JRNY Africa Supplement

AFRICA JRNY

30 of the best experiences to be had on the continent

Leopard spotting, volcano treks and island dreaming

ST HELENA Biodiversity and community bloom on this remote island

THE MADARAKA EXPRESS

Kenya's savanna, coast and conservation by rail

READING THE LANDSCAPE

Art and ancient traditions in Limpopo

A breath of fresh air

In the midst of the South Atlantic lies an island with untouched beauty, St Helena. Here, the mountainous terrain and microclimates create an astounding diversity of landscapes all within a few minutes drive.

Dive into the clear, warm waters and swim with the gentle giants of the ocean - whale sharks. Discover the melting-pot culture influenced by Europe, Africa and Asia and meet the friendliest people on Earth. Complete 21 nature trails through varied landscapes and flora. Sample thrilling adventures, heart-warming encounters and tranquil settings.

St Helena is a breath of fresh air in today’s world, boasting clean air, a sparkling ocean environment, a small and safe community (population 4,439) and a refreshing lack of reliance on modern technology. It is an off-the-beaten-track, bucketlist destination, both comfortingly familiar and heartwarmingly different – a world of its own.

Explore St Helena with twice-weekly flights operated by Airlink from both Cape Town and Johannesburg December 2024 to March 2025. sthelenatourism.com

Contents

06/ST HELENA

Discover the fabulous biodiversity and distinctive character of this South Atlantic island.

18/30 BEST AFRICA EXPERIENCES

The very best things to do and see across the continent, from balloon safaris to volcano trekking.

38/SOUTH AFRICA

A visit to Limpopo provides an opportunity to learn more about the region's indigenous people.

46/BOTSWANA

A luxury safari is hard to beat when it comes to exploring Botswana's beautiful Okavango Delta.

52/ WEST AFRICA

Hard-to-reach destinations and a sobering history make for a captivating boat journey.

58/KENYA

Taking the Madaraka Express from Nairobi and Mombasa provides a fascinating insight into conservation.

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From food and drink to the outdoors, road trips and family travel, we have it covered.

Welcome

The word ‘Africa’ is so often used as though it is just one homogenous place – rather than a continent that encompasses 54 countries, countless landscapes and wildlife, and over a billion people living in often very different places. While the appeal of popular places like Cape Town, the Maasai Mara, Marrakesh and Victoria Falls is undeniable, and justifiable, there is so much more to discover and experience in this fascinating and diverse continent.

In this special supplement, our writers provide insight into some of Africa’s most alluring destinations, from the tiny island of St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean to Limpopo’s ancient traditions and the moving history of the West African coast.

Whether you’re looking for a more traditional wildlife-watching trip or to explore Kenya by rail, we’re sure you’ll find something to delight and inspire you here.

Photo: Kav Dadfar

Shenton Safaris proudly delivers passionate nature lovers a tailormade, authentic safari in Zambia’s iconic South Luangwa National Park. Share in the magic of their intimate Kaingo Camp, Mwamba Bush Camp and their exclusive network of photographic hides situated deep within one of the world’s greatest wildlife sanctuaries, renowned for its big cats! Experience warm hospitality and crowd-free sightings led by award-winning guides in one of Africa’s most game rich locations.

Asseenin PlanetBBCEarthIII

Redefining remote

Though now connected to mainland Africa by regular flights, St Helena’s location deep in the mid-South Atlantic Ocean has helped it keep its distinctive character, amazing biodiversity and rich history all but a secret from most of the rest of the world.

The ocean horizon was seesawing. It had been for days. Fairy terns flittered like little ghosts above our deck as the island drew closer. After five days ploughing deeper into the mid-South Atlantic, St Helena’s appearance was accompanied by a realisation of what true remoteness meant. Not just a geographical feeling but a sense of isolation from the outside world where a tight-knit community flourishes against many odds.

That voyage was a decade ago. This British Overseas Territory 1,180 miles west of the Namibian coast now has an airport. My return to St Helena therefore is an easy five-hour flight from Johannesburg. The airport has ushered in change, but ever so slowly. Internet and mobile phones have arrived since I first visited, yet self-sufficiency and unqualified

friendliness remains embedded in the community.

All roads throughout the rugged volcanic terrain lead to Jamestown. Its diminutive high street of Georgian and Regency architecture is shoehorned into a steep-sided valley. Jacaranda trees bloom purple and Union Flags flap in the Atlantic breezes that temper the subtropical heat. Jamestown is bulwarked from the ocean by doughty cannon-lined fortifications, which since the 17th century have kept pirates and invaders at bay.

From my hotel, I make a slow procession up a high street of grocery stores and British-style pubs, stopping to natter to locals, a few who remember me from previous visits.

Travel articles about St Helena typically comment on how it’s like stepping back

Words: Mark Stratton. Photos previous spread: Jethro Kiernan; Craig Williams

into an old-fashioned version of Britain. The prices may be: in one of its pubs, I buy a round of four alcoholic drinks for £8.70.

Yet St Helena is not simply a microcosm of the motherland. Its rumbustious history has forged a distinctive character, quite literally written into the Saints’ (islanders’) faces. Martin Henry, Minister for Health and cycling guide, shows me a DNA search certificate on his phone. He has numerous genetic markers reflecting a narrative forged from Irish farmers, British soldiers, French exiles, African slaves and Chinese labourers. “Our genes are a living record of 500 years of island history,” says Martin. This history is teased out on a two-hour Jamestown walking tour with

Previous spread (left to right): Lot’s Wife Ponds; Blue Hill from High Peak.

This page (from the top): Jamestown; Jacob’s Ladder; Musicians in Jamestown.

JRNY AFRICA

Michel Dancoisne-Martineau, the only Frenchman living on St Helena. He explains that the East India Company took possession in 1659, although the then uninhabited island was first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502. It was later absorbed into the British Empire in the 19th century when St Helena became a military stronghold with a population of around 6,000, a few hundred more than today.

“St Helena lost money for the East India Company, but it was essential to serve the trade ships returning from India and China,” says Michel. The cargo at times traded in human misery. “By 1792, it was decreed no more African slaves could be accepted here as they were outnumbering the ‘locals’, thus the island’s administrators brought in indentured Chinese labour.” It also became a penal colony for military and political detainees, including Boer prisoners of war and, as recently as 1961, three Bahraini dissidents. One detainee, however, stands above all others in infamy – Napoleon Bonaparte.

Michel moonlights as a tour guide because by day he is the island’s honorary French consul. Napoleon was brought ashore in 1815, exiled by the European allies after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. There are three

Yet I find myself distracted, peering out of the Georgianera windows

standout sites associated with his exile here: Briars Pavilion; Longwood House; and his empty tomb. Over time, Britain handed these sites over to France and it’s been Michel’s job to restore and protect them for over 30 years. The Napoleonic sites are within half-an-hour of Jamestown, amid emerald-green farmland around Longwood House, his

Photos: Jethro Kiernan; Craig Williams; Mathias Falcone

residence between 1815 and 1821. The countryside’s fertility certainly didn’t impress Napoleon’s biographer, the Comte de Las Cases, who wrote: “The emperor abdicated his throne and placed himself in the hands of the English, who were now hurrying him to a barren rock in the midst of a vast ocean”.

Napoleon’s presence is palpable throughout the single-storey wooden building of Longwood House. It’s accessed via ornamental gardens he designed himself, which left me struggling to imagine this combative megalomaniac swapping manoeuvring troops around battlefields for planting beds of agapanthus. During a tour, Michel chronicles Napoleon’s decline from optimism about returning to Europe to despair in captivity. The billiard room was where he once had documents sprawled open as he plotted a legal challenge for his release. The salon has a chaise longue of that era, with his greatcoat and tricorn hat laid out. Beyond his bedroom is a copper bath where Napoleon increasingly retreated for long soaks as his apathy grew.

His tomb lies in a sunken wooded dip, a short walk away. Napoleon died in 1821; it’s said that, when French officials came here 19 years later to take him back to France for a state internment, his body was near perfectly preserved inside the lead-lined coffin.

I suspect Napoleon’s ego would’ve taken a dent to learn his thunder nowadays has been stolen by a giant tortoise called Jonathan. This is not any old tortoise, however: Jonathan is 192 years old, born not long after Napoleon’s death, and the world’s oldest, deposited on the island by sailors in 1882. Jonathan mows the serving British governor’s lawn at Plantation House, which I reach in charming fashion in Colin Corker’s 1929 Chevrolet Charabanc taxi, which runs as sweet as the day it left the factory in Detroit. “I’ve been driving her for 50 years,” says the septuagenarian.

Debbie Yon guides visitors around the governor’s residence. It’s an extravagantly furnished 18th-century house of teak bookcases and framed photographs of royalty set in parkland grounds. There are antiques collected from the East India Company’s rule and portraits of past governors appointed by the British government. Yet I find myself distracted, peering out of the Georgian-era windows

Opposite page (clockwise from the top): Longwood House; Jonathan; Plantation House.

This page (from the top): The coastline of St Helena; The trail to Lot's Wife's Ponds.

scanning for Jonathan, who is resting under a shady tree on a hot day. He takes visitors and selfies in his slow-paced stride, poking his long neck out to sniff the air before retreating inside a carapace

weighing the equivalent of a half-tonne vending machine. “So much world history has passed while he’s been alive,” muses Debbie.

Nights in town are generally sedate. There are a few takeaways where you can buy the local speciality, fishcakes and chips, and the pubs are homely and friendly. In The Standard, I sip gin and a coffee-liqueur produced by the island distillery. Wednesday evening’s big gathering is fish-fry night at the Yacht Club on the seafront. Locally caught yellowfin tuna and conger eel are grilled on a sizzling barbecue out-smouldering the huge orangey Atlantic sunset. I return quayside the following morning to join Craig Yon on his small vessel. Tourism to St Helena has previously been a genteel exploration of its past but its

This page: St Helena Yacht Club.

