Botswana and Zambia

When Bina and I think about our favourite trips of the last few years, one name immediately surfaces to the top of the list: Tanzania. Our 2022 safari in that east African country thrives in our memories as the ideal “bucket list” experience. In the spring of 2026, with Bina’s late July birthday coming up, we asked ourselves: why not try something similar again?

One problem: the 2026 safari season had already begun and we were late to the game. As we began our research, focused on countries to the south of Tanzania such as Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, we found that the peak wildlife viewing time — June through October, before the rainy season — was already upon us. 

We needed help, and fast. In early June, we focused on finding a company to help us plan an itinerary within a budget we could handle (safaris are expensive!). We found that these companies fell into two major groups: operators, who place you mostly in camps that they own, and planners, who select camps from various providers.

Our company in Tanzania, Gosheni Safaris, had been a camp operator. This time, we interviewed several candidates in both categories. We explained what we hoped to achieve and waited to see who came up with the best itinerary. Since we had already seen the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo) in Tanzania, we were looking for a stronger birding element. 

Our choice turned out to be Cape Town, South Africa-based Discover Africa. The planner they assigned us is an avid birder and proved adept at crafting an itinerary that provided a wide range of bird species within our designated budget. Once he had come up with the basic plan, he subcontracted the logistical details to two operators: Roots & Journeys in Botswana and Green Safaris in Zambia.

By July 24, we were boarding a Lufthansa plane in Faro that would take us first to Frankfurt, and then on to Johannesburg, where we would arrive the following day.