CuriOdyssey Travel
Custom & Curated Travel Planning
"I NEVER KNEW A MORNING
IN AFRICA WHEN I WOKE
THAT I WAS NOT HAPPY."
Ernest Hemingway
AFRICAN TRIPS
Use these trip ideas as starting points. They can be taken as described or customized for your interests or expertise.
Don’t see a trip or a country here? Just ask!
Journey into the heart of East Africa in February, when immense migratory herds of wildebeest and zebra congregate on the fabled Serengeti’s short-grass plains, feeding and calving. A spectacle to behold!
Journey to West Africa’s “Gold Coast,” to learn about Ghana’s rich and varied cultural and natural history. Trace the forces of change tha shaped the country from a hunter-gatherer way of life to a major part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and finally to a modern state.
Separated from the African mainland more than 100 million years ago, Madagascar is a living library of evolution. More than 80 percent of the island’s flora and fauna, including 30 species of lemur, exist nowhere else on earth. Among beautifully vivid extremes, from primary rainforest to sandstone desert, exist some of the most abundant nature reserves on earth, as well as 18 ethnic groups.
See Tanzania comprehensively: by vehicle and on foot. This unusual safari combines landscapes and people, and is perfect for the intrepid traveler who is inquisitive, adventurous, and active. Enjoy traditional game drives and stay in comfortable safari lodges, but then venture far off the beaten track, following Maasai cattle tracks on foot and camping in the shadow of the great volcano, Ol Doinyo Lengai.
This journey is timed to ideally coincide with the large herds that congregate on the Serengeti, plunging off riverbanks en masse into rivers filled with crocodiles—a tremendous wildlife spectacle! Plus, stay in luxurious lodges and tents.
Experience the region’s best, diverse, and most remote wilderness. Camp in luxury mobile-tented camps along the shore of the Zambezi River in Botswana’s Chobe National Park and stay in luxurious tree houses at Victoria Falls. In Zambia, head into even more remote territory and explore the wildlands by vehicle, on game walks, or by motorboat and canoe.
Discover perhaps the most memorable wildlife viewing destinations on earth. Witness the great variety of wildlife in the Serengeti Plains of Tanzania, and search for the largest group of free-roaming chimpanzees in the world at Mahale Mountains on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Then travel to Rwanda to observe mountain gorillas up close in the mist-shrouded Virunga Volcanoes National Park.
This custom safari was designed by a renowned Harvard zoologist to showcase Botswana’s vast wilderness and varied wildlife. Travel from the Kalahari Desert to the verdant waterways and savannas of the Okavango Delta. Throughout, stay in camps situated for their proximity to a wide variety of wildlife.
Legendary for its majestic beauty, surreal landscapes, and world-class trekking, Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and the world's highest free-standing mountain. Trek to the top, using the route that best suits your abilities and interests. Options range from an intense physical challenge to a more luxurious route with more time to acclimatize. Trekkers with this outfitter have a 98% summit success rate.
Discover three distinctive facets of Botswana. Canoe through the Okavanga Delta, a unique system of waterways, searching for elephants, leopard, lion, hippos, crocodiles, and rare birds. Then, experience the extreme Kalaharai Desert with its annual zebra and wildebeest migration. Finally, spend time with the Zu/’hoasi Bushmen and women of the Kalahari and experience a Bushman safari while at their remote ancestral gathering lands.
From the unexpected comfort of the walk-in tents, to the popcorn by the campfire, to the kid-friendly pacing, to the exciting proximity of the wildlife, this is not your average family camping trip. Knowledgeable naturalist guides will lead you through Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti - some of the most extraordinary game viewing opportunities in the world.
Discover the allure of Mozambique, a tropical paradise that remains largely unexplored. Adventure awaits with Mozambique’s beautiful scenery, variety of wildlife, and pristine marine life. Safari in two different park ecosystems, searching for lion, leopard, African wild dog and their prey, and more. Conclude at a marine life-rich island in the Quirimbas Archipelago, exploring white sand beaches, bays, and coves for wildlife.
