Spotlight on Africa
Africa,Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
Iconic animals. Extraordinary landscapes. Unforgettable journeys.
One continent, many worlds
Africa is not one destination. It is four.
The Africa of the great migration is a different world from the Africa of the Cape winelands and the Zambezi, and different again from the rainforests of Madagascar or the medinas and Sahara of the north. With Inspiring Vacations you can travel to all of them - each on a small group journey, with a local guide who has spent a lifetime in the landscape you are standing in.
East, Southern, Island and North Africa - each with its own season, character and wildlife.
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Madagascar, plus Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in the north.
Short escapes to continent-spanning epics, with flights, guides and game drives handled.
The four Africas
Where do you want to begin?
01 · East Africa
The great migration, up close
The Masai Mara and the Serengeti are a single ecosystem divided by a border, and between them they hold the densest concentration of large mammals on earth. Our East Africa journeys work their way north through Amboseli, Tarangire and the Ngorongoro Crater before reaching the plains themselves.
- Nairobi
- Amboseli
- Tarangire
- Ngorongoro Crater
- Serengeti
- Masai Mara
02 · Southern Africa
Big Five country, and the Cape
Southern Africa gives you the widest range in the shortest distance - Cape Town and the winelands, Kruger’s Big Five, the thunder of Victoria Falls, the waterways of the Okavango and Moremi, and the red dunes of Sossusvlei. It is also the easiest first safari, with excellent roads, lodges and infrastructure throughout.
- Cape Town
- Franschhoek
- Kruger
- Victoria Falls
- Hwange
- Chobe
- Okavango Delta
- Etosha
- Sossusvlei
03 · Island Africa
Evolution’s own laboratory
Madagascar split from the mainland around 88 million years ago and went its own way - around nine in ten of its plants and animals exist nowhere else. Lemurs at Andasibe and Ranomafana, the sandstone canyons of Isalo and the reef at Ifaty make it the most singular place on the continent, and it pairs beautifully with a Southern Africa journey.
- Antananarivo
- Andasibe
- Ranomafana
- Isalo
- Ifaty
04 · North Africa
Medinas, mosaics and the Sahara
The north is Africa at its most layered - Roman Volubilis and the ksars of Morocco, the blue streets of Chefchaouen, and Roman Djemila and the Saharan oases of Algeria and Tunisia. Three countries most travellers never reach, and the region our travellers most often add on once they have seen the rest.
- Marrakech
- Fes
- Chefchaouen
- Sahara Desert
- Algiers
- Ghardaia
- Tunis
- Tozeur
Customer Moments
The Africa you come home still talking about
Every photograph here was taken by an Inspiring Vacations traveller.
Best sellers
The Africa journeys our travellers book most
Small group touring, expert local guides and the logistics handled end to end.
Not sure which of these is yours?
Tell us roughly when you want to travel and which Africa you have always pictured. One of our Africa specialists will put the options together for you - departures, flights, single rooms and what is included. Request a call and we will be in touch at a time that suits you.
Side by side
Compare the signature journeys
A quick way to weigh up length, region and what each journey is built around.
| Journey | Region | Duration | Highlights |
|---|
PLACEHOLDER - pricing has been removed from this build pending the new rates. Current prices are on each tour page.
Talk it through with an Africa specialist
Length, season, pace and budget all pull in different directions, and the table only goes so far. Our specialists know this range inside out - including which departures still have space and which combinations work. Request a call and we will be in touch at a time that suits you.
From our travellers
What Africa actually feels like
“Kruger · travelled solo
Kruger was a standout and we were blessed to experience the BIG 5 multiple times, in fact within 5 hours on Day 1. Not in my wildest dreams did I think I would see so many animals. I travelled solo and it was a great experience with an awesome bunch of people. I always felt safe.
Annette M
“South Africa & Victoria Falls
Armed with memories of National Geographics collected plus endless re-runs of Wild Kingdom we chose South Africa! The big 5, safaris, glamping, wineries, cities, sunset cruising, The Cape, helicopters and to top it off Victoria Falls! Fabulous guides, terrific accommodation, great people (on time to the last one!) fun, laughter, adventure! Our tour surpassed all expectations!
Debra B
“Victoria Falls
The best thing about Inspiring Vacations tours is how close you get to everything. Victoria Falls in full flow is unforgettable. For the uninitiated it’s not raining, simply spray from the Falls. The chopper view capped off an amazing experience.
Mark M
“Honeymoon in Africa
Our first trip to Africa and a magical way to spend our honeymoon. With breathtaking scenery and amazing wildlife encounters, we managed to see ‘the big 5’, ‘the super 7’ and ‘the ugly 5’! Thanks Inspiring Vacations for making our trip memorable and trouble free.
Chad C
Over 4,900 5-star reviews on Trustpilot · Australia’s most highly awarded tour operator
Good to know
Africa questions, answered
For East Africa, the Masai Mara and Serengeti are at their most dramatic between July and October, when the migration herds are moving and river crossings are most likely. In Southern Africa, the dry months from May to October concentrate wildlife around waterholes and make game viewing easiest. North Africa is most comfortable in spring and autumn, when daytime temperatures are mild.
Requirements vary by country and by the specific areas your itinerary visits, and they change. Please speak to your doctor or a travel medical clinic at least six to eight weeks before departure, and check the current advice on smartraveller.gov.au. Our team can tell you exactly which regions your chosen tour passes through.
It depends on the journey. Our Essential range uses comfortable, well-located hotels and lodges; our Premium and 5 Star ranges step up to higher-category properties, including lodges and tented camps inside or adjoining the reserves. Every tour page lists the standard and, where relevant, the named properties.
Yes. Many of our Africa travellers are solo. You can book a single room with a single supplement, and on selected tours a shared-room option is available so you can travel without paying the supplement. We also run dedicated solo departures on some itineraries.
Many of our Africa tours are available as flight-inclusive packages from Australian capital cities, and most can also be booked land-only if you would prefer to arrange your own flights or use points. Each tour page shows which options are available for that departure.
Small, and it varies by range. Across the Africa journeys on this page, groups run from a minimum of 2 travellers to a maximum of 24. Our Premium small group tours are the most intimate at up to 12; the Essential range runs to 20; the largest is North Africa Uncovered at 24. Madagascar caps at 10. Every tour page lists the exact group size for that journey.
We know Africa
Not sure which Africa is yours?
Our Africa specialists have walked the medinas, sat out the migration and watched the sun go down over the Zambezi. Tell them roughly when you want to travel and what you want out of the trip, and they will put the options together for you - departures, flights, single rooms and what is included. Request a call and we will be in touch at a time that suits you.
Prefer to meet in person?
Meet the team at The Greatest Travel Show.
Meet our destination specialists in person at a venue near you. Our Africa specialists can walk you through the whole range on the spot.
- Meet our destination specialists face to face
- See new tours and brand-new itineraries
- Event-only offers and live Q&A
PLACEHOLDER - confirm the in-person events link.