SAFARI


Mara Expedition Camp on Kenya’s Maasai Mara


and design tours of the premises. To strike a contemporary note, Loisaba Lodo Springs in Kenya’s Loisaba Conservancy has rooms dotted with hand-stitched West African textiles and elegant upcycled Edwardian furniture.


P E AC E FUL DAYS Almost every safari programme revolves around guided excursions called game drives, a name dating back to the days of Big Five hunting trips, but the style of the vehicles you ride in isn’t discussed as much as perhaps it should be. While some outfits settle for basic open-sided 4x4s, others invest in supremely comfortable, easy-access vehicles with charging points, dustproof storage space and a fridge. If you’re a keen photographer, top quality private vehicles are a must. Electric safari vehicles offer a particularly smooth ride; while still rare, they’re the future, and are starting to catch on. Ila Safari Lodge in Zambia’s Kafue National


Park offers the rare luxury of total peace and quiet. Founder Vincent Kouwenhoven, who has pioneered electric transport at Ila and its sister lodges in Zambia and Malawi, explains: “Our love for Africa led us to develop technologies that enable guests to experience the bush in near- silent, pollution-free vehicles, charged by our own solar panels. It’s an ecologically conscious way to watch wildlife and very calming, too. Instead of the engine, you hear birdsong.” Some safaris also promise near-solitude in a vast natural landscape — an intoxicating feeling.


One way to dodge the crowds is to travel during low season, the dates of which vary from location to location; alternatively, you could choose private reserves where the only vehicles you’ll see will be those of your fellow guests. As well as providing daytime activities, guides may offer night drives, using spotlights to search for nocturnal activity, such as birds roosting or lions stalking their prey. For the ultimate in exclusivity, it’s possible


to book an entire camp or lodge, with the staff handcraſting everything to your precise specifications, from wake-up times to the cocktails and canapes. According to Ash Jarvis of Best of South Africa Travel, exclusive-use properties work particularly well for mixed- generation families: “With their private game drives, multiple living areas, private pool and the undivided attention of the whole staff, including the chefs (fussy eaters welcome), they eliminate stress and ensure that nobody has to compromise. That’s what good family holidays are all about.”


THE U LTIMATE ADVE NTU RE If serenity is your scene, you may be dreaming of floating over herds of zebras and wildebeest in a hot-air balloon, or wandering across the savannah on a bushwalk or cycle ride. The most interesting safaris offer a mixed programme of imaginative guided activities such as these, enlivening the days with little surprises: picnics in beauty spots, perhaps, or lantern-lit barbecues.


The possibilities depend, to a large extent,


on your choice of location. In Kenya’s northern conservancies, for example, you could explore the semi-desert by camel, while in Rwanda or Uganda, the activity you probably won’t want to miss is venturing into the depths of the rainforest on foot for a precious one-hour audience with mountain gorillas. On a gorilla trek, you’ll be guided by rangers at


the top of their game — a hallmark of an excellent safari. A knowledgeable, communicative guide can transform any trip, keeping you safe, entertained and intrigued. “The inside track is what you really want,


whether that’s in guiding, photography or conservation”, says Will Bolsover of Natural World Safaris. “In-depth knowledge leads you beneath the surface, for true insights into how conservation works, how wildlife benefits and how you can contribute.” Since quality time with experts is one of the


ultimate luxuries you can enjoy on safari, some top-end safaris, particularly in Kenya and South Africa, include a philanthropic element, whereby in exchange for a substantial donation to a conservation fund, you gain access to specialists in the field, perhaps even helping collar predators or collecting DNA samples from juvenile rhinos. Conservation safari companies such as Great Plains and AWF Safaris can assist with this. There’s no better way to start unlocking the mysteries of the African wilderness.


National Geographic Traveller – Luxury Collection 19


IMAGE: GREAT PLAINS


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