Opposite page (from the top): View of James Bay from the sea; James Bay; Wirebird.

future may lie in attracting adventurers, not least divers. St Helena is surrounded by a 200 nautical-mile Marine Protection Area that permits only sustainable use of the ocean’s resources.

The marine life is so rich it was recognised in 2024 as among the most biodiverse on earth with the accreditation of Mission Blue Hope Spot – a designation created by the world-famous marine biologist, Dr Sylvia Earle.

Back in 2018, Craig took me on a magical 25-minute snorkel with a whale shark. It wasn’t the season for them this time, so we head towards Egg Island, offshore of tall cliffs around western St Helena. “The blue water dives here blow people’s minds,” said Craig. “Once my boat was surrounded by 16 whale sharks coming right alongside.” Within 15 minutes, pantropical spotted dolphins are racing our bow, flipping themselves acrobatically above the ocean surface. Craig thinks a bait-ball of fish is attracting their frenzied activity. “They are thrashing the water to stun the fish,” he says.

Seabirds are also diving in for their fill, arriving from nearby Egg Island, where hundreds of black and brown noddies nest on guano-streaked ledges. The sea is too choppy to snorkel around there, so

JRNY AFRICA

we visit James Bay where four shipwrecks rest in crystal-clear water. I snorkel along the Papanui, a New Zealand passenger cargo vessel that caught fire at sea and was deliberately run aground in 1911 to save the crew. A kaleidoscope of small reef fish swirls brightly around the twisted rudder as I swim along the wreck’s 430ft length.

On dry land the volcanic landscapes, sea cliffs and cloud forest are best explored on foot or cycling. Martin Henry has just introduced e-biking; one afternoon we ride across the island towards Jamestown from Blue Point’s sea cliffs. Over four hours, we rise and descend along empty roads and I need every volt of battery power to crest the steep climbs. Likewise, St Helena’s network of ‘post-box’ walks are another intimate way to get close to an unusual flora and fauna, which amounts to one-third of the UK’s endemic biodiversity. A popular hike is to the Millennium Forest where degraded land is being replanted with native cabbage trees and gumwoods.

This page: Lot’s Wife Pond; Coffeepicking; Cycling in Blue Hill.

Opposite page (from the top): Path to Blue Point overlooking Sandy Bay coastline; Diving in the waters around St Helena with local dive operator, Dive St Helena; Near Sandy Bay Beach, heading back from a hike to Lot's Wife's Ponds.

Nearby is Deadwood Plain where the dreadlocked Eddie Duff of the National Trust takes me to see endemic groundnesting wirebirds. Working with farmers to improve their grassland habitat, Eddie says their population has now tripled from 200 in 2006. “They call them wirebirds because of their spindly legs,” he adds.

My most dramatic hike is a clifftop trail called Lot’s Wife’s Ponds. Kicking up maroon-hued dust, the route traverses beneath a ridge of volcanic eruptions eroded into soaring pinnacles. It leads to a cliff descended by a knotted rope down to lava dykes that have formed ‘ponds’, natural swimming spots with bright Sally Lightfoot crabs surrounded by the surging aquamarine sea.

It’s here, under the beating sun with my senses overcome by the roar of the infinite Atlantic, that St Helena feels refreshingly far from the craziness of the outside world.

The route traverses beneath a ridge of volcanic eruptions

ST HELENA AT A GLANCE

Although little more than the size of Edinburgh, this tiny island packs a lot to see and do across its contorted volcanic landscapes. There are now year-round weekly flights from Johannesburg and, in peak season, from Cape Town, but to get anywhere close to covering its historical and natural highlights, you’ll need at least a week to do the island justice. Most stays are based in the capital Jamestown, from where activities can be arranged and inexpensive taxis chartered.

1/Jamestown

The island’s only town is a charming and beautiful place. The high street hosts much of the island’s accommodation – notably the most luxurious property, The Mantis St Helena, and the oldest, The Consulate. Try the Jacob’s Ladder challenge, a punishingly steep 699-stepped stairway out of the valley which will reward you with magnificent views. For more genteel excursions, arrange a tour to Rosemary Gate Estate to see how the island’s rare and expensive coffee grows.

2/South of Jamestown

Leaving Jamestown, you ascend onto a rugged, yet greener plateau dotted with numerous historical attractions. At the top of James Valley is the island’s signature Heart-Shaped Waterfall, which is near Briars Pavilion, where Napoleon first stayed upon arriving on St Helena. The now derelict High Knoll is a military fort built in the 1870s with sweeping ocean views. To experience staying outside Jamestown, Farm Lodge is a beautiful 17th-century property.

3/Longwood

Longwood district is one of the island’s most fascinating. It’s best known for Napoleon’s remarkable residence at Longwood House, which is open most days. Pushing out towards the airport are stark, denuded coastal slopes where the inspiring Millennium Forest project is re-establishing native flora in this area. There’s a couple of spectacular post-box walks around here along the coast, most especially to a daunting coastal promontory called The Barn.

4/Central Peaks

Lusciously green, misty, damp and forested, the highest ground of St Helena is a series of peaks swathed in cloud forest, which is biodiversity rich with over 200 species of invertebrates endemic to the island. There are trails to reach Diana’s Peak (the highest point at 2,690ft), Cuckold's Point and Mount Actaeon but they must be attempted with a guide and have been closed for the last year to deal with an invasive pathogen. Check once on the island to see if they are open.

5/Sandy Bay

Sandy Bay is utterly beautiful, with forests and coffee plantations sweeping south from the central peaks down to the dramatic coastline. It’s where coffee grows best, amid an impressive volcanic landscape featuring teetering basalt pinnacles. The finest way to take it in is on foot along a dramatic coastal path called Lot’s Wife’s Ponds. Visit the lovely Wrangham’s for high tea and coffee grown on their small estate.

6/Blue Hill

Some of the most aesthetically pleasing landscapes for walking are around the less-visited Blue Hill district in the island’s southwestern corner. Of the best post-box walks, the one to South-West Point takes in rolling farmland with great views out to Speery Island and Black Rocks. The Blue Point hike takes walkers around the volcanic Gates of Chaos and past multicoloured bare earth plains and hills, while Peak Dale is a more demanding hike.

7/Northwest Coast

There are shipwrecks, dive sites, dolphins and whale sightings all around St Helena, but most marine activities are concentrated around the northwest coast via short boat rides from Jamestown. Whale shark sightings are prolific from December to March, as well as seabirds nesting on the cliffs. It’s rare not to see great numbers of dolphin, with three species regularly sighted off this coastal stretch. One of the best sub-aqua dive sites here is Long Ledge.

GETTING THERE

Airlink runs a-weekly service from Johannesburg yearround, plus peak season weekly flights from Cape Town, to St Helena.

GETTING AROUND

Most travellers either rent a car or hire a taxi to get around – both are inexpensive. The local tourist office and accommodation can advise on small vehicle tours.

BEST TIME TO GO

Weatherwise, there is no bad time to visit but the whale-shark snorkel is a highlight between December to March.

W HERE TO EAT

Local fish is ubiquitous, and the coffee is a unique blend unchanged since 1733. Island specialities include a rice dish called plo and spicy bread ‘n’ dance. Most opportunities to eat out are in or around Jamestown. There’s finer dining at the Mantis hotel, while Anne’s Place champions local dishes. Listen out for the fish fry midweek evening on the wharf, which attracts crowds of Saints.

W HERE TO STAY

Among limited options are a couple of international standard small hotels and B&B rooms.

FURTHER INFORMATION sthelenatourism.com

Wildlife here is visceral, sometimes brutal

01

The Mababe Depression

BOTSWANA

The Mababe Depression is raw Africa, teeming with predators and prey and some of the biggest herds of elephants and buffalo on the continent. Wildlife activity is visceral, sometimes brutal, but always fascinating: this is not a place for the queasy. The pioneering Wilderness Mokete is the only camp in this expansive grassland, lying between the Okavango Delta, Chobe and Linyanti.

Price: Five nights from £5,490pp Web: yellowzebrasafaris.com

02

Saving chimps at Tacugama

SIERRA LEONE

Freetown’s inspiring Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary is perfect for travellers wanting to protect these charismatic, endangered primates. Here, pioneering tourism is benefitting rural communities where chimps are threatened through bushmeat and pet trades. Stay in relaxing ecolodges within the sanctuary or on remote Jaibui Island, home to elusive pygmy hippos. More ecolodges are planned.

Price: From £70pp per night Web: tacugama.com

03

The tribes of the Omo Valley ETHIOPIA

Experience the extraordinary Omo Valley tribes in sensitive encounters far from the tourist trail by staying at the remote, exclusive-use Lale’s Camp. Travelling by boat or on foot, you’ll be the only visitors to nearby villages, which are home to Kara, Hamer and Mursi people. Respectful of their fragile cultures, Lale’s Camp genuinely benefits local communities.

Price: Three nights from £8,770 for four guests Web: wild-expeditions.africa

04

The Black Mambas

SOUTH AFRICA

Spend a unique and immersive week with the pioneering Black Mambas, Africa’s first all-female anti-poaching unit, in Kruger’s Olifants West Reserve. With adventurer and conservationist Holly Budge, founder of World Female Ranger Week, you’ll accompany them on patrols and game drives, visit schools participating in their Bush Babies Educational Programme and experience conservation efforts first-hand.

