The Journal

Uganda pairs gorilla trekking in Bwindi with chimps, Nile safaris and tree-climbing lions, and sees far fewer visitors than Kenya or Tanzania. Where to go, when, and where to stay.

What a luxury Zimbabwe safari costs: the Falls, Hwange and Mana Pools triangle, two opposite calendars, and small camps led by professional guides.

What a luxury Namibia safari costs: fly-in, private guided or self-drive, three trips at three prices, and where the desert camps' rates come from.

What a luxury Zambia safari costs: small owner-run camps priced for the guiding, a season that decides whether camps open, and flights as the architecture.

What a luxury South Africa safari costs: the Cape and the bush priced as two trips, private reserves vs Kruger, and the season seesaw.

There is no single number, but there is a shape: from about $11,000 to $45,000 or more per person, decided by five choices. The month, the lodge, how you move, the permits, the vehicle.

What a family safari costs: room configuration, children's age bands, per-person fees and why the private vehicle is a family's best-spent money.

What a luxury honeymoon safari costs: per-person pricing doubled for two across Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana, and where honeymoon money earns its keep.

What a Uganda gorilla trekking trip costs in 2026–27: the $800 permit, two treks, Bwindi's sectors, the long-road problem and what's included.

Peak season is peak for a reason: dry grass, concentrated game, the migration in the Mara. But it's also the most expensive, most crowded, and not obviously the best version of the trip. The case against peak season.

Some lodges aren't near the wildlife — they're because of it. Gorilla forests, orangutan rivers, polar bear tundra: seven stays that would not exist without a single species.

The most common safari mistake isn't the destination — it's booking a famous park name instead of matching the park to what you want to see, in the right month. An advisor's matching guide.

Kenya's best safari regions: the Mara for big cats and the Migration, Laikipia's private conservancies, Amboseli, Samburu, the Rift Valley lakes and Nairobi, with seasons and lodges.

Where to go in Australia for nature and luxury: the Red Centre, the reef and Daintree, Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia, with the best season and lodges for each.

My three picks for 2027: Greece, starting with Crete and its food; Denmark for Copenhagen and the coast; and Zambia for a quieter, wilder safari.

Notes from our Australia trips: where we stayed in Sydney, Melbourne, the Barossa, Kangaroo Island, Brisbane and on Lizard Island.

Notes from our Peru trip: where we stayed in the Sacred Valley, at Machu Picchu, in Cusco and Lima, and riding the Hiram Bingham train.

Seychelles, Mauritius or the Maldives? How the three compare on beaches, reefs, getting there, seasons and families, and who should pick which.

Zanzibar, Mozambique, the Seychelles, Mauritius or the Maldives after safari: flights, how many nights, and which months work best.

When to ski in Japan, Niseko's four resorts and where to stay, the Hakuba valley, and practical notes on luggage, onsen and ski school.

How the Alps and the Rockies compare for a family ski trip: travel time, ski schools, ski-in, ski-out, food, cost drivers, altitude and who should pick which.

What a top-tier Rwanda gorilla trip costs in 2026–27: the $1,500 permit, rates at Bisate, Kwitonda and Gorilla's Nest, and what's included.

What a top-tier Tanzania safari costs in 2026–27: trip totals and per-night rates from Grumeti to the northern Serengeti, park fees, flights and what's included.

What a top-tier Kenya safari costs in 2026–27: trip totals and per-night rates at the best Mara conservancy and Laikipia camps, fees, flights and what's included.

What a top-tier Botswana safari costs in 2026–27: trip totals and per-night rates at Mombo, Vumbura and Duba Plains, season by season, and what's included.

Zambia or Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls? Which has the better views, Devil's Pool, how high and low water change the falls, where to stay and how each fits your safari.

Botswana's dry season vs green season: game viewing, the Okavango flood, weather, rates and which camps suit each time of year.

Kenya or Tanzania for safari? How the Mara and Serengeti differ on crowds, off-road driving, migration timing, logistics and cost.

How to combine Hwange's elephants and waterholes with Victoria Falls: the camps, best months, transfers, which side of the falls, and where to stay.

Why Mana Pools is different: guided walks and canoeing on the Zambezi, the dry-season window, the main camps, how long to stay and what to pair it with.

Badrutt's Palace in summer, Engadine hikes, the Bernina and Glacier Express, the Swiss National Park, the Grossglockner road and Schloss Elmau, and how to combine them.

Amanzoe and the Argolid, Nafplio, Mycenae and Epidaurus, Hydra and Spetses, Milos and Sifnos, plus how to do Santorini well and when Greek hotels close.

