Keeping with the once-in-a-lifetime theme, Brian Pentek, owner of Luxe Life Travel, says “Africa is huge,” for his clients.
Most are going in multigenerational groups who use the trip as graduation presents or family reunions. They may be going to Cape Town, South Africa, as well as Botswana (for game reserves) or Rwanda for gorilla trekking.
In addition to safaris, Salvadore incorporates ways to experience local culture, or check out the food and drink scenes, for his clients in Africa, or bush camping instead of staying in luxury lodges. In 2023, he’s sending travelers to Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia — a country listed as one of the top up-and-coming travel spots in a summary compiled by Scott Dunn luxury travel planners.
The most-booked destinations for Niarra Travel also include South Africa, Victoria Falls (which sits on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe) and Kenya, while trips to the Serengeti in Tanzania dominate reservations for Deeper Africa. The company’s owner, Karen Zulauf, said she has noticed upcoming travelers are more interested in adding active excursions like “walking safaris, mountain biking, horseback riding, you name it.”
For those who have already done a traditional safari vacation, Carter recommends Namibia, a country seeing a resurgence in interest, where travelers can go on self-driving road trips (versus ones with a guide) between eco-lodges or take small planes to some of the world’s most remote places, like the Skeleton Coast and Hoanib Valley.