Modern day life can at times seem overwhelmingly stressful with bombardment from news and social media, never-ending to-do lists and general constant busy-ness. The opportunity to leave behind everyday demands and tune back in with yourself and nature is one of the most relaxing and valuable experiences available today. Disconnecting in order to reconnect is the new luxury.
Being surrounded by nature at its most raw, immersed in remote wilderness and learning about new cultures will all blow your mind without the need for external ‘distractions’, delivering a profound sense of calm, heightened awareness of your surroundings and a wonderful feeling of being truly in the present. Forget mindfulness apps and forced meditation practice – there’s no experience that recharges mind, body and soul like an off-the-grid African safari. This is the ultimate in mindfulness.
If you’re looking to get off the digital merry-go-round, unplug and restore, then here are our top five recommendations for experiences that will offer you the chance to do just that (Wi-Fi not included!).
Fly-camping with Karisia Walking Safaris, northern Kenya
There is something quietly exhilarating about setting off on foot into the bush, knowing your camp is already moving ahead of you… portered by camels! Karisia Walking Safaris in northern Kenya’s Laikipia region offers a rare chance to strip back the safari experience to its essentials, allowing you to immerse yourself in the wilderness.
Accommodation takes the form of lightweight mobile tents designed to move easily through remote terrain. Food is simple fare but incredibly tasty, cooked in a basic ‘kitchen’ consisting of an open fire. Activities are flexible with walking being a key focus, but there is flexibility depending on your specific group’s requirements and camels or a standby vehicle are on hand should you get a little tired. The area is stunning with large open plains, rocky outcrops and incredible views of the surrounding wilderness and distant mountains.
Your safari is totally exclusive for your personal booking, whether you’re travelling with just your partner/friend, your family or group of friends. The guides are all Samburu, Maasai and Turkana locals which makes the whole experience more rewarding as not only do you benefit from their superb wildlife knowledge (and excellent sense of humour!), but you also gain an authentic, firsthand insight to their local culture.
This quiet and simple style of safari places you in direct contact with the outdoors and far from modern distractions.
Beagle Expeditions, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Botswana is well known for its ultimate wilderness and exclusivity; however, spending a few days with Beagle Expeditions takes it to another level! Operating in a private concession of 30,000 hectares with a maximum of 10 people on the concession at any one time – Beagle stands out in terms of total exclusivity.
Your four-day adventure with Beagle is split between their two static camps, Magwegwe Camp and Kweene River Camp, giving you the opportunity to explore two contrasting areas of the Okavango Delta. Activities are usually a mix of game drives (day and night), walking safaris and mokoro trips (providing water levels allow it). Access is by helicopter only, adding its own sense of adventure to your experience.
The simple tents offer a wonderful level of accommodation with the essential details well thought through – comfortable beds, good lighting, a solar ceiling fan for the hotter months and semi-open bathroom with quality bucket shower, wash basin and luxury amenities.
The same expert team stays with you throughout your four days and on your ‘moving day’ you spend the day out in the bush exploring with your guide, enjoying a picnic lunch and siesta while your camp crew moves ahead with your bedding and luggage to the next camp. Arriving in camp on foot, covered in dust and your senses alive from having spent a day focusing intently on your surroundings is incredibly satisfying.
Our senses get numbed by the overstimulation of modern-day world – complete absence of phone signal and Wi-Fi for your four-day expedition with Beagle allows you to give your nervous system a rest and reengage with all of your senses. The only thing to feel anxious about here is when your stay comes to an end and it is time to leave!
Adventure Fly-camping with Alex Walker’s Serian, Serengeti, Tanzania
Alex Walker is one of the ‘old school’ operators who has deliberately kept Wi-Fi out of all his camps (which operate in both Kenya and Tanzania). The adventure fly-camping operation in the Serengeti gives you the opportunity to explore more remote areas of these vast plains and immerse yourself in being on safari. Fly-camping with Alex Walker’s Serian adds a completely different dimension to experiencing this iconic destination and offers a taste of wilderness that few others ever encounter here. Accommodation is described as ‘festival’ tents or ‘glamping’ and consists of spacious domed tents with a comfortable mattress on the floor and cosy bedding, solar lighting for the evenings, a wash basin outside your tent for the morning and a separate bucket shower and short drop loo a short distance away – everything you need for the ultimate glamping!