Adare Manor, Ashford Castle and Ballyfin: what each is like, how to route a week from Dublin to the west, golf and the 2027 Ryder Cup, best months and drivers.

Dubrovnik around the cruise crowds, Split, Hvar, Korčula and Vis, catamarans vs a private boat or gulet, Plitvice or Krka inland, and the best months.

Le Bristol in Paris, then south by train or plane to Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc: Antibes, the hill villages, Monaco, how many nights, and the weeks to avoid.

May–June and September–October in Europe: which of my hotels are open, which close for winter, and where to go in Greece, the Douro, the Riviera and the Alps.

How Botswana's light-aircraft circuit and 20 kg soft-bag rule work, how many camps to book, what to add, when to go and why it costs what it does.

Mokoro and boats or game drives and predators? How Okavango water and land camps differ, how the flood changes them, and why to combine one of each.

Lake Como, Portofino and Positano, with Rome and Tuscany as bookends: the hotels I would choose, how to combine two or three bases, and when each one closes.

What Akagera, Nyungwe and Lake Kivu add to a Rwanda gorilla trip: Big Five game drives, chimps and the canopy walk, a lake to rest, and how to route them.

How the Ngorongoro Crater day works, why to go down early, where to stay, the Olmoti and Empakaai walks, and how to pair it with Tarangire and the Serengeti.

Where the wildebeest are each month in Tanzania, from calving at Ndutu to the Mara River crossings, where to stay in each phase and how it links to Kenya.

Rwanda's gorilla permit, the 7am briefing at Kinigi, the one-hour rule, fitness and porters, what to wear, where to stay, and why two treks beat one.

Palacio Nazarenas, Monasterio, La Casona, JW Marriott El Convento and Palacio del Inka compared, plus oxygen-enriched rooms, altitude and how many nights to stay.

Ellerman House or the Mount Nelson, Franschhoek or Stellenbosch, whales at Walker Bay, how many nights in each, drivers, seasons and pairing the Cape with a safari.

Kruger National Park, the Sabi Sand or Thornybush and Timbavati? How the private reserves differ, where to stay, when to go, how many nights, and why Tswalu is different.

Tanzania, Botswana, Rwanda or South Africa? What each safari does best, when to go, how many nights, who it suits and how they combine.

Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, then Cusco: why that order eases the altitude, how long to stay, the trains, tickets and where to stay.

Zambia means walking safaris, few vehicles and excellent guides. A guide to South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi, Kafue, Liuwa and Victoria Falls, with seasons and where to stay.

My 2026 picks: Uganda, Kenya, Australia and Zambia, plus Guyana and Northern Albania. Places that cap visitor numbers and still feel wild if you plan them well.

How to plan a safari without the crowds: what conservancies, private reserves and remote parks offer, with examples, and the planning rules I use to keep you away from crowded sightings.

Nine wild corners of Australia that rarely make the brochures, from the Kimberley and Arnhem Land to the Tarkine and Channel Country, and how to time a trip to them.

Kenya or Uganda for a first safari? Big cats and open savannah versus gorillas and rainforest. How the wildlife, activities, scenery and lodges compare.

When to go on safari in Zambia, season by season: game viewing, walking, river trips, photography and crowds from May through the rains.

Kangaroo Island, 'Australia’s Galápagos': sea lions at Seal Bay, Flinders Chase, where to stay (including Southern Ocean Lodge) and the best months to go.

My notes from Lizard Island in 2025: the reef off the beach, diving the Cod Hole, getting there from Cairns, when to go, and how it compares with the Whitsundays.

Liuwa Plain in western Zambia: Africa's second-largest wildebeest migration, hyena clans, cheetahs and almost no other vehicles. When to go, how to get there, where to stay.

Uganda or Rwanda for gorillas? Permits are $800 vs $1,500, and the treks, lodges and travel times differ a lot. Here's how to choose.

Kenya beyond the Mara: rhinos in Laikipia and Ol Pejeta, Samburu's northern species, the Chyulu Hills and Amboseli's elephants, and who each area suits.

The Mara is really three places: the National Reserve, the Mara Triangle and the private conservancies. How they differ on rules, fees, vehicle numbers, night drives and walking, and which suits whom.

Why I build every trip from scratch: more privacy, better wildlife timing, money that reaches conservancies and small camps, smarter routing, and one person to call.

What to pack for safari: soft duffel limits, neutral layers, footwear, gorilla trekking kit, camera gear, health items and what to leave at home.

Zambia invented the walking safari. Where to do one (South Luangwa, Kafue, Lower Zambezi), what you'll see on foot, how safety works, when to go, and where to stay.

Month-by-month safari timing for Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Victoria Falls: when the dry, green and shoulder seasons fall, and who each one suits.