This entry “Top 4 for 2024” first appeared in a Dispatch, the updates sent to all Society members. You can join for free here.

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The mighty (Republic of) Congo

This is a new WOW destination and one we have been planning for a while.

Not to be confused with its noisy neighbour (the Democratic Republic of Congo), the Republic of Congo is a former French colony on the western bank of the Congo River. It now plays a leading role in African affairs, and is investing more of its wealth in development and infrastructure. The north west of the country lies within the rich tapestry of the Congo Basin with pristine biodiverse areas, and it is here you will find low-impact tourism camps.

We are so excited about this destination that we have been working on a 2-week Escorted Group trip, hosting 8 lucky guests in late 2024. If you dream of travelling somewhere truly new and unique, this is it.

Starting in Brazzaville, the capital city of Republic of the Congo, you will spend a night relaxing here before heading on a 10 night discovery journey, staying at 3 different camps across the country.

You’ll start with some time at Ngaga Camp located in the Ndzehi Concession. Built on raised platforms, the camp makes you feel like you’re floating among the trees as you overlook a canopy of primary forest. It’s here, in the forest, that Ngaga Camp offers unforgettable Western Lowland Gorilla encounters and which you will enjoy as part of your stay. There is also a research team who has spent the past few decades in the forest navigating its trails and understanding its rhythms. Guests come here to share in their knowledge and experience this intact rainforest. This includes forest walks, night walks, night drives and time with these amazing animals.

Next up, you’ll then stay at Lango Camp in Odzala-Kokoua National Park. This camp is situated on the edge of Lango Baï, a natural clearing in the forest with large deposits of minerals and offers one of the most incredible views of any camp in Africa. It’s a magnetic attraction for a wide array of birdlife (including African grey parrots) as well as herds of forest buffalo and forest elephants. Time here is about getting up close with nature, walking in the footsteps of elephants on well-worn trails through streams and forests. Prepare to get a little wet, a little muddy and have an adventure as we explore in the footsteps of great explorers and unearth the history and heritage of the area.

Finally, visit Mboko Camp, also located in Odzala, which offers a combination of wide-open grasslands, gentle rivers and towering forests. This offers breathtaking views and you’ll experience the contrast of tropical rainforest and grassland savannah. Camp activities here include a combination of walking, boating and kayaking through some of the Congo Basin’s most beautiful habitats.

Not a trip for the faint hearted, but perfect for the avid explorer! This is a region where tourism is in its infancy, and where the wildlife and landscape is unchanged for centuries. If this sounds like a dream trip, we will open up expressions of interest soon.

Train as a Safari Guide

Are you a seasoned safari goer or someone who seeks a in-depth African wilderness experience? Well, now you can learn the skills passed down through generations on a number of accredited guide training courses.

Let’s get one thing out of the way first: Most of the students are people who do not intend to work in the field as a guide. They instead are curious, active people with a passion for nature and a desire to gain a deeper insight into the fascinating ecology of the region. They also want to learn the ancient skills many cultures have long forgotten.

The training camp is located on a wild and remote island of the southern Okavango in Botswana. The training courses allow you not only to learn the skills of conducting a game-drives and walking safaris but also how to drive a motor boat and pole a mokoro (dug-out canoe) on the waterways of the Okavango. You can also learn the art of tracking, survival skills, navigation, ecology and much, much more.

There are a number of guide courses available. The Wilderness & Trails course is an unforgettable week on foot in the Okavango, perfect for an African enthusiast wanting the ultimate immersive experience. The Track & Sign course teaches you how to identify animals by their tracks, interpret their behaviour and use these clue to find them in the Botswana wilderness.

The Nature Guide Course is a longer course that brings the classroom to the wilderness to learn from experience on the ground. Finally, the Trails Guide Course is an in-depth course walking on foot through the African Wilderness, covering all the expected (and unexpected) scenarios that you may encounter.

The courses are for those looking to reconnect with themselves, those who want something different from their trip or those who are searching for a back-to-basics bush skills experience that will help them recharge, renew, and reboot. It’s perfect for people with a spirit of adventure or for survivalists wanting to gain the skills required to thrive in the wilderness.

