Early mornings. There’s no avoiding them, it’s the coolest part of the day and animals, especially the nocturnal hunters, will be on the move before it gets too hot. Typical safari days start with a wake up call around 05.00hrs - 05.30hrs. Typically, you’ll have 2 game drives a day, lasting anything from 2-4 hours depending on what you see. The second game drive goes out in the afternoon, as the heat of the day fades and animals begin to stir, returning to camp in time for dinner.

Wrap up warm. Early mornings (and evenings) can be extremely chilly, but it will soon warm up as the sun rises, so we suggest you take plenty of layers. It’s handy to be able to layer up or down as required. There’s no need to be head-to-foot in khaki, but we do recommend comfy clothes in neutral colours. We provide a helpful packing list with all our holidays.

Bumpy roads. You’ll often be driving on dirt tracks, and on private reserves and conservancies you might enjoy some great off-roading – all part of the fun.

Listen to your ranger. They are highly trained in animal behaviour and understand the environment. They are there to give you the very best experience, safely. They need to know that you will respect the environment and listen to their safety briefings. Trust them too when they whisk you away from the baboons you were watching – they know the baboons will be there tomorrow, but that pride of lions they’ve just heard might be a one off. And never be afraid to ask any question, the interaction with your guide enhances the whole experience.

Connect with nature. We find that for the brief period of time you are on safari, you are 100% connected with the wildlife around you and very engaged in the present moment, a privilege in our modern world.

Beautiful sunrises and sunsets, spectacular wildlife and memorable experiences to last a lifetime. This is Africa.