Botswana

The horizons have shifted though. A major step was a first visit to Kenya where the non-hunting safari model had its origin in the 1950’s. Then Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda and even the Republic of Congo. The 12-year-old me would have been amazed. 

Madagascar opened yet another window to the wonders of nature. My first ringtailed lemur was sublime and I still can’t get enough of these fascinating arboreal primates. The two newest additions to my lemur life list were red ruffed lemur and the long-fingered aya-aye. The one a stunning rarity, the other an enigma. India was a revelation on so many levels. My first tiger sighting had a profound impact on me. Never in my wildest dreams had I anticipated finding a big cat which is even more majestic, more magical, than its African counterparts. My feeling of awe in the presence of a Bengal tiger has only grown stronger and more pronounced with each subsequent sighting of a ‘striped water god.’

This article, though, is about my favorite Africa trips so we will leave Madagascar and India for another time.

My favorite Africa destination is often the one I visited last. Over the years a few combinations of areas and properties have proven to be particularly appealing to me and other members of our team. Here are my top five in no particular order. 

Kenya:  a true classic

I like to think of Kenya as a safari destination as one would about an older model Rolls Royce automobile. It may have a few dings and 150,000 miles on the odometer but it’s rock solid and as dependable as the sun coming up tomorrow. Your Kenya trip – like ours before – is going to be fun, you’re going to see lots of animals without having to drive all day and you may very well be astonished with the incredible diversity on display. So many different animals and birds, so many beautiful vistas and landscapes, such rich culture and fascinating people. Plus a tried and tested tourism infrastructure which makes it one of the easiest of safari destinations to get around. 

For a trip of around 12 days or so, it’s hard to go wrong with a combination of Amboseli (for its elephants and the chance to see Kilimanjaro in the background), a conservancy like Lewa or Ol Pejeta (notably for rhinos and a few superb endemic mammals like reticulated giraffes) and ending with a few days in a private conservancy to the north of the Masai Mara. For some of the best game viewing in all of Africa with as many as seven different large mammals regularly seen at the same time. 

Unlike Southern Africa – which has significantly colder winter mornings and much hotter – sometimes broiling – summer afternoons, winter and summer days in much of Kenya are quite similar due to its proximity to the equator. Which makes Kenya a true year-round destination.  

I think a Kenya mega-trip which we did in early November 2023 rivals a Mashatu (Botswana) and Sabi Sand combination a year or two before that, as the two best safaris I’ve ever been on in terms of diversity and total numbers of mammals and sheer brilliance of sightings, guiding and overall impact. That particular Kenya trip had one really unique inclusion which was a few days spent at Galdessa, a Sheldrick camp set in an idyllic spot on the Galana River in Tsavo East. Galdessa and Ithumba are two of Sheldrick’s reintroduction units, where young elephants from their Nairobi orphan nursery spend a few more years before they are reintroduced into the wilderness in a peer group. These properties can be booked on an exclusive-use basis only so they really work best for a family or a group of friends from six to 10 or so. For visitors who are really fascinated by elephants and who want to support the wonderful work of the Sheldrick Foundation, a couple of days or so at one of these locations may very well be the experience of a lifetime.  

On every trip to Kenya we discover yet another place or activity which slips under the radar on so many ‘run of the mill’ itineraries. Most recently we spent a couple of enthralling days at Laikipia Wilderness observing a rare black leopard hunting in the early evening – on top of several other astonishingly good ‘regular’ leopard sightings. Another time we found a super tusker elephant (with more than 100 pounds of ivory left and right) with a research team from the Tsavo Trust on an outing from Satao, a Tsavo East camp which is as old school as it gets. We’ve also started to spend some time on Kenya’s Indian Ocean Coast at places like Diani Beach and the Vipingo Beach area. Of the resorts we’ve visited, Kinondo Kwetu and Cardamom House were standouts. 

