African safaris

There is no single answer. The right country depends on what you want to see and when. Botswana offers some of the most exclusive wildlife sightings on the continent, with vast private concessions and low camp densities that keep the bush genuinely wild. Tanzania and Kenya deliver the Great Migration in the Serengeti and Masai Mara respectively, offering a unique sense of scale. Rwanda is one of the best places to trek to see mountain gorillas in dense forest. And Zimbabwe's Mana Pools is one of Africa's finest walking safari destinations. Combine two or three countries in one of our itineraries for a truly rewarding safari.

A luxury safari with Wilderness typically ranges from USD 800 to USD4,000+ per person per night, fully inclusive of accommodation, all meals, game activities, and expert guides. The total cost of a safari depends on destination, duration, and time of year. Rwanda and Botswana command premium rates, while shoulder seasons in some destinations, such as Zimbabwe, offer great wildlife sightings at better value. Our Travel Designers help build itineraries around your priorities and your budget rather than a standard package. Contact us for a tailored quote.

The dry season – broadly May to October across Southern and East Africa – concentrates wildlife around permanent water sources and delivers the clearest game viewing. But the best time depends entirely on your priorities. Botswana peaks for predator activity in July and August. Tanzania's Great Migration calving runs December to February in the southern Serengeti. Rwanda's mountain gorillas can be trekked year-round, while Namibia's desert landscapes are best in the cooler months of May to September. We match your travel dates to the destinations that perform best in your window – not the other way around.

We recommend a minimum of seven nights to travel meaningfully. Ten to 14 nights allow you to combine two destinations comfortably – for example, Botswana's Okavango Delta with Zimbabwe's Mana Pools, or Tanzania's Serengeti with Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park. Our Travel Designers build itineraries around depth of experience, not a checklist of stamps. If time is limited, we'd rather place you in one outstanding destination for five nights than spread you across three in a week.

That depends on where and when you travel. Botswana offers exceptional lion, leopard, elephant, and wild dog sightings, and our camps in the Okavango and Linyanti operate in some of the highest-density wildlife areas on the continent. Tanzania's Serengeti delivers the wildebeest migration and cheetah on open plains. Rwanda offers mountain gorilla sightings in Volcanoes National Park, and lion and other members of the Big 5 in Akagera. Namibia is home to desert-adapted rhino which can be seen on foot and desert elephant in the Kunene. We will brief you honestly on what to expect for each destination and season. There are no guarantees in the wild, but our guides know where to look and when.

Our core Southern African experience is the fly-in safari – small aircraft linking a sequence of remote camps, each in its own distinct ecosystem. Beyond game drives, the type of safari varies by destination: mokoro and boat safaris in Botswana's Okavango Delta, walking safaris in Zimbabwe's Mana Pools, adrenaline-rush adventure at the Victoria Falls in Zambia, mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda, and desert safaris on foot or by vehicle in Namibia. You can combine three or four activity types across a single itinerary.

Yes. Our camps operate inside private conservancies and national parks with professional rangers, camp managers, and emergency protocols in place year-round. All game activities – drives, walking and boat safaris, mokoro excursions – are led by qualified field guides with deep local knowledge. We brief you thoroughly on wildlife safety before any activity. We recommend comprehensive travel insurance, and we advise on this as part of every journey we plan.

Yes, and we'd encourage it. A multi-country safari allows you to experience remarkably different ecosystems, wildlife, and cultures without repeating the same landscape. Popular combinations include Botswana and Zimbabwe (Okavango Delta plus Mana Pools walking safari), Rwanda and Tanzania (gorilla trekking plus Serengeti Migration), and Namibia and Botswana (desert dunes plus the Delta). Our Wilderness Air network connects our camps across Southern Africa directly, removing commercial airline complexity from internal legs. We design the routing, timing, and camp sequence – you simply arrive.

The first step is a conversation with one of our Travel Designers – specialists who know our camps from personal experience and can match the right destinations, dates and pace to what you're looking for. Every itinerary is built around you. Use the enquiry form to get started or contact your nearest Wilderness regional Travel Shop directly. 

Three things set us apart. First, we operate our own camps and when you stay with us the same company that owns the camp plans your journey and leads your game activities. Second, every camp is located within a private conservancy, remote wilderness area or national park concession, meaning the wildlife experiences are personal and more exclusive. Third, we've been doing this for over 40 years. Wilderness was founded in Botswana in 1983, and conservation has been built into how we operate from Day 1.