Yes, light aircraft between camps typically limit you to around 20kg (44 lbs) total in a soft-sided duffel, no hard-shell suitcases. We’ll give you an exact packing brief once your camps are confirmed.

Layers are essential, mornings and evenings on game drives can be genuinely cold even in a hot destination, while midday heat is the opposite extreme.

We recommend booking an appointment with a tropical disease doctor as soon as your trip is confirmed. They’ll advise on the right vaccinations and any preventive medication based on the specific countries and regions on your itinerary, and can get you started on a course of treatment with enough time for it to take effect before you travel.

Many camps offer some connectivity, though it’s often limited and intentionally so, given how remote the best wildlife areas are.

An early wake-up, a morning game drive around sunrise, then a return to camp for a proper lunch and rest through the heat of the day, before an afternoon drive heading into evening. Many camps also offer optional activities during the day, like a guided walking safari or a visit to a local community, and our more luxurious camps often have a spa or a swimming pool for the downtime in between. The structure repeats daily, with plenty of room to slow down or add on as you like.

Often surprisingly close. Animals in protected reserves are accustomed to safari vehicles and generally go about their business undisturbed.

Many lodges welcome children, though age minimums apply at some camps, particularly for walking safaris. We only recommend camps that genuinely suit your children’s ages.

A smartphone captures good safari photos. If you want more range, a zoom lens between 100 and 400mm is ideal for wildlife at a distance.

It depends on which countries are on your itinerary and what you most want to see, dry season generally means easier wildlife viewing, while green season brings lush scenery, newborn animals, and fewer crowds. Here’s a quick breakdown by destination:

• Kenya — July through October is prime time for the Maasai Mara, when the Great Migration’s river crossings are at their most dramatic. The Mara offers strong game viewing nearly year-round, with November through May bringing lower rates and lush, quieter landscapes.
• Tanzania — The Serengeti follows the migration on its own calendar: calving season runs January through March in the south, the western corridor river crossings happen around May and June, and the herds reach the northern Serengeti, near the Kenyan border, from July through October. June through October is generally the driest and most reliable stretch for game viewing overall.
• Botswana — May through October, the dry winter months, concentrate wildlife around the Okavango Delta and Chobe’s waterholes and rivers, making for exceptional sightings. November through April is greener and quieter, with excellent birding and newborn animals, though wildlife is more spread out.
• Rwanda — Gorilla trekking runs year-round, but the two dry seasons, June through September and December through February, make for easier, less muddy hiking conditions in the Virunga foothills.
• Madagascar — A different kind of wildlife trip, centered on lemurs, chameleons, and baobabs rather than a Big Five game drive. April through November, the dry season, is the most comfortable and reliable time to visit; we generally steer clients away from the cyclone season, January through March.
• South Africa — May through September, the dry winter months, thin out the bush and draw animals to waterholes, making for some of the most consistent game viewing in Kruger and the private reserves. November through February is warmer and greener, with excellent birding and young animals.

Yes, with experienced guides and well-run camps, safari carries no more risk than travel anywhere else in the world. You’re never outside a vehicle near wildlife without a professional guide.

A year in advance is a good rule of thumb, and we’d recommend even more lead time if you’re traveling during a peak migration period or over the Christmas holidays, when the best camps are the first to sell out.

Very often, yes. Pairing several days of safari with a beach extension or a city stop is one of our most popular itinerary structures.