Price: Six nights from £4,995pp Web: wildlifepositivetravel.com

05

Cosmoledo Atoll Expedition

SEYCHELLES

Explore the faraway paradise of Cosmoledo Atoll in Seychelles’ Outer Islands. Dive and snorkel among coral plateaus, try flyfishing, kayak or take stand-up paddleboards around the shimmering blue lagoon, which is surrounded by 18 islands, and discover the local wildlife, from sharks and rays to myriad endemic birds. Your eco-camp on the enigmatic Wizard Island awaits.

Price: Seven nights from £12,260pp Web: andersonexpeditions.com

06

Jozibanini Camp

ZIMBABWE

Remote “Jozi” is the only camp in southern Hwange, Zimbabwe’s largest national park. Off-grid with just five tents, it offers mountain biking, walking safaris, dining under the stars and a waterhole that draws throngs of elephants, with a “lookup” hide for up-close photography. Get up-close too with white rhinos at Imvelo’s brilliant Community Rhino Conservation sanctuary, which a stay here supports.

Price: From £390pp per night Web: imvelosafarilodges.com

Photos: Anderson Expeditons; Ilan Godfrey; Imvelo Safari Lodges

07

North and South Luangwa National Parks

ZAMBIA

Follow in the footsteps of legendary guide Norman Carr who, in the 1960s, pioneered walking safaris in the Luangwa Valley. Stay in beautifully rustic Mwaleshi Camp in the north and Tafika in the south, where top guides lead you to simple bush camps only accessible on foot, past lagoons, ebony forests and the Big Five - elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard.

Price: Seven nights from £4,695pp Web: safari-consultants.com

08

The Ilala Ferry

MALAWI

Every week, the Ilala Ferry, a lifeline for local people, makes its seven-day voyage along the 370-mile length of Lake Malawi, offering a fascinating glimpse into life on its shores. Sleep on deck, in simple cabins or in the relatively smart Owner’s Cabi, then stop off for the ultimate barefoot luxury at Kaya Mawa lodge on Likoma Island.

Price: Owner’s Cabin from £17pp; Kaya Mawa lodge from £305pp per night Web: Owner’s Cabin malawitourism.com; Kaya Mawa lodge greensafaris.com

09

Saint Louis Jazz Festival

SENEGAL

With its combination of golden beaches, national parks, the eclectic hub of the capital Dakar, and a rich cultural history, Senegal has plenty to offer intrepid travellers. Come in May for the vibrant St Louise Jazz Festival and its mix of international and African musicians, with blues, soul and rap artists – such as Pharoah Sanders and Youssou N'Dour – performing around the city.

Price: Eight days from £1,835pp Web: transafrica.biz

MAKE YOUR SAFARI MORE ECO-FRIENDLY

Choose eco-friendly lodges

Use accommodations that prioritise sustainability, such as those using solar power, water conservation practices, and responsible waste management.

Respect wildlife and nature

Stick to designated paths, avoid getting too close to animals and never disturb their natural behaviour. Leave no trace by taking away all waste, including biodegradable items.

Limit plastic use

Bring reusable water bottles, bags and containers to reduce single-use plastic waste. Many safaris are in remote areas where waste disposal is challenging.

A marathon like no other

KENYA

Combine your passions for running and wildlife in this challenging marathon along the plains and riverbanks of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, where myriad wild animals roam. Described as “the world’s wildest challenge”, it attracts professional runners and novice marathoners alike, all raising funds for the UK-based African conservation charity, Tusk. A breathtaking experience in every sense. Price: Entry fee £150, minimum fundraising of £1,750pp Web: lewasafarimarathon.com

Tusk Lewa Safari Marathon

11

Nyungwe’s rainforest

RWANDA

Nyungwe National Park is Rwanda’s rising star, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023 and managed by renowned NGO African Parks. Track chimps and other primates, go birdwatching, and immerse yourself in its fairy-tale rainforest on a fabulous new three-day guided hike, staying in log cabins. All proceeds go to conservation and community projects.

Price: Three-day Cyinzobe trail from £235pp Web: visitnyungwe.org

12

Nimali Private House

TANZANIA

Fancy a safari all to yourselves? The exclusive-use Nimali House lies in a private 10,000-acre reserve overlooking the Maasai Steppe, with a waterhole that attracts abundant wildlife. In splendid isolation, it borders Tarangire National Park, within Tanzania’s famed Northern Circuit. Take walking safaris and game drives and visit Nimali’s projects, which include honey farming and anti-poaching patrols. Price: From £8,800 for eight people Web: expertafrica.com

13

Ouidah Voodoo Festival

BENIN

Known as the cradle of voodoo, Benin’s festivals and ceremonies play out around the country. The best known is Ouidah Voodoo Festival in January, a unique cultural experience. Believers are absorbed by rites and rituals involving dances, trances, fetishes and sacrifices in devotion to their gods. Prepare for a sensory overload of colours, smells, rhythms, drums and heat.

Price: 14 days from £3,599pp Web: nativeeyetravel.com

14

Gorongosa National Park MOZAMBIQUE

Decimated during Mozambique’s civil war, Gorongosa is now home to over 102,000 large mammals and has been called “the most diverse park in the world”. Just by visiting, you’re part of its remarkable restoration story. Its back-to-nature Wild Camp offers game drives, walking, boat safaris, swimming in waterfalls, canoeing and community visits to the people benefitting from the park’s regeneration.

Price: From £510pp per night

Web: gorongosa.org

15

Exploring the Sahara

ALGERIA

Few people travel to Algeria, Africa’s largest country. Fewer still visit the vast expanse of the Sahara Desert. In a burning palette of deep red, orange and terracotta you’ll find ancient rock art and soaring dunes as you travel with the Tuareg people, taking in their traditions and culture, and wild camping under the stars.

Price: 11 days from £2,895pp

Web: wildfrontierstravel.com

16

Climbing Mount Stanley

UGANDA

Avoid the crowds on Kilimanjaro and trek the rarely visited Rwenzoris range, known as the Mountains of the Moon for their bewitching otherworldly landscapes. The Kilembo Route passes lakes, muddy bogs (bring wellies!), rainforest, bamboo forest and giant heather zones. You’ll need to be comfortable with crampons and ropes to reach Mount Stanley’s Margherita Peak, with glaciers right on the equator.

Price: Eight days from £1,100pp Web: rwenzoritrekking.com

17

Gonarezhou National Park

ZIMBABWE

In Zimbabwe’s southeastern corner lies a rare, raw wilderness with winding rivers and sandstone cliffs that glow gold as you sip your sundowner. It’s home to 11,000 elephants, black rhinos, and predators and prey aplenty, with conservation and communities at its core. Stay in creatively decorated manangas, rustic reed-and-mud rooms built and run by local women, replicating their homes.

Price: From £175 for four people Web: gonarezhou.org

18

Island discovery

COMOROS

Between Mozambique and Madagascar lies the little-known Comoros archipelago, ideal for open-minded, intrepid travellers. Its three volcanic islands have a quiet charm with echoes of Zanzibar decades ago in the Swahili heritage of the capital Moroni, the spice gardens of Mbeni and golden beaches home to nesting turtles. Spot whales, lemurs and the world’s largest fruit bats, and hike volcanoes too.

Price: 11 days from £1,799pp Web: undiscovered-destinations.com

Take to the sky for a bird’s eye view

20

The Danakil Depression

ETHIOPIA

One of the hottest places on Earth, the Danakil Depression is a photographer’s dream: a psychedelic landscape of desert, dried-up salt lakes, hot springs and bubbling lava. After visiting Alledeghi Wildlife Reserve and Harar city – famed for its hand-fed hyenas – you’ll drive across the desert to climb active Erta Ale volcano, then camp on the crater rim amid spectacular views.

Price: Nine days from £3,560pp

Web: wildfrontierstravel.com

21

Women empowering women MOROCCO

19

Trans-Serengeti Balloon Safari Expedition

TANZANIA

Experience the Serengeti, home to the great wildebeest migration, on a new expedition traversing from east to west by hot-air balloon flights in the mornings, then walking or driving across the plains. At night, you’ll be wild camping in private mobile camps under starlit skies in wilderness areas, with no other tourists around.

Price: Five days from £7,999pp

Web: farandwild.travel

Discover how local women live in far-flung corners of Morocco on this all-female trip. Spend four days hiking in the M’Goun Valley with a female guide, learn about traditional crafts such as rug-making, dine with Amazigh families, and join in ceremonies of dancing and singing, all the while celebrating Morocco’s women and sharing cultural experiences.

Price: Eight days from £879pp

Web: intrepidtravel.com

22

Zakouma National Park

CHAD

Safari connoisseurs have Zakouma on their wish list – a wild, rugged habitat with hundreds-strong elephant herds, exceptional birdlife and a true sense of discovery in the company of expert private guide Rob Janisch. Go behind the scenes and see how highly respected NGO African Parks has turned this once-decimated park into an outstanding conservation and community success.

Price: Nine days from £14,500pp Web: naturalworldsafaris.com

23

Road trip around the Vanilla Coast MADAGASCAR

Pick up your hire car and discover Madagascar’s north-eastern SAVA region (Sambava, Andapa, Vohemar, Antalaha) where the once infamously bad RN5a road has been restored. This road trip around the Vanilla Coast takes in spice plantations, sifaka-spotting, fabulous hiking trails around the Montagne d’Ambre and the beautiful beaches of Madiro Kitamby. Self-drive or hire a local driver/guide.

Price: Car hire from £87 Web: roadtripafrica.com

24

Príncipe Island

SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE

Once the world’s biggest exporter of cacao, São Tomé and Príncipe was known as “The Chocolate Islands”. Remote Principe is a heady mass of jungle, volcanic peaks and arching beaches. Go birding or whale-watching, or enjoy a “tree-to-table” chocolate tour, staying at Roça Sundy lodge on a cocoa plantation or Sundy Praia in the forest, both committed to sustainability and local communities.

