African Safaris » Safari in Africa

When Robert Redford was filming Out of Africa he flew over Kenya’s Maasai Mara Game Reserve in a small plane. Redford peered out of the window and saw a solitary male lion encircled by vehicles filled with camera-toting tourists. “I know just how he feels,” Redford sighed.

As tourism became increasingly important to the Kenyan economy, so the old-style safaris under canvas beat a retreat, leaving in their wake conveyor-belt tours of the “today Naivasha, tomorrow the coast” variety.

Hauntingly beautiful wildlife areas have become so congested that the authorities are deeply concerned about the rapid deterioration of the environment. The game-drive rush hours early morning and late afternoon are turning grasslands into cauldrons of dust.

Zoologists report that some predators have developed neuroses because they can no longer stalk their prey without being trailed by a horde of onlookers. The cheetah, which normally hunts in daylight, is adapting to the crowds by hunting under the cover of darkness instead.

This is not what safaris are supposed to be like. There is a different type of trip to be had that is in tune with the slow, quirky tempo of life in the bush. On this voyage the true face of Africa both majestic and intriguing will unfold before you at a leisurely pace.

Customised safaris that take you off the beaten track and into the wild come in many different wrappings. Some cosset their clients with champagne and comfortable Range Rovers. Others are arduous and travel to the edge of reality. Deluxe or demanding, they both offer skilled guides who do what you want to do and take you where you want to go, ensuring that every moment is savoured before being thoroughly digested.