Safari Holidays in Africa

Staying on the continent of Africa for the moment Kenya is a fantastic country to visit, especially for your Winter Sun Holidays. What is very popular for 2007 is a beach and safari holiday in Mombasa.

Kenya Beach and Safari Holidays from Mombasa
A beach resort in Mombasa, Kenya can be the ideal spot for finding you place in the sun this winter, not only will your hotel be right on the beach but how does an early morning game drive, viewing some of Africa's top wildlife like Elephants, Lions, Zebra and the hoards of antelope species, followed by and Afternoon lazing on the beach sound?

I have been to Kenya and whilst in Mombasa, stayed at Bamburi Beach which is less than 30mins from Mombasa by a local shared taxi. The Hotel was stayed at called the Travellers Inn. The hotel was excellent from our balcony we had a wonderful view of the sun rising every morning, there are also many other excellent looking hotels dotted along the coast line.

Scuba Diving in Mombasa
Winter Sun Holidays don't get much better when you can be learning to scuba dive or snorkeling in warm crystal clear water. I got my PADI divers license in Kenya and this was definitely one of the highlights of my trip, not only was it cheap (compared to the west) but the diving was pretty good as well, with plenty of tropical fish to see. We started our lessons in the Hotel pool and once I had passed a few tests, which I had studied for lazing on Bamburi beach in the afternoons! After a few days I was ready for my first open water dive. The feeling was incredible and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Wildlife Viewing in Kenya
Obviously Kenya is famous for the Masai Mara and it's great Wildebeest migration, and you can organise to visit the Masai Mara from your hotel or before you go on holiday, I would recommend making it a one or two day excursion at least, just so that you get the most of it. If that time frame is a little to long, there is the Tsavo game reserve famous for it's lions (The Lions of Tsavo) and some more less well known game reserves closer to Mombasa and it is even possible to go a day trip to them from your hotel.

These are just a few of the many, many things you can do whilst on your Winter Sun holidays in Kenya, but there is so much more, Including, exploring the old town of Mombasa, including Fort Jesus in Mombasa built in 1593 by order of King Philip II of Spain. Visit one of the many fine restaurants in Kenya, including the famous Carnivore Restaurant in Nairobi

I hope I gave given you just a taster of what is available on your Winter Sun Holiday in Kenya. For more details and info try the Kenyan Safari Holiday Guide Website

Less than 2 hours north of one Africa's most well known city, Johannesburg is the Welgevonden Private Game Reserve. The reserve in the Northern Limpopo Provence of South Africa covers an area of over 55 000 hectares and contains all of the big 5 as well as plenty of other species of animals.
There are a number of lodges scattered over the reserve, far enough apart that you often feel that you are the only people on safari. Most of the lodges are catered to the luxury end of the market, but if you pick your dates of travel wisely there are plenty of deals to be had and you could be enjoying 5 star luxury in the bush, without having to empty your pockets. I have stayed at Nungubane and Shidzidzi game lodges, both excellent lodges with kind staff and excellent and knowledgeable safari guides.

One of the most convenient aspects to Welgevonden is it's proximity to Johannesburg International Airport, Just think that less than 2 hours away is real wild Africa!

So what game is there on Welgevonden Game Reserve? Well I have personally seen:

Elephant (plenty!), Lions, Cheetah, Black Rhino, Many species of antelope including Eland, Impala, Kudu, wildebeest, waterbuck, hartebeest, klipspringer and bushbuck. I also saw Giraff eand Zebra. I was also fortunate enough to see a pangolin.

There are also Leopard and Bufflo on the reserve as well as many animals that slip my mind as well as many species of birds.

So If you are looking for a Safari in South Africa, I would highly recommend Welgevonden Game Reserve. For more on a Safari Holiday in South Africa check out the Safari Holiday Guide

Winter Sun Holidays in Africa

For those of you looking to escape the winter for a warmer climate, I have some great ideas for the perfect winter sun holidays.

Winter Sun Holiday in South Africa
South Africa has so much to offer in terms of tourism, It is hard to know where to start! I have been to South Africa many times and will continue to go back because each time I do i find something new that I love.
Cape Town has to be ion the top 10 city destinations in the world, fantastic scenery, top resturants and loads to see and do. If you are looking for a top safari destination, I would head north, The Kruger park is world famous and there are many fine lodges you could stay at. Also take a look at Welgevonden private Game reserve, only an hour north of Johannesburg this 55 000 hectare reserve has all of the big 5 and more.