Price: Roça Sundy lodge from £230pp per night; Sundy Praia from £570pp per night Web: hbdprincipe.com

3 QUICK WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

Focus on the eyes

Sharp, well-lit eyes bring wildlife photos to life. Use single-point focus to lock onto the animal’s eyes.

Use burst mode

Wildlife can be unpredictable. Shooting in burst mode increases your chances of capturing the perfect moment.

Reciprocal shutter speed rule

To minimize camera shake when shooting handheld, use a shutter speed that is at least the reciprocal of your focal length. For example, if you’re shooting at 200mm, aim for a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second or faster.

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Odzala-Kokoua National Park

CONGO BRAZZAVILLE

Track critically endangered Western Lowland gorillas in Odzala-Kokoua National Park. Supporting conservation and local communities, your luxury lodges include Ngaga, located within one of Africa’s most important gorilla research centres. Relish the verdant beauty of the 5,250 square-mile rainforest, spotting forest elephants, buffalo, bongo antelopes, monkeys, butterflies and birds on kayaks, nature walks and night drives.

Price: Seven nights from £11,708pp Web: yellowzebrasafaris.com

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Fish River Canyon

NAMIBIA

Second only to the Grand Canyon in scale, the Fish River Canyon at almost 100 miles is tough, isolated and searingly hot, but the rewards – and views – are immense. Trek independently, carrying all your kit and food, and wild camp at its wildest, or take the more relaxed option with Fish River Lodge guides, staying at remote camps en route.

Price: Wild camping from £55pp per night; Fish River Lodge from £390pp per night Web: nwrnamibia.com/fish-river-canyon. htm; fishriverlodge-namibia.com

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The Bissagos Islands

GUINEA BISSAU

Imagine a tropical archipelago of 88 mostly uninhabited islands in the Atlantic Ocean, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve home to a turtle research sanctuary, saltwater hippos, sandy beaches, mangrove forests, vervet monkeys and myriad birdlife. Guinea Bissau’s Bissagos Islands have all this but very few visitors. Meet the people of Orango, Caravela and Carache on this new expedition that supports local schools.

Price: Eight nights from £4,830pp Web: uk.ponant.com

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Ride the Maasai Mara

KENYA

Steer clear of the convoys of game vehicles in one of Africa’s most prolific wildlife areas by discovering the Maasai Mara and its neighbouring conservancies on horseback. Canter and gallop on superb thoroughbreds across plains home to elephants, zebra, buffalo and predators, including lions and hyenas, spending your nights in luxury mobile camps under the stars.

Price: Seven nights from £7,780pp

Web: aardvarksafaris.com

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Underwater dreaming on Pemba Island

TANZANIA

For idyllic seclusion, stay in the dreamy Underwater Room at Manta Resort, observing Indian Ocean coral reefs and tropical fish from your submerged bedroom and starlit skies from the roof deck above water. Pemba is Zanzibar’s calmer, quieter and less-visited little sister, with a character all her own and dive sites and coral reefs that are among the world’s most pristine.

Price: From £870pp per night

Web: themantaresort.com

France with volcanoes

LA RÉUNION

La Réunion, a tiny piece of France in the Indian Ocean, is home to three calderas and the world’s most active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise, which is safe for trekking when it’s not busy erupting. With vibrant French, African, Indian, Arabian, Chinese and Creole cultures and cuisines, sandy beaches and forest-draped mountains, it’s an adventurer’s paradise offering paragliding, diving, rafting, kayaking and hiking.

Price: 16 nights self-drive from £2,950pp Web: rainbowtours.co.uk

Trek among active volcanoes

Photo: Dreamstime

Africa’s Hottest Hides

There are many ways to enjoy a safari in Africa, be it by traditional guided game drives, self-drive, on foot, by mountain bike or even on horseback. However, one of the most relaxing and underrated ways to really be present in the moment and capture those award winning and/or Instagram worthy shots, is to spend some quality time in some of Africa’s best photographic hides and secret safari spots. Safari addict, Claire Roadley shares a few of her personal favourites...

Mahlasela Hide in Tembe Elephant Park in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa is a great place to spot all of the Big 5, but is best known and loved for being a popular bathing and watering spot for some of Africa’s biggest tuskers. You can take a peek at some of the action via their webcam.

It may not be an official hide, but the humble bird bath at Mosetlha Bush Camp and Eco Lodge, in the heart of Madikwe Game Reserve, sees almost as much action as an Attenborough documentary. Between game drives there’s no better place to sit than in the lapa or on the deck to see what visits.

The Onkolo Hide at Onguma Nature Reserve, on the eastern fringe of Namibia’s iconic Etosha National Park is a great place to capture a diverse range of wildlife and birds with beautiful light and creative angles at water level. Very comfortable facilities for both experts and amateurs.

Mara Bushtops enjoys an enviable view over a busy salt lick which attracts wildlife from miles around. There is no need to “hide” here ... you can view all the action from their award winning spa, the terrace or your private tented suite. The webcam offers a window to the wild for viewers around the globe.

The underground Matebole Elephant Hide at Mashatu in Botswana is a renowned hotspot for photographers, with PhotoMashatu offering guidance. Greg du Toit’s Essence of Elephants won him Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013. New Lala Limpopo overnight hide launching in October.

There are currently nine photographic hides on Zimanga Private Game Reserve in South Africa’s Zululand, including two Bird Bath Hides or Reflection Hides and two overnight hides, Umgodi and Tamboti which have been custom designed by Bence Mate for large mammal photography.

Mahlasela Hide

Mosetlha Birdbath

Onkolo Hide

Mara Bushtops

Matebole Hide

Zimanga Hides

TO BOLDLY GO...

Discovering Namibia’s Untamed Majesty

Some places just beg to be explored. Some on foot, others by bicycle, by train, by water, by air. Namibia, however, sitting seaward on Africa’s southwestern coast, is a place best experienced by car: a sturdy four-wheel drive, driven by you, fuelled by a full tank, turbocharged by curiosity. Namibia is an adventure, an odyssey that will unfurl as you steer into the heart of its cinematic spectacle.

Namibia does vast. It does empty. And it does both very well. The second least densely populated country on earth boasts landscapes so expansive and quiet that they almost echo. The night sky here is so impossibly big and dazzling that a warring contrast of light and dark fights a nightly battle. Horizons stretch as far and as wide as physics and imagination will allow.

For first-time self-drivers and seasoned salty dogs, Namibia both offers and delivers. It’s a symphony of space – a land where one well-trodden cliché lives large: here, the journey really is the destination.

Ready, Steady, Go…  Namibia is freedom on four wheels. The ease of vehicle hire, coupled with first-class accommodation and outstanding food and beverage, makes it a self-drive paradise.

The roads are well-maintained, with a network of gravel tracks that invite

exploration. Safety, a concern for many, is rarely an issue. Namibia enjoys one of the lowest crime rates in Africa and, with a well-developed tourism infrastructure, support is never far away.

For solo travellers, couples, or families, Namibia is an alluring prospect. Let’s turn the key, spark the plugs and hit the road…

Foot Down for Adventure

Leaving the affable city of Windhoek, your road trip really begins at NamibNaukluft National Park. This vast wilderness, larger than Switzerland, is a playground for those with an adventurous spirit. Explore the Namib, the world’s oldest desert, where the landscape is defined by its simplicity – endless waves of ochre sands beneath blue sky, the sun painting the scene in almost sacred hues of crimson and gold. In its midst, you might find the fabled wild horses, resiliently roaming the arid plains near Garub, a testament to survival in the harshest of environments.

Exploring the towering dunes of Sossusvlei, you’ll realise that climbing them isn’t merely a physical challenge; it’s a communion with timelessness. Wandering the eerie Deadvlei or climbing the rugged mountains of the Naukluft, you’ll become saturated with a sense of solitude rare in our crowded world. You’ll feel small. You’ll feel lost. And you’ll love it.

Where Sand Meets Sea

Heading north, you’ll find the forbidding yet fascinating Skeleton Coast, named for the countless shipwrecks that adorn its shores. This desolate stretch is a place where elements clash: it’s easy to see why explorers once feared these

waters, but today the Skeleton Coast offers thrills in abundance for modern adventurers. Driving here is a journey into the unknown, the wind howling and the waves crashing against a shoreline that feels like the edge of the world; and in driving that shoreline, racing the tide in that place where the dunes meet the sea, a smile will be seared in you that will never fade.

At Walvis Bay you can kayak alongside hundreds of playful Cape fur seals. Paddling through the cool Atlantic waters, with the seals playing around you, is a joyous experience, a sensational episode of happy co-existence.

You’ll meet history on a visit to the ghost town of Kolmanskop, which provides a poignant reminder of Namibia’s diamond rush past. This abandoned settlement, slowly being reclaimed by the encroaching sands, is a photographer’s dream and a tangible handhold to a bygone

era. Further south, near Lüderitz, Shark Island relates a darker chapter. Once a notorious concentration camp during German colonial rule, a tour gives sobering insight into the country’s complex, often painful, past.

Opposite page (from the top): Deadvlei clay pan; Giant sand dunes of Namib-Naukluft National Park.

Below (from the top): A pelican in Walvis Bay; Flamingos in Flamingo Lagoon near Swakopmund.

Go Wild in the Country

No journey to Namibia would be complete without encountering its extraordinary wildlife.

