Start with the feeling you want to bring home: the thrill of a close encounter, time together without rushing, or the freedom of your own route. A first safari doesn't need to include everything. It needs to include the things that matter to you.
1. Choose your starting point
- Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls, Hwange, Mana Pools and Lake Kariba. Wildlife, the Falls, a houseboat, or a mix.
- Botswana: Chobe and the Okavango Delta. Decide whether you want time on the water, on land, or both, and check where each camp actually sits.
- Zambia: Livingstone, the Lower Zambezi and South Luangwa. Ask how transfers and seasonal access fit together.
- South Africa: easy to pair with a safari: Cape Town, the Winelands or Kruger.
For most first-timers we start with Chobe, Hwange and Victoria Falls. They sit within about 200 km of each other and give you river, bush and one of the wonders of the world without long days on the road. See our sample route.
2. Decide how you want to travel
- Private and tailor-made: your dates, your pace, your level of comfort.
- Hosted small group: travel with Lance and Nikita and a few like-minded guests. See the hosted safari.
- Self-drive: independence, with a realistic route, the right vehicle and a backup plan. Self-drive planning.
- With children: check age policies before anything else, and build in rest. Family safaris.
3. Match the season to your priorities
Dry-season wildlife, green landscapes, peak waterfall flow and Cape Town weather don't follow one calendar. Pick what matters most, then fit the rest of the route around it. Our best time to visit guide explains the trade-offs month by month.
4. Fewer places, longer stays
Every move between camps costs most of a day. Three nights per stop is our minimum. More nights in fewer places almost always means a better trip.
5. Make your budget useful
Separate international flights, accommodation, transfers, park fees, activities, insurance and spending money. Decide the two or three things worth spending more on, and where you're flexible. Ask what each quote excludes so you're comparing the whole trip.
6. Your before-you-book checklist
- Passports, visas and transit rules for every traveller. See visas and border crossings.
- A travel-health appointment 6 to 8 weeks before you go. See malaria and safari health.
- Camp locations, room set-up, cooling and activity age rules.
- Luggage limits on light aircraft. See our packing list.
- Travel insurance that covers the countries and activities you're planning.
- Cancellation terms, inclusions and exclusions, read before you pay.
7. Bring your ideas to us
You don't need a finished itinerary. Tell us who's travelling, roughly when, for how long and what you'd like to spend, and we'll start there. Plan your safari.
