Tailor-Made Wilderness Safaris

The planes for such flights are usually of the type Cessna or similar with a small carrying capacity of passenger, making it a very personal experience. Such planes need to take off and land on a more or less paved airstrip. Scenic Flights of this kind are especially popular over the Okavango Delta, Botswana, the Skeleton Coast and Sossusvlei in Namibia and over the Serengeti in Tanzania. This is a once in a lifetime experience and will leave you with unforgettable memories, whether you take pictures, videos or just simply take it all in with your eyes.

A hot air balloon flight is at a much slower, gentler pace than with plane or helicopter and the distance covered will be shorter but just as unforgettable. Various places offer such rides, for example Sossusvlei in Namibia, Pilanesberg in South Africa, and of course the famous ones over the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Maasai Mara in Kenya. Glide gently over the vast planes of these wonderful places and take in the incredible, unrestricted 360° views.

Spend the night surrounded by nothing except the open space of the enormous Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. After about 2 hours of driving, you swop over to a Quadbike and drive to the edge of the pan where you will visit the local Meerkat colony before driving to your sleepout spot in the middle of nowhere. Enjoy a warm, delicious dinner around a fire before retiring to your bed under the stars. The silence and vastness of the night sky will help re-awaken your mind, body and soul and you will leave this place with a smile on your face.

Whenever your journey takes you to the Okavango Delta area, a mokoro ride is a must and unforgettable way of experiencing this pristine wilderness. Gliding quietly along the reed edges through narrow channels and passing open pools where you might see Hippos watching you is a fantastic way to see everything from a different angle! This is one of the most serene and beautiful ways of seeing the water channels of the Okavango that is filled with bird and aquatic life. Watch out for the tiny reed frogs and beautiful water lilies that you might pass. If the chance arises to try and manoeuvre a mokoro yourself, you should try it. 

Night Drives, although exciting and intriguing, can only be done at certain lodges and places due to the strict laws of National Parks of no driving between Sunset and Sunrise. If a place offers this activity, it is worth to join it to experience the bush at night. To spot something can be hard and in no way should you join this activity with high expectations of seeing big cats and the likes. There is a good chance you might see an owl, a bush baby and a genet! But the thrill of what might be hiding and suddenly appear walking on the road or cross the road in front of you is worth the time. You should join a Night Drive with the credo «high hopes – no expectations» and see every sighting as a bonus!

From June to early December Whale Watching can be done along the Southern Coast of South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique. Especially in the Southwest of South Africa, from Cape Town along the Garden Route to Port Elizabeth, Whale Watching is prolific and can be done by boat and sometimes even from the coastline. It is the high numbers of Southern Right Whales that during this time come to the coast for breeding and calving purposes and are known to come extremely close which offers optimum viewing conditions.

Helicopters for Scenic Flights vary in sizes and types, depending on where they take place. Due to the fact that Helicopters don't need a lot of space for landing/taking-off, they can be organised for more remote areas (provided there is a company offering flights). When flying over the Okavango Delta, the doors are taken off for an even more intense and unforgettable experience and a photographer's dream. Flying over the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, the pilot will make sure you get to see the falls from both sides and flies in different heights and loops over them. Scenic flights can also be done over the Serengeti, Tanzania and Maasai Mara, Kenya and are sure to guarantee an incredible view of these world-renowned Wildlife havens.

A Skybed sleepout can only be done on a Botswana trip and is limited to certain months and a specific area. They are always in high demand and have limited space available. If you are interested in this activity, it is vital that we know about it as soon as possible in order to make reservations. The Skybeds offer a once-in-a-lifetime experience – Sleeping above the African Savanna under the Sky with no walls to block out the sounds, smells and views. The nearby waterhole attracts wildlife throughout the night and there is no guarantee that you will get enough sleep but it will be unforgettable.

Swapping the vehicle for a boat can be a nice change of vessel and gives a different perspective onto the nature that surrounds you. There are different types of boat rides that can be booked depending on the location, from sunset and dinner cruises to boat safaris where the goal is to see animals. Some cruises can only be done when the water level allows it so enquire beforehand if your time of travel is the season for such an activity. On bigger rivers like the Zambezi or Chobe, boat cruises are done all year round and the boat sizes on these vary greatly.

Experience the African Bush on foot by booking a Bush Walk on your trip. You will leave the comfort of a vehicle behind and walk in a small group lead by professional guides through the wilderness on the lookout for small as well as big creatures. This is the perfect way to have a look at some of the smaller aspects that you might not see from a vehicle, such as tracks, insects, flowers, dung and much more as well as a possible encounter with a bigger animal on foot. On a walk all your senses are very important and with no engine fumes and motor sounds, the smells and sounds are 100% wild! This activity normally takes 3–4 hours depending on the level of fitness of the group and a minimum age of 12 years is usually required.

We at Lerato Adventures believe that it is important to integrate and work with the local communities and learn from them, eat with them and spend time with them. These moments spent in the presence of the very people that helped build up a village, a town or the tourism section can be live changing and eye opening. Have the men and women themselves explain to you how they live and manage their day-to-day life and what matters to them most. Eat their food and learn some words in their language to show respect and appreciation. Whenever possible we like to include a Cultural Activity to your trip