Tanzania’s wildebeest calving season

Whenever I browse through my photo albums in search of big cat photos  to illustrate a blog post or an article, I invariably come across photos which I’ve taken on one of several southern Serengeti trips which we’ve done during the calving season around February. Upon reflection, my southern Serengeti photos are among my best ever taken and there’s always something really extraordinary to be captured. Like one young leopard male who had three carcasses in ‘his’ tree in the Kusini area of the Serengeti, where Nomad Tanzania will be opening a camp soon. Or multiple lions taking to the trees around Lake Ndutu, some with stuffed bellies looking not at all comfortable, but clearly determined to be up there with the other members of the pride. The wildebeest themselves – with all their hundreds and thousands of babies stringing along – are of course the star attraction. I particularly like to see them mixed in with zebras (or maybe it’s the other way around) when the the glossy dark brown wildebeest and the vividly black and white zebras would just about combust with brilliance when they alternately blend and separate and create a nonstop series of dramatic photo ops. You just have to be there.  

I think my best advice for a calving season trip would be to spend 12 days to two weeks in Tanzania and split your time between the southern and central Serengeti. The south for the zebra and wildebeest clearly (and whatever else is around), and the central Serengeti for its superb resident wildlife, including more big cats. In the central Seronera area we recommend the more remote eastern properties such as Namiri Plains and Olmara. A great area for cheetahs – and by all means do a day outing to the Gol Kopjes, about as typical as it gets in the way of beautiful rolling hills with isolated inselbergs providing some contrast and points of interest. And big rocks for the lions to clamber onto!

To be sure, we’ve had our issues with Tanzania over the years, ranging from tsetse flies at certain times of the year, to inept or even incompetent visa handling and related immigration procedures. Best time to go: February – the height of the calving season – or a month or two earlier or later.

Botswana’s Okavango Delta

My colleagues remind me every now and then of something which I said a while ago, trying to illustrate just how remote and sparsely populated much of Botswana is. “In some (other) safari destinations, if you sit on a chair at night and look out into the darkness, you are going to see some lights in the distance. A village or town or informal settlement, a road or power lines or some other visual marker of human presence. Not so in Botswana. With few exceptions (such as maybe Chobe) you won’t see a thing. At night, there’s nothing there except the stars and the moon, maybe a satellite or two and a jet sliding by at 35,000 feet.” Those may not have been my exact words, but you get the drift. In the northern Botswana private concessions you have absolutely reached the end of the road. And it feels like it.  

Every now and then I break up with northern Botswana when the daily rate at one or two of the deluxe properties there reach another absurd amount. A few months later I would return and discover several camps which we had either overlooked earlier, or which are new to an area. This happened on my most recent visit when we spent time at Natural Selection Safaris’ Mokolwane Camp and also a couple of Machaba properties – Machaba and Monachira. On this trip, just like every northern Botswana trip, I re-discovered the singular appeal of the area – and specifically the private concessions. 

Quite often, you’ll be driving along a sandy road, occasionally driving into and through water – depending on the time of the year and the status of the annual flood. You’ll soon start to notice that many of the roads skirt the treeline which marks the border of high ground. All around you may be small palm-fringed islands, pretty lagoons replete with hippos, stands of papyrus and reeds, and sizable golden grassy floodplains broken up with patches of riverine forests, stands of leadwood trees, mopane forest and groves of Kalahari apple-leaf. Every now and then there will be a  conspicuous wild fig tree, sausage tree, baobab or jackalberry.

All of this makes for what is probably the most stunning setting for game-viewing anywhere in Africa. With the right selection of camps – for specific times of the year – you will find one after another absorbing wildlife sightings and be able to drive off-road where it makes sense to get closer to perhaps one of the smaller cats such as a leopard in a tree. Our last few Okavango Delta trips have delivered simply extraordinary game viewing at different times of the year. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, African painted dogs, hyenas, many elephants, superb buffalo sightings, various animals on the hunt, a hundred plus different birds in 48 hours, great morning and late afternoon light, and hardly ever more than a couple or so other vehicles to be seen.  

