park, champagne breakfast on landing, return economy flights with British Airways and private transfers to and from Sun City. From £2,595 per person, based on two adults sharing.
2. Horse safari in Chyulu Hills, Kenya
Swap the hum of the engine for the sound of hooves hitting grassy plains on a horse-riding safari in Kenya. At ol Donyo Lodge in the Chyulu Hills — a mountain range in the southeast of the country — you’ll find a stable of 22 horses, including calm and hardy Boerperds for novice riders (aged 12 and above) and a selection of thoroughbreds for the intermediate and advanced.
Swap the hum of the engine for the sound of hooves hitting grassy plains on a horse-riding safari in Kenya. At ol Donyo Lodge in the Chyulu Hills — a mountain range in the southeast of the country — you’ll find a stable of 22 horses, including calm and hardy Boerperds for novice riders (aged 12 and above) and a selection of thoroughbreds for the intermediate and advanced.
The lodge is part of ecotourism company Great Plains’s portfolio. “One of the African experiences that I always look forward to is riding in the shadow of Kilimanjaro,” says founder and CEO Dereck Jouber. “It transports me into a different era where the clutter and complexities of life are left behind and where the physical exercise, the horse, and the location connect us, as riders, to Africa.
“I can’t recommend this experience more highly for the quality of the ride, the horses, the equipment or the long, snow-capped shadow that is ever-present here.”
How to do it: A seven-night stay at Great Plains ol Donyo Lodge, with daily horse safaris, starts at £7,700, excluding flights.
3. Sleep out in Onguma, Namibia
Fancy experiencing the whisper of danger without any of the risk? Consider a night in the bush.
On the eastern border of Namibia’s vast Etosha National Park, you’ll find the family-owned Onguma Nature Reserve. This private park has five lodges, two campsites and 34,000 hectares of wilderness — and offers the opportunity to sleep under the stars on a custom-built Dream Cruiser.
This suite-on-wheels is a converted Land Cruiser game vehicle. On two levels, it boasts a bathroom with a shower, basin and toilet, and a terrace for lounging and dining, complete with a four-poster bed that is draped in nets and has a canvas roof.
Park at a watering hole before sunset and enjoy a bush picnic on your deck while watching the game come for their evening drink. Feeling brave? Leave the tent flaps open and wake at dawn for a chance of seeing animals drinking in front of the vehicle.
In the morning, a ranger takes you for a walk to examine the tracks. The park is home to more than thirty different species, including game such as giraffe, kudu, oryx, eland, hartebeest, zebra, impala and black rhino, and predators such as lions, cheetahs and leopards.
How to do it: Rainbow Tours offers a six-night trip to Namibia from £5,595 per person including the unique Dream Cruiser experience, full board for five nights, international flights and internal transfers.
4. Walking safari in Mana Pools, Zimbabwe
There has been a surge in demand for immersive safari experiences post-Covid, observes Ben Malasai, managing director of Kenya’s Zaruma Safaris. “Rather than just passively viewing game,” he says, “the traveller actively participates and goes off the beaten track to serene places almost untouched by human activity.”
Almost 70% of the Mana Pools National Park, in the far northern part of Zimbabwe, is traversable only on foot, so walking safaris have been encouraged since the attraction opened in the 1960s. The animals are used to seeing people and are more relaxed than when approached by vehicles.
Take a walk with local guides along the southern bank of the Zambezi river and you might spot the wide mouths of hippopotamuses or the dark eyes of crocodiles emerging from the water. Head into the grassland and you could encounter a herd of zebras sheltering beneath the baobab trees.
Vundu Camp, on the banks of the Zambezi, is owned by Nick Murray, one of Zimbabwe’s most highly regarded guides. He’s been leading groups in Mana Pools since the mid-1990s and knows the park inside out. The open environment affords good visibility, he notes, and walkers often get surprisingly close to relaxed bull elephants or packs of wild dogs.
Those dogs drew the BBC here to film David Attenborough’s 2018 series Dynasties. And, if you’re lucky, you might get to spot Boswell, the park’s most famous elephant. This gentle giant, with particularly impressive tusks, has a habit of rearing up on his back legs to munch leaves that are out of reach to all but him.
How to do it: Expert Africa’s seven-day lion safari spends three nights in Hwange National Park, and four nights at Vundu Camp in Mana Pools. It costs from £5,528 per person (two sharing), including full-board accommodation, game activities, transfers, park fees, laundry and most drinks. International flights can be arranged at an additional cost.
5. Cycle safari in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
“A multi-day cycling safari is a completely immersive experience and gives everyone a real sense of belonging,” says Kyle MacIntyre, lead guide for Natural Selection Safaris, whose tours follow ancient elephant highways that have shaped Botswana’s landscape for centuries. “When there’s no noise from vehicles, the animals can’t hear you and your senses are totally switched-on.”
The thrill lies in the two-wheeled journey from one camp to another. In a vehicle, it’s easy to switch off when no animals are immediately visible. On a bike, you are much more at one with your environment as you cycle through acacia woodlands and mopane forests, along wandering riverbanks and through grasslands.
How to do it: A six-night, guided Botswana cycling safari is available through Aardvark Safaris from £5,450 per person, based on a group of six. Includes all activities, accommodation, meals and local transfers.
Published in the Experiences Collection 2023/24, distributed with the Jan/Feb 2024 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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