Etosha National Park, one of Africa’s premier game reserves, delivers a selfdrive safari experience that rivals any guided tour. The park’s vast salt pan, visible from space, creates a stark, surreal backdrop against which desert-adapted elephants, lions and rhinos roam. At the waterholes, you’ll watch as herds of zebras, springbok, oryx and giraffes come to drink, oblivious to your presence.

But wildlife experiences extend far beyond Etosha. Walk with pangolins at Okonjima for a moving encounter with the gentlest of creatures; or explore the lush contrast of the far northeast, where the Zambezi Region’s rivers teem with life. Angle for fierce tigerfish on the mighty Zambezi and watch crocodiles and hippos, all to the staggering soundtrack of rich and varied birdlife.

Find Perfect Space

Few places on Earth offer a better view of the cosmos than Damaraland, where conditions for stargazing are perfect. As dusk falls and the sun dips below the horizon, the sky erupts in an explosive display, the Milky Way stretching across the heavens in a celestial arc. Lying on the hood of your car in screaming silence, you’ll stare, open-mouthed, defying anywhere to give you a more intimate connection with the universe.

As the sun comes up, you might see Damaraland in a different light. The ancient rock engravings of Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO World Heritage site, showcase the deep human history of the region and nearby, the Welwitschia Fossil Trees

A Glance in the Mirror

For this writer, Namibia is a place of memories. Memories of a honeymoon full of love and hope, of a later family adventure, remembered for its laughter and the “best days ever”, where everyone grew, together and as people. For others, it’s the realisation of later-life ambition, the fulfilment of self and the pushing of boundaries.

Namibia is Africa at its most generous. A place that gives, and will continue to give, long after goodbyes have been said. It will shape you, carving a canyon in your soul, haunting you, whispering your return.

You should go. You’ll want to go back.

Make Friends Along the Road

If one thing surpasses Namibia’s physical beauty, it’s its indigenous people. To visit a Himba village is to journey back in time, meeting centuries-old traditions and sincere human warmth in the austere  surroundings. The Himba, like the San, the Damara and so many others, remind us of where Namibia’s true riches lie.

and the fantastical Quiver Tree Forests add a prehistoric touch to this primeval landscape.  Steppes Travel has been creating bespoke, beautiful and transformative travel experiences for over 30 years, helping clients Discover Extraordinary the way they want to find it. Specialists in off-the-beaten-track wildlife and cultural adventure, the company was, in 2023, recognised by Conde Nast Traveller Magazine as one of the Top Five Specialist Tour Operators in the world.  steppestravel.com

Above: Kolmanskop ghost town. Opposite: Giraffe, Lion and elephants at waterholes throughout Etosha National Park.

The bushman’s canvas

Head to the Limpopo region of South Africa to learn more about the ancient traditions of the Indigenous Khoisan people

“We believe that you are not truly at rest until you are buried at home,” our field guide Jack Botomani tells us as he picks up a twig from a buffalo thorn tree. The Ziziphus mucronata branch is covered in thorns; some hooked and some straight. Jack explains that when a Zulu dies, a family member goes to the place where the death occurred and leaves a buffalo thorn tree branch there overnight. The hooked nature of the thorns means the spirit of the deceased can hold on to the branch. When the family member returns the next day, they take the branch home, carrying their relative’s spirit to their final resting place.

For the Venda people, these branches are a metaphor for relationships. “We believe marriage is two unions: one of the soul and one of the flesh,” Jack says. “When one person dies, the union of the flesh is disturbed – but the union of the soul is not. The thorns that hook behind show the life that has stopped; the thorns pointing forward represent the future for the other person.”

After a year of mourning, the deceased’s family give the spouse a buffalo thorn tree branch to drag across the grave. That person is now free to find a new husband or wife. “This completes the demarcation of the bond between souls,” Jack adds. “That person can start to look forward to the life ahead of them.”

Jack, whose ancestors were from the

Words: Simon Willmore; Photos: Kav Dadfar

Chewa tribe originating in central Africa, reads the Limpopo landscape like a book, recounting its ancient stories. He notices items that are inconspicuous to my untrained eye: droppings that mean a porcupine passed by a few days ago; gnaw marks on a tree made by kudu; even the unnoticeable-until-pointed-out leopard claw print overlaid on a giraffe hoof print – in itself a wonderful metaphor for the hunt.

The life-giving nature of the buffalo thorn tree is literal as well as spiritual. “If you see this tree growing you know there is water underground so you can dig a well,” Jack says with a smile. “And the Venda use the berries as a substitute for coffee.”

Liquid refreshment is all around you in the Soutpansberg Mountains, if you know where to look. Lippia javanica is used to make “fever tea”, a remedy for flu. “It’s an insect repellent and immunity booster,” Jack says. The leaves smell fresh and lemony – it’s bushman’s Lemsip. Similarly, we see a khat plant, used to make “bushman’s tea”. “One cup is equivalent to five cans of Red Bull!” he says.

Jack points out a small knobwood tree. “The bushmen, or Khoisan, used the bark for toothache,” he tells us. It’s startling to learn how much they knew about the local flora and fauna centuries before modern science. We now know that one of the biologically active ingredients in the tree is sanguinarine – used in commercial toothpastes to this day.

We hear a thumpy scuffle and look around. A confusion of wildebeest – that’s the collective noun, not their mental state – scampers off. One pauses to eye us up, its black tail swishing as it looks directly at us, the amber in its irises glinting against the hedgerow behind. Satisfied we are not a threat, the wildebeest trundles off to join the rest of the group as we begin to scramble up a forested outcrop, ducking under branches, our breath heavy from the ascent.

At the top, laid out before us on the rock wall, is the bushman’s canvas, depicting millennia of storytelling.

“The Khoisan knew to paint on the south-facing wall so the sun wouldn’t fade it,” Jack says, waving his cane at an image of people in a healing trance.

“It was thought that the blood from the nose of the shaman could heal the sick.”

The shaman was believed to talk to the animals too – an olden-day Dr Doolittle.

“If people couldn’t get a kill on the hunt, a shaman could connect to the natural community to work out how to be successful next time,” Jack explains.

We notice the paintings are high up on the rockface and Jack acknowledges this. “The bushmen would seek refuge in higher areas,” he says. “They would push boulders down the hillside to scare away lions.”

Right on cue, proving the point that wildlife is everywhere, the shouty bark of a chacma baboon echoes around us.

“One will be on lookout,” Jack explains.

Previous spread: Jack showing me the cave paintings.

This page (from the top): The view from the deck at Leshiba Wilderness; Peter Straughan; Drawings on a cave wall.

Opposite page (from the top): Jack Botomani; Joyce Mulaudzi; Art around the Venda Village.

Jack, whose ancestors were from the Chewa tribe originating in central Africa, reads the landscape like a book

“If needed, he will warn more, to get to a vantage point to check we’re not too close.” I can’t help but think of a troop of monkeys in SWAT gear, giving hand signals to locate the intruders. Fortunately, the primate reconnaissance squad deem us unthreatening and we move back down to the forest floor. Jack points out a wild pear tree (although it has nothing to do with pears as we know them). The deciduous tree’s dark grey fissured bark has disappeared, revealing smooth innards – a disease perhaps? Or human damage?

Not quite. Jack explains it’s from a leopard sharpening its claws, in preparation for the hunt. “It’s a jungle manicure!” he laughs.

We walk onwards, spotting a herd of impala. One has its backside to us, revealing a big black M on a white background. “We call impala ‘McDonald’s’ – because they’re everywhere,” Jack says. That afternoon, I sit on the balcony of Leshiba Wilderness resort with co-owner Peter Straughan. “We’ve documented 2,000 sites trying to decipher paintings – with millennia of art superimposed over art, only pieces of the puzzle are left and much information has been lost,” he tells me. Fortunately, some of Leshiba’s history is perfectly preserved, thanks to the people who work there. Joyce Mulaudzi, joint lodge manager and chef with Lukas Makhado, was born here in 1973, the middle child of a family of nine.

Her childhood tribal home has been preserved and commemorated on the site of the resort as the ‘Venda Village’, a living exhibit featuring traditional wood carvings and clay sculptures dotted around the public spaces and accommodation.

Joyce leads us around the resort, recounting fascinating stories of her childhood. She shows us a century plant (Agave americana), with huge spiky blue-green leaves reminiscent of an aloe, and explains that it holds incredible value for the Venda people. “If something is not going well, we use the tree to speak to our ancestors. We might ask for rain;

we never had drought back then.” The Venda sprinkle snuff around the tree or bring bones to the isangoma (a healer or diviner) to ask for help. “Within days, change will come,” she says, smiling. “Some people think you have to visit a grave to speak to your ancestors; for us, it is the tree.”

The Leshiba team is striving to keep Venda culture alive, and Joyce is writing a book to document these efforts. She has been learning traditional sewing and beading techniques and these are lovingly put to use here, as the doily for the milk jug or decorations on the salt and pepper shakers.

Preserving these ways of life is also the aim of the Ribola Art Route. The programme was set up by social movement Love Limpopo, which includes regular guests of Leshiba Wilderness, to celebrate the creative “art-beat” of Tsonga, Venda and Shangaan cultures.

“Ribola is the mountain that always stays green,” our guide Rhulani “Gift” Mkhari tells us. “If you want to go there, you need a clean soul.” You are not allowed to take valuables on the pilgrimage, and you must not cut down any trees or plants to get to the summit. “You need to ask the chief for permission to climb the mountain, located somewhere between Bokisi and Mbhokota,” Gift explains, somewhat cryptically. Our car rumbles past the

town of Elim, then the smaller town of Makulani, then the even smaller town of Mukondeni. Love Limpopo weren’t kidding when they said they want to give a voice to artists “in rural spaces”.

