Beyond the Game Drive

The Best Safari Excursions in Africa (and Where to Find Them)

Safari, Reimagined

For many, the idea of safari begins and ends with a game drive: lions in the grass, leopards in trees, and your ranger expertly tracking paw prints from behind the wheel. And while that remains iconic for good reason, the truth is, there’s so much more to experience in Africa beyond the vehicle.

Today’s luxury travellers are seeking more than sightings. They’re craving depth, perspective, and moments that connect them to Africa’s landscapes, people, and rhythm in a way that feels personal and unfiltered. Think: the hush of a mokoro ride at dawn, a quiet walk beside a Maasai elder, or drifting silently past hippos from the seat of a canoe.

In this guide, we share the most unforgettable safari excursions in Africa—and exactly where to go for the best of each. Whether you’re planning your first trip or your fifth, these experiences go beyond the expected and into something far more magical.

Walking Safaris – Get Closer to the Wild

There’s something quietly thrilling about stepping out of the vehicle and into the bush. No engine, no barrier - just your senses, your guide, and the slow rhythm of the wilderness. Walking safaris are about presence: noticing the spoor in the sand, the alarm calls of birds, the scent of crushed wild sage beneath your boots. It’s Africa, felt in your bones.



Here are three of the best places to experience walking safaris, each offering a different flavour of wild:

Madikwe, South Africa – Malaria-Free and Majestic

In South Africa’s Madikwe Game Reserve, guided bush walks offer a gentle yet immersive way to experience a Big 5 wilderness. It’s one of the country’s lesser-known gems - malaria-free, beautifully scenic, and ideal for families or first-timers wanting a soft introduction to walking safaris.

Walks are led by experienced guides who focus on the smaller, fascinating details - tracks, insects, medicinal plants, and birdlife - while keeping an eye out for larger game. And after your walk? Return to a chilled drink, a private plunge pool, and a fire crackling at your luxury lodge.

Okavango Delta, Botswana – The Classic Mokoro & Walk Combo

In the Okavango Delta, walking safaris are often paired with another deeply peaceful experience: the mokoro. These traditional dugout canoes glide silently through reed-lined channels, before dropping you off for a guided bush walk on one of the Delta’s islands.

This is walking safari in its purest form - wild, remote, and wonderfully off-grid. With a top professional guide at your side, you might follow elephant paths, observe lechwe in the marshes, or pause under a baobab tree and simply listen to the pulse of the wild.

Masai Conservancies, Kenya – Walk the Land with Its Keepers

For a walking safari rich in story, culture, and meaning, there’s nothing quite like a guided walk with the Masai in Kenya’s private conservancies. In places like the Porini Camps, you can explore the savannah alongside local Masai guides who know every plant, sound, and track like a second language.

These walks are less about adrenaline, more about connection - to the land, to tradition, and to your place within it. It’s a grounding, graceful way to begin or end a safari day - and one that many travellers remember most.

Cultural Encounters – Meet Africa’s Storytellers

A safari isn’t just about wildlife - it’s about place, people, and perspective. For travellers who want to understand the stories behind the landscapes, cultural experiences offer a meaningful layer to any African adventure. These aren’t staged performances or quick photo ops - they’re respectful, community-based encounters that bring you into the heart of local life.

Here are two of the most enriching places to connect with Africa’s people in ways that are authentic, engaging, and deeply human:

Hwange, Zimbabwe – Community Tourism with Heart

At the edge of Zimbabwe’s largest national park, Hwange, lies a network of vibrant communities that have coexisted with wildlife for generations. Several safari lodges here (particularly those involved with initiatives like Children in the Wilderness or Imvelo’s community programmes) offer genuine opportunities to engage with local villages, schools, and conservation projects.

Guests might visit a rural homestead, learn about local traditions, or meet young learners at a nearby school supported by tourism. It’s a window into daily life - and a reminder of how sustainable travel can uplift and empower.

Masai Communities, Kenya – Stories Shared in the Shade

The image of the Masai warrior is iconic, but what’s often missing is the depth behind the symbolism. In Kenya, especially when travelling with trusted partners like Gamewatchers Safaris and Porini Camps, cultural visits are not a side activity - they’re an integral part of your stay.

Spend time with Masai elders, hear stories passed through generations, learn about beadwork, traditional medicine, or rites of passage. Many conservancies are co-managed with Masai communities, so every conversation, every walk, supports land stewardship and economic resilience.

Why it Matters

These cultural encounters aren’t about ticking a box - they’re about listening, learning, and acknowledging that the people of Africa are every bit as integral to the safari as the wildlife. For many travellers, it’s these conversations that linger long after the last game drive.