Winter Sun Holidays in Mombasa
Kenya is rather like South Africa, in that it has so much to offer the traveler, but in a more rustic, real african sense. This is not to say that a winter sun holiday in Mombasa will be uncomfortable, far from it. The hotels are usually right on the beach and are of a very high standard. Again I have been to Kenya and combining a Safari Holiday with a bit of relaxing on the beach is pretty hard to beat! For more info check out the Winter Sun Holidays Website

A winter Sun Holiday in The Gambia
Heading further North, an thus a much shorter flight, the Gambia is a really good option for your winter sun holidays if you are looking for the beach, the Gambia has some of the most beautiful unspoilt beaches I have ever seen and with an average temperature of 30 degrees celcius, winter is going to be the last thing on your mind! Check out the Safari Holiday guide to Gambia for more info.

I hope this just gives you the push you need to try out Africa for your next Winter Sun Holidays. If you need some more inspiration, try this excellent guide for some more ideas on winter sun holidays.

The Gambia makes the perfect winter sun holiday destination as it has a fantastic warm climate all year round. Whilst most people who visit The Gambia will spend all of their time on the beach at one of the coastal resorts, there is so much more to the Gambia and to get the complete Gambia Experience, I recommend a boat Safari up the river Gambia.

Below is a list of some of my favorite safari holiday destinations. if you have any places that you feel should be on the list add them to my comments below.

1) Welgevonden Game Reserve - South Africa
2) Mana Pools - Zimbabwe
3) Serengeti - Tanzania
4) Okavango Delta - Botswana
5) Etosha National Park - Namibia
6) Samburu National Park - Kenya
7) Masai Mara - Kenya
8) Kruger National Park - South Africa
9) Hwange National Park - Zimbabwe
10) Chobe National Park - Botswana

Most people probably travel to Southern Africa to go on a Safari Holiday, during the winter in the northern hemisphere, so it is Summer in Southern Africa. Locals tend to go on Safari during the winter, so when is the best time to go on Safari?

This has it's advantages, mostly because you are escaping your own winter for a few weeks. But from experience of working as a Safari Guide in South Africa, most local people will come on Safari during the winter (so summer in the northern hemisphere)

There are plenty of advantages to doing this including cheaper flights and accommodation, less chance of rain and it is easier to spot the wildlife and I think they far outweigh the small disadvantages of it being cold and having slightly shorter days.

For more on the debate check out this great guide called Winter Sun Holiday in South Africa

Below are a few links that i feel you may find useful. Some are to my own Safari holiday Guide Website and others to some great lenses on Safaris. If you feel that you have a website that would be both useful and relevant please drop me a line.

Safari Holiday Guide
My Website on Safari Holidays in Africa

Safari Binocular Reviews
All about what binoculars are best for your holiday in Africa

Best Binoculars for Safari Holidays
Another page on binoculars for Safari holidays on the Best Binoculars and Binocular Reviews website.

Best Digital Camera for Safari and Travel
Back to my Safari Guide website and an article of the best digital cameras for safaris.. in my opinion!

What to take on a Safari Holiday in Africa
So you have decided that you are going on a safari Holiday, now you must make sure that you are going with all the right stuff. This includes clothing, equipment and books.

Africa probably does not spring to mind as the first destination you would choose when planning a beach holiday, but there are many great reasons to give it a try. Cape Town in South Africa has up until recently always been "the" destination to go to if you wanted to go to Africa and enjoy the beach as well as all the other great things that only this great continent has to offer. Now there are new kids on the block and places like Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania, Mombasa in Kenya and The Gambia have really come in to their own each offering their own unique selling points and flavour of Africa but all great beach holiday destinations.

One of the more obvious reasons to pick somewhere on the African continent is to enjoy the beach during the European winter, breaking up your winter and escaping the summer holiday rush. How often these days do we hear of strikes at airports during the summer peak holiday period, delaying millions of holidaymakers and destroying their few weeks away from work? Escape the rush and travel out of the peak season.

Beach Holiday in Cape Town, South Africa

Capetown in South Africa is still the most sophisticated beach holiday destination in Africa, with the incredible backdrop of Table Mountain, excellent accommodation options and some of the best restaurants in the world it would be an excellent place to visit even without the beach. On top of that you can also enjoy the best wines and scenery of South Africa on the Garden Route, which stretches from Mossel Bay to the Storms River in the Western Cape. There are ten nature reserves in the area as well as unique marine reserves, home to soft coral reefs, dolphins, seals and a host of other marine life.

Combing golf with a beach holiday has always been popular in places like Spain and Portugal, South Africa and the Cape Region have some of the best Golf courses in the world, now you can combine a beach, golf and safari holiday, there is nowhere in Europe that can boast that!