Personal journeys through the wild heart of southern Africa — by Daniel, founder of Safari Luxuria
My name is Daniel, and I live in South Africa. I have been fortunate enough to travel through several of the remarkable countries that lie to our north, venturing deep into some of Africa’s most extraordinary wild places. These are my own experiences — the roads I have driven, the rivers I have crossed, and the animals I have encountered along the way.
I have also explored several of South Africa’s finest reserves closer to home, including Kruger National Park, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (formerly the Kalahari Gemsbok Park), the Mountain Zebra National Park, and the Karoo National Park.
An unexpected experience, I travelled up to the Botswana side of the Kgalagadi, with my neighbor who happened to run a safari tour operation. He wanted to explore that part of the world for possible routes. The one evening just after we had finished supper, we heard lions roaring, and over the next hour or so they came closer. Eventually they lay down maybe 40 meters from our campsite. The next morning I took the picture of their paw prints about 5 meters from our tent! Just a cautionary note, sleeping in just a tent in those circumstances is not genuinely NOT advisable.
I started Safari Luxuria to help fellow travellers find their ideal luxury African safari and to experience the continent’s breathtaking landscapes and majestic wildlife for themselves. While not every lodge or reserve featured on this site is one I have personally visited, every recommendation is made with genuine care for the quality of your experience.
Countries I have travelled through
Namibia | Botswana | Tanzania | Kenya | South Africa
📷 All photographs in this article are my own — taken in the field, often with borrowed and somewhat battle-worn cameras. Photos in other Safari Luxuria articles are carefully selected stock images, mainly sourced from Pexels.com, with full credit given to the photographer.
Namibia — The Skeleton Coast
An unexpected opportunity
My journey up the Skeleton Coast came about in a rather serendipitous way. When my parents were unable to take up the opportunity, I stepped in and took their place — a decision that would lead to one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life.
I travelled north with a group led by my neighbour, who operated a safari travel business, setting out from our home town in central South Africa to rendezvous with the full tour group in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital. There we met our Skeleton Coast guide — a man with a rare and coveted concession to lead tours through this extraordinary stretch of coastline — along with the eight other vehicles that would make up our convoy of nine.
Into the vastness
From Windhoek, we made our way to Swakopmund before turning north along the salt road — a remarkable stretch of compacted salt that forms a solid surface under dry conditions but becomes treacherous in the rain. Setting out from Swakopmund early the next morning, the sheer scale of the Namibian coast announced itself almost immediately. Ocean fog rolled in off the Atlantic, blurring the horizon and lending an otherworldly atmosphere to the landscape. When it lifted, we could see for miles in every direction — out across the open sea to one side, and inland toward the immense dunes that rose above the beach on the other.
It was here, too, that we spotted the first of many shipwrecks that have earned this coastline its haunting name.
It truly is a pity that some people find it necessary to leave their marks on the historical and delicate places in such a place.
North to the edge of the world
We pressed on through Henties Bay and eventually reached Terrace Bay, the last fuel stop before the road north runs out entirely. With tanks filled, we struck out onto the beach itself, driving in convoy between towering dunes and the incoming tide. When the coast became impassable, we would detour inland over the dunes before returning to the shoreline and continuing north.
“Driving between high dunes and the incoming tide, with nothing but ocean on one side and the Namib on the other — it was as remote and raw a place as I have ever been.”
After four days of coastal driving, we finally reached the Kunene River mouth — the natural border between Namibia and Angola. From there we turned east, following the course of the river in search of Namibia’s famous desert-adapted elephants. We were fortunate to encounter a herd that same afternoon, watching them move through the arid riverine landscape with a quiet, unhurried grace that felt almost dreamlike.
We camped that night in a gorge on the banks of the river — the kind of stillness and star-filled sky that is impossible to fully describe to someone who has not experienced it.
The long road home
The following morning, we turned south and began the journey back toward Windhoek. Two days later we gathered for a final camp together, said our farewells, and began the long drive home — another two full days of travel. The entire trip covered approximately 13 days, and left me with memories I will carry for the rest of my life.