When we pull up at an inconspicuous whitewashed building, chickens clucking around us, we’re greeted by Florah Randel, one of the team at Mukondeni Pot Village. We sit on the ground and her team gets to work, expertly crafting pots from nothing but natural clay. They make up to 50 a day using only their fingers and plastic tools cut from an old bucket. When it’s our turn, we are predictably rubbish – but Elisa helps us reshape our poorly formed pots into something prettier.

Talking of transforming garbage into art, we next visit Pilato Bulala, who makes sculptures out of reclaimed metal at his workshop just down the road. “To make a sculpture is like writing a book: it has to tell a story. I take inspiration from my country and my people,” he says. His artwork includes a 4ft-high metal Archbishop Desmond Tutu with covid mask, a family of spanners turned into giraffes, and Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, made from a gas compressor.

The next stop on the trail is at the home of sculptor Thomas Kubayi, who takes similar inspiration from stories of South Africa, such as the Durban riots in 2021, caused by the failure to keep

This page (from the top): The remote Leshiba Wilderness; Venda Village; Century plant.

Opposite page (clockwise from top left): Pilato Bulala; Florah Randel from Mukondeni Pot Village; Thomas Kubayi; Vhutsila Indigenous Music band including our guide Rhulani “Gift” Mkhari standing on the right.

“I

take inspiration from my country and my people”

former president Jacob Zuma in jail. “Everything is made from one piece of salvaged wood. It’s usually leadwood – so named because it is so heavy,” Thomas says. We sit down to a private gig by the Vhutsila Indigenous Music band, featuring a marimba handmade by Thomas himself. As if this experience isn’t full enough, an open-top bus full of singing schoolchildren drives past.

Back at Leshiba, I light a fire on the terrace. Paprika-coloured sparks kick up into the air and mix with the chirping of cicadas and the warbling of birds; there are 542 recorded species of the latter here, including the rare narina trogon.

“We want you to be surrounded by wildlife but we encourage people to come here for cultural experiences, not a typical safari,” says co-owner Kathryn Straughan. Without missing a beat, an impala bounds past. Its legs fly so high up into the air that the creature becomes an orange-brown horizontal line, 3ft off the ground. Its gurgling, growling bark follows a wannabe alpha across the plateau.

Later that evening, we too are traversing the plain; within minutes of

starting our game drive we see four giraffes. Earlier in the week, our driver Mike van der Schyff had explained that the word “giraffe” comes from the Arabic zarāfah, “the elegant one”. Even

when they stoop down to drink from the watering hole, their head having to lower 16ft to the ground like a huge golden tripod, they have a grace befitting their name. “They don’t have any urgency up here,” Mike had said. “There are few predators – the zebra, giraffe and wildebeest move together.”

Breaking the tranquillity, ranger Peter Malkwibila shouts “Pumba!” as a mother and baby warthog run past. “They’re looking for a place to stay,” he explains. “They use each other’s burrows, so it’s first come first served.”

We inch forward in the twilight, the jeep creaking, rattling, squeaking and bouncing across the plain. The “road” is more pothole than road but Jack’s knowledge of this park and his dexterity with a steering wheel is unfaltering. Most of the time he’s only using one hand to drive as the other waves a torch into the scrubland. Every so often, we glimpse a giraffe in the gloom: they’re so still they look wooden, their dandelion-coloured eyes twinkling like stars.

Our jeep creeps up to the top of a cliff, with a spectacular view north towards Nzhelele Nature Reserve. Jack pulls out a cool box with beers and biltong, and

persuades the sunshine to peek out from the cloud layer that’s been languidly draped across a nearby mountain. I scan from the horizon to the ground at my feet: bluey-grey cliffs in the background, green treetops, yellow shrub in the foreground and dusty red clay underfoot. It seems that even the scenery of the Rainbow Nation got the memo.

“These mountains are the Three Sisters,” Jack tells us. “We’re looking towards Joyce’s hometown of Ha-Manavhela.” I recall what she had said that afternoon: “At first, I found it difficult when I came back to Leshiba in 2001. When I cleaned my father’s room I could hear his voice. I sprinkled snuff and said, ‘Please help me’ – I was scared.”

Fortunately, with the efforts of the Leshiba team, Joyce has been able to feel a sense of belonging once more. “Nowadays I feel proud and honoured to work here,” she said. “I get to celebrate my family and heritage in my home.”

I, too, feel honoured to be here. I take a sip of a Windhoek lager and a sense of peace washes over me. I certainly hope my family will have no need for a buffalo thorn tree any time soon, but I could happily rest here for eternity.

GETTING THERE

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, KLM and Emirates among others offer direct flights to Johannesburg. From there you’ll need to fly with Airlink to Polokwane Airport (one hour), from which Leshiba Wilderness is two-hours’ drive away.

GETTING AROUND

Copper Sun, managed by Mike van der Schyff, offers taxis and transfers around the region, including pickups from Polokwane airport.

BEST TIME TO GO May to September is usually the ideal time to visit as it provides the best combination of weather as well as good opportunities to spot wildlife.

W HERE TO EAT & STAY Leshiba Wilderness (leshiba.co.za) is a four-star resort on top of a mountain in the Soutpansberg range; its phenomenal remoteness means that it takes 45 minutes just to drive up the ten-mile rocky trail from the main road to get there. Don’t be fooled by this location, however – there’s still wifi (in the restaurant) and three-course dinners on offer.

FURTHER INFORMATION lovelimpopo.com

This page (clockwise from the top): Zebra on a late-afternoon game drive; Game-drive vehicle; A warthog.

Delta Force

A luxurious safari odyssey from the elephant-rich savannas of Chobe to the lush waterways of the Okavango Delta reveals the best of Botswana.

We’re flying above the Okavango Delta towards the Chobe National Park, cruising over the labyrinth of rivers, tributaries and waterholes that nourish the earth like alveoli through lungs. In this Eden of extraordinary diversity, creatures great and small flourish; our dinky bush plane bumps and grinds to a triumphant standstill, and we are now guests in their territory.

Chobe is known as the “elephant capital of the world”, but it’s lions that greet us first as we journey to Belmond’s Savute Elephant Lodge. Two magnificent beasts, sprawled out glamorously in the midday sun, eye us with nonchalance, indifferent in the face of camera clicks. All big cats are killing machines, but Savute lions are so formidable that they were “the first known pride to start hunting elephants,” our guide, Moses tells us. Why? The more extreme the environment, the more “survival of the fittest” comes into play – in the dry season between May and October, when the land is parched, the lions have to get creative.

We drive on, enveloped in great gusts of wild sage that blow through the vehicle, accompanied by a fabulous escort of glittering southern carmine bee-eaters. Moses has a keen eye, spotting everything from Verreaux’s eagle-owl, impala and jackal to leopard tortoise, dwarf mongoose and guinea

fowl. There’s also a grim reminder of nature’s uncompromising savagery: the bloated carcass of a young elephant lies contorted into a grotesque sculpture, alive with a million maggots and further violated by the marabou storks and vultures that pick over what little remains.

The horror is swiftly forgotten upon arrival at camp, a thatch-and-timber building overlooking the Savute Channel that blends beautifully with its desert surroundings. A shaded alfresco dining area makes an ideal spot for enjoying the view, anchored by a campfire for after-dark storytelling. Unexpected luxuries exist too, such as a spa, staffed by in-house masseuse, Kenny. As a young girl, Kenny would soothe her grandfather’s weary muscles; it was he who first told her she had a gift for touch. He was not wrong: a massage with Kenny is pure art, beginning and ending with the shiver-inducing tinkle

of a rainstick, traditionally used in ceremonies to summon the annual rains. After this alchemy, it’s no surprise when the heavens open. As the season’s first downpour comes crashing down during dinner, a huge herd of elephants is lured to the stage and we feast as elephants gambol in the moonlight beyond. Later, in my tent, chubby raindrops splash out a staccato lullaby as they explode onto canvas, soothing me into a deep and restful sleep.

There’s no shortage of water at Belmond Eagle Island either, a deluxe lodge set across a 15-acre estate in the heart of the Okavango Delta’s UNESCO-protected wetlands, 94 miles southwest of Savute Elephant Lodge. The most reliable way to navigate this watery wilderness is by dugout canoe or mokoro. Local guide Lovers navigates the fine channels while divulging the delights of the delta; a minute acid-green

With the coos and chirps of doves, owls and insects, getting lost in the tones of the bush must be nature’s purest meditation

long-nosed frog clings to a blade of grass and a malachite kingfisher flits through the reeds, while a mating pair of African fish eagles keep watch from the treetops like sentries on duty. The best bit? We’re deposited directly to the camp’s Fish Eagle bar for sundowners at the water’s edge. “The bar is always open,” says mixologist Owen, with a smile, as he hands me a local Okavango gin and tonic.

In the spirit of slow travel, I head out on a walking safari with Belmond Safaris’ Head Environmentalist, Isaac Seredile. It’s but moments before we are prompted to hush. To our left are three bull elephants, while to our right is a herd of Cape buffalo, a highly aggressive species and

one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Isaac’s lifetime of experience is swiftly deployed and, after a pregnant pause, we are rerouted onto a safe path. From the coo and chirps of doves, owls and insects to the tidal sounds of waist-high grasses swaying in the breeze, getting lost in the tones of the bush must be nature’s purest meditation. My stay here comes to a close with a final sundowner next to a waterhole occupied by wallowing, grunting and snorting hippos, as Botswana’s vast, golden sky blazes crimson then scarlet.

