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Crowd-Free Experiences: The Case For Travelling Outside of High Season.

As the travel industry continues to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, many travellers are eager to get back to exploring the world. However, for those seeking a more peaceful, less crowded and authentic travel experience, it’s important to consider the best places and times to travel to avoid the masses.

One key strategy for avoiding the crowds is to travel outside of “high” or “peak” seasons. This typically means avoiding the Festive Season and July – October. These quieter months are often preferred by safari aficionados as it holds many hidden treasures. During these times, you’re more likely to have a more intimate experience with the wildlife and the environment and you can often find better value on accommodations and a more exclusive experience.

Travellers need to keep in mind that one of the biggest factors contributing to “high” or “peak” season is the basic economic principle of supply vs demand. The demand for travel during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months is at its peak globally – it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a “better” time to travel. It’s just significantly more popular!

Another option for travellers seeking a more secluded and eco-friendly experience is to stay in conservancies rather than national parks. Conservancies are usually privately or community owned and managed areas of wilderness that are set aside for conservation and tourism. They usually offer more unique and personalized experiences that visitors to National Parks aren’t privy to. Plus, they are typically in support of local communities and conservation efforts, rather than contributing to the overcrowding and environmental impacts associated with mass tourism.

travellers in a rugged landscape on safari watching elephants
Photo Credit: Anton Crone, Kaokoland Hoanib Valley Camp

Northern Namibia is one destination that offers a unique and off-the-beaten-path experience for travellers seeking a more authentic and peaceful safari experience. With its vast deserts, rugged landscapes, and rich cultural heritage, Northern Namibia is a photographer’s dream and a perfect destination for those seeking solitude and adventure.

a man in a rocky namibian landscape photographing the landscape
Namibia Landscape

Some highlights of the region include the Skeleton Coast and the Northern Kunene Region. Deep in north-western Namibia, the area boasts towering mountains, sand dunes, and huge expanses of desert, scattered with unique wildlife and nomadic Himba settlements. It’s also one of Namibia’s most remote and wild environments, and one that not many will get the chance to discover in a lifetime!

Serra Cafema Camp is located in the remote Kunene region of Namibia, on the banks of the Kunene River, which forms the border between Namibia and Angola. The camp offers a unique opportunity to explore one of the most isolated and beautiful parts of Namibia

local Himba children holding goats
Namibia, South Kunene, Serra Cafema Camp
Namibia, South Kunene, Serra Cafema Camp overlooking the river
Namibia, South Kunene, Serra Cafema Camp

The camp offers a range of activities, including nature walks with the local Himba people, boating on the Kunene River, guided quad bike rides, and game drives. The area is home to a variety of desert-adapted wildlife, including elephants, lions, giraffes, and brown hyenas. The camp is also committed to sustainability, and its operations aim to minimize the impact on the fragile desert environment.

Northern Namibia is one destination that offers a unique and off-the-beaten-path experience for travellers seeking a more authentic and peaceful safari experience. With its vast deserts, rugged landscapes, and rich cultural heritage, Northern Namibia is a photographer’s dream and a perfect destination for those seeking solitude and adventure

Namibia desert luxury camp tents
Namibia, Kaokoland, Hoanib Valley Camp
elephants walking in from of safari vehicle in Hoanib Valley
Elephants, Kaokoland, Hoanib Valley Camp

Hoanib Valley Camp is located in the remote Kaokoland region of northwestern Namibia, surrounded by mountains, sand dunes, and desert plains. The camp offers a luxurious and intimate safari experience, with only six stylish and spacious tents that blend seamlessly with the desert landscape.

Another option for travellers seeking a more exclusive and sustainable safari experience is King Lewanika in Zambia’s Liuwa Plain National Park. This luxurious, eco-friendly lodge offers a unique opportunity to experience the wildlife of one of Africa’s most remote and pristine wilderness areas. With only six luxury safari tents and a maximum of twelve guests at a time, the camp offers a truly intimate and personalized safari experience, complete with guided walks, star-gazing, sleepouts, game drives, and cultural interactions with the local Lozi people.

luxury tent set in a field at sunset, zambia
Zambia, King Lewanika in Liuwa Plain National Park
seating area overlooking a field of wildlife at Liuwa Plain National Park
Zambia, King Lewanika in Liuwa Plain National Park

The Liuwa Plain National Park is a photographer’s dream – with every season offering a different experience. The area is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including lions, cheetahs, hyenas as well as numerous species of birds.

beach camp in tanzania overlooking the sea
Tanzania, Greystoke Mahale

Finally, one of the most remote and incredible locations in the Mahale Mountains National Park, in western Tanzania, Greystoke Mahale offers a unique wildlife experience – with the Mahale Mountains playing host to one of the largest populations of chimpanzees in Africa, making it a perfect destination for primate tracking and chimpanzee trekking enthusiasts. The lodge itself offers stunning views of Lake Tanganyika, which is the second deepest lake globally and boasts a white sand beach.

chimpanzee in a tree in Tanzania, Greystoke Mahale
Tanzania, Greystoke Mahale

By travelling during the low season, staying in conservancies, and seeking out unique and off-the-beaten-path destinations, travellers can avoid the crowds and have a more authentic and sustainable travel experience.

To find out more about how TrueAfrica can curate a personalised, luxury travel experience for you, get in touch today. 

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