Out Of Africa: Safaris

“There is something about safari life that makes you forget all your sorrows and feel as if you had drunk half a bottle of champagne—bubbling over with heartfelt gratitude for being alive.” — From Out of Africa, by Karen Blixen

Galloping across the plains of the Masai Mara in Kenya on a horse marginally less wild than the thousands of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles racing beside you, hooves thundering, kicking up clouds of dust, certainly makes you feel alive. Upon arrival back into camp, a gin and tonic awaits you at the bar set up under the spreading acacia tree. A chill sets in as the sun goes down. At dinner, you savor several courses you might find at a posh London restaurant, a copious amount of wine, and a spirited discussion of the day. Stars sparkle from horizon to horizon as you set your boots outside your tent to be shined before retiring, falling asleep to the roar of a lion, sleeping like the dead until a friendly voice wakes you in the morning, “Maji ya moto,” Swahili for “hot water.” Another day on safari begins.

A horseback-riding safari with Equitours, on which you ride from one remote tented camp to the next, is like a scene from Out of Africa, the movie based on Blixen’s life. It is one of the more adventurous ways to witness the Great Wildebeest Migration, explore the surreal landscapes and meet the majestic people of East Africa. But the continent and an elite group of outfitters offer as many exhilarating ways to experience Africa as there are habitats and wild animals. Deep in the bush, watch trees full of monkeys playing at Nomad Tanzania’s Sand Rivers Fly Camp in the Selous Game Reserve. Gain an understanding of elephant conservation by joining the Abu Herd at Wilderness Safaris’ Abu eco-lodge in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Tick off the Big Five—lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, Cape buffalo—in just a few days from an open-air Land Rover in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, using the luxurious Tanda Tula Safari Camp as a base.

Deciding where to go—Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa— where to stay—luxury lodges, remote bush camps, under canvas—and how to travel—by horse, Land Rover, foot—will depend on your personal interests, level of comfort and sense of adventure. But one thing is certain: whether you are flying from lodge to lodge in Botswana or exploring private conservancies in “old Africa” while bumping along in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, as Blixen wrote in Out of Africa, “You know you are truly alive when you’re living among lions.”

African Safaris

Equitours: Horseback Riding Safaris

Founders Mel Fox, who was raised in East Africa, and her husband, Bayard, guided their first riding safari in the Masai Mara in 1979, taking guests from their Wyoming ranch. Equitours now operates in eight countries in Africa. If you are an experienced rider, there really is no better safari you can take. Interacting with wild game and local tribesmen by horseback connects you to nature and the people in a way a vehicle cannot. The mobile tented camps are far from the masses, offering the quintessential African safari experience. equitours.com

Wilderness Safaris: Botswana

Wilderness Safaris operates in six countries in Africa but established its reputation in Botswana, where it has 21 eco-lodges. From the windswept plains of the Kalahari to the marshes of Linyanti and the floodplains of the Okavango Delta, all of the camps are located in private concessions, so the game viewing experience is more intimate and there is less impact on the land and animals. The Qorokwe camp overlooks a lagoon and is located on private land, so you can go off-road and do night drives. Its flagship Mombo camp recently reopened in Moremi Game Reserve. Each tent has a bar cart, private plunge pool and views of the elephants, baboons and giraffes grazing on the savannah. wilderness-safaris.com

Nomad Tanzania's Private Camps

Nomad Tanzania, which started out with three private camps in remote corners of the north, west and south, now has 14. The northern camps are home base for exploring Serengeti and Tarangire National Parks, sites of the greatest concentration of wild animals on the planet, and the iconic Ngorongoro Crater. Western camps offer a chance to see the chimps of the Mahale Mountains and the big game of Katavi National Park, one of the wildest places in Africa. Southern camps are great for bush walks, boating and sleeping under the stars in Selous Game Reserve and Ruaha National Park. Camps vary—some have family tents, some have rooms open to private plunge pools, some have en-suite bathrooms, some have bucket showers and flush toilets. But each one, such as Greystoke Mahale, which is situated on a sandy beach with views of the hippos and chimpanzees, offers a sense of place. nomad-tanzania.com

Tanda Tula Safari Camp: South Africa

If you are short on time and want to pair a wilderness safari with your wine-tasting tour, head to South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park, where you are almost guaranteed to see the Big Five if you have just a few days. To escape Kruger’s mass of tourists, make your home base at Tanda Tula Safari Camp in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, the first East African-styled luxury tented safari camp in South Africa. On the banks of the Nhlaralumi River, Tanda Tula operates 12 secluded luxury tents, each with an en-suite bathroom, Victorian bathtub, outdoor shower, and deck overlooking the African bush. tandatula.com

This article by Carrie Williamson originally appeared in the July/August 2019 issue of Leader’s Edge Magazine.