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Faran Travel is a bespoke tour operator, focussing on wildlife holidays and sustainable travel to the world's wildest corners.

05/12/2024

How cool is this! A brand new way to experience the magical Tsodilo Hills in Botswana with

Why is it exciting?

- One of the world's undiscovered UNESCO World Heritage Sites, it hasn't previously been possible to stay overnight here.
- The sleep-out now allows guests a deeper immersion into the "The Mountains of the Gods", home to over 4,500 rock paintings dating back to the Stone Age.
- Experience this sacred cultural landscape revered as a place of worship and home of ancestral spirits for over 100,000 years.
- The opportunity to climb one of Botswana's highest peaks for a sunrise to remember.

How do you stay here?

- Stay at Nxamaseri Island Lodge in the Okavango Panhandle for three nights or more, and the sleepout is included.
-Spice it up even further and add a helicopter transfer one or both ways for a remarkable birds-eye view of two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Check out our latest example itinerary, the 9-night Okavango Delta and Kalahari Adventure, featuring this very special experience - link in bio.

27/11/2024

Not every leopard sighting has to be up-close.

Some destinations are famous for incredible opportunities to spot these beautiful cats just meters from your vehicle. The South Luangwa in Zambia, Sabi Sands in South Africa and certain areas of the Okavango Delta in Botswana all spring to mind.

But there's something equally captivating about a distance sighting of an individual that prefers to stick to the shadows. A silhouette in the bush. The flick of a tail. The quiet thrill of knowing you've entered their world, not the other way round. These moments remind us there is a wilderness still out there, free of safari vehicles and camera clicks, untamed, vast and free.

Ready to explore the wild on your terms? Let's design your next adventure.

Taken at Duba Explorers Camp.

21/11/2024

Beach with a chance of chimpanzees - it can only be the wild Rubondo Island Camp in Northern Tanzania.

Seek out something a little (a lot) different for some downtime after your safari on this island, which has surprises at every turn.

You could spend your time relaxing on the beach, by the pool, or on your private veranda, soaking up the views of the ocean-like Lake Victoria. But you may have other ideas, what with chimps (rescued from European zoos in the 60s) to be found swinging through the trees, hippos and crocs roaming the shores and giraffe and elephant flourishing in the lush forest interior.

We can promise it'll be a beach holiday to remember. We can't promise your traditional R&R.

📷 from us when we last visited as well as

12/11/2024

Wondering if the scars on this very long neck could have been a result of a close encounter with a particularly ambitious lion.

Always proponents of a slower safari, enabling our travellers to observe and ponder these sorts of questions, rather than just merely 'seeing'.

Swipe for increasingly funny faces.

All taken at a couple of years ago.

01/11/2024

The delights of the green season await our travellers heading to Botswana's Nxai Pan National Park over the coming months.

Clouds build, rain falls, flowers bloom, new life abounds, making this a truly dramatic time to visit.

📷 credit

31/10/2024

These hands tell a story. Being able to spend time with some of our closest living relatives is more than an adventure; it's a privilege that reminds us of the profound connections we share. Watching their gestures, emotions and interactions, we see reflections of ourselves - a powerful reminder of how closely linked we are with the natural world.

23/10/2024

Sometimes, it isn't obvious how your visit to a certain area or lodge actually benefits the local communities or wildlife. Not so at the fantastic Virunga Lodge in Rwanda, one of the original bases from which to trek with gorillas.

Among many projects the lodge supports, the 'One Sheep per Family' project has seen hundreds of families in local villages receive a sheep to provide manure, milk and lambs for extra income.

Water tanks are also provided to local villages. At the last count, 261 tanks have been donated to provide water catchment and storage for drinking and growing crops. By the end of 2024 they hope to provide a further 84 families with water tanks.

Get in touch for adventures that make a difference!

📷 credit

09/10/2024

'How was your trip?'

'We thought it was going to be great, but it ended up being completely magical and life-affirming'

Feedback from a recent Botswana safari and what planning our trips is all about.

Not just a holiday but an experience that provides a deeper connection to the natural world and leaves memories to last a lifetime.

Thanks for the great 📷, capturing the essence and incredible wildlife of a Botswana safari.

20/09/2024

With so many incredible places to stay, why have the Kruger National Park properties been named among the World's 50 Best Hotels for a second year?

Whatever your thoughts on Kruger, there's no denying that it can offer a spectacular safari experience.
Singita’s vast, private concession is both exclusive and diverse - but it’s the guiding that takes it to the next level. We’ve witnessed firsthand the expertise here, from being able to identify hundreds of bird species by call alone, to captivating stories of Greek mythology and astronomy shared after thrilling, leopard-filled night drives.

