Destinations
Four countries. Four quite different safaris.
They are not interchangeable. The right one depends on who is travelling, how much time you have, and whether this is your first safari or your fifth.
The classic first safari
Kenya
Kenya is where most families begin, and with reason: short internal flights, open plains that make wildlife easy to find, and the Mara River crossings between roughly July and October. Amboseli gives you elephants against Kilimanjaro; Laikipia's private conservancies allow walking and night drives that national parks do not.
- Best months
- July – October, and January – March
- Regions
- Masai MaraAmboseliLaikipiaSamburu
- Mara River crossings, roughly July to October
- Elephant herds beneath Kilimanjaro in Amboseli
- Private conservancies permitting walking safaris
- Short, frequent flights from Nairobi
Scale, and the calving season
Tanzania
The Serengeti is vast enough that the migration is somewhere within it all year — the question is only where. Ndutu in the south holds the calving season around February, when roughly half a million wildebeest are born in a matter of weeks. Ngorongoro Crater is a contained ecosystem you can see in a single day, and Zanzibar sits an hour away when the family wants a beach at the end.
- Best months
- June – October for crossings; January – March for calving
- Regions
- SerengetiNgorongoro CraterTarangireZanzibar
- Calving season in Ndutu, roughly late January to March
- Ngorongoro Crater in a single unhurried day
- Tarangire's baobabs and dry-season elephant concentrations
- Zanzibar for the days after the safari
Water, space, and very few vehicles
Botswana
Botswana's low-volume, high-value policy means fewer beds across enormous concessions — you can go a full drive without seeing another vehicle. The Okavango is a flood plain rather than a plain, reached by light aircraft and explored by mokoro. It is the most expensive of the four, and for travellers who have done a safari before, usually the most memorable.
- Best months
- May – October
- Regions
- Okavango DeltaChobeLinyantiMakgadikgadi
- Mokoro through the Okavango's channels
- Chobe's elephant population, among Africa's largest
- Private concessions with strict vehicle limits
- Fly-in camps reached only by light aircraft
The easiest introduction, and malaria-free options
South Africa
South Africa is the most straightforward first trip: excellent roads, familiar infrastructure, and reserves where leopard sightings are genuinely reliable. Madikwe and the Waterberg are malaria-free, which matters when you are travelling with young children or older parents. Cape Town and the winelands pair naturally either side of the bush.
- Best months
- May – September for game viewing
- Regions
- Sabi SandKrugerMadikweCape Town
- Reliable leopard sightings in the Sabi Sand
- Malaria-free reserves suitable for young children
- Easy to combine with Cape Town and the winelands
- Self-drive possible, though we rarely recommend it first time
Madikwe and the Waterberg are malaria-free. Kruger and the Sabi Sand are not — confirm prophylaxis with your doctor.
The fire is lit
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Peak migration season (July–October) fills months in advance — the best camps go first. If you are thinking about next year, now is the time to talk.