Animal, wildlife & safari holidays:
general & motor driven wildlife trips & game tours

WILDLIFE & SAFARI HOLIDAYS DIRECTORY

 

uk flagAbsolute Africa
based: London, UK

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Africa at affordable prices. Operating ten overland trucks in East and Southern Africa and offering a wide range of wildlife and safari trips in South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

| animals/safari | Africa |

 

uk flagAigas Field Centre

based: Inverness-shire, Scotland, UK
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Discover the wildlife of Scotland on ready-made or tailored nature and wildlife holidays, including animal and bird watching, wildlife and nature photography. See pine martens, otters, beavers, dolphins, red deer, capercaillie, red squirrels, ospreys, red kites ...

| animal/safari | whale/dolphin watching | birdwatching | photographic | Scotland |

 

Chameleon Safaris Namibia
based: Windhoek, Namibia

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With a focus on quality, value for money African safaris for individuals, families and groups. Small group safaris packages, guided camping safaris, self-drive safaris and tailor-made trips. Areas covered include: Namibia, Okavango Delta, Victoria Falls, South Africa and Uganda.

| animals/safari | Africa |

 

Classic Journeys Africa Ltd

based: Nairobi, Kenya
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Safari specialist company covering holidays and tours in East Africa; with operations in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. Classic Journeys Africa will arrange all aspects of a safari and offers multilingual guides and best value, high quality accommodation and transport.

| animals/safari | walk/trek/hike | diving/snorkelling | Kenya | Tanzania | Uganda | Rwanda |

 

Drive Botswana

based: Botswana
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Drive Botswana offers self-drive safaris in Botswana and Southern Africa. Comprehensive safari itineraries include meet and greet at the airport, 4x4 hire, all accommodation, game reserve entrance fees, personal guidebook and maps.

| self drive | camping safaris | animals/safari | 4 wheel drive/4x4 | Botswana | Africa |

 

Entrée Destinations

based: British Columbia, Canada

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Polar bear safari and photo shoot, Churchill in northern Manitoba, Canada. A tour designed to provide keen wildlife photographers with ground level opportunities to photograph polar bears, caribou, Arctic fox and other wildlife in an untrammeled setting.

| animals/safari | bear watching | walk/trek safaris | photographic safaris | photographic | birdwatching | Canada |

 

uk flagG Adventures five star Featured Site

based: Canada, London & Worldwide

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G Adventures safariUnique and authentic global adventure travel for those willing to go beyond conventional tourism. Wide range of trips for animal/nature lovers: game and wildlife viewing, safaris, Galapagos, Antarctica, rainforests, cloudforests, volcanoes, hot springs, bird watching and river journeys. Ethical, sustainable tourism at its best.

| animals/safari | Africa | South America | Asia | Worldwide |

 

Gecko Adventure
based: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

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Reasonably priced safaris holidays and customised wildlife tours across Tanzania, including the famous Serengeti. Promising passionate, knowledgeable guides; locally inspired cuisine. Gecko Adventure Tanzania is a TALA licensed tour company and a member of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators.

| animals/safari | Tanzania |

 

uk flagGeoWorld Travel Ltd

based: Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales, UK
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Geologically themed holidays, Worldwide and also in Wales and other parts of the UK; aimed at all levels from enthusiasts to experts – whether you want to have the dramatic scenery explained, discover fossils, visit volcanoes or the polar regions. Also expedition cruises and Northern Lights and Wildlife focused trips.

| geological | Northern Lights/Aurora Borealis | animals/safaris | theme cruises | Wales | UK | Worldwide | Antarctic | Arctic |

 

Jeep Safaris & Tours
based: Nairobi, Kenya

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Over forty leading guided safaris and tailored wildlife viewing tours in Kenya and Tanzania for luxury and budget adventure tourists. Also Mount Kilimanjaro trekking and climbing tours.

| animals/safari | trekking peaks | Kenya | Tanzania |

 

uk flagUS flagTell Tale Travel

based: London, UK & California, USA
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Authentic holidays and soft adventure travel away from the tourist trail in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Brazil. Offering holidays with a difference, an insider experience courtesy of their unique network of local people. Offering mainly private tours for couples or families, plus a few small group departures specially designed for solo travellers.

