Heads up, safari fans: African travel outfitter Great Safaris is launching a new travel experience in 2014. On their new African Elephant Safari and Cruise, travelers will visit the Victoria Falls on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, cruise the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers on a luxury cruise boat and (perhaps coolest of all) explore South Africa’s Kruger National Park from the back of an elephant.
Guests will spend two nights at the Elephant Camp, a tented suite at Victoria Falls bounded by the Masuwe River and the Zambezi Gorges. Heading on a river cruise through Botswana, travelers stay aboard the Zambezi Queen for three nights. Floating down the Chobe River, guests will have a clear view of the wildlife on the shore. Elephants, leopards and lions, huge groups of buffalo, waterbuck, roan, eland, sable and giraffe can be spotted all from the private, air-conditioned suites.
Travelers then fly down to South Africa to Kruger National Park, with an overnight in Johannesburg. Guests will make Camp Jabulani their base camp while they explore. Twice daily game drives bring guests right up to lion prides, unpredictable buffalo and herds of elephant. A highlight of the tour will be a night safari on the back of an elephant.
Good to know: As of next year, these tours will depart weekly, giving all interested parties plenty of opportunities to get up close and personal with nature.