Your Adventure
Botswana
Boasting one of the last remaining true wilderness locations on the planet, Botswana makes for an unforgettable destination! Safari is the name of the game here, and a more wild, exclusive and remote experience you will struggle to find. Be warned that once you have experienced the most basic and primal of connections with the natural world as you do here… little else will come close!
Botswana is a sensory overload! The sight of a solitary, cautious female leopard meeting with her cub, or witnessing how the sky changes colours during a summer sunset, will be imprinted in your memory forever. The smell of an elephant bull in musth; or that distinctive organic scent of the swamps as you glide across its waters on a warm, summer afternoon. The sound of a male lion’s roar as it comes up out of his belly; the feeling of walking barefoot in the sand; or the distinct taste of that first gin & tonic as the day comes to an end around a warm fire. This is the Botswana that awaits you; and brings you back.
With enormous expanses of land dedicated to conservation and many of these unhindered by human settlements or boundaries (fences), Botswana is the ultimate wildlife destination and has so many incredible places to visit! The iconic Okavango Delta (recently listed as the 1000th World Heritage site by the IUCN), Moremi Game Reserve, Linyanti Swamps, Savute and Chobe National Park are the main wildlife attractions, closely followed by the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Makgadigadi & Nxai Pans. Other attractions such as the Okavango Panhandle, Tshodilo Hills, Baines Baobabs, Nata, Kubu Island and various Forest Reserves add diversity and culture to the mix.
The tourism and conservation success of Botswana lies in its leadership and tourism strategy: which is one of high cost, low impact. The vision behind this approach is to allow large tracts of land (termed concessions) to remain untouched, with only a limited and finite number of guests allowed on the concession at a time. The result is a collection of luxury lodges that have exclusive and private access to wide stretches of the African wilderness. This, however, is by no means the only way to experience Botswana! The array of experiences is vast and varied. Truly experience the wild by joining a mobile camping safari, or replace the game viewer for a motor boat and explore the Delta’s waterways. Get back to basics with a walking safari, or see the African bush from horseback. Mokoro, fish, canoe, ride on the back of an elephant or engage with the ancient San culture.
Zambia
If you are looking for a safari destination without the frills and fuss, just raw comfort and superb wildlife viewing, Zambia should be at the top of your bucket list! With tourism still somewhat in in its infancy in this country, some will compare it to “Botswana twenty years ago”. South Luangwa National Park offers phenomenal gameconcentrations and wildlife viewing and is one of the few places where you can see a pride of leopards… yes pride! Five of them, walking together! North Luangwa National Park is a true wilderness, seeing its first travellers a mere three decades ago and today with only three safari outfitters operating in 4636 km² of mostly untouched terrain. Limited roads make this a walking safari paradise. The Luangwa River runs like a lifeline along the two Parks’ boundaries, teeming with hippo and crocodiles – an impossible sight!
where you can canoe, walk, drive, fish and boat cruise, all the while
looking across the river into Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools! Explore the Kafue National Park and its extensive plains, not only one of African’s largest and oldest National Parks but also easily accessible from Livingstone.
Get a taste of early 1900’s colonial Africa by visiting the historic
Africa House or rejuvenate in the crystal clear and natural hot springs of Kapishya. And as if that is not enough, you can witness the mighty Victoria Falls while staying in the vibrant town of Livingstone!
Zimbabwe
Who knows what the explorer David Livingstone must have thought when he first witnessed the mighty Victoria Falls in 1855, from his vantage point on Livingston Island? Of course he was not the first to have seen its majesties, it was already named in one of the local dialects as Mosi-oa-Tunya, directly translated as the Smoke that Thunders, but it was he who exposed this natural wonder to the world. Situated on the Zambezi River and classed as the largest waterfall on the planet, in terms of falling sheet of water, it is a spectacle not to be missed!
Though the Victoria Falls has remained a mostly constant attraction and tourist destination over the last few decades of political unrest, Zimbabwe is making a comeback and is fast regaining its reputation as a much sought after safari and holiday destination, extending far beyond the well-known Victoria Falls. Zambezi National Park and Hwange National Park are easily accessible from Victoria Falls, while further afield Mana Pools, Lake Kariba, Matusadona, Gonarezhou and the Eastern Highlands provide ample exciting safari destinations. Especially renowned for world class walking and canoe safaris, some of the best guides in Africa, warm, friendly people and excellent service, Zimbabwe makes for the most rewarding of safari experiences.
Other Countries
Africa is exceptionally large; the holiday opportunities endless. Safari Essence is a multi-destination booking company constantly striving to maintain and increase our knowledge and our expertise of our vast continent. Our main focus is Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia with South Africa, Namibia, and Mozambique as extensions, and working with strategic partners in destinations further afield such as Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
Depending on the destination, the season, the holiday time available to our guests, and their expectations, we combine and advocate a multitude of varying and exciting experiences. We love to mix and match an array of activities and products so that our guests have a holistic and rewarding journey through our spectacular continent. Some of the products and experiences include: luxury lodge safaris, mobile camping safaris, mobile boating safaris, walking safaris, green safaris, guided tours, self-drive packages, photographic workshops, honeymoon packages, beach/dive packages, family holidays, disability travel and much more!
