

In central Kenya, the Laikipia plateau is a less-visited alternative to the Mara, with a different appeal. zimbabwe/accommodation/lodges/ruckomechi-camp Samburu tribesmen performing traditional dance at the Loisaba Wilderness Conservancy, Laikipia, Kenya (Alamy) 12.

Don’t miss the opportunity to sleep under the stars. Explore the river by canoe, or take a bush walk during the dry season (in the wettest months, January to March, parts of the park are inaccessible and lots of properties close).īest base camp With ten tented suites and being in a private reserve, Ruckomechi Camp gives guests a sense of exclusivity and remoteness. As well as lions and wild dogs, Mana Pools is known for elephants that have learnt to stand on their hindlegs to reach the higher branches. The name means “four” in Shona, referring to the four main pools that make up the park. On the banks of the Zambezi River, Mana Pools feels wilder and quieter than most safari destinations in Southern Africa. kenya/accommodation/lodges/cottars-campīook a stay* The Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe (Alamy) 11. The key to enjoying your time in the Mara is avoiding the crowds - that means finding a great guide or paying a little extra to stay in one of the private community-run conservancies around the edges of the national park.īest base camp The high-end Cottar’s 1920s Camp is in a private conservancy – great for uncrowded wildlife sightings – and is one of the most long-established camps in the Mara. Big cats - lions, cheetahs and leopards - are prolific. The Masai Mara in southwest Kenya is famous for the beauty of its rolling savanna grasslands, the density of its wildlife populations, and, between July and October, the great wildebeest herds that thunder across the Mara River. accommodation/vumbura-plainsīest safari camps and lodges in Botswana Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya (Alamy) 2. And it’s a great birding destination.īest base camp Vumbura Plains is one of the fanciest camps in the delta and in a really good spot for wildlife sightings, particularly big cats. But the wildlife viewing is exceptional - think buffalo-hunting lions, wild dogs sprinting through the bush, hippos cooling off in the water, elephants browsing acacias. There are a number of reserves in the delta and tourism is controlled so it feels wild and remote it’s also the most expensive place to go on safari. This is the time when visitors can explore the reed-lined waterways by mokoro - a traditional canoe - which is a particularly special experience. Located in northern Botswana, it is fed by floodwaters from neighbouring Angola between May and October. This inland delta is one of the most beautiful and wildlife-rich areas in Africa. If you click and buy a product, we may earn revenue.Īn elephant in the Okavango Delta, Botswana (Getty Images) 1. These buttons and adverts are clearly signposted, and provide direct links through to external sites.

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