Ten incredible experiences in Africa that should be on your bucket list

Malawi is one of the least touristy beauties of Africa, with spectacular lakes, including the third-largest lake on the continent, scenic mountains like Mulanje to climb, magnificent game, tea plantations draped over the hills and some of the friendliest people on Earth. They treat visitors with an old-fashioned gentility, and are invariably welcoming – with the country dubbed “Africa’s warm heart”. It was one of British explorer David Livingstone’s favourite countries too and, relatively compact and easy to get around, it’s an absolute joy. Try an 18-day exploration with Insider Journeys. See insiderjourneys.com.au

Join the fight against the wildlife poachers

Help protect Africa’s wildlife, namely the poachers’ favoured prey, the rhino, by taking part in a life-changing program designed to track them and keep them safe in Zimbabwe. A tranquiliser dart is fired from a helicopter at the animals, then the volunteers help the animal lie down to avoid injury, cover its eyes, notch its ear, then run into a waiting truck to escape as it wakes. This project is run by the Australian SAVE African Rhino Foundation. Travellers can spend three days with an anti-poaching team, learn all about their work, view the game they’re safeguarding and for a donation, even name a rhino. See savefoundation.org.au

Go completely mad for Madagascar

Along the south-east coast of Africa, 400 kilometres east of Mozambique, the world’s fourth-largest island of Madagascar is like one giant wildlife sanctuary. Travel can be a tad uncomfortable as its roads aren’t in the best condition, but the rewards are enormous. Best-known to some for the eponymous 2005 DreamWorks movie, to those in the know it’s all about lemurs, chameleons, rainforests, deserts, mangroves, wild orchids, towering baobab trees and coral reefs, and frequent discoveries of new species of mammals and reptiles. It’s a rare treasure, and important to visit before the crowds. Intrepid runs a 14-day exploration with a stay in a national park. See intrepidtravel.com

Dig deeper in the Land of Ra

Egypt is an amazing country, with more antiquities being revealed all the time. But the crowds are not quite so lovely. So outwit and outlast them on a specialist tour with behind-the-scenes visits to museums and dig sites, checking out the less known attractions and then seeing the big icons in the company of an Egyptologist. And of course, a cruise up the Nile from Luxor to Aswan, visiting temples along the way, is absolutely unmissable. With a 19-day, in-depth Renaissance Tour, the sights can take your breath away, rather than the crush of crowds. See renaissancetours.com.au and smartraveller.gov.au

See how life starts on the Serengeti

Instead of going to East Africa at peak migration time, aim for a little earlier in Tanzania in December to May to catch the startling sight of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest giving birth on the plains. It only takes the calves 15 minutes to start running as fast as their mothers on their epic journey of survival. Running is hardwired into their genes, says legendary Serengeti guide Alex Walker, with his luxurious Serian tented camp and his Hadzabe guides. And you’d run too if you were the favourite item on the menu for lion, leopard, hyena, wild dogs, baboon and cheetah. See classicsafaricompany.com.au

Take off on the desert ride of your life

Climb aboard a quad bike (helmets on, please) in northern Namibia and take off around the lunar landscapes of the ancient Namib Desert – at up to 80 million years, the oldest in the world – and wind your way up massive sand dunes and across ravines. It’s a spine-tingling adventure, even more so when you venture across a group of the semi-nomadic Himba people with their red ochre body paint and intricate jewellery. How can people exist in such a barren place? This unforgettable encounter just out of the Serra Cafema Camp. See andbeyond.com

Where two is so much better than one

You can almost smell the cardamom in the air as you cruise towards the island of Zanzibar. But its history with the East India Company, which came here for its exotic exports as well the slave trade, is seen in every tiny alleyway on the island, in every 100-year-old elaborately carved teak or mahogany door, on every dhow in the harbour. It’s remained an absolute jewel in the Indian Ocean. But why not couple a trip there with a visit to the smallest country in Africa, the picture-perfect Seychelles? Explore both on a 10-day cruise with Silversea. See silversea.com

Be seduced by the allures of the Sahara

There are few sights so magnificent on this planet than being in the wilds of the Sahara Desert and seeing a group of sapphire-robed Tuaregs gallop up suddenly on their horses, as if from nowhere. Then, if they stop for a chat, it’s all you can do to stop yourself bowing to them, so regal do they appear. It’s one of the reasons why those familiar with it adore what is the largest hot desert in the world, as well as its massive dunes, wildlife and rock art. The best place to see it is in Algeria, with an accompanied tour that features wild camping in the sands and, yes, Tuareg guides. See wildfrontierstravel.com

Q+A Africa

Julie McIntosh, Classic Safari Company

I love Africa because … it is timeless in an ever-changing world.

For me, the hottest new bucket list experience in Africa is … The Great Walk of Africa, a 180-kilometre walk along the Tsavo & Galana River systems in Tsavo National Park, Kenya. It’s epic, it’s challenging over the 10 days, and the underfoot wildlife encounters are daily, making for a truly exhilarating journey. Each day is topped off with a sunset g&t in a uniquely located mobile tented camp.

The one classic bucket list destination for Africa is … the Lower Zambezi River which carves its way between the borders of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The river is wide, the wilderness area vast and the forests of acacia albida, ebony and sausage trees are well established. With water being the giver of life, it draws in an array of birdlife and wildlife. It’s a dreamy African oasis.

The one big issue for travellers when visiting Africa is … the price point is getting high. It’s being driven up by a high demand and a low supply of genuine and authentic safari experiences. Well, at least the ones we’d like to offer our customers.

You can deal with that by … travelling to the lesser known or marketed destinations that offer an equally incredible safari experience, the only places that true specialists like us know about.

You can be a better traveller to Africa by making sure that you ... put your device aside and allow yourself the time and opportunity to disconnect from your everyday world and absorb where you are. Look up and out so that you can see, hear, smell, and register that you are in Africa. It’s magical when you do and why most folks often claim it to be the best holiday of their lives.

My one big travel tip for Africa is … go soon, before human encroachment changes it forever. There is land pressure from all sides.

See classicsafaricompany.com.au