Botswana, Namibia & Zimbabwe — A Journey with Family
An invitation from Germany
My next major adventure came when my uncle and aunt, who live in Germany, invited me to join them on a guided safari through Botswana. Rather than flying to South Africa to collect me, they suggested I drive north to meet them — an idea that turned what might have been a simple holiday into a full southern African road journey.
After some essential maintenance on my 2004 Subaru Forester — a timing belt, a new radiator, and the optimism that comes with a freshly serviced vehicle — I set off from home and made my way north over three days to Kasane and Kasungula, near the confluence of the Chobe River and the Zambezi.
The drive itself offered its own rewards. Camping on the banks of the Nata River, I fell into conversation with travellers from around the world — one of those spontaneous, wide-ranging evenings that only happen on the road in Africa.
Four wheels and rooftop tents: the Caprivi Strip
Meeting my uncle and a former colleague and his wife in Kasane, we hired a 4×4 fitted with two rooftop tents and spent four days on a self-drive loop through the Caprivi Strip — now formally known as the Zambezi Region of Namibia. We stayed at several camps along the way, including Goma Camp, soaking in the lush, river-threaded landscape that makes this corridor so unlike the rest of Namibia.
Into Botswana’s wild heart: a 14-day guided safari
After returning to Botswana, we drove down to Maun, where we collected my aunt from the airport before meeting our tour guide and embarking on what would become the centrepiece of the entire journey — a 14-day fully guided safari through some of Botswana’s most celebrated wilderness areas.
We moved through Kwai, Nxai Pan, Moremi Game Reserve, and Savuti, with a dedicated support team handling everything: camp setup, meals, game drives morning and evening. The wildlife encounters were extraordinary — we came within metres of lion on several occasions, and had prolonged, unhurried time with elephant, leopard, wild dog, and countless other species.
“There is something about being within metres of a lion in an open safari vehicle — the absolute presence of the moment — that stays with you long after you have come home.”
The confluence, the Falls, and the river
At the end of the safari, we were dropped at Kasane, where my car had been safely stored. The next day brought a memorable boat excursion to the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe rivers, where the Unity Bridge links Botswana to Zimbabwe — our next destination.
We crossed into Zimbabwe the following morning and made our way to Victoria Falls — Mosi-oa-Tunya, the Smoke that Thunders. Arriving at first light, we photographed the falls as the sun rose over the Zimbabwean countryside, casting golden light across the mist and spray. It was a genuinely moving experience, even for those of us who had grown up with this wonder as a familiar name on a map.
White water on the Zambezi
After a well-earned rest day, my uncle and I tackled what turned out to be one of the most exhilarating — and physically demanding — experiences of either of our lives: white water rafting on the Zambezi, launching from the base of the falls and running the river’s legendary rapids.
Five hours, nineteen official rapids (twenty-two if you count all of them), and every single person in the boat went overboard at some point. When I was thrown in, both sandals were ripped cleanly from my feet. I managed to grab one as it surfaced beside me; the other, I assumed, was gone for good. I was already calculating how to climb barefoot out of a 200-metre near-vertical gorge in the midday heat when a fellow rafter held up my missing sandal with a grin. I have never been more relieved about a piece of footwear in my life.
The road home — via memory lane
After a final recovery day, we began the long drive south — though “straight home” was never quite the plan. My uncle had lived in Bulawayo as a teenager, and we made a meaningful detour to visit the house he had called home for two years. It was a quietly significant moment in what had already been a richly layered journey.
From Bulawayo we crossed back into Botswana at the Plumtree border post, then drove south through Gaborone. By chance, it was Botswana Day — the country’s independence day — and the roads were busy with people travelling to be with family. We spent a comfortable night at a well-located Airbnb near the centre of Gaborone before completing the final stretch to Bloemfontein, where my parents live, late the following evening.
It was an unforgettable journey — the kind that changes how you see the continent you call home. I am profoundly grateful to have had the opportunity, and I look forward to the next road north.
These experiences are part of why I built Safari Luxuria: to share a genuine love for African travel, and to help you find your own version of what I found out there.
— Daniel, Safari Luxuria