Game Drives – The Classics, Perfected

Game drives are the beating heart of most safaris - and for good reason. There’s something undeniably thrilling about cresting a ridge in the early morning light and locking eyes with a lion, or pulling up beside a herd of elephants quietly feeding under an acacia tree. But not all game drives are created equal.

At Hassle-free Africa, we guide travellers to destinations where game drives are more than a checklist - they’re immersive, personal, and often spectacularly scenic. These three parks elevate the traditional safari drive into something unforgettable:

Mana Pools, Zimbabwe – Wild, Free, and Off the Grid

In Mana Pools, game drives are anything but conventional. Here, experienced guides are allowed to drive off-road and approach game on foot, offering rare flexibility that turns every sighting into a genuine encounter.

The park’s dreamy landscape - open floodplains, ancient forests, and the broad Zambezi River - makes for cinematic viewing. Expect elephants standing on their hind legs to reach fruit, painted wolves darting through dappled light, and golden hours that feel suspended in time.

Mana is a place for travellers who want raw wilderness, skilled guiding, and the freedom to experience the bush without boundaries.

Lower Zambezi, Zambia – Rivers, Leopards, and Zero Crowds

Across the river from Mana Pools lies Lower Zambezi National Park, one of Zambia’s most breathtaking safari destinations. Drives here are known for their variety: one moment you’re cruising along the riverbank, the next you’re deep in mopane woodland with a leopard lounging in a fig tree.

Wildlife is abundant - especially elephants, buffalo, and big cats - and yet the park remains blissfully uncrowded. It’s not unusual to have sightings all to yourself, especially if you’re staying in one of the intimate, owner-run camps that dot the river’s edge.

Greater Kruger, South Africa – Iconic Big 5 in Style

If you’re after flawless guiding, stunning lodges, and a near guarantee of Big 5 sightings, South Africa’s Greater Kruger delivers every time. Private reserves like Sabi Sand and Timbavati are renowned for their photographic safaris, close-up predator viewing, and professional tracker teams.

What sets Greater Kruger apart is its polish - luxury lodges, world-class dining, and the ability to tailor drives to your interests. It’s safari at its smoothest, ideal for honeymooners, families, or first-time travellers who want to start strong.

River Cruises & Canoe Safaris – Water-Level Wonder

There’s something quietly spellbinding about watching wildlife from the water. Whether you’re drifting past elephants on a sunset cruise or paddling silently alongside hippos in a canoe, these experiences offer a completely different rhythm of safari - calmer, quieter, and often more intimate than anything on land.

Here’s where to do it best:

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe – Sundowners on the Zambezi

Just upstream from the thunderous spray of Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River widens into a serene expanse - perfect for sunset river cruises. Expect classic safari style here: cool drinks in hand, binoculars around your neck, and wildlife galore. Hippos, crocs, elephants, and a kaleidoscope of birdlife often make an appearance as the sky turns to gold.

It’s a lovely way to begin or end your safari, especially when paired with a luxury riverside lodge and a helicopter flight over the Falls for good measure.

Mana Pools, Zimbabwe – Canoeing into the Wild

If river cruising is serene, canoeing in Mana Pools is thrillingly immersive. Gliding quietly through the water at eye level with wildlife is an unforgettable experience. The guides here are among Africa’s finest, and they’ll read the river’s every ripple as you drift past pods of hippos, sunbathing crocodiles, and elephants cooling off on the banks.

There’s no engine noise, no rush - just you, the paddle, and the pulse of the river.

Lower Zambezi, Zambia – The Best of Both Worlds

Across the border, Lower Zambezi offers a perfect balance: canoe safaris, motorboat cruises, and traditional game drives all in one day. The river is a stage for drama and stillness alike - leopards in the trees, elephants swimming between channels, and dazzling birds flashing past the reeds.

Whether you’re quietly paddling or sipping a gin and tonic on a pontoon boat, this is safari as you’ve never experienced it before - fluid, peaceful, and breathtakingly beautiful.

Your Safari, Your Way

In a world where travel is becoming more meaningful and personal, the way we experience Africa matters just as much as the destination itself. Whether you’re walking quietly through the bush, paddling along a wild river, or listening to a Masai elder share stories beneath an acacia tree - these are the moments that linger long after you return home.

At Hassle-free Africa, we design safaris that go beyond the expected. Yes, the Big 5 are incredible. But so is watching a fish eagle take flight from your canoe. So is the slow crunch of boots on sand. So is every moment that connects you more deeply to the people, landscapes, and rhythms of this extraordinary continent.

Ready to create your own unforgettable African adventure?