The Southern Kalahari

We’ve mentioned Tswalu a few times before and shown some amazing stories on our social media. For those of you new to the Society, the luxurious Tswalu is South Africa’s largest privately protected wildlife reserve. It offers a true wilderness experience on the southernmost edge of the Kalahari, and privileged access to the largest privately protected area in South Africa. With its arid savannah and iconic dunes, your days on safari here are unscripted and unhurried.

With a maximum of just 40 guests in 114,000 hectares, most stay a minimum of 3-5 nights. This offers the chance to explore its dramatically scaled landscapes and fascinating fauna and flora. And, during their stay have the freedom and flexibility to explore the remote reaches of the reserve in their own time and at their own pace. Safari activities include games drives in private vehicles (in search of black maned lion, cheetah, bat ear fox, pangolin, brown hyena, aardwolf), habituated meerkat encounters, nature walks, tracking, horse riding, stargazing, star-bed experiences, and meeting visiting scientific researchers.

Tswalu’s sustainable conservation journey to restore the Kalahari is supported by a high-value, low-impact ecotourism model of nature-based tourism with community and culture at its core. Staying in one of their small, luxury safari camps contributes to the sustainability of the entire reserve as well as their Foundation, which is dedicated to scientific research. With each guest, Tswalu is restoring the Kalahari through sustainable conservation, supported by nature-based tourism. You can do your part as well by staying here on your next Africa trip. If you must.

Gonarezhou

Trips to Zimbabwe are currently in high-demand. Most often itineraries are based around a stay in Victoria Falls and a safari in Hwange National Park or Mana Pools. However, if you are looking for something really off-the-beaten-track, then head to southern Zimbabwe and stay at Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge, located in Gonarezhou National Park.

Accessible by 2 flights a week, direct from Johannesburg, Gonarezhou is a land of red sandstone, thorny scrub, baobabs and animals in their most natural state. Buffalo gather at watering holes, big cats prowl silently in pursuit of painted impala, and hippo bathe midstream attended by squadrons of fluttering birds. A safari at Chilo combines spacious luxury in one of Southern Africa’s last truly remote wilderness areas. Zimbabwe is also the home of walking safaris and Chilo Gorge is no exception. Slow down and feel completely immersed in nature, with the sounds, smells and sensations of the wilderness with you every step of the way.

With trusted guides at the helm, you will explore the area on game drives in search of a variety of big and small wildlife including lion, cheetah, wild dogs, hyena, buffalo, kudu, eland, and giraffe. You might even get to visit the national park’s protected rhino population.

Any journey into the heart of Gonarezhou is a connection with a wilderness solitude of truly wild Africa. It is one of Africa’s last remaining pristine wildernesses and Zimbabwe’s rising star.

Other thoughts

Whilst the above lodges and destinations are new and unique, they are just a snippet of some of the incredible places to visit in Africa. We send travellers all over the continent, and we also need to give credit to the consistently remarkable partners we work with. For example, let’s just choose the mind-blowing Sabi Sand Game Reserve in Greater Kruger region of South Africa. All with great luxury accommodation and some of the best Big 5 game viewing anywhere, we can write a whole piece on this awesome foursome alone.

Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve – one of our most popular safari lodges in South Africa, offering four different lodges suitable for honeymooners to families. For many, Sabi Sabi is synonymous with a South African safari.

Savanna Private Game Reserve – Offering great game viewing and incredible tented accommodation, allowing you to hear the sounds of the bush.

Dulini Private Game Reserve – Stunningly luxurious accommodation and wildlife on its doorstep, where animals meets architecture.

Lion Sands Private Game Reserve – A heavy hitter offering two stunning game lodges, each lodge sitting on the banks of a river with unique and innovative touches.

The list is endless, which is why spending time in the destinations itself with the people on the ground is invaluable. And if that means sipping on a gin and tonic whilst watching a sunset in order to fully appreciate an area, then we will do it!