Safari
Wild places. Extraordinary wildlife. A safari designed around you.
There is no single version of a safari holiday.
For some people, it’s their first glimpse of elephants, lions and giraffes in the wild. For others, it’s tracking gorillas through the forests of Rwanda, gliding quietly through the Okavango Delta in a mokoro, or returning to Africa in search of somewhere even more remote.
Choosing where to go is only the beginning. The right reserve, lodge, guide and route can make a huge difference to the experience.
At Reigate Luxury Travel, we create tailor-made safari holidays built around the way you want to travel, whether that means a luxurious first safari, a family-friendly adventure, a private fly-in journey or a combination of a few days in the bush with the beach, city or something completely different.
South Africa safari
The best all-rounder
If you’re planning your first safari, South Africa is a great place to start.
The Kruger region offers superb wildlife viewing, with some exceptional private reserves and lodges ranging from relaxed family-friendly properties to seriously luxurious retreats.
But one of South Africa’s biggest advantages is everything you can do around your safari. Spend a few days exploring Cape Town, eat and drink your way through the Winelands, drive the Garden Route or simply slow the pace down with a few nights on the coast.
There are also excellent malaria-free safari areas, which can make South Africa particularly attractive for families with younger children.
South Africa is a great choice for:
First-time safari travellers · Families · Food and wine lovers · Safari and city combinations · Multi-generational trips
Alex’s take
My first ever safari experience was in South Africa and it’s a destination I regularly recommend. I love the variety on offer: you can have a fantastic wildlife experience without making the entire holiday about safari.
SOUTH AFRICA SAFARI IDEA
Cape Town, Winelands & Safari
Start with four nights in Cape Town, followed by a couple of days eating and wine tasting in Franschhoek before flying north for three or four nights in a private safari reserve.
It’s an ideal introduction to South Africa and works particularly well if one person is more safari-obsessed than the other!
Kenya safari
The classic
If your mental picture of safari involves huge African skies, open savannah and giraffes wandering across the horizon, Kenya is probably what you are imagining.
The Maasai Mara is the star, particularly when the Great Migration is passing through, but there is much more to Kenya than the Mara.
Head north to Samburu for dramatically different landscapes and wildlife, see elephants beneath Kilimanjaro around Amboseli or stay within a private conservancy where visitor numbers are more tightly controlled.
Light aircraft make it possible to combine several different areas without spending days driving between them, and Kenya also works brilliantly as a safari-and-beach holiday.
Kenya is a great choice for:
Classic safari scenery · First-time visitors · The Great Migration · Families with older children · Photographers · Safari and beach combinations
Alex’s take
I’ve been to Kenya several times and it remains very special to me. I love the sense of space and the variety between different areas – a few days in Samburu can feel completely different to the Maasai Mara.
KENYA SAFARI IDEA
Samburu, Maasai Mara & Beach
Combine the arid landscapes and distinctive wildlife of Samburu with several days in the Maasai Mara, travelling between camps by light aircraft.
Then swap binoculars for bare feet with a few days on the coast in Mombasa, Zanzibar or the Seychelles.
Botswana safari
Wild, remote and exclusive
Botswana is somewhere I would particularly consider if you have been on safari before, or if wilderness and exclusivity matter more to you than ticking animals off a list.
The Okavango Delta is unlike almost anywhere else in Africa. Seasonal floodwaters spread across the landscape, creating a maze of channels, islands and floodplains.
Depending on where you stay and the water levels, days can involve conventional game drives alongside boat trips and peaceful mokoro journeys through the waterways.
Then there is Moremi, where land and delta meet, and Chobe, famous for its extraordinary concentrations of wildlife along the river.
Many of Botswana’s camps are small and reached by light aircraft. That remoteness is a huge part of the appeal.
Botswana is a great choice for:
Couples · Repeat safari travellers · Wildlife enthusiasts · Photographers · Small camps · Fly-in adventures · A real sense of wilderness
SAFARI IDEA
The Okavango Delta & Chobe
Combine two contrasting camps in or around the Okavango Delta - perhaps one focused on water activities and another on traditional game drives - before continuing to Chobe.
It can also be easily paired with Victoria Falls for a completely different ending to the trip.
Uganda & Rwanda
For something extraordinary
Coming face-to-face with a mountain gorilla is a very different experience from watching wildlife from a safari vehicle.
In Rwanda, gorilla trekking takes place among the forested slopes of Volcanoes National Park. Rwanda works particularly well if you want to make gorilla trekking the focus of a shorter trip, perhaps combining it with Kigali or a conventional safari in Akagera National Park.
Uganda lends itself to a longer and slightly more adventurous journey.
Gorillas can be tracked in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, while a wider itinerary might also include chimpanzee tracking in Kibale, the wildlife of Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls.
Whichever you choose, gorilla trekking requires a bit more physical effort than a traditional safari. The reward is one of the most extraordinary wildlife encounters you can have.
Uganda and Rwanda are a great choice for:
Gorilla trekking · Primates · Active travellers · Wildlife enthusiasts · Repeat safari travellers · Something completely different
INTINERARY IDEA
Gorillas & Safari
For a shorter, more luxurious journey, combine Kigali with Volcanoes National Park and a few days on safari in Rwanda.
For something more adventurous, travel through Uganda combining chimpanzee tracking, conventional safari and a final gorilla trek in Bwindi.
Which safari is right for you?
If this is your first safari…
I’d start by looking at South Africa or Kenya.
If you’re travelling with children…
Consider South Africa, particularly its malaria-free reserves.
If seeing the Great Migration is the dream…
Look at Kenya and Tanzania.
If you want somewhere remote and exclusive…
I’d put Botswana high on the list.
If gorillas are the reason you’re travelling…
It has to be Rwanda or Uganda.
If you want safari alongside food, wine and a city break…
Choose South Africa.
If you want safari followed by the beach…
Kenya works particularly well.
If you’ve already been on safari and want something different…
Consider Botswana, Uganda or Rwanda.
Start planning your safari
Already know where you want to go? Great.
Completely overwhelmed by the options? That’s fine too.
Tell us a little about the kind of trip you have in mind and we’ll help you work out where to start.