We work with exceedingly knowledgeable and resourceful destination management companies in Botswana – and elsewhere – who are constantly out there looking for the best deals and opportunities to provide value for our guests. It’s a fact that northern Botswana is expensive in the high season but don’t let that stop you from considering the area at all. There’s no steep dropoff in the experience in the shoulder season months and even the low-demand or green season holds fantastic appeal. Just spend a few days longer in fewer areas and you’ll be rewarded amply.  

At certain times of the year it makes sense to combine the Okavango Delta with the Linyanti area or Chobe ‘proper’ – maybe consider a houseboat cruise on the Chobe River – and in the summer months the Kalahari is at its best. Northern Botswana is easily combined with Victoria Falls and greater Zimbabwe – we stand ready to provide you with more information and recommendations. 

Zimbabwe east and west

I flat out adore elephants and can watch them for hours doing their thing which is mostly eating, occasionally finding water and of course being social. Elephants are animated and fun, with the youngsters often acting out just like naughty kids. They’re also social beings with the matriarchs in charge of tightly knit small breeding herds. Anywhere elephants congregate – notably around water in the dry season – their behavior becomes even more intense and more fascinating. And hardly anywhere reaches the fever pitch scenario that plays out in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe in the dry season. Here thirsty, sometimes desperate elephants have to walk for miles and miles – often shepherding young babies – to reach a crowded water point where a few big bullies tend to at least try to dominate. The result: a wildlife experience which rivals the wildebeest migration for impact. It is often spellbinding, always fascinating and never ever dull. When there is a lull in between elephant herds coming to the water a solitary sable antelope might move in quickly or if you’re really lucky, a trio of skittish roan antelope.   

I have a long list of ‘favorite’ Hwange properties and my recommendation for any particular itinerary depends on the time of the year, whether we can get some long-stay discounts or perhaps a private vehicle at no additional cost, or on guests’ personal preference. If I absolutely had to pick just a couple of camps where I would love to hang out for a while, I’d have to say Little Makalolo and Jozibanini. I’m intrigued by Imvelo’s new Tum-Tum treehouse tented camp – and it is firmly on the soon to visit list. 

Hwange’s 40,000-plus elephants is reason enough to head to Zimbabwe on safari but don’t stop there. My best Zimbabwe trips have included at least one or two other national parks, such as Matusadona National Park on Lake Kariba and the atmospheric Mana Pools area along the Zambezi. On the edge of Lake Kariba at a camp such as Bumi Hills you’ll be able to do some boating safaris and try your hand at tiger fishing – a nice change of pace from bumpy game drives. And no dust. Then again, a late afternoon game drive into the Matusadona Park might very well provide you with some of your best views of elephants ever. With the Matusadona range creating the perfect backdrop, the golden light coming across the lake turns the elephants into movable paintings, the red dust on their hides causing them to glow like paper lanterns. 

Much has been written about Mana Pools, a near-legendary national park which lies along the lower Zambezi in far northeastern Zimbabwe. Renowned for its game-viewing (elephants, big cats, buffalo, plains game, African painted dog, hippo & crocodile), the area is highly atmospheric and for many seasoned safari goers, Mana Pools is the holy grail. Several of the safari camps there have stunning views across the Zambezi with the Zambia escarpment visible in the background. Driving through one of the beautiful Faidherbia albida forests, you’ll experience the unmistakable blue Mana Pools light filtering through the trees, the dust and dappled forest sunlight creating a scene that I have not seen anywhere else in Africa. The albida forests have little to no undergrowth which makes them ideal for walking – even in the warmer months – due to the shade cover of the trees. Walk there in the dry season and you won’t be alone. The albida seed pods are like candy for the elephants and they vie with baboons and antelopes to pick up the tasty, protein-laden snacks.  

Of course the Zambezi is a major presence in Mana Pools, so be sure to book one more day there than you think you might need to do some boating and perhaps canoeing. Or to try your hand at tiger fishing which is excellent there. The stable platform of a good-sized aluminum skiff provides the ideal vantage point for photographing any number of birds and mammals in and around the water, from elephants and hippo to crocodiles, carmine bee-eaters and African finfoot. The extensive floodplains along the Zambezi – covered with albida forests and stands of croton trees (which provide good cover for a variety of species during the warm parts of the day) form a giant safari hotspot, particularly in the dry season. Because of the good road network around safari camps like Ruckomechi and Little Ruckomechi, we have them at the top of our list of Mana Pools camps, but there are several other superb properties in the area in the Machaba, African Bush Camp and Great Plains stables. 