With its low-volume, high-cost tourism model, Botswana is not short on luxury lodges. But Duke’s Camp, 30

miles northwest of Eagle Island Lodge is something else. This off-grid, solarpowered camp is a sibling to Ralph Bousfield’s renowned Jack’s Camp in the Makgadikgadi Pans, so it’s fair to say it carries superstar DNA. Duke’s is as remote as it is ravishing, hidden in a

Opposite page (from the top): Lion

through

This page (clockwise from the top): A mokoro on the Delta; Savute Elephant Lodge on Eagle Island.

Previous spread (left to right): Bush Drives; Okavango Delta from the air.

walking

the bush; Cheetah in the Savuti plains; Male impala.

clearing of ebony and leadwood forest crowned by a soaring safari tent adorned with billowing swags, antiques and curios. Flanking this canvas palace are further delights: a cosy bar stocked with spirits for crafting DIY cocktails, a Moroccaninspired lounge draped in sheepskins and printed cushions, and the bijou emeraldgreen swimming pool – not to mention, the world’s grooviest lavatory, ingeniously constructed around a gnarled tree trunk.

We feast on a high tea of freshly baked scones and sausage rolls, washed down with pitchers of real lemonade, before joining Duke’s expert guide and all-round legend, Costa, to explore the 22,000acre concession. A natural orator with a flamboyant style, he brings the bush to life like a born performer – and there’s no shortage of drama at Duke’s. Every game drive is filled with spectacular sightings, from lions at rest and a den of playful hyenas to a cheetah searching for a midnight snack.

During early starts, breakfast is served wilderness-style on the bonnet of the safari vehicle, followed by a communal lunch back at camp and a divine threecourse dinner that includes the likes of fillet of local beef and crème brûlée. Evenings are spent enveloped in birdsong, insect hums and a chorus of

frogs, before retiring to the luxury of a mahogany four-poster bed.

Our last game drive delivers a finale I will never forget: a pack of wild dogs in hot pursuit of a warthog. With only 700 wild dogs in all of Botswana, this is a remarkable spectacle indeed. Chirping the soundtrack to a horror movie, the pack strategically corners the petrified pig as it seeks refuge atop a termite mound. We watch the alpha dog approach stealthily from behind before launching an attack that forces the warthog to flee its shelter. It’s now that the dogs pounce, eating the warthog alive from the bottom up, in a feral interpretation of nose-to-tail dining. It turns out she’s pregnant, her unborn piglets scoffed one by one. This is the first time I’ve witnessed a kill and I need a stiff drink.

Back in Duke’s embrace, I take stock of my adventure and raise a glass to Sarefo ‘Duke’ Sarefo, this camp’s namesake and custodian of this bountiful place. Born some 80 years ago on the very island that the camp now occupies, his ancestral roots run deep into this soil – little wonder the land reverberates with an energy that sings of love and care.

GETTING THERE

The nearest airport is at Muan; fly from London to Johannesburg and then take a two-hour connecting flight. From here, you’ll need to take a bush plane to your first camp.

GETTING AROUND

Tour operators like cazenove+loyd will provide transfers to and from camps.

W HERE TO EAT

All meals are provided at the camps and feature excellent cuisine more sophisticated than the bush setting might suggest. Expect plenty of local ingredients and flavours, as well as international favourites.

W HERE TO STAY

Savute Elephant Lodge and Eagle Island Lodge, offer the finest luxury accommodation.

FURTHER INFORMATION cazenove+loyd (cazloyd.com) can tailor your itinerary to include all three camps.

Clockwise from top left: Duke’s Camp; African fish eagle; Dinner in the wild at Duke’s Camp.

Sailing through history

Travelling by boat provides an insight into West Africa’s sobering past, as well as allowing visitors to gain access to otherwise hard-to-reach places.

Hail Caesar. I hadn’t clapped eyes on him since he was in nappies but he didn’t look pleased to see me. I’d met Caesar the baby chimp five years ago, being nursed back to health after his mother perished at the hands of poachers. He’d been taken into the care of Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone, and now I’d returned to see him during a 14-day expedition cruise around West Africa’s coastline.

My guide Suleyman explained chimpanzee numbers in Sierra Leone had crashed from 20,000 back in 2009 to 5,500 now, decimated by habitat loss, bushmeat hunting and the illegal pet trade. The sanctuary provides the rescued chimps with a large fenced forest to live out their days. By the nursery enclosure, where the newest arrivals cartwheeled around climbing apparatus, the now six-year-old Caesar watched us suspiciously. He was no longer in nappies – instead, an alpha male in the making. Seeing us as a threat to the smaller ones, he jumped around clapping in a dismissive “leave now” gesture. He was maturing into the chimpanzee he should’ve been allowed to develop into in the wild.

Tacugama was a standout moment during a West African voyage onboard a small 76-cabin ship called the Vega.

Very few cruise ships call by West Africa; Swan Hellenic’s Vega was repositioning from Antarctica to the Arctic. I joined this sleek metallic-blue ship in Tema, Ghana, and stayed onboard until Dakar in Senegal – visiting Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia en route. It felt like a serene way to explore West Africa because my previous experience of travelling overland here had proved challenging, not least crossing multiple land borders that required awkward-to-obtain visas.

Tacugama proved to be an exception during our voyage in terms of wildlife. The region’s huge biodiversity is under threat due to human impact and many of the remaining national parks are far inland and inaccessible. Instead, West Africa’s appeal is a cauldron of myriad cultures set against a compelling yet emotional insight into the transatlantic slave trade. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, European nations plundered this coast of an estimated ten to twelve million African lives and sent them into slavery. West Africa was the conduit of this trade to the Americas. Without sounding crass, particularly given I was sailing in luxury, there is no more apt way to understand this dehumanising trade than by sea because the coastal settlements still bear the visceral architecture of slavery.

I awoke after my first night at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, offshore of Elmina. In the 15th century, Portuguese caravels arrived along Ghana’s Gold Coast, seeking El Dorado. Elmina, the epicentre of Ghana’s slave exportation, hasn’t the infrastructure to host the 370ft-long Vega, so we tender into the fishing port by Zodiac-dinghies, squeezing between brightly painted wooden fishing pirogues decked out in flags that crowd the wharves in front of a large coastal castle.

Castelo de São Jorge de Mina is a handsome structure from afar; palm trees cast spiky shadows on its whitewashed walls and red-tiled roofs. It’s also a symbol of depravity. Capable of holding 1,000 men and women at a time, mostly acquired from collaborative African slavers, the castle was built by the Portuguese around 1482 and

Above: SH Vega; Right (clockwise from top left): Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary; Sulayaman: Cannons at Cape Coast Castle; Moored wooden fishing boats in Elmina; Elmina Castle from the sea; Elmina Castle.

I made my own way into Sierra Leone’s capital on foot, strolling the pulsating street market down Kissy Street

subsequently captured by the Dutch in 1637 who carried on this transatlantic trade well into the 19th century. Felix Nguah took us through the cramped and dismal dungeons and into a tight passageway to the “door of no return” where the slaves boarded awaiting vessels. He said as many as 20% would die in transit to the Americas. Nowadays the fort is UNESCO World Heritage-listed. Should it be celebrated thus, I asked Felix? “Absolutely,” Felix said emphatically. “It must remain a symbol of those terrible times to educate young people to learn from history’s mistakes.”

We sailed onward overnight to Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire. It proved a disappointingly brief visit as lethargic red tape held up disembarkation and a rushed city tour stuck in traffic failed to illuminate this little-visited country. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case over the few days that followed in Liberia then Sierra Leone. There are similarities

between these two neighbours; both were established by freed slaves and have suffered recent brutal wars and the devastation of Ebola.

On a bright afternoon in Monrovia, Liberia, we passed Providence Island where in 1822 the first free black AfroAmericans arrived by ship. Eventually, they migrated to higher ground in the hillside district of Ducor, now symbolic of both Liberia’s origin as a nation and its near destruction. At its highest point, the Intercontinental Hotel remains an eerie shattered hull, shot up during two consecutive civil wars between 1989 and 2003. Around the axis of Broad and Ashmun streets, the historic town includes the first Methodist church, built by the returnees, where Liberian independence was eventually declared in 1847. Dressed in a mauve trouser suit Reverend Charles greeted us warmly. “Once,” he began, with messianic zeal, “a German warship came to destroy us, and

we prayed, and they never woke up. Then Ebola came and Covid came and from this church we prayed, and they went away.”

Freetown, a day’s sailing away, is also slowly recovering from the conflict it suffered between 1991 and 2002. I made my own way into Sierra Leone’s capital on foot, strolling the pulsating street market down Kissy Street. Cacophonously loud and lively, shoes for sale were lined along the kerbstones and traders tried to convince me that $10 Rolex watches were genuine. Until recently, a giant cotton tree

Clockwise from top left: Monrovia craft market dancers; Monrovia Anglican church; Independence Hall in Monrovia; Rope seller in Freetown; Freetown cityscape; Guinea-Bissau Bijagos island; Boloma dancers, Guineau-Bissau.

Photos: Mark Stratton; Dreamstime

stood at the city’s heart, once a meeting place for the 400 former slaves known as London’s ‘Black Poor’ who returned here in 1787 to create Freetown. Torrential rains truncated it to a broken stump a few years back.

Temperatures soared into the mid-30ºs by the time Vega rounded the westernmost point of Africa and steamed northwards to the remarkable Bijagós Archipelago in a coastal delta off Guinea-Bissau. This small, little-known country, an ex-Portuguese colony, was my favourite stop along the 1,759nautical mile journey. On two islands we learnt about the Bijagós people’s fierce independence that saw them keep the slave ships at bay, allowing them to retain a unique animist culture.

On Cahabaque, the islanders

performed a mask dance on the beach’s burned-brown sand. A young man with a cow-horned mask bucked and reared like a bull; a dance performed every seven years to advance towards good karma for the next life. “They live like they did 100 years ago; they’re so attached to their culture,” said Soniá Durris, a local Portuguese resident guide.

