Beyond the Game Drive: Safari Experiences Worth Planning Around

Walking safaris, hot air balloons, mokoro canoes, and night drives: the experiences that turn a good safari into an extraordinary one, and where to find them.

The classic game drive is the heart of every safari: an open vehicle, an expert guide, and the thrill of never quite knowing what waits around the next bend. But the safaris our clients talk about for years usually include something more. Here are the experiences our advisors plan journeys around, and where each one is at its best.

Walking Safaris

On foot, with an armed guide and a tracker, the bush becomes a completely different place. You notice the tracks in the sand, the scent of wild sage, and the birdsong you would miss over an engine. Zambia's South Luangwa, widely considered the birthplace of the walking safari, remains one of the finest places in Africa to experience it, and many camps in Zimbabwe and in South Africa's private reserves offer excellent walks as well.

Hot Air Balloon Safaris

Floating silently over the Serengeti or the Masai Mara at dawn, watching the plains wake up below you, is one of the great travel moments anywhere. Most flights finish with a champagne breakfast in the bush. It is an early start, and worth every minute.

Mokoro and Boat Safaris

In Botswana's Okavango Delta, gliding through the channels in a traditional mokoro, poled by a local guide, is quiet and deeply peaceful. Along the Chobe River and Zambia's Lower Zambezi, boat safaris bring you eye-level with elephants crossing the water and hippos at close range.

Night Drives

After dark, a different cast appears: leopards on the hunt, genets, bushbabies, and on a lucky night, an aardvark or pangolin. Night drives are generally not permitted inside national parks, which is one of the main reasons our advisors favor private reserves and conservancies.

Gorilla and Chimpanzee Trekking

An hour with a mountain gorilla family in Rwanda or Uganda is one of the most profound wildlife encounters on Earth. Permits are limited and treks can be demanding, so this is an experience to plan well ahead and pair with a more relaxed safari afterward.

Travel That Gives Back

The safari operators our advisors trust most, including &Beyond and Wilderness Safaris, are deeply invested in conservation and in the communities around their camps. Choosing the right camps means your stay helps fund anti-poaching work, habitat protection, and local employment. It is one of the quiet reasons we are so selective about where we send our clients.

Where to Find Each Experience

Kenya and Tanzania: balloon safaris, the Great Migration, and private conservancies with walks and night drives.

Botswana: mokoro excursions in the Okavango Delta and exceptional elephant viewing along the Chobe.

Zambia: walking safaris in South Luangwa and canoeing on the Lower Zambezi.

South Africa: private reserves bordering Kruger, with outstanding leopard viewing, night drives, and an easy pairing with Cape Town.

Rwanda and Uganda: gorilla and chimpanzee trekking.

Namibia: desert-adapted wildlife, rhino tracking on foot, and some of the most striking landscapes on the continent.

Designing Your Safari

The right mix of experiences depends on how you like to travel, who is coming, and when you can go. Our advisors design every luxury African safari around you, and we also host small-group departures for travelers who enjoy exploring alongside like-minded company. Schedule a call to start the conversation, or learn more about our hosted trips .