Culture plays a significant part of the experience, as you walk not only with a professional guide, but also with local Maasai and Hadzabe, who add their own cultural bush knowledge and skills to the mix. Spending time with these characters and their infectious passion and humour really brings your safari to life. The wildlife does not disappoint either and sightings are usually completely to yourselves – a rarity in the Serengeti.
Experiencing a combination of wildlife, wilderness, adventure and culture in the calm and solitude of the Serengeti’s remotest corners means you can lose yourself in Africa’s magic.
Tafika Trails, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
The South Luangwa National Park is famous for its abundance of wildlife as well as being home of the walking safari. Spending a few days with Tafika Trails (previously known as Chikoko Trails) offers an excellent opportunity to completely immerse yourself in the wilderness and explore a beautiful section of the park totally exclusively. Accommodation is in one or both of their two exclusive bushcamps, ‘Chikoko’ and ‘Big Lagoon’ – if you’re staying in both camps you’ll walk from one to the other on your moving day.
Each intimate camp caters for a maximum of six guests in simple, grass-walled chalets with en suite flush toilets and safari showers. Your day generally entails a longer morning walk (around four hours) enjoying a break for a cup of tea and sweet treat half way! Afternoon walks are shorter, returning to camp before dusk to enjoy a well-earned sundowner drink.
What makes this experience so special is there are absolutely no vehicles or road networks encountered – you explore the area completely on foot, offering the chance to truly reconnect with your senses and be acutely in tune with every aspect of your wilderness surroundings. A few days on foot in the remote Zambian wilderness really shakes away worries of the modern world.
Wild Camping with Kunene Tours and Safaris, Kaokoland Namibia
Namibia is renowned for its dramatic landscapes and spectacular scenery. Kunene Tours offers the chance to include a few days of wild camping in the real wilderness of the Kaokoland region and there really is no better way to completely switch off and appreciate the landscape of this stunning country.
Together with a private guide, you’ll travel self-contained in a 4×4 vehicle and explore the spectacular valleys and mountain ranges of this remote region. Shorter three to four day trips will focus on the Hoanib and Hoarasib Rivers whilst longer trips will journey through the fascinating Hartmann Valley and as far as the Kunene River.
Aside from the chance to access pristine wilderness and draw-dropping scenery, the wildlife sightings are also an exciting part of this trip. Desert-adapted elephant, giraffe and oryx are all highlights and the fact that they’re surviving in such arid, harsh surroundings makes sightings even more rewarding. The area is also home to the nomadic Himba, throwing a little culture into the mix.
The sense of isolation and remoteness defines the magic of this area and whilst this is a camping trip, you’ll travel with everything you need. Dome tents are set up each evening, comfortably furnished with camp bed, duvet, pillow and fresh towels and there’s a short drop loo and simple ‘safari’ shower. Dinner will be cooked over the campfire while you enjoy a cold beer or gin and tonic! There is something refreshingly liberating about having everything you need contained in/on one vehicle and knowing wherever you stop, you can set up camp!
Spending a few days wild camping is adventurous and not for everyone, but it will offer you the chance to truly escape, switch off and explore this incredible region in the company of a knowledgeable guide.
Including any one of the above options for three or four nights in your itinerary is ideal for anyone really needing to disconnect from modern-day worries and distractions, and/or wanting to experience the African wilderness in the most immersive way possible. These experiences are life-changing and allow you to return home from your safari holiday feeling totally rejuvenated. Will you miss Wi-Fi and contact with the outside world? For the first few hours, perhaps. But after a day or two you really couldn’t care less! Of course, if there is any emergency at home contact can be made with loved ones to give you peace of mind. Spending time in Africa’s wilderness, digitally disconnected from the fast-paced world and its constant mental distractions is pure luxury and will make you feel like you have been on a holiday for a month not a week!
CONTACT US TO START PLANNING YOUR NEXT SAFARI ADVENTURE
We hope the above has provided some inspiration for where you could safari next. However, this blog can never cover all the possible options. If we haven’t covered your specific interests, we’re full of ideas and first-hand experience and would be delighted to discuss what you have in mind, or what type of experience you are looking for.
Contact our expert travel team on +44 (0) 1787 888590 or reach out via our Contact us page.