And then there’s the service. Expect intuitive, personalised touches - bespoke menus, tailored cocktails, wine tastings, and unique dining surprises.

There are two lodges here and our personal favourite is the intimate, river-level vibe of Sweni Lodge, although the sleek, modern feel of Lebombo Lodge is hard to beat. Either way, you're in for an extraordinary stay.

06/09/2024

🤫 Africa's First Wilderness Quiet Park!

🦓The NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia, south of the famous Sossusvlei region, has been recognised for its commitment to foster a quiet sanctuary for humans and animals alike.

🌌 Also a Gold Tier International Dark Sky Reserve, what better way to experience this than on the 2-night Tok-Tokkie Hiking Trail.

🥾 This relatively gentle trail covers 22km, through the sometimes surreal NamibRand landscape. Keep an eye out for desert inhabitants with the help of your expert local guide.

⛺️ Sleep out on stretcher beds under a blanket of stars, with gourmet dining provided throughout.

📞 Ever popular and only taking up to 8 guests at a time, we are already struggling with availability for 2025, so book in advance to avoid disappointment.

03/09/2024

📷: Vintage Camp on the banks of the Khwai River in the Okavango Delta and where this family finished their trip, to truly disconnect before coming back to the real world.

29/08/2024

We’re seeing more and more desire for adventurous, diverse, and meaningful safari experiences, such as , which we've just included as part of a 2025 honeymoon.

The canvas built camp in the stunning Lolldaiga Hills used no cement in its construction, hired 90% of their staff locally, is completely solar powered and has pledged to reinvest their profits into a variety of conservation and community projects throughout Lolldaiga.

As well as being good for the conscience, the area is blessed with high concentrations of wildlife, a variety of landscapes and a host of activities to choose from, including game drives, night drives, fly-camping, hikes, community visits, walking safaris, cave visits and even horse-riding. Not to mention the camp's iconic collection of repurposed antique Land Rovers.

21/08/2024

The southern carmine bee-eaters are starting to return!

☀️ They are summer migrants to Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana visiting from around August to December.

🦅 They are experts in ‘hawking’ - a hunting technique that involves launching from a perch and catching insects in mid-air. They’ve been known to use antelopes or large birds, like bustards, as roving perches and even circle above bush-fires to catch fleeing insects.

🪺 Catch them nesting in the sandy riverbanks of Zambia's Luangwa Valley, ideally from one of the lodges that erects a dedicated hide each year. Allowing for incredible photographic opportunities.

Drop me a DM if you fancy a trip to Zambia.

11/08/2024

What other wildlife might you encounter on a trip to Komodo National Park and this corner of Indonesia?

🌊 Seeing the largest living lizard is at the top of most people's wishlist, but there are also some beasts beneath the waves. Whether diving or snorkelling, you can encounter manta rays, sharks (including whale sharks), and a wealth of tropical fish.

🤿 Nov-Mar is best for mature manta rays who love the fast currents to filter feed or to 'hover' above cleaning stations.

🦈 While whale sharks are present throughout the year in the famous Cenderawasih Bay in West Papua, they can also be seen around Komodo, particularly when the diving conditions are best from May to August.

🦇 On land, keep a look out for giant fruit bats or 'flying foxes' as they are known, because of their canine appearance as well as the diminutive Wallace's scops owl or endemic Flores scops owl 🦉.

📷 credit: and

06/08/2024

A switch from Africa but wild nonetheless.

🔦 This week, we are shedding some light on the epic beasties that are Komodo dragons and how to see them.

🛥 You have to pinch yourself to believe you are seeing these almost mythical lizards in the wild, roaming Indonesian beaches. Specialist small-ship expedition cruises and liveaboard boats, complete with an expert guiding team, offer the best way to explore the region and really get off the beaten track.

🐲 Did you know Komodo dragons have a thin iron coating to their teeth, helping to maintain the serrated edges vital for their puncture-pull feeding method?

📷 credit:

31/07/2024

is a chance to honour the brave guardians of the world’s increasingly endangered wildlife and wild spaces.

Rangers often work in the gap between conservation and tourism. It is physically demanding work that requires extended time away from their families while placing themselves in harms’ way everyday to protect wildlife.

Africa has lost two-thirds of its wildlife since 1970, but a safari is the reason most people want to visit the continent. The crucial work of rangers enables travellers to still see incredible wildlife and also fosters greater engagement and cohesion between tourism and local communities.

Lion Rangers in Namibia diligently monitor free-ranging desert lions in some of Namibia’s harshest environments to establish their movements and, if necessary, warn farmers and communities. Human-wildlife conflict remains one of the biggest dangers to this fragile population of uniquely adapted lions.

