SAFARI AROUND THE WORLD
London* > Nairobi – overland – Tanzania – overland – Uganda – overland – Zambia – overland – Botswana – overland – Namibia – South Africa > Delhi > Quito (Equador) > Galapagos > Quito (Equador) > San José > London
Departures can be from anywhere in the World
Circumnavigate the World discovering animal magic: witness dazzling visions as creatures of all colours, shapes and sizes feed, court, fight and migrate…
RTW Tickets: from €5400
As most of the Safaris are in Africa, the quotation excludes all African internal flights (marked as overland). 55 days land services, all included: from 20,000 euros
AFRICA
Kenya – Masai Mara National Reserve is Africa’s most popular safari destination and the Masai Mara Reserve is the most popular wildlife park in Kenya. From July – October you can witness the incredible migration of millions of wildebeest and zebra. The Maasai tribesman also offer cultural tours which will enhance your experience. www.maasaimara.com
Tanzania – The Serengeti National Park offers the absolute classic African safari setting. The grasslands make the Serengeti fantastic for spotting lion kills because you can see the whole spectacle clearly. The migration of millions of wildebeest and zebra starts here and it’s much larger than the Mara, and less touristy. The exact timing to see the migration in the Grumeti River, between the Serengeti and the Masai Mara, is May to July. www.serengeti.org
Uganda – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is home to almost half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas. Besides offering a wonderful backdrop to Gorilla tracking, you can also see chimpanzees, and many other mammals. Bwindi has been designated a World Heritage Site.
Zambia – South Luangwa National Park is home of the “walking safari” and offers a true African experience. There’s plenty of wildlife and over 400 species of birds. The Luangwa river is filled to the brim with hippos and if you’re lucky you’ll spot prides of over 30 lions at a time. There are 60 different animal species and over 400 different bird species living in the National Park. The best time to visit is during the dry season from April to October.
Botswana – Chobe National Park lies in Okavango’s Delta and covers four distinct ecosystems. The Savuti marsh in particular offers some of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Africa year round. Chobe boasts around 120,000 elephants; you’re unlikely to miss them when you enjoy a safari here. The best time to visit Chobe is between April and October, the dry, cooler winter months. Herds of zebra, eland, buffalo, giraffe and wildebeest congregate around the Savuti marsh this time of year. Chobe is accessible by car which makes it a little less expensive than some other Botswana Parks. There’s a wide variety of accommodation available to suit all budgets; you can even rent a houseboat.
Namibia – Etosha National Park is a top wildlife destination. Etosha is home to Africa’s tallest elephants, the endangered black rhino, and 91 other species of mammal. Etosha is especially popular with photographers in the dry season who flock to the waterholes (along with the wildlife). Most visitors to Etosha will see plenty of giraffe, elephant, lion, rhino and have a very good chance of seeing cheetah and leopard, along with a huge variety of birdlife. Etosha National Park doesn’t offer scheduled game drives, it’s a self-drive safari experience. But there are several excellent upmarket lodges and camps available just outside the park boundaries in private reserves, where guided safaris are part of the package.
South Africa – Kruger National Park boasts the highest variety of wildlife in Africa which includes the Big Five, hippos, crocodiles, cheetah and more. Kruger is one of the best maintained parks in Africa which means it’s ideal for a self-drive safari.
ASIA
India – Tiger safari. If you’re intent on seeing tigers in the wild, this trip gives the best possible chance by visiting three of India’s prime national parks; National Parks of Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Pench. The journey starts and ends in Delhi but is mostly spent in the wild taking daily game drives, by jeep and elephant back, in search of the largest of the big cats. To improve your chances, park rangers track the a nimals for you before you’ve even had breakfast. Other wildlife in this rich patchwork of forest and open grassland includes marsh deer, Indian wild dogs and a huge diversity of birds.
(Optional) Panda in Wolong National Reserve, China The Giant Panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly in Sichuan province, but also in the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. As a result of farming and deforestation, the Panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived.
AMERICA
Ecuador – Marine Wildlife: Galapagos Islands. 15 actively volcanic islands which constitute a ‘living laboratory’ of mainly marine animals – sea lions, seals, iguanas, turtles, sharks giant tortoises, penguins and more blue footed boobies than you can shake a stick at. A bleak and blasted landscape but the local inhabitants are totally unaffected by human presence and easy to approach and photograph. Strangely it was the unassuming Galapagos finches that triggered Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Best January-March. Avoid July/August, and September – November. Best to stay on a boat that will move between islands at night. 7 nights at least needed. For the very seasick prone there are some land hotels at Puerto Ayora in Isla Santa Cruz, though wildlife viewing will be restricted
Costa Rica – Jungle and Jaguars is a real hotspot for Latin American wildlife and after a night in the Costa Rican capital, San Jose, you’ll head straight for an eco lodge in the Tortuguero National Park. Here a network of lagoons and canals is alive with monkeys, iguana, sloth, river otters and brightly coloured poison dart frogs. Two nights later it’s off to the lush greenery of the Monteverde cloud forest and Arenal volcano in search of howler monkeys and more elusive jaguar. Possible excursions include hiking, white-water rafting and horse riding.
Brazil – The Amazon River Basin is home to the largest rainforest on Earth. The basin – roughly the size of the forty-eight contiguous United States – covers some 40% of the South American Continent and includes parts of eight South American countries.
For more information on our Safari Around the world, write to our Team.
