Edition 45: Winter 2008/9

Award-winning travel writer William Gray, author of the new book Adventure Travel – Action-packed getaways that respect the planet, picks his five favourite activities on the African continent.

1. Hiking
Wherever you choose to roam, the intrinsic pleasure of trekking lies in its ability to reset your daily routine to a slower, simpler rhythm, helping you to tune into the local environment, its culture, people and wildlife. Nowhere is this more evident than on a walking safari in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park. Upping the stakes (and altitude), other great African walks include Morocco’s Toubkal Circuit, the Rwenzoris of Uganda, Ethiopia’s Simien Mountains and, of course, Kilimanjaro.

2. Elephant-back safari
It has to be the ultimate safari – roaming the African bush on elephant back, gliding through the treetops, regal as a maharajah, exploring trails and lagoons where even the most determined 4WD vehicle would flounder. Elephant-back safaris are popular in southern Africa, but Botswana’s Abu Camp leads the herd as far as luxury is concerned.

3. Ballooning
Unless you’re preparing for the latest high-altitude record attempt, ballooning is usually a gentle adventure where the biggest hardship is a pre-dawn wake-up call. That’s not to say it won’t get your pulse pounding. Hot-air spots include the Namib Desert, lifting off from Sesriem or the NamibRand Nature Reserve. Or go for a vulture’s eye view of the East African plains, wafting over the tawny savannah, the silence broken by the occasional yelp of a zebra stallion or raucous call of a turaco.

4. Whitewater rafting
During most of its infancy, the Nile is calm and well behaved, but like any petulant youth it has its share of tantrums – and nowhere more so than the 31km stretch of rapids below the river’s source in Uganda. I’ll never forget my encounter with Bujagali Falls, the first in a series of grade V rapids that turn Mother Nile white a few kilometres downstream of Jinja. The raft slid down a smooth, drooling tongue of water before riding high on the first wave. For a second I heard our screams above the raging river, then there was a sickening lurch as we pitched over the crest and rushed headlong into the heart of the rapid. Whitewater exploded in our faces as we collided with the second wave. Someone was snatched overboard, legs cartwheeling into foamy oblivion. The raft bucked and shuddered in the onslaught. Half submerged, it felt like some kind of sadistic Jacuzzi. Moments later, as the raft spun like an autumn leaf in the aftermath of the rapid, our skipper began leaping up and down, punching the air with his paddle. He was ecstatic. It was a big hit.

5. Canoeing
One of the great pleasures of a paddling expedition is the ability to silently approach and observe wildlife. If you’ve ever thrilled at the sight of an elephant from a safari vehicle just imagine what it’s like from the perspective of canoe! A serene contrast to the turmoil of rapids in Victoria Falls’ Batoka Gorge, calmer stretches of the Zambezi provide the perfect opportunity for paddling silently past riverside wildlife (from egrets to elephants) and staying overnight in luxury lodges or bush camps.