South Africa’s Cape Town is a spot in contrast to every other. Perched alongside the waters of the continent’s southwest coast, this port metropolis is a multicultural metropolis with a wealth of biodiversity that extends eastward, from its flat-topped Table Mountain to pure areas just like the Cape of Good Hope — the place the mountains meet the ocean. Along with a wealth of endemic flora like numerous fine-leaved fynbos and flowering proteas (aka sugarbushes), the area is dwelling to an array of wildlife, together with ostriches, bonteboks, baboons and even penguins. Centuries-old vineyards proliferate the hillsides of close by cities like Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, whereas nice white sharks and southern proper whales reside within the Cape’s coastal waters. The total area is, fairly merely, gorgeous, and is simply one of many attainable safari extensions to reinforce your customized Africa journey.
While Nat Hab gives a wide array of scheduled group journeys to Africa, starting from a riverboat safari alongside Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba to a Madagascar wildlife journey, the explanations for a customized journey tailor-made to your schedule, journey fashion and preferences are loads. I spoke with Nat Hab’s Director of Custom Africa Travel, Megan Bryant, to get the complete scoop on the perks of customized journey to Africa, and why a tailored itinerary often is the good method to go.
The Perks of a Custom Africa Trip
“Custom safaris are considered independent adventures,” says Bryant. “You can select your own travel dates, go to the locations and stay at the lodgings that best suit you, and travel free of a larger group.” Perhaps you wish to add a number of days to an East Africa safari to see the mountain gorillas in Uganda, or spend time amongst a few of the world’s final chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Mahale Mountains — it’s as simple as arranging an extension with certainly one of Nat Hab’s Adventure Specialists, who’re Africa consultants.
Smaller group sizes imply sharing quiet moments in nature amongst endangered primates! © Richard de Gouveia
Wider Date Selection
Choosing your individual journey dates isn’t simply the distinction between leaving on a weekday or including an extension, it’s additionally about having a greater variety of seasons to select from. “Our group safaris are designed around the best times to travel to each location,” Bryant says, “but there are ‘secret’ seasons that can be really special as well.” You can customise a visit to, say, Namibia or Botswana, at a time when the parks are much less busy and the lodgings extra reasonably priced.
This particular Photo Pro departure enjoys an aerial view of the Sossusvlei Dunes in Namibia © Richard de Gouveia
Flexibility
Along with choosing your most popular dates reasonably than touring on a set group departure, you possibly can pre-arrange the camps and lodgings that the majority enchantment to you. For occasion: a luxurious camp overlooking the hippo- and croc-filled waters of the Zambezi River, or a desert lodge on the foot of Namibia’s large Sossusvlei sand dunes.
“There are also what we call, ‘private bush homes,’ says Bryant, “where your party has exclusive use of the entire camp or lodge, complete with your own housekeeping staff, private chef and safari guide.” Especially good for smaller events (wherever from 4 to 16 folks), “it’s like having a private home in the bush,” she says. Some of Bryant’s favourite ‘bush homes’ embody Samara Manor House, a historic homestead that sleeps eight, tucked inside a 173,000-acre South Africa personal sport reserve, and the eight-bedroom Laragai House, positioned in Kenya’s Borana Conservancy on the foot of Mount Kenya.
For bigger teams, an alternative choice is shopping for out what Bryant calls a “normal” safari camp. “Say you have 10 people and it’s a camp with five or six rooms,” she says. “At that point, it becomes affordable to have the entire camp to yourself.”
A pair having fun with the sundown on our Ultimate East Africa journey © Richard de Gouveia
Independence
Some folks (like myself) want touring independently, however unbiased journey doesn’t at all times imply going at it alone. It might imply occurring a honeymoon or possibly even a multi-generational household journey through which you’d like a little bit extra privateness. And one thing else to recollect: unbiased journey doesn’t should imply reserving lodgings and excursions your self and/or touring with out planning help. A customized Africa journey would possibly embody nighttime safari rides with different friends out of your camp, or horseback using with that couple you’ve run into at breakfast — all booked forward of time for ease and luxury.
If most popular, many locations do present the choice of reserving a non-public safari car and/or information, at a surcharge. The selection is yours. “It’s like booking a hotel room on your own,” says Bryant. “At each location, there will be other like-minded travelers embarking on boat safaris or nature walks,” she says, so even while you’re touring independently, you possibly can — should you like — be sharing the expertise with others.
Nat Hab & WWF friends can expertise distinctive alternatives, corresponding to visiting this elephant sanctuary in Kenya! © Megan Bryant
Tailoring to Individual Preferences
With customized safaris, you will have the chance to go to areas and have experiences that will not be on any Nat Hab group journey itineraries. “For travelers returning to Africa for a second, third, or maybe even fifth(!) trip,” says Bryant, “we can get really creative.” For instance, together with East Africa’s annual Serengeti migration, why not spend time amongst northern Kenya’s Samburu villagers or go to Tanzania’s lesser-known Ruaha National Park to seek for hornbills and wild canines?
“We may have travelers who are deeply interested in elephants,” says Bryant, “so we’ll send them to areas with excellent elephant viewing and possibly elephant research, while still incorporating the other wildlife that the area has to offer. Or if we know that someone can’t take malaria medication, we can include malaria-free areas in their itinerary.”
Nat Hab vacationers are handled to non-public wildlife viewing from the consolation of their safari lodging © Richard de Gouveia
Crafting the Best Experiences for Individual Travelers
When placing collectively a customized journey, Nat Hab’s Adventure Specialists and Custom Africa workforce work straight with you to find out your most popular dates, funds, variety of vacationers, and so on. “Then we delve into what each particular traveler or group might want to experience,” says Bryant. This might embody a want to see lions or crocodiles, deciding between bedding down in a tent beneath the celebs or a colonial-style mansion, prioritizing wine and connoisseur meals, and being further lively or low-key. Is dependable wifi necessary? How about having a non-public information and car? “We have preferred camps that we might recommend for photographers,” says Bryant. “While for young families, we may send them to camps that cater better to children. We ask a lot of questions and then use our knowledge of the wildlife of different areas, as well as camp amenities and offerings, to give our guests the best experience that’s specific to them.”
After a switch by personal helicopter to the jap facet of the Kalahari, this household set out on quad bikes to discover Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Pans.
When to Start Planning
Bryant says the standard time to start out planning your customized Africa journey is between eight months to a yr beforehand. “Africa’s best camps are small with an average of 6 to 12 rooms or suites,” she says, “and they book up quickly.” This particularly goes for peak journey season, which is mostly June by September throughout a lot of the continent.
Pricing
“Custom is not always more expensive, as some might think,” says Bryant. Really, all of it depends upon what you’re after: would you like a non-public information, or are the educated camp-based guides simply as appropriate? How do you are feeling about excursions alongside different vacationers? Are you OK with a resort room exterior a park, or would you reasonably keep at an unique camp smack dab amongst wildlife? “Apple to apples,” she says, “it doesn’t necessarily vary that much.”
Taken by our Nat Hab Expedition Leader whereas on a secluded safari in South Africa © Richard de Gouveia