Hey, sofa safaris might not be the real thing, but they’re a great way to see wildlife acting naturally in the wild... and without the mosquitos. So, forget the TV boxsets and curl up instead with a view of a waterhole. Wearing khaki and a bush hat is entirely optional, but if watching in the evening do feel free to pour yourself a sundowner...  Here are 5 of the best virtual safaris to enjoy right now...

Please note: The information in this article applies to UK travellers, and is up to date as of 2.50pm on 14 December. The government has announced from 4am on Wednesday 15 December, all eleven African countries will be removed from the red list.  The countries on the red list were Nigeria, Mozambique, Malawi, Angola. Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe. They were added at the end of November due to growing concerns over the new omicron COVID-19 variant.  The t

We were two days walk past Laayoune, the last city and supply drop for the next 30 days, and our little caravan of three Amazigh (Berber) guides, one Scot and six camels had just entered the grand dunes. They shimmered under the sun, as much silver as gold and seemed to move as I stared at them. After endless days of walking on the flat, the curves felt voluptuous. The dunes are a killer for the legs, so we skirted them, walking the edge of a large sunken valley called a sabkha, which is deep re

1. Feel truly festive in Ethiopia Celebrate Genna in Ethiopia (Shutterstock) What? Swap Santa Claus for something quite different next January. Genna is Ethiopian Christmas, when white-robed pilgrims flock to churches and spiritual music fills the air. Witnessing these celebrations can be combined with Timkat (Epiphany), 12 days later: head to ancient Axum, where the original Ark of the Covena

1. Koh Rong Samloem, Cambodia Koh Rong Samloem, Cambodia (Shutterstock) “My top ‘hidden island’ tip is Koh Rong Samloem in Cambodia. To reach it you need to take a boat from Sihanoukville. There are no roads, just makeshift sandy streets. The small beachfront is the main hub of the town, where a handful of shops, guesthouses, and cafes ply their trade. While it is expanding fast, it still

Imagine a lemur drawn by Quentin Blake – all pointy and scratchy, long bony fingers and goblin eyes. That’s what an aye-aye looks like. Apparently, there was one in a tree, fast asleep in a hole 15 metres above our heads. We were waiting for it to wake up. Head torches ready. Necks craning. Just one glimpse and I’d be happy. Just one glimpse of this nocturnal, elusive and most mysterious of all lemurs... But the forest was flickering with lightning. I could feel the tension building in the muggy

It seems another lifetime ago, doesn’t it? When we lived for our next trip, planning routes, comparing flight prices, getting annoyed with booking apps, and then wondering where we’d last spotted our passports in the heady anticipation of airports and adventure? But while many of us can’t wait to get back on the road, there are plenty of destinations who have missed travellers too. Desperately, in fact. Of course, anywhere reliant on tourism has suffered because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but som

Bubbles. Time was, not so long ago, we delighted in bursting them: it’s why we travel – to break out of our comfort zones, to discover strange sights and exotic cultures, to meet new people, to try unfamiliar foods, to sleep in beds that are not our own. Today, though, we’re exhorted to stay within that very comfort zone – to maintain ‘bubbles’ within and across households. Yet for the foreseeable future, travel will be tricky without at least a bit of bubble-busting. At some point you may need

January: best for... A wolf on the prowl in Yellowstone NP (Shutterstock) Wolf watching. Yellowstone NP, USA It might seem contrary to visit Yellowstone National Park in winter, when it’s mostly closed, but this is a special month – as wildlife watchers know. The thick snows of January and February put the park’s famous wolves in focus, their grey-black

St Helena’s rocky coastline was once the Achilles’ heel for many ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean – now its waters are better known for the myriad marine life they harbour. From its historic shipwrecks to inquisitive whale sharks, here are seven thrilling experiences you can have off St Helena’s shores… 1. Swim with whale sharks

The sheer variety in St Helena’s landscapes – from rugged mountains to rolling countryside and nearly everything else in-between – makes hiking (namely the island’s roster of 21 Post Box Walks) the best way to explore this wild isle. Here are 10 of our favourite walks to tread in St Helena… 1. Dianas Peak Diana's Peak (Shutterstock) Length: 3.8kmTime

How to get to St Helena and around How to get to St Helena and around (Shutterstock) Please note, due to the coronavirus pandemic, commercial flights are not currently operating to St Helena. You can stay up to date with the latest travel restrictions in St Helena here.  Once travel restrictions have been lifted, to get to St Helena you will need to fly via Johannesburg, where Airlink operates

1. Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa Wendy Panaino leads one of Africa’s most established ground pangolin research projects, funded by the Tswalu Foundation, which has provided a blueprint for so many researchers across the continent. Using VHF telemetry devices, she’s able to track and monitor the animals who have always existed in the dunes and grasslands at the foothills of the Korannaberg mountain range. Guests can accompany Wendy on pangolin walks

Girls and young women across Africa with ambitions to be a guide will be inspired by Florence Kagiso, a guide at the five-star Chobe Game Lodge in Chobe National Park, Botswana. Florence Kagiso (Desert & Delta Safaris) The safari operator Desert & Delta Safaris has seven camps in northern Botswana’s game reserves and national parks, and one across the Chobe River in Namibia’s Eastern C

If you’ve already spotted the ‘big five’ – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, African elephant and Cape buffalo – or want something more from a safari, Cottar’s Safaris has stepped up its game. Established in 1919 in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, Cottar’s Safaris is now run by the fifth generation of the same family. Co-owner Louise Cottar says, ‘Luxury safaris and the big five game experience have become commonplace. We believe that travellers still value these, but that they also want to participate in a safar

1. See African art The Senegal capital of Dakar (Shutterstock) The capital of Dakar juts out into the Atlantic Ocean, marking the most western point in Africa. Théodore Monod Museum of African Art, in the south of the city, displays 9,000 exhibits across two buildings. The oldest, built in the 1930s, is dedicated to ancient African art, such as masks, traditional dress, drums and agricultu

1. Wild is Life Elephants in Harare (Shutterstock) This sanctuary on the southern edges of the city has been dedicated to rescuing African wildlife since 1998. On an educational, small group tour you may see mongoose, pangolins and duikers (antelope) as well as larger animals such as lions and cheetahs. You’ll also have chance to ask your guide questions, feed giraffes and get up close to

1. Namibia Driving Namibia’s unsealed roads (Bresmedia) Start and finish: Windhoek Distance: 2,100km How? Hire a car in Windhoek Why? Stunning scenery, wildlife and lonely desert roads Time needed: 10 days With its good, unsealed roads and beautiful desert scenery, nothing beats Namibia. You can even tick off the Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo) if you have a keen eye

Coiled into a ball so perfect that its whorls made an Archimedean spiral, the creature at the bottom of the burrow was as complex and confounding as any ancient mathematical equation. Even with the assistance of a telemetry tracking device, we’d spent an hour looking for this living fossil, whose ancestors have slipped through the shadows of the African bush for 85 million years. Stealthier than a secret agent, these are one of safari’s great enigmas, making it even harder to comprehend how they

Game hunters coined the term the ‘Big 5’ in the late 1800s after the five most challenging animals to hunt on foot in Africa – elephants, lions, leopards, rhinoceros and Cape buffalos. But now, thanks to the efforts of a British photographer, wildlife lovers from around the world have voted for a New Big 5; this time the five big game to shoot with a camera, rather than a gun. An elephant in the wild (Karabo Lebronpeter Moilwa)