Journey into the heart of East Africa and travel off the beaten path to learn about the culture, people, and wildlife of Tanzania. Marvel at a vast and unspoiled landscape and enjoy comfortable tented camps and small lodges, beautifully situated for their proximity to the seasonal concentrations of wildlife. The trip can be timed to be in the Serengeti at the peak of the wildebeest calving season, when over a million animals are giving birth!
Uganda, called the “Pearl of Africa” by British explorers, is noted for outstanding beauty and diversity; it is where the East African savannah meets the West African jungle. Here, one can observe lions prowling the open plains in the morning and track chimpanzees and mountain gorillas in the afternoon.
Discover a land of startling contrasts, ecological diversity, and expressive culture. Experience the riches of Marrakech, it palaces, mosques, museums, and gardens. Peruse markets filled with snake charmers, antiques, spices, and street entertainers. take in the dramatic landscapes as we pass hundreds of ancient Kasbahs and ride a camel up the Mergouza Sand Dunes before spending a night under the unforgettable stars.
Embark on a cultural and wildlife safari that presents an extraordinary opportunity to experience life through the eyes of Tanzanian women. During this two-week journey, enter into the homes, businesses, and villages of the modern and traditional women of Tanzania, forging an unforgettable bond.
This safari into the Kenyan bush is a dream wrapped in canvas, the narrative of which is shaped by the written accounts of Ernest Hemingway, Beryl Markham and Karen Blixen, who appreciated tented life in the bush. From your tented camp, watch the gripping action of predator and prey, and the delicate river dance of elephant, hippo, and crocodile.
Imagine a landscape of colors unaccounted for in any crayon box…vivid orange and red dunes, for example, seemingly stretching to infinity. Add to this vision a collection of strange plants, stark and twisted yet exquisitely beautiful in their surroundings. Finally, fill it with primordial, prehistoric creatures like the armored rhino, diminutive desert elephant, or the rapier-horned oryx. This other-worldly destination is Namibia.
The ‘Jewel of East Africa,’ Kenya is a startlingly beautiful land, from the summit of Mount Kenya, crowned with clouds, to the coral reefs and white sand beaches of the coast. Between these extremes is the savannah that is home to parks such as the Maasai Mara and Samburu. Here, lions congregate in large prides, and elephants, buffalos, zebras, and hippo exist in large numbers. Meet and learn about the nomadic Maasai people; chartered flights enable efficient transport around this vast amount of territory.
South Africa's diversity is tough to beat. It boasts multiple types of terrain, from the Kalahari Desert to the iconic Table Mountain; from Sabi Sand’s wildlife to Lesotho deep in the Drakensberg Mountains. South Africa is home to escarpments, plateaus, grasslands, bush, wetlands and subtropical forests. It is also home to a diverse population of people, and within the country’s borders lie seven recognized “kingdoms.” Visit three: Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, and Swaziland.
Egypt is adventure country par excellence. On this unusual journey traverse the rarely visited Western Desert with its sea of shifting sand dunes extending to the Libyan border. Returning to civilization, colossal pyramids and labyrinthine tombs inspire exploration in the grand tradition of Lawrence of Arabia or Indiana Jones. A four-day cruise on the Upper Nile from Abu Simbel to Aswan reveals temples and tombs.
Discover antiquities and natural wonders on this grand journey from oasis to oasis in Egypt’s remote Western Desert to the spectacle of ancient Luxor. Experience the must-see highlights (the Sphinx, the Cheops Pyramid, the Egyptian Museum, and Luxor) as well as some truly off-the-beaten path sights that define Egypt and showcase cutting-edge archaeological discoveries.
Embark on an epic journey overland from Abu Simbel in Egypt through northern Sudan—across endless desert along the beautiful Nile and into thousands of years of ancient Egyptian and Nubian history. This was the route taken by countless invading armies, unfortunate slaves, and early explorers, searching for the source of the Nile. It is a journey like no other for the adventurous traveler.
