Wildlife
The best place to start. Ask yourself, "What do I want to see?" For most visitors the focus is on the Big 5 - lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo. Safari operators have borrowed the term that big game hunter's used for their most desirable trophies. The Kruger National Park in South Africa and Kenya's Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara are great places to go in search of the Big 5 and for other mammals and birds. Both the black and the white rhino are endangered, the black rhino more so. The best sightings of white rhino are generally in South Africa and for the black rhino we recommend Namibia's Etosha National Park and Damaraland. Elephants are hugely appealing, some of the largest herds in the world can be found in the Chobe National Park and Linyanti regions of Botswana. Primates, especially gorillas and chimpanzees are charismatic animals and often a focus for the wildlife traveller. If this is your main interest then head for the pristine forests of Uganda and Tanzania.
Predator sightings, particularly the big cats, are always a magical experience and a highlight of any safari. During the famous wildebeest migration in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and the Masai Mara in Kenya expect superb predator action, in particular lions and cheetah. Leopards are best observed on night drives in the Kruger Park in South Africa, the Okavango Delta in Botswana and the South Luangwa in Zambia. Once you've decided on your game viewing priorities it is time to choose how you wish to experience it. There are a wide variety of styles from luxury tented lodges to simple fly camping. The categories below offer luxury, basic and midrange options.
Mobile Safari
Mobile safaris enable you to get into the heart of the African bush. Whether you choose a private luxury camp or a rustic walking option, mobiles are all about privacy and flexibility; a luxury in its self. The camp is moved from location to location, the more up market options are set up in advance of your arrival. At the top end of the scale the mobile tents have proper beds, en suite bathrooms with hot showers, your own chef and even a mobile bar. The simple options using private camp sites still offer relative comfort with a shared shower and toilet and comfortable mattresses, there is even a separate mess and bar tent or dine out under the stars depending on the season. This style of trip is particularly recommended for seeing the Okavango Delta, Kalahari Makgadikgadi and other regions of Botswana, Namibia or Zambia's Kafue National Park where seasonal migrations are the focus for game viewing; mobile safaris enable you to respond to game movements as you leave the crowds behind and immerse yourself in the wilderness.
Fly-In Safari
Fly in safaris offer the ultimate convenience taking you into the heart of the wilderness directly from a country's international airport. Nambia's Skeleton Coast is best explored using light aircraft - the perfect way to appreciate this vast wilderness area. Fly in safaris are also a popular way to travel around Botswana, the Northern and Southern Circuits of Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia. Flying enables you to save time and cover variety of destinations in a reasonable time frame.
Walking Safari
Walking safaris are a magical way to explore the African bush. Naturally you cover less distance but when you step out of a safari vehicle you feel your senses sharpen and alert to every sound you become part of the bush. Walking safaris are all about quality not quantity, listen, smell and feel as you travel. Zambia is the home of walking safaris as pioneered by the great conservationist Norman Carr. Walking is also offered in certain parts of the Kruger in South Africa and in the southern circuit parks of Tanzania.
Self Drive Safari
Self drive options are popular with visitors to South Africa and Namibia. This style of travel offers freedom and flexibility and you can choose how to pace your day. South Africa's Kruger National Park is Big 5 country and has excellent facilities for the independent traveller. Self drives are also popular with visitors to Namibia, facilities here are particularly conducive to independent travel. You could include a visit to Etosha National Park, an incredible wilderness area yet it's still accessible for the independent traveller.
Lodges
Generally, lodges in most parts of Africa are larger than other options such as tented camps but offer more amenities such as swimming pools, shops and perhaps a choice of restaurants, just like a large hotel. One of the most important considerations is location. We often recommend Tanzania's Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge and Chobe Game Lodge in Botswana. They offer good value and an abundance of scenery and game viewing, especially important for families and groups. Lodges, however, can also be ultra luxurious such as in the case of South Africa's Singita lodges in the Kruger Park and Shamwari lodges in the Eastern Cape.
Tented Camps & Bush Camps
Tented Camps and Bush Camps are the perfect way to experience the African bush. This is the most popular choice with Mahlatini's discerning clients! Sleeping under canvas reminds you that after all you are in Africa, but there is no need to compromise on comfort. Indeed most of our luxury options are tented for example Sausage Tree Camp in Zambia, Migration Camp in Tanzania, or Mombo Camp in the heart of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Most 'tents' consist of large bedrooms and bathrooms including all the modern amenities that you would expect in a luxury hotel. Also popular are semi permanent tented camps which are best used where seasonal migrations are the focus for game viewing for example during the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti. Camps such as Sayari and Olakira remain in place for up to 3 months at a time before moving to a separate area of the park to follow the animal herds.
Luxury is just as much about experience as material extravagance and many of the bush camps we work with are in very remote wilderness areas, for example Zambia's South Luangwa's Mchenja Bushcamp. These camps and lodges are often owner managed rather than being part of a safari camp chain, you are guaranteed personal friendly service from people with a passion for the surrounding wilderness and wildlife.
Each country in southern and eastern Africa offers a different and unique safari experience to the other around it. Now that you have read up on the different types of safari available, choose a country to view our sample safaris.