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BEAUTIFUL CUSTOM SAFARIS

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The 10 Most Breathtaking Places for Safaris in Africa

AMBARii GUIDE TO SAFARIS

The Okavango Delta + Linyati
Botswana

Pristine and wild, the magical Okavango Delta and Linyati, with its high density of wildlife, offers a pure unsurpassed wildlife experience on land and water in vast private wilderness areas reserved for just a few guests at a time. The annual flooding of the Okavango Delta begins from April/May onwards and transforms the area into a remarkable eden teeming with wildlife and birds. There is simply nothing like it. The game viewing is epic! As the months get warmer, the water evaporates, and from October onwards the wildlife begins gathering at the remaining water sources which become hot spots for predator hunts. The rains begin in late November and within a few months the parched earth turns verdant green and the plains are dotted with newborns ready to join the next flood. This is a paradise without equal!

Mana Pools + Hwange + Vic Falls + Matusadona + Malilangwe
Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe may be famous for Victoria Falls but it has a lot more to offer. The scenic Mana Pools, a Unesco World Heritage Site on the Zambezi River, provides exceptional land and water based safaris in relative seclusion. Hwange, one of Africa's largest wildlife reserves, is renowned for huge population of elephant, buffalo and predators, which often gather at water holes in the dry winter season, and superb birding in the summer months towards the end of the year. Matusadona on the edge of Lake Kariba is another gem, especially for the adventurous, who might want to spend a few days fishing and viewing prolific wildlife from a houseboat. Malilangwe, a superb exclusive reserve bordering the scenic Gonarezhou National Park, offers high-class accommodation and remarkable experiences, including rhino tracking, for discerning, luxury travellers. A huge plus for Zimbabwean reserves is the ability to go for bush walks with some of the best trained guides on the continent!

North & South Luangwa + Lower Zambezi + Kafue + Vic Falls
Zambia

Zambia's fabulous wildlife areas lie at the southern edge of the Great Rift Valley. The Luangwa valley, renowned for engaging multi-day walking safaris, can be combined with the Lower Zambezi for a thrilling multi-activity adventure that includes canoeing, river cruises, day and night game drives, bush walks and wild camping under the stars. For off-the beaten-path safaris, Kafue, Zambia's oldest and largest wildlife area, is the rising star, offering raw, authentic bush adventures in a vast wilderness that is rapidly being restored to its former glory. Kafue's beating heart is the Busanga Plains where lions abound. Zambian camps generally run from April to October, however, more and more camps, especially in the Luangwa valley, are starting to offer 'green season' safaris at excellent prices. And you can easily add a visit to the magnificent Victoria Falls to your safari at any time of the year.

Laikipia + Northern Kenya + Chyulu
Kenya

The picture many people have of Africa is of golden savannah dotted with game and studded with flat top umbrella acacias.This is actually the landscape of Kenya, known for the classic tented safari and big game encounters in the world-famous Masai Mara, Amboseli, Tsavo and Samburu wildlife areas which over the last two decades have become hugely popular. This popularity has come at a price with over-crowding and too many vehicles at game sightings. In recent years though, Kenya has made great strides in addressing the issue by establishing other major conservation areas that offer intimate wildlife experiences by restricting the number of visitors and offering high quality accomodation including exclusive private houses.

One such area is Laikipia in Central Kenya, where cattle ranches and local communities have joined up to re-establish old wildlife migratory corridors and protect wildlife. Borana, Lewa and other conservancies in Lakipia are not only thriving rhino sanctuaries but also offer incredible game viewing with stunning landscapes of rolling hills and savannahs facing Mt Kenya. These conservancies can be explored in a variety of ways including on foot, bikes, horses and camels and offer a chance to learn about wildlife conservation. Beyond these conservancies lie further wonderful lodges and camps, all in vast private concessions offering exciting tribal and wildlife encounters in beautiful surroundings combined with thrilling helicopter adventures to Mt Kenya, Lake Turkana and breathtaking Northern Kenya.

In the south, the stunning Chyulu Hills, straddling Amboseli and Tsavo national parks, are home to exclusive luxury safari camps on expansive private land overlooking snow capped Mt Kilimanjaro. And there are several new private conservancies in the Masai Mara, established in collaboration with the local masai community resulting in excellent game viewing without the crowds. Kenya has deftly re-engineered the classic wildlife safari into an action-packed multi-activity adventure one that is unique in Africa and perfect for families who seek special private experiences that go well beyond game-viewing in a vehicle. And for guests who love the sea, the glorious coastal beaches of Lamu, Watamu and Diani are only a couple of hours away!

Serengeti + Masai Mara
Tanzania + Kenya

Serengeti is perhaps the greatest wildlife area in Africa and hosts the spectacular wildebeest and zebra migration which travels from its southern fringes to the far north where it crosses the Mara River and spills over into the Masai Mara in Kenya before returning to the southern breeding grounds of Ndutu. The sheer number of animals migrating (between 1 to 2 million) attracts predators in huge numbers. With such a spectacle avoiding crowds can be tricky, but with AMBARii's specialist knowledge of locations and specific camps, it is possible to have an off-the-beaten track migration safari that can also incorporate walking which is is generally not permitted in the Serengeti and Masai Mara. We highly recommend spending several nights in the Serengeti/Masai Mara ecosystem in at least two contrasting locations to give you a varied experience. Serengeti is often combined with Ngorongoro Crater, Manyara or Tarangire, all very busy parks so knowing the right locations and camps for a superior experience is a must. With daily flights from Serengeti to Kigali, we also often combine a migration safari with a gorilla trek in Rwanda but if you prefer the coast then Zanzibar is a popular destination with beautiful beaches. Or you may want to try out the more remote private islands of Fanjove or Thanda.