| tailor made | family | native peoples | animal/safari | gastronomic | cookery | singles | ethical/ecotourism | Thailand | Sri Lanka | Brazil |

 

TourRadar – Honeymoon Safari Packages
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A special selection of Honeymoon safari holidays in Africa, be it Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa or Botswana. A safari honeymoon promises an action-packed trip you'll both never forget. Also offering some of the very best beaches destinations for relaxing in after adventures in the bush – a honeymoon combined safari/beach holiday makes a perfect combination!

| animals/safari | wedding/honeymoon | Africa | Tanzania | Botswana | Kenya | South Africa | Namibia | Zimbabwe |

 

 

FEATURED WILDLIFE & SAFARI HOLIDAYS

 

 

ARTICLE: NATIONAL PARKS vs. PRIVATE GAME RESERVES

National Park or Private Game Reserve safari?

Safaris in Africa take place in both National Parks/Reserves and in Private Game Reserves; both are used by tour operators offering packaged safari holidays, so it's worth knowing the difference before you book. This short article examines the differences.

 

Lake Nakuru National Park signNational Parks and Reserves

In most cases Africa's National Parks and Reserves in are managed by governments or local councils, who are responsible for roads, poaching control and security. National Parks (such as the Serengeti in Tanzania or the Kruger in South Africa) often offer the best game viewing; but the parks generally don't restrict visitor numbers, so they can be much busier than a private reserve, particularly at peak times such as migrations.

 

Anyone can drive in a National Park so they are the main choice for self-drive safaris, but vehicles are normally restricted to the official roads, so there'll be no off-road excursions in search of a particularly elusive animal. National Parks also operate at fixed times and will usually close at night, meaning safari drives to spot nocturnal species are not possible.

 

On the plus side, National Parks and Reserves will generally be less expensive and will offer cheaper (but also less luxurious) accommodation.

 

Private Game Reserves

As the name suggests, a private game reserve will be privately owned and will be on private land; frequently bordering the National Parks. A major difference is that private reserves will be restricted to the guests of the reserve, so the whole experience is likely to be quieter and more exclusive.

 

In general a private reserve will offer superior (and more expensive) accommodation and service, and can include facilities such as: spas, plunge pools and jacuzzis, swimming pools, air conditioning, fine dining and special game viewing decks. Some also offer luxury camping options.

 

In terms of viewing the wildlife, the advantage of a private reserve is that there will be less traffic and less visitors; vehicles are usually restricted to those belonging to the reserve. Reserves will run their own game drives using professional drivers and tracker/guides who'll use off-road vehicles. In a private reserve vehicles are usually allowed off-road, making it possible to track animals across the reserve and get a lot closer to them. Night drives are also possible.

 

 

ARTICLE: SAFARI HOLIDAY TIPS

Lions under the safari jeepPlanning a wildlife holiday: safari styles

The term 'safari' comes from a Swahili word meaning 'long journey' and in times gone by visitors to Africa traditionally used the name for game hunting trips. Times have changed and today's visitors are more likely to be observing and photographing the wildlife and will usually have an eye to conserving and protecting it. Africa is the traditional home of the safari and its incredible diversity of landscape, wildlife, culture and activity can make safari planning quite a daunting task. To help start the process off, the following Travel-Quest article compares some of the different styles.

Lodge-based guided safaris, perhaps the most recognisable and common type of trip. These are ideal for first time visitors and are the most usual type of safari package offered by the main-stream tour operators (as well as being available from almost all the smaller and more specialist providers too of course!). They feature game drives with a knowledgeable driver/guide and accommodation in purpose built safari lodges which can range from rustic and basic, to top-end luxury.

Camping and mobile safaris are probably the second most popular type of trip, enabling guests to get right to the heart of the action. As with the lodges they come in a range of grades, from simple bush camps with small tents and possibly guest participation in camp chores, to luxury camps with staff on hand and an amazing range of facilities. Some camps are permanent or semi-permanent, while others are moved from place to place throughout the trip; the game viewing is usually lead by a professional guide.

Luxury safaris, many operators specialise in turning the safari into a luxury experience and some safari lodges, particularly those on private game reserves, will offer luxury accommodation, top class service and the sort of facilities you'd expect from a 5-star hotel. Even some of the luxury camping safaris offer things like fine food, waiters and full bathrooms – some even include swimming pools, air-conditioning and private plunge pools!

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