SAFARI

Africa’s wildlife is legendary, as much for the lions and giraffes as for being the preserve of big spenders. Yet for travellers with a sense of adventure, there are plenty of wallet-friendly ways to see the continent’s animals. From campervanning in Kruger and camping around water holes in Namibia to tracking gorillas from Ugandan community guesthouses, here’s how to make every penny count while enjoying Africa’s wildest encounters

South Africa & Eswatini

FREE ROAM

No groups, no guides, no luxury lodges: a self-drive road trip through South Africa’s national parks is one of the most memorable — and budget-friendly — safari experiences. Add in lesser-known reserves on a bumpy detour through Eswatini, and it makes for the road trip of a lifetime. Words: Hannah Summers

“Stop!” I shout. My husband, Jon, hits the breaks. A tiny trunk emerges from the branches of the marula trees at the side of the road; a much larger trunk and curved tusks follow. The elephants’ bodies sway forward, huge feet silent as they cross the tarmac just in front of us. We reverse — we know never to get between an elephant and her young — and there they stand, mother and baby, calmly taking us in while we stare back from behind the windscreen.

The assumption is usually that to see elephants like this, you’d have to pay a hefty price for the privilege. And to some extent that’s true; the words ‘affordable’ and ‘safari’ rarely sit alongside each other. But here in South Africa, a safari is possible on a budget. In Kruger National Park, a night in the park’s northern tip at Singita lodge, a brand loved by Oprah Winfrey and Leonardo DiCaprio, will set you back close to £2,000 per night, per person. But there are far more affordable ways to immerse yourself, too — with a campervan and budget camps loved by South Africans, all for around R330 (£15) a pitch.