We work with partners who help to fund these rangers. By staying at their properties, your stay in Namibia directly supports the preservation of desert lions.

📷 credit: and

26/07/2024

White rhinos disappeared from southern Hwange in the early 2000s and it wasn't until Community Rhino Conservation Initiative successfully relocated two individuals in 2022, that they returned.

In a world first, Thuza and Kusasa were reintroduced onto communal land to the benefit of local people through increased employment opportunities, education, direct revenue and reduced human-wildlife conflict. They are protected by the Cobras Community Wildlife Protection scouts, all of whom are recruited from local villages.

It's been such a success that a second sanctuary is expecting rhinos later this year and a third sanctuary in the planning thereafter. More Cobras have been trained, a new scouts base equipped, more boreholes drilled and more communities engaged as custodians of wildlife and their land resources.

It is one of the most exciting conservation projects in Africa and ultimately a protected area will consolidate the sanctuaries to create a large buffer zone between Hwange National Park and communal lands. This will not only reduce human-wildlife conflict but also accommadate a viable population of black and white rhinos and other wildlife.

1. Rhinos joining for breakfast at Camelthorn Lodge

2. Cobras training with their Belgian Malinois anti-poaching dogs

3. A room at Bomami Tented Camp, one of the places you can stay to visit and learn about the rhinos

4. The main area at Bomani

📷 credit:

24/07/2024

The safari season is in full swing in Zambia. Camps like 's Tafika Camp in the Nsefu Sector of the South Luangwa open from May to mid-November, and aside from the concrete bases, it is built from scratch each season!

Accommodating a maximum of just 14 people, the open fronted reed and thatch chalets on the banks of the Luangwa River might not be for everyone. But if you are looking for a personal experience, in an exclusive, wild area (a favourite of the BBC natural history unit) that's run by a family with a serious safari pedigree, then get in touch.

Check out our 10-night Wild Zambia Safari Holiday (link in bio) for a trip, including Tafika, along with some of our other favourite remote camps in Zambia.

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Videos

Morning traffic in the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania. As one of the most visited safari areas in Africa, it isn't always this sort of traffic that comes to mind when thinking about including the Ngorongoro Crater on a safari to northern Tanzania. It is certainly a popular area, but by working with experts who can guide you to pick the right accommodation and when to travel, it can still be an incredible destination. Most people will spend just two nights here to do one safari on the crater floor, but why not stay a little longer and enjoy a day hiking among this dramatic landscape. Cover picture and video by Faran's Founder, Josh . . . . . #farantravel #Tanzania #ngorongorocrater #ngorongoro #reels #wanderlust #travelinspiration #africa #safari

Combining Namibia with Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world, is now easier than ever with regular 1hr 40min flights from Namibia's capital, Windhoek. Add on a few days at the mighty waterfall or, to add further variety to your trip, use Vic Falls as a jumping-off point for epic safari areas in Botswana, Zimbabwe or Zambia. Thanks to @namibsky, @greatplainsconservation and @goldenafricasafaris for the lovely footage. . . . . . #farantravel #wanderlust #namibia #botswana #zimbabwe #sossusvlei #victoriafalls #okavangodelta #luxurytravel #travelinspiration #travelreels #explore #africa #luxurysafari @cartologytravel

Always trying to seek out the unusual and the remote, this isn't your usual trip to northern Tanzania. Our latest example itinerary - 'Human history hike, Ngorongoro and Serengeti Safari' (https://www.farantravel.com/human-history-hike-ngorongoro-and-serengeti) includes four nights under canvas on remote hiking routes, between the big-hitter safari destinations of the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. The hiking element isn't just for the extreme rambler or adept mountaineer as the routing, number of days, and fitness requirements can be tailored to suit individual preferences. This trip is for anyone who wants a glimpse of the real Tanzania, away from the usual tourist trail, to gain an insight into the lives of those who call it home now and have done in millenia gone by. 📷 credit: Lake Natron Camp - Rift Valley - Tanzania

Summer in Svalbard heralds the return of 24-hour daylight, retreating sea ice and more opportunities to explore its awe-inspring land-and sea-scapes, in search of mighty wildlife. A small ship expedition cruise is about as far away from the normal image of a 'cruise' as you can get. Faran Travel works with a range of operators to suit different budgets and interests, from relatively basic sharing cabins, to lavish suites with floor to ceiling windows and private balconies. Get in touch to dicuss a 2024 or 2025 summer adventure.

A snapshot of what Faran Travel is all about. Bespoke, immersive and always unforgettable. While our love is for the natural world, our passion is planning the right trip for you, or even the trip you didn't know was possible.