Off the Beaten trail

With the summer holidays beckoning, dreams of getting away from the urban jungle are a nightly affair. What better way to make such dreams come true than to head for the real jungle? There is nothing like an African safari to get a real taste of adventure. Between South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana, take your pick for this summer...

DESTINATION 1

KENYA

Safari is Swahili for 'journey', and it is in Kenya that safaris began.

Magnificent national parks and reserves brim with wildlife. Lush forests, breathtaking mountains and tribal cultures plus the amazing quality and quantity of birdlife, make Kenya a fascinating destination. More than anything else, it is perhaps the wildlife – lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, gazelles, buffalos, hippos, rhinos – in its pure, natural surroundings, that draws visitors to Kenya, boasting of some of the finest reserves in Africa. Lying across the Equator, Kenya is a geographical and natural wonder of our times.

Places to see

Amboseli National Park: The snows of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, provide a magnificent backdrop for the spectacular wildlife pageant, including the Big Five – leopard, rhino, elephant, lion and buffalo – that abound near the swamps and natural springs, characteristic of this area.

Lake Baringo: This freshwater lake hosts over 400 species of birdlife. Other attractions include hippo, crocodile and schools of fish.

Lake Bogoria: A soda lake, home to the rare Greater Kudu and other bird species.

Masai Mara National Reserve: The world watches in wonder as countless wildebeest and zebras, accompanied by hordes of wildlife, thunder across the bordering Serengeti during their annual migration (July- September) searching for greener pastures. Home to the stately black-maned lion, cheetah and other predators, the Mara is rich in resident wildlife and in scenic beauty, making it the most popular reserve in Kenya.

Mt. Kenya National Park: Jagged snow-capped summits of Africa's second highest mountain (17,058 ft) dominate the horizon of this park. Lying astride the Equator, Mt. Kenya hosts a variety of flora and fauna, including the bongo, black rhino and other wildlife. Also available are climbing and hiking facilities.

Shaba, Shamburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves: Set in a stark country in the hot and arid fringes of Kenya's vast northern region along the Uaso Nyiro Rive. The river's permanent waters abound with crocodile and hippo, and attract plenty of wildlife including the peculiar Grevy Zebra, Gerenuk, Beisa Oryx and the comical Somali Ostrich, unique to these northern parts. Shaba National Reserve is scenically the most beautiful.

Aberdare National Park: The Aberdere National Park hosts three unique tree hotels: The Ark, Mountain Lodge and the famous Treetops. Water holes and salt licks at the hotel attract the animals and are illuminated throughout the night for game viewing.

Mombasa: This is the largest and most popular island on Kenya's coast, with a major port and international airport. Its historical influence is still visible in the town which is a mystical mixture of the ancient and the modern. The old town dominated by Fort Jesus with its lurid saga of conquest and siege has narrow alleys overshadowed by high ornamental balconies, and the vibrant bazaars, combines with the New Town to provide an intriguing potpourri of romanticism and practicality.

The beach hotels are located on the North and South Coast. The popular beach resorts are Serena Hotels, Whitesands Hotels and Bamburi Beach Resort.

Attractive packages to these hotels are available with Kenya Airways office in Dubai.

Game drive: A game drive through Amboseli takes you across this vast lake-bed often dry, but still very swampy in areas. Amboseli is best known for its great herds of elephant.

You'll often find many of them standing knee-deep in water, spraying themselves to keep cool. But there's a lot of other game here too. For instance, cheetah, buffalo, giraffe, many types of gazelle and other game – all set against the amazing backdrop of majestic Mount Kilimanjaro showing all its glory.

DESTINATION 2

TANZANIA

Within the 937,062sq. km border of Tanzania lies Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro; its deepest and longest freshwater lake, Tanganyika; the Ngorongoro Crater, one of the wonders of the world; and the finest concentration of wildlife in the world on the Serengeti plains.

The Kilimanjaro International Airport at Sanja Juu, 56 km from Arusha, enables visitors to fly directly into the heart of Tanzania's safari country.

Places to see

Lake Manyara National Park: Set around the lake, this park lies at the foot of a dramatic escarpment and offers a rich diversity of scenery and wildlife, including the famous tree lions, a very high density of elephant population and other big game. Its lake is a haven for birdlife and hippo.

Ngorongoro Crater: A wonder of the world set in the African wild, Ngorongoro was an active volcano some 8 million years ago whose cone collapsed, leaving a sunken caldera of 311 sq. km, rendering it one of the largest craters in the world. The magic stems from its sheer physical beauty and stunning panapoly of wildlife that roams it's floor. The 2,000-feet descent into the crater, reveals a sight of unequalled grandeur.

Serengeti National Park: This park contains the most spectacular wildlife sight in the annual migration of the wildebeest from the north to the south.

Amongst its 35 species of wildlife, it is famous for the black-maned lion, of which there are 2,000, and other predators such as the cheetah, hyena and wild dogs.

Olduvai Gorge: Between Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park lies Olduvai Gorge, "the cradle of mankind". Here, Dr. Richard Leakey, wildlife expert and his wife discovered one of the earliest fossils of man, some 1.7 million years old.

Tarangire National Park: The only place in Tanzania where you can view the fringe-eared oryx easily. During the dry season the river attracts a large concentration of ungulates. Other big game are plentiful and include elephant, buffalo and the rare Greater Kudu.

DESTINATION 3

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa, 'The Rainbow Nation', is an extraordinary mix of races, cultures, scenery, wildlife, and is an intriguing holiday destination. With a diverse topography that ranges from grassy plains, savannah, riverine forests, awesome peaks to rocky coves, towering cliffs and wide sandy beaches, safaris are one of the county's major attractions, though it has a lot more to offer.

Whether your ideal holiday is a Fly-In or a Self-Drive Safari through one of South Africa's game reserves, your travel agent will have exclusive arrangements to make your holiday even more special. Fly into Johannesburg from Dubai, and you get a variety of safari tours to choose from. From the safety of game lodges, one can go on an exclusive safari to view game at sunrise or sunset, on foot or from an op