Mashatu and the Greater Kruger park

There are not many true ‘best kept secrets’ left in the safari arena, but I think Mashatu Game Reserve in southeastern Botswana does qualify. While it’s been around for many years, it is easily overlooked among the array of good Okavango Delta, Moremi and Chobe properties. It is also not that easy to reach and to combine it with other safari areas such as northern Botswana or the greater Kruger Park area often involves an overnight stay in Johannesburg. All of which has had a negative impact on the number of people traveling to this flat-out amazing area.  

Mashatu’s #1 claim to fame is being one of just a handful of safari destinations where one can reasonably expect to see three of the big cats, namely lions, leopards and cheetahs. Which has happened to us several times at Mashatu. On a September trip a few years ago – when Mashatu was the first stop on a safari which also included the Sabi Sand Reserve in the Kruger Park area – we had three different cheetah sightings in addition to multiple lion and leopard sightings. It was phenomenal. Add to that some of the best elephant sightings in Southern Africa with breeding herds which are as relaxed as they come and which often walk right by the open vehicles. The general game viewing at Mashatu can be superb too with particularly high numbers of giraffes, plenty of eland, kudu, impalas, steenbok, blackbacked jackals and striped hyena with a chance of  brown hyena as well. 

There are several more compelling reasons to include Mashatu on your next Africa trip. The setting is very different from the northeastern South African bushveld with rocky hills and several dramatic drop-offs and vistas making it particularly appealing for hiking. Nothing better than starting a Mashatu trip with a three night hike staying at three different small bush camps, and then stepping it up in terms of accommodation and facilities at one of Mashatu’s camps and lodges. Several of which are family-friendly to boot. Another plus: the option to spend a morning or afternoon or even more than one, in a blind such as Mashatu’s well-known Mathebola or elephant hide. Get ready for some close-ups! I rank Mashatu right up there as one of the top three best Africa destinations for wildlife photography. Finally, Mashatu offers a range of light adventure activities including foot safaris, mountain biking and horseback safaris – so bring your boots or helmet and head out into the bush.  

While Mashatu is a stunning reserve worth visiting as a stand-alone destination, it is best combined with South Africa’s greater Kruger Park area, specifically to add buffalos and rhinos to the list of ‘Big Five’ mammals to be seen. The last time we did just that, we added not only those two animals, but also African painted dog and pangolin at MalaMala in the Sabi Sand Reserve. That was a trip for the ages, and it’s an excellent choice any time from May through October and early November.  

The Sabi Sand Game Reserve alongside the southern part of Kruger Park is known for its phenomenal leopard sightings, with the thick brush providing perfect cover for them. Beyond that, there are good numbers of lions as well and an excellent chance to see the rare, spectacular African painted dogs. We do have our favorite properties in the area, headed up by MalaMala which is a standout because of the considerable stretch of the Sand River which runs through the property. Game drives are done on the western side of the river, an area which acts as a magnet to many species of animals which move closer to water during the dry season. Other Sabi Sand properties which we like to include in itineraries are Kirkmans, Sabi Sabi, Leopard Hill and Savanna. They are all special in their own way. Of course the Sabi Sand Reserve isn’t the only game in town in the way of private game reserves adjacent to the Kruger Park. The Timbavati Reserve is another major player where camps like Walkers Plains Camp, Kambaku River Sands and Kings Camp offer an excellent wildlife experience at a somewhat lower price point.  

Bert is always happy to talk about his past and future trips.  He will be returning from a Zambia and Malawi trip soon so by all means contact him at bert@fisheaglesafaris.com to ask about those two countries, or to get the ball rolling for your own visit to one of his favorite destinations.