Big five safari experiences

Feel the crunch of the soil beneath your boots and learn to hear the tell-tale rustle of wildlife on a bush walk. Straight after breakfast set out to uncover the secrets of the Serengeti. While the specifics depend on where you are, you'll have the chance to take a microscope to the landscape. Joined by your knowledgable guide, follow a flutter of wings to see lovebirds snacking on figs, peer into an earthy warthog burrow and inspect every track you can find. You could just be following a pride of lion (who should be napping in the distance) or thirsty elephant on the way to a waterhole! Whether it's scanning acacia bark for tiny critters or staring skyward to see an eagle soaring overhead, the essence of the Serengeti is yours to experience.

With your expert guide at the helm, set out from camp as the sun just begins to spill over Tanzania and venture into the jewel-green forests and plains of the Ngorongoro Crater. Where bubbling lava once spewed over, there now lives a barely believable variety of wildlife. Don't put your binoculars down for a second as you scan the landscape for the Big Five, including the protected black rhino, majestic black-maned lion and roaming herds of elephant. The plains are awash with vast numbers of antelope and zebra, who erupt into movement when a cheetah speeds across the scene. Finish the day off with a sundowner as the Crater cools around you.

Under a canvas of stars, set out from camp in a jeep to spy on the wildlife as Amboseli comes alive with a whole new cast of creatures. Even more so than the day, night time belongs to the predators. Lions slink between the trees, sniffing out hidden antelopes, and spotted hyenas howl in excitement as they look for leftovers. In the quiet of the evening, scan the brush for a pair of glowing eyes - then try and figure out if they belong to a bush baby, aardvark or even the shy civet. Your guide knows all and won't let any rustle go unnoticed!

Explore Zimbabwe’s largest national park, Hwange, on a game drive through this beautiful wilderness. The park has one of the largest populations of elephant in Africa, and some patient waiting at the large pans and waterholes ensures an encounter with big herds of these pachyderms as they come down to drink, cool off and cavort. Enjoy your time with the greatest of our 'living dinosaurs' as your guide translates their trumpets! There are also over 100 species of mammals and nearly 400 species of birds ready to be found on your safari in Hwange.

Of all the Kruger's wild and woolly creatures, the Big Five induces the most gasps - and with good reason! At sunrise (or as sunset approaches), depart from camp on a game drive with your expert guide to track Africa's most famous quintet. Explore the rolling savannah, lush valleys and river banks where you may spy a languid leopard on a branch, elephant splashing in the water, rhino and buffalo snuffling in the grass and a pride of lion snoozing in the shade of a fever tree.