The Bush Telegraph to 8 Recommended East Africa Experiences
13 September 2024
Each safari with African Safari Excellence becomes more than just a journey for your client—it transforms into an unforgettable story, thanks to our commitment to providing authentic, enriching East Africa experiences.
With deep local knowledge, our expert team curates one-of-a-kind experiences. From behind-the-scenes conservation tours to exclusive wildlife encounters, we offer insider access to East Africa’s wonders. Specialising in bespoke bush and beach itineraries in East Africa, ASE ensures that every client’s safari is personalised. Exciting experiences like hot air ballooning over the Serengeti or dining under the stars in the Laikipia Conservancy elevate the adventure from a standard wildlife trip to a deeply immersive, memorable journey.
Whether it’s walking safaris, night safaris, or visits to wildlife sanctuaries, we go beyond the standard game drive, offering extraordinary ways to engage with Rwanda, Uganda, Zanzibar, Tanzania and Kenya’s beauty. Each itinerary is designed specifically for your client, ensuring their journey is nothing short of spectacular and showcases.
Read more about one of Africa’s greatest spectacles: The Great Wildebeest Migration. Ready to create a story for your clients? Reach out to us and begin planning their unforgettable safari adventure today with East Africa experiences.
Kenya
Rhino Tracking
Experience the thrill of tracking black rhinos on foot in Kenya, getting up close to these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. Learn about their behaviours and environment while playing an active role in protecting one of the world’s most endangered species. These locations provide not only the opportunity to track rhinos but also play a crucial role in the broader efforts to protect and conserve these endangered animals in East Africa. Rhino tracking goes beyond just seeing wildlife—it’s an educational experience. Knowledgeable guides provide insights into rhino behaviour, biology, and the threats posed by poaching and habitat loss. Tracking a wild rhino on foot adds an element of excitement and adventure to any safari making it highly recommendable amongst the East Africa experiences available. It’s a more immersive experience compared to simply viewing animals from a vehicle, giving your client the chance to feel like active participants in conservation.
Recommended Properties: Book a combined stay of 6 nights at Saruni Samburu, Saruni Rhino, Saruni Mara or Saruni Wild and get 1 night free at the lowest rates. Validity: 1 January – 31 December 2025.
Camelback Riding
For centuries, camels have roamed the northern Kenya landscape. A camel ride is an enjoyable experience, usually lasting about 40 minutes, offering a unique and elevated perspective of the bush, making it an exciting way to explore the landscape from a different angle. Riding a camel offers a slower, more relaxed pace to explore the wildlife-rich landscapes. It allows for a closer connection with nature. Camelback riding is a great experience for families and children, offering something a little different from the usual game drives. It adds variety to the safari and is a fun way to explore the wilderness.
Recommended lodge: Sosian at Laikipia Conservancy offers sundowner camel safaris.
Bush Breakfast
A bush breakfast in Kenya is a quintessential safari experience, blending fine dining with the wild beauty of the African landscape. After a thrilling early morning game drive, guests are treated to a full breakfast in the open bush, often in a stunning location such as the banks of a river or the plains beneath a towering acacia tree.
Set against the backdrop of Kenya’s majestic wilderness, tables are elegantly arranged, and the meal typically includes freshly prepared dishes like eggs, bacon, pastries, fruit, and tea or coffee brewed over an open fire. As you enjoy the meal, wildlife such as zebras or giraffes may be visible in the distance, enhancing the sense of connection to nature.
This special experience, available in iconic locations like the Maasai Mara and Amboseli, offers a peaceful and immersive way to start the day, allowing guests to savour both the beauty of the landscape and the excitement of being surrounded by wildlife. A bush breakfast in Kenya turns an ordinary meal into a truly unforgettable moment in the wild.
Recommended camp: Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp in the Mara North Conservancy.
Walking Safaris
The Laikipia Plateau provides the perfect setting for walking safaris, with its mild temperatures ideal for exploring on foot. The landscape, shaped by ancient volcanic activity, features a diverse mix of rocky hills, lush valleys, and flowing streams fed by the slopes of Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range. This variety supports an abundance of wildlife, including species like the gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, Günther’s dik-dik, Grévy’s zebra, and flocks of vibrant vulturine guineafowl, making it one of the most remarkable East Africa experiences for nature lovers.
Laikipia Wilderness now offers multi-day walking safaris, with access to an expanded area of 70,000 acres. Led by an experienced walking guide and a skilled Samburu tracker, these adventures are perfect for those who enjoy tracking wildlife like leopards and lions on foot, while also taking time to appreciate the serenity of nature – another highlight of unforgettable East Africa experiences.
Guests begin and end their safari at the main camp, with nights on the trail spent at a mobile camp that moves daily. These trips typically span at least three nights in the wild, though with such a vast area to explore, they can easily be extended for a longer, immersive experience, enriching their East Africa experiences further.
Recommended camp: Laikipia Wilderness Camp.
TANZANIA
Night GAme Drives
While most wildlife safaris occur during the day, a night game drive offers the rare opportunity to see the park’s nocturnal animals in action. Your client might spot elusive creatures like leopards, lions on the hunt, genets, aardvarks, civets, and bush babies, as well as nocturnal birds like owls and nightjars.
African days can be quite hot, so a night game drive offers a cooler and more comfortable safari experience. This makes night drives an excellent option for those who prefer cooler weather.
The landscape looks completely different at night. The moonlight and the stars create a beautiful and serene backdrop, offering a fresh perspective on the savannah, forests, or bushland. The quieter, stiller environment of the night often feels more intimate and immersive.
Recommended lodge: Asilia Oliver’s Camp in the Tarangire National Park.
Horseback Riding
We offer a Serengeti migration ride with 1 night in a permanent lodge and then some nights in mobile camps. Horse riding is 3-4 hours per day combined with 4×4 game drives in the Serengeti with picnic lunches. This ends with a flight from Lake Manyara back to Arusha. The client may encounter zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, and other plains game at a much closer range than during a traditional game drive. Horseback riding allows access to areas of the Serengeti that may be difficult to reach by vehicle.
Alternatively there is a morning or afternoon ride on a wildlife estate in Arusha if your client wants a shorter horse ride option.
Recommended lodge: Lodges also offer horse riding as an activity such as Elewana The Manor at Ngorongoro.
Cultural Safari
Cultural village visits allow your client to engage directly with local communities, providing an opportunity to learn about the customs, traditions, and daily life of indigenous groups such as the Maasai, Samburu, or Hadzabe. These immersive East Africa experiences offer a chance to witness unique aspects of their culture, such as traditional music, dance, storytelling, and rituals, which are often passed down through generations.
Recommended lodge: TAASA Lodge in the Serengeti National Park.
RWANDA AND UGANDA
Primate Safaris
These are both famous destinations in the world to see endangered mountain gorillas. Treks to see these gentle giants are highly rewarding as your client can observe their natural behaviour in the misty forests. Gorilla trekking permits are an important part of conservation efforts, with a significant portion of the fees going towards protecting the gorillas and their habitat.
Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, here your client can spend time with mountain gorillas, of which fewer than 1,000 remain. Volcanoes National Park is home to around one-third of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas.
We can also book Chimpanzee tracking to see some of the highest density of primates.
Recommended package: 5 days/4 nights with 1 night at Kigali Serena and 3 nights at Bishops House.
Contact African Safari Excellence to start planning your client’s East Africa experiences.
