Re-Discover Your Inner Explorer in Africa
June 2021…// For those seeking a big African adventure, look no further than a safari with iconic conservation tourism company Great Plains. In addition to spotting local wildlife on a game drive, guests can witness the lush green Okavango Delta in full glory from a helicopter, drift along Botswana’s flowing Selinda Spillway in a canoe, or even go mountain biking along the Kenyan plains with Mount Kilimanjaro as a backdrop.
Great Plains provide their guests with numerous adventurous activities to choose from when staying with the brand’s five-star portfolio of solar-powered safari lodges in Kenya, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Great Plains encourage their guests to embrace their inner explorer and embark on an adventure-filled activity at camp during their unique safari. A few adrenaline-pumping signature experiences to remember include:
Helicopter Tours in Botswana
Great Plains offer their guests the option to book a completely personalised guided aerial helicopter tour. Guests travelling to all Botswana Great Plains properties can experience a sky-high perspective of the Okavango Delta, Linyanti, and Savuti regions, which perfectly complements their safari experience. Helicopters are a unique way to explore deep into the Delta, where guests can discover permanent waterways, palm islands and lagoons, sweeping views of floodplains and incredible wildlife sightings. Or simply stop en route for a celebratory and special glass of champagne in the middle of nowhere, with only the onlooking wildlife around to hear that pop of the champagne cork!
Fasten your seatbelts as helicopter doors can be removed for unrestricted views and great photographic opportunities. Great Plains guests are provided with headsets for direct communication with the very knowledgeable bush pilots, ensuring a guided and informed experience.
Cave Exploration at ol Donyo Lodge, Kenya
A must-try midday activity for guests staying at ol Donyo Lodge is to explore and climb through the historic lava tunnels and caves in the heart of the Chyulu Hills. An ideal way to beat the Kenyan heat following a morning game drive is to go underground and explore the historic lava tunnels made from ancient lava rock that spewed out of Kilimanjaro over 360,000 years ago. This activity is excellent for active guests who feel comfortable climbing down through the lava tunnels into the caves amongst indigenous trees, illuminated by light from above and offering the occasional encounter with a bat or wild creature.
Canoeing and Mokoro Rides at Duba Explorers Camp, Botswana
Guests staying at Duba Explorers Camp can drift along the channels of the Okavango Delta in a canoe or a mokoro, a traditional Botswana canoe. Guests can sit back and let their expert safari guide inform them about what species they are seeing, such as jacana birds delicately walking over the lily pads or the exotic insects and colorful dragonflies resting on water lilies.
The highly trained Great Plains safari guides gracefully paddle the canoe using oars or punt the mokoro using a long wooden pole so guests can relax and truly immerse themselves in Botswana’s natural beauty. From the mokoro, guests can witness the occasional hippo or crocodile swimming in the distance and try to identify the amazing Botswana birdlife, such as the carmine bee-eater. An exciting option is stopping and exploring a remote, deserted island and seeing wildlife and birdlife on foot.
Many of these islands will never have had a human set foot there before. Guides can then arrange a sit-down lunch in the middle of a flowing river or a well-deserved sundowner next to a campfire, the perfect way to reflect on an incredible day.
Walking Safaris at Sapi Explorers Camp and Tembo Plains Camp, Zimbabwe and Mara Expedition Camp, Kenya
The 128,000-hectare private Sapi concession area where Sapi Explorers Camp and the new Tembo Plains Camp are located is the perfect territory for walking safaris. Guests will be guided through the acacia and baobab trees in the albida forest where they can appreciate the magnificent scenery and wildlife alongside the Zambezi.
Dereck Joubert, Great Plains CEO, commented on the spectacular wildlife in the area, “What I have seen most of when in this area is the variety of elephants, of course, hippos in massive numbers, lions, leopards and painted dogs. The dogs are featured in the BBC show Dynasties, and that pack resides in our concession all around the camp. We’ve been reintroducing pangolins for years in SAPI Reserve, and we’re presently doing assessments on rhino reintroductions.
For me, the new Tembo Plains Camp is all about the iconic moments when elephants swim across the Zambezi, and we can get on the water with them in canoes or a boat, quietly drifting up to them without disturbance for images of them, the water, and in some cases ancient baobab trees in the background. If you catch the walking safari bug, we also have some fantastic new routes for our guests to explore on foot in the Mara at the new site of Mara Expedition Camp.”
The new site at Mara Expedition Camp will be the only Great Plains camp in the Maasai Mara that will offer walking safaris due to the camp being located on private land, offering exclusivity and access to some of the region’s best wildlife! Perfectly positioned for the ardent safari-enthusiast, guests will be able to explore some of Africa’s richest game country, renowned for extraordinary predator density.
Mountain Biking at ol Donyo Lodge, Kenya
Guests can stay active and keep moving on safari when staying at ol Donyo Lodge, which provides high-end mountain bikes for intermediate-level riders and up to enjoy and take out for rides along the Kenyan plains. Guests are encouraged to burn off steam during a ride along the tracks and over rocks with the snow-capped summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in the background. ol Donyo Lodge can arrange a fully prepared lunch to greet cyclists under the shade of an acacia tree. And when guests feel they have cycled enough, the team at Great Plains are on hand to collect and leisurely return guests back to camp in a game drive vehicle.
In addition to offering stunning wildlife and scenery, five-star food and hospitality in Africa’s finest accommodation, Great Plains looks forward to creating an adventure-filled safari for their guests to cherish forever.
About Great Plains
Great Plains is an authentic, unique and iconic leading tourism conservation organization founded by and positioned around Dereck and Beverly Joubert since 2006. The company consists of sixteen prestigious owned and partner safari properties in Botswana, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Great Plains offers exceptional safari experiences built around bespoke, caring, meaningful and considerate values.
www.greatplainsconservation.com
About Great Plains Foundation
Great Plains Foundation is conserving and expanding natural habitats in Africa through innovative conservation initiatives with a long-term commitment to the environment, wildlife and local communities. The charity builds on the success of its conservation-tourism parent company Great Plains to identify and implement programs that address the nexus between people, land, and wildlife. Through these three critical elements, Great Plains Foundation’s initiatives and partnerships have a lasting impact on Africa’s iconic wildlife and wildernesses.