Our voyage ended in Senegal. Twenty minutes offshore of Dakar is Île de Gorée. It’s quaintly pretty, with bougainvillea draped around French heritage architecture between little pockets of beach. For three centuries until 1848 Africa’s largest slave centre here likely shipped millions of Africans overseas. Just one of the brick slave houses remains, the 1770s Maison des Esclaves. It was a sobering finale. Throughout this pioneering voyage the upheaval of transatlantic slavery was never far away yet by ship we’d reached corners of a compelling history and culture that an overland journey could never match.

GETTING THERE

The cruise starts in Tema (Ghana); British Airways has direct flights from London to Accra, 15 miles away. Flights from Dakar back to London involve a connection, such as in Madrid with Iberia.

BEST TIME TO GO

The climate is drier and cooler from October to March, after the summer rains.

W HERE TO EAT

All meals are provided, with the choice between the main Swan restaurant on deck 4, which serves buffet and a la carte, and the more casual Club Lounge on deck 7, which hosts afternoon tea. Local ingredients, including fresh fish, are used where possible.’

W HERE TO STAY

Accommodation throughout the cruise is onboard; some rooms have balconies. In Accra, stay at Labadi Beach Hotel.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Visit swanhellenic.com for more information about the 14-day “Cruise West Africa: The Slavery Coast”.

Clockwise from the left: Bijagos Canhabaque Island mask dancer; Mask dance fire; Traditional fishing canoe in Guinea-Bissau; Slavery fortress on Gorée island; Museum of the Slave House at Gorée island; Gorée island.

Photos: Mark Stratton; Dreamstime

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Stewards of the savanna

A journey on the Madaraka Express provides a fantastic opportunity to experience some of Kenya’s conservation projects first-hand.

Head keeper Edwin Lucishi calls for quiet as a cloud of red dust rolls over the visitors, settling on sunglasses, camera lenses and sunscreen-sticky noses. The source of this dust is Raha, an orphaned

baby black rhino. She shuffles into the enclosure and plops down onto the earth, sending up another cloud. Her tail is missing: the result of a hyena attack.

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust keepers in emerald greatcoats and white hats flick water onto her back and her dustembedded skin turns from red to brown. They then shovel more dust onto her, and she arches her back in relish.

“Part of it is to protect from the sun and the insects,” says Edwin. “But most of it is for fun.”

After Raha waddles back out, a dozen baby elephants saunter in, whipping up coos in the crowd. As they douse

themselves in dust and water, Edwin tells of how each was orphaned. “Parents died due to drought. Back two legs paralysed; we brought them back with massage. Rejected by the bull elephant. Ivory poachers.”

The latter, thankfully, is becoming rarer. “The only good thing the Covid pandemic did was reduce poaching,” says Edwin. “We can only hope that will continue. Elephant ivory adds no value to human life.”

The elephant nursery at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was founded in 1987 in Nairobi, Kenya. The trust employs antipoaching units and vets across Kenya’s national parks; when an orphaned elephant or rhino is spotted, it’s brought to Nairobi for urgent care. Once their health is fully restored, they depart for one of three reintegration units and are reintroduced into the wild. Daphne Sheldrick founded the trust in 1977 in memory of her husband, David, a prominent naturalist and founder of Kenya’s Tsavo East National Park.

Tsavo, as it happens, is my next stop. I’m in Kenya to experience Audley Travel’s new Kenya by Train itinerary, which connects Nairobi, Voi and Mombasa via the Madaraka Express train. At each stop,

Left: David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Tsavo National Park

Right: Buffalo crossing a dirt road in Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in Voi.

and between safaris, we visit community and environmental conservation initiatives. It’s a gratifying way to see exactly where your tourism dollars are going.

A luxury itinerary on the Madaraka Express would have been unthinkable on the pre-2017 train, not-very-affectionately known as the Lunatic Express. It took

up to a day to clank over colonial-era rails right through the middle of Tsavo in sweltering heat. Nothing separated the railway from the park; delays due to dead animals were frequent.

Now, though, it’s a four-and-ahalf-hour, air-conditioned glide over rails raised on columns, and a safari experience in itself. As the train rolls toward Voi, a town between Tsavo East and Tsavo West, rust-coloured elephants amble past the window in their dozens.

At Voi, I head on to Kipalo Hills: a lodge in the Mbulia Conservancy, just outside Tsavo. There, I meet Richard Corcoran, founder of Secluded Africa, which manages four properties in Kenya.

Richard ploughs the money raised by these properties — plus a few private donors — into conservation

This page (clockwise from top left): Waterhole in Mbulia Conservancy; Richard Corcoran; Standard tent at Kipalo Hills.

Opposite page (from the top): A giraffe in Tsavo West; Madaraka Express; Lilac-breasted roller.

Photos: Audley Travel; Dreamstime

and community projects within the conservancy. “We realised that girls were skipping school for one week every month due to their period, so we provided 150,000 sanitary towels,” he tells me.

Girls who continue to struggle academically are provided with a sewing machine and a place at tailoring school; all the cushions at Kipalo Hills are made by them. Boys are sent to mechanic school, then set up with their own workshop and tools; Richard often calls them over to service the safari jeeps. At the nearby rangers’ camp, Richard employs a 12-strong anti-poaching team, who also ride around refilling watering holes to sustain Tsavo’s 12,000 elephants.

“Happy animals, happy community, and most importantly, happy clients; that is my main aim in life,” says Richard. We’re looking down on a pair of buffalo snuffling around one of those watering holes, right outside the lodge. “I want people to leave

The parched plains give way to a hazy green valley

kudu, with its whipped-cream horns, leaps away in a flash of white.

Soon, though, the parched plains give way to a hazy green valley, filled with red-stained warthogs — “Pumbaas,” Fred mutters — and hundreds of buffalo. Elephants huddle under trees for shade. Spindle-legged giraffes flee at a canter.

Tsavo West, conversely, is one for the twitchers. Rattling over black-streaked volcanic earth, we spot superb and yellow-breasted starlings, flashing like jewels. We spot Chris’s favourite bird and the unofficial national bird of Kenya: the lilac-breasted roller. Belying its cartoonishly colourful looks, it zips down like a fluffy grenade to skewer an insect.

this place knowing that they have done good by staying here.”

With my Masai guides, Chris Ngotiek and Fred Lenjir, I spend the next two days bouncing around Tsavo National Park: beginning with Tsavo East, home of the biggest game.

It yields slowly. For the first hour, there is little to see, and little to hear but the crack of bleached acacia branches, the rasp of white-billed go-away birds and the peep of black-bellied bustards. A

I hop back on the train at Voi, pressing my nose to the window as the elephants of Tsavo slide by. After a transfer from Mombasa, my final stop in Kenya will be Cardamom House: another of Richard’s properties, overlooking Kuruwitu Beach. There, I intend to spend days rinsing off the red dust of Tsavo in crystalline waters, and afternoons reclining among embroidered cushions with a cup of masala chai, gazing out to sea from my

the plugs have been slotted. The coral formations, with their severe geometry, look a little unnatural, but they’re still young. After another month, this coral will be transplanted to the wild to grow free.

We swim on through the new reefs, through rippling shoals of tropical fish. I’m admiring the interplay of the sun’s dying rays with the coral fringes when Katana bursts to the surface, laughing. I come up with him. “You didn’t see the octopus?” he says, incredulous.

Frantic, I dive back down: just in time to see it slither into a hole, one eye winking in reproach. Though conservation may be the focus here, it’s not at the expense of having terribly good fun.

bougainvillea-swaddled tower room.

Even here, though, your fees contribute to community conservation. In 2003, local community members, devastated by overfishing and coral reef decline, united to form the Kuruwitu Conservation & Welfare Association (KCWA) and declared the area a protected marine park, or tengefu in Swahili. A portion of the booking fees at Cardamom House goes towards the marine park.

In 2022, Oceans Alive, a trustee of the KCWA, began a novel sort of rewilding: coral planting. Divers forage for broken-off pieces of mother coral to cultivate in nurseries, aiming to regrow the reef.

“We call it the ‘coral of opportunity’,” says Katana Ngala, Ocean Alive’s coral restoration technician. He’s holding a sand-and-cement plug, into which a two-inch piece of mother coral will be inserted. The plugs will then be planted into steel tables in the shallows. Each table can hold up to 240 plugs.

“For six months, we attend to them every day, cleaning off the algae and checking how the coral is covering the circumference of the plug,” says Katana. “Once it has covered it completely, it’s ready to be transplanted to the bricks.”

We suit up, grab our snorkels and swim over to the nursery to see said bricks, with holes along their length into which

GETTING THERE

Kenya Airways, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways offer direct flights to Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Airport from London Heathrow.

GETTING AROUND

The Madaraka Express train is a clean and comfortable journey between Nairobi, Voi and Mombasa. Tour operators will provide transfers from stations to lodges.

W HERE TO EAT

All meals are provided at lodges and make use of local ingredients.

W HERE TO STAY

Hemingways and The Emakoko (Nairobi), Kipalo Hills (Tsavo National Park), and Cardamom House (Kuruwitu Beach) are all highly recommended.

FURTHER INFORMATION audleytravel.com/ kenya/tours/kenya-bytrain

This page: Cardamom House and beach.

Photos: Audley Travel

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Unforgettable encounters

South Atlantic isle, St Helena, boasts year-round diving in warm temperatures and exceptional visibility. With over 800 marine species, including graceful devil rays, every dive promises unforgettable encounters. In our hottest months, tick off a once-in-alifetime experience by snorkelling with gentle giants — whale sharks. sthelenatourism.com