Volcanoes National Park + Magashi + Nyungwe Forest
Rwanda

A gorilla trek is perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife adventures you can have and the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, where the gorillas live, is an easy 3-hour drive or 45-min helicopter ride from Kigali, the spotless capital city. There are twelve habituated gorilla families living in different parts of the park. You have the choice of easy, medium or hard treks depending on your fitness/ability/preference and will visit a family accordingly. There are some super luxurious places to stay around the park which are in high demand (Bisate, Singita, One & Only, Sabinyo Lodge) but you also have a decent choice of cheaper accommodation. We highly recommend a 3-night extension to Magashi camp on Lake Rwanyakazinga in Akagera National Park. This is Rwanda's stunning 'Big Five' wildlife area with amazing birdlife too. And then there's Nyungwe Forest, the oldest rainforest in Africa, where you could do a trek to visit chimpanzees and experience canopy walk. Rwanda is a verdant, scenic country with friendly citizens who have had to endure a tragic past but have put aside their differences to heal and rebuild their lives and move the country forward. Rwanda is rewarding in so many ways, you will fall in love with it!

Sossussvlei + The Skeleton Coast + Serra Cafema + Damaraland
Namibia

Mysterious and enigmatic, Namibia possesses a unique beauty. From the oldest desert with some of the tallest sand dunes in the world to the harsh inhospitable Skeleton Coast with its shipwrecks, to Damaraland with its rugged mountain landscapes and desert-adapted wildlife, Namibia is one of the most amazing countries in Africa. Sossusvlei and Namibia Rand have spectacular desert landscapes that can be explored on foot, vehicle, quad bikes, bicycles and balloon, with climbing sand dunes, particularly Big Daddy leading onto Dead Vlei, being one of the must-do activities. From here, we recommend a scenic flight to Damaraland for some rhino tracking and desert-adapted elephants before a flight to the Skeleton Coast for a chance to view shipwrecks and desert-adapted lions. Another spectacular flight takes you to Serra Cafema, a remote breathtaking corner of Namibia bordering Angola, where you can visit the Himba tribe or explore the spectacular region on quad bikes or by boat whenever the Cunene River permits. Namibia can be visited all-year-round and is suitable for self-driving at a reasonable cost, however, some of the more spectacular regions can only be accessed on scenic flights. You may extend your visit to Etosha for its wildlife and the salt pans but in our view Namibia's best regions are elsewhere.

Ruaha + Nyerere National Parks
Tanzania

Two of Africa's vast wildlife areas situated in south eastern part of Tanzania offer a wilder, more remote safari option to the Serengeti with significantly fewer crowds. Only a handful of camps and lodges provide high quality safaris in the dry season from June to mid-November with the ability to explore the terrain in 4x4 vehicles, on foot with fly-camping, as well as by boat. The sheer size of the parks means the wildlife is well spread out but in the dry season it tends to concentrate around the Great Ruaha and Rufiji Rivers and their banks resulting in fantastic game viewing of huge herds of buffalo and elephants, enormous hippo pods and hunting predators. The terrain, habitats and vegetation here are very different from the northern Tanzania parks, more relatable to southern african wilderness, thus by combining this area with the Serengeti migration, you will be rewarded with a rich and diverse safari with plenty of wildlife that can be explored in relative seclusion in a variety of ways. For beach, Zanzibar is within easy reach with daily scheduled or private flights but for a more remote beach experience, we highly recommend Fanjove Island in the Mafia archipelago.

Mahale & Katavi
Tanzania

Two magical wildlife areas in western Tanzania offer a combination of chimpanzee trekking out of Mahale on the shores of Lake Tanganyika combined with a remote safari in one of the least visited wildlife areas in Africa, Katavi. If you are looking for something wild and exhilarating, away from the mainstream, then look no further! Here, from your delightful and remote beach hut, you will track chimpanzees in the forest behind and swim, sail, kayak or snorkel in Lake Tanganyika, world's longest, second oldest, second deepest and second largest by volume freshwater lake! Then stay in a classic expeditionary safari camp in a million acres teeming with mammals, followed by a sleep-out in the true 'middle of nowhere' to experience one of the wildest parts of Africa where hundreds of hippos and crocodiles battle in the drying water pools for survival. It is mind-boggling. You could pair Mahale and Katavi with Serengeti and a gorilla trek in Rwanda or with Ruaha and Nyerere National Park for a magnificent safari adventure of the non-standard kind!

Private Reserves of South Africa
South Africa

South Africa's private reserves cater well to luxury travellers who want a quick-fix safari offering the 'Big Five' on tap while staying in world-class 5* camps and lodges. Most private reserves are concentrated around Kruger National Park with Sabi Sands, Mala Mala, Thornybush and Timbavati providing most of the luxury accommodation. Phinda, Kwandwe, Madikwe in other parts of South Africa also offer excellent safaris while the vast 270,000-acre Tswalu Kalahari in Northern Cape is an incredible destination if you prefer to do a high-end safari accompanied by your own private guide and vehicle in a magnificent desert environment with rare and interesting species including meerkats, pangolins, brown hyena, aardvark and aardwolf. There are no elephants here but rest of the 'Big 5' are present in good numbers with game viewings very intimate and never rushed. Excellent guiding, good food and wine, superb accommodation and great service are constant hallmarks of a luxury safari in South Africa, however, for a proper wilderness safari we do recommend other safari countries. South Africa does have the advantage of having the wonderful scenery of Cape Town and the Winelands, the magnificent flora of Karoo, the great marine migration of the sardines and the whales, and the history of the Zulu battlefields to be able to offer a very diverse and compelling visit. No wonder it is often referred to as 'The World in One Country'!