Five ways a privately guided safari elevates your Wilderness journey

This is where the services of an expert private safari guide can turn an unforgettable safari into one that is truly life-changing. From by-your-side support, to personalised knowledge, and customised experiences, our Wilderness private guides are here to elevate your safari experience. Here are just five reasons why you should consider booking a private guide for your next African safari:

1. Continuity from start to finish

From the very moment you start dreaming of your safari, to the thrilling moment you touch down on African soil for the very first time, your highly-experienced private guide will be there with you. They’ll lead your safari from start to finish, at a time and pace dictated by you. This experience will improve your itinerary, ensure there isn’t any overlap of information, and deliver a level of personalised attention that is hard to match.

With your safari guide solely focused on you and your group, your needs, interests, and preferences are met throughout the journey. Of course, they will also provide seamless logistics, taking care of all the intricate details of travelling in Africa and making sure everything runs smoothly, allowing you to relax and fully immerse yourself in the guided safari experience. Whether it's arranging transportation, co-ordinating game drives, or even ensuring your dietary requirements are met, your Wilderness guide will handle it all, providing you with 24-hour emergency service, operational assistance, and experience liaisons. In this ever-increasing technological world where real humans to call on are few and far between, having a ready ear to listen and a hand to hold when the need arises, is a real breath of fresh air.

2. A wealth of knowledge from our African safari expert guides

Our Wilderness safari guides provide the vital link between you and the intricacies of the natural world. With their in-depth knowledge of the landscape, animal behaviour, and seasonal patterns, your chances of witnessing remarkable wildlife moments are greatly increased. Whether it's tracking lions as they move through the desert dunes of Namibia, or unexpectedly spotting a leopard emerging from a thicket in the Okavango Delta, your guide's knowledge of our Wilderness destinations means you won't miss out on any of these thrilling wildlife sightings.

Along with ensuring you’re always in the right place at the right time for those fabulous moments, our Wilderness guides will astound you with their wealth of knowledge about the wildlife and their natural habitats. With fascinating insights about animal behaviour, migrations, and ecological interactions, and their encyclopaedic knowledge of the birds, bees and trees, our guides will help you to gain a deeper appreciation for the intricate web of life in the wilderness.

3. Specific skill sets to match your own

With a private guide, you have the freedom to customise your safari to your interests and preferences. Whether you're a budding nature photographer, a birder, or someone seeking cultural interactions, your guide will curate a journey filled with activities and experiences that resonate with you.

At Wilderness, you can also choose to book a particular guide who meets your specific specialist requirement. Many are skilled photographers and can assist you in getting that amazing wildlife photograph you’ve always dreamt of, while others can identify all things that fly, and others still are most at home tracking on foot as the leaders of walking safaris. If you’re concerned about language barriers, you could even request a private guide who can communicate with you in your mother tongue.

4. A friendly face in the wilderness

The famed travel writer, Robert Louis Stevenson, once said, “We are all travellers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” Beyond your window to the Wilderness, your private guide will quickly feel like part of your family. They’ll drive with you, walk with you and even eat with you, ensuring that when it comes the time for you to leave your adventure, you will have gained a lifelong friend.

Travelling with kids? You can rest easy in the knowledge that we have private guides who are excellent with children on safari, amusing and educating them so that they go home raving about their time in Africa. Many of our repeat guests also request the same guide they have built a relationship with on previous trips, returning time and time again, and immediately being welcomed like an old friend into the bosom of the wilderness.

5. Unique experiences

From tracking wildlife on foot and secret picnics on the plains, to water activities, scenic flights, starry sleep-outs and bush dinners, our private guides can organise a range of unforgettable experiences you may otherwise not have known existed. You won’t be disappointed realising you needed to book a unique experience ahead of time, as your private guide will have already organised all these special extras for you.

A safari is also not just about wildlife; it's an opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture, and our private guides are well versed in the traditions, customs, and history of our areas, most of them hailing from the area themselves. They can organise visits to local communities, providing you with authentic interactions and a deeper understanding of the African way of life. From learning about age-old customs to participating in traditional ceremonies, your guide can facilitate meaningful cultural exchanges that are supremely enriching and offer a unique perspective on the destination you're visiting.