If you yearn for an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday hassles, and the chance to sample a totally different way of life, an African adventure holiday could be just what you need.
The chance to sample the real Africa up close and personal, sleeping and rising with the sun, is an experience you are guaranteed you will never forget.
You can expect to make new friends from all over the world and see a different place every day, as well as enjoying some of the most magnificent wildlife, such as lions, elephants and even gorillas. Here are a few more reasons why an adventure holiday in Africa truly will create a lifetime of memories.
Hands on
On a safari trip out in the bush, each day involves setting up camp and cooking food for the group. Although you might have occasional nights in a more luxurious location, much of the time is spent out in the wilderness, under the African stars.
Although you will have a driver who is experienced, knowledgeable and a great source of information, all guests have to take an active role in providing for the group.
This means taking turns in cooking dinner or breakfast, as well as helping out with group tasks such as preparing water for washing.
A refreshing morning shower – African style!
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The chances are that you will have never haggled in an African market for fresh vegetables, or bought freshly caught fish to cook over a camp fire. An adventure holiday in Africa will provide you with all of these experiences, allowing you to get a good feel for what it’s like to live in this wonderfully diverse continent.
A natural way of life
In the modern world, most people’s lives are dominated by their alarm clocks rather than a natural rhythm.
On an African adventure holiday, your body clock is the most important, with camp waking up as the sun rises around 6am every morning and starting to wind down for the day when the sun sets at 6pm.
You might not be used to getting up that early, or going to bed before midnight, but once you adjust to the new routine, you will find it’s a far more natural way of living and entirely in tune with your surroundings.
After you return home and wrench yourself from the comfort of your duvet, you will yearn for the days when you could sleep and wake with the sun rather than stumbling from your sleep in the darkness of winter mornings.
The people
You will have the chance to talk to locals during your African adventure, and not just the superficial chat that you might get over a shop counter.
Although you might be eating meals from the truck’s supplies on most nights, lunches are often taken at small cafes and eateries found on route. These are tucked away in the middle of the African bush and are places typically frequented by locals, rather than visitors from overseas.
Talking to the locals is a fascinating experience
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Living in the real Africa away from tourist traps will give you the chance to get to know these people you meet on your travels. Many adventurers have been left with captivating memories of talking to a real Masai Warrior out on the road, a once in a lifetime experience that you simply couldn’t get anywhere else.
The wildlife
Of course, one of the reasons why many people come to Africa is to experience the stunning scenery and to see the wildlife up close and personal.
Although nothing can ever be guaranteed – the wildlife are wild after all! – Most safaris manage to see the animals that everyone is hoping for.
Words simply can’t describe the elation at seeing elegant giraffe graze in their natural habitat, muscle-bound lions surveying their territory and burly elephants gathering in their family groups.
There’s something very different about seeing wildlife where it belongs to be, rather than in a zoo, with the freedom to run across the savannah and feel the hot African sun on their back.
There are lots of landscapes to experience too; as well as the desolate arid beauty of the plains, there’s also the lush rainforests where you might be lucky enough to spot the silverback gorillas, to white sandy beaches and tranquil lake resorts.
Wildlife flourishes in all of these places so wherever you go, keep a camera close by because you never know what you might unexpectedly see pop up!
Conclusion
An African adventure has to be experienced to be truly understood; there’s nothing that can be compared to sleeping out under the huge starlit sky after an exciting day surrounded by hippos, baboon, leopards and lion. You will want to make sure you bring plenty of memory cards for your camera as you won’t be able to take enough photos during your trip. But no matter how many pictures you snap, you will always have the irreplaceable memories of your time spent on an adventure in Africa, a simply unforgettable experience that will stay with you forever.