Safari Odyssey Across Southern Africa

Rising from the plains of the north, Johannesburg is a modern metropolis, the powerhouse of South Africa, its veins coursing with rivers of gold. Yet for all the country’s natural wonders, it is human history that is writ large in Johannesburg: moving museums chart the difficult story of Apartheid, while the Cradle of Humankind is home to the largest concentration of ancient human fossils ever discovered, a fascinating glimpse into where human life began.

Livingstone pulses with the raw energy of the Zambezi River and the thunderous roar of Victoria Falls. Named after the 19th-century explorer David Livingstone, the town retains a rugged, frontier feel, with adventure seekers flocking to its lively waterfront. Colonial architecture, characterized by Victorian-style buildings with wide verandas, gabled roofs and intricate woodwork, contrasts with the vibrant local markets and the surrounding untamed wilderness.

Arguably one of Africa’s greatest natural wonders, Chobe was Botswana’s first national park in 1968, a great patchwork of deep, dense forest, sprawling wetlands and zebra-grazed grasslands. Be it at dawn or dusk, wildlife photographers come in the hope of spotting the park’s starry cast of wildlife; elephants are the drawcard here, with over 120,000 roaming the wilds of Chobe, though hippos, impala, African wild dogs and vultures make welcome appearances against the burning orange skies.  

Forever shapeshifting beneath the sun, the Okavango is Africa’s mercurial wonder, a flooded paradise where rivulets run like cheetahs, oxbow lakes lie still and serene, and islets come and go with the tides. Unlike most deltas, the waters of the Okavango never reach the sea, as if guarded jealously by the land. And what treasures it hoards: from prowling lions and vast herds of wildebeest to hundreds of species of birds, wading and watching from the water’s edge. 

Palm-shaded parks and Lutheran churches: even at first glance, Windhoek has a decidedly German flavor to its architecture, befitting the origins of this once-colonial desert station. It is no coincidence the capital rises from the ochre sands in the center of the country; this is Namibia’s political and cultural heart, where galleries showcase the nation’s artistic talent and museums recount the long and winding Namibian story. 

The great pan of Sossusvlei defines Namibia; its soaring amber dunes, cracked earth and petrified trees have become symbols of the country’s wild, weathered landscapes and the merciless grip of the elements in the Namib Desert. Seen from the air, it is a golden expanse as endless as the starry night skies, but on foot its dunes take on mammoth, otherworldly dimensions, with herds of gemsbok lazing in their shadows. 

Biscuit-coloured sands run away to the eerie shores of the Skeleton Coast at the Purros Conservancy, alone in Namibia’s wild northwest. Spread across the banks of the transient Hoarusib river, Purros is accessible only by 4x4 or light aircraft, offering a more exclusive safari adventure; those who make it here will discover a wealth of iconic animals living side by side, including springboks, elephants and giraffes.

Named after the BaTawana tribal chief and his wife – who campaigned for the area to become a nature reserve in 1962 – this small but mighty reserve is located in the Okavango Delta’s central and eastern regions. Some of Africa’s most endangered species of large mammal can be seen in these savannahs and floodplains: cheetah, leopard, lion and African wild dog, making Moremi a must for those looking for the superstars of safari.