LUXURY AFRICAN SAFARI & BEACH HOLIDAYS

A Kenyan safari holiday offers all the excitement one craves of Africa. Famous for its stunning landscape, magnificent wildlife and pristine beaches, it is home to ancient tribal civilizations, the Great Rift Valley and some of the most dramatic game viewing to be found anywhere, including the migration of over a million wildebeest to the Masai Mara.

Deep in the heart of Africa lies the 'land of a thousand hills'. Set at altitude amidst an undulating landscape of volcanic mountains, tropical savannah and sapphire lakes, Rwanda's ace card must unquestionably be its most famous inhabitant, the mountain gorilla. No visit would be complete without an encounter with these magnificent primates in their natural environment.

A feast for the senses, Morocco fires the imagination with colourful souks, story tellers congregating at dusk, the scent of aromatic herbs and spices and landscapes of winding mountain passes and desert panoramas. Stay in splendid isolation at a kasbah in the Atlas, an intimate riad in the heart of Marrakech's medina or a contemporary Moorish palace in the Palmeraie.

A landscape teeming with wildlife and sensational safari lodges, Botswana is one of Africa's biggest success stories. Experience the stunning beauty of the Okavango, the vastness of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the wildlife of Chobe National Park and the extraordinary isolation of the Makgadikgadi Pan, home to those beloved meerkats.

South Africa boasts over 21 National Parks, eight World Heritage Sites, beautiful sandy beaches, super-luxury safari lodges, big five game viewing and world-class food and wine in Cape Town and the winelands. All this makes for an unbeatable holiday, and what's more it's an easy overnight flight from London, there's a minimal time change, you'll find a fabulous welcome and, of course, all that glorious sunshine.

From the plains of the Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater, the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro and the white sand beaches of Zanzibar, Tanzania promises some of the most beautiful scenery in Africa and some of the finest safari experiences, including following the great migration of wildebeest. Explore on foot, by 4X4 or on horseback.

Source of the mighty Nile and home to the greatest concentration of primates on earth, Uganda is raw Africa at its best. The romantically-named Mountains of the Moon in the Rwenzori National Park dramatically contrast with the steep, foliage covered slopes of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to at least half of the world's mountain gorillas.

The landscape of the Nile Valley and beyond into the desert is dotted with monuments recording one of the world's great civilisations: the pyramids of Giza and Saqqara, the temples of Luxor and the oases of the Western Desert. Whilst antiquity prevails, modernity intrudes in the Red Sea resorts, where spectacular corals entice divers from all over the world.

Breathtakingly vast but also the second least densely-populated country in the world, Namibia is starkly beautiful. From the mountains of Damaraland and the ochre dunes of Sossusvlei to the dry pans of the Namib Desert, the magnificent game of the Etosha National Park, and the spectacular no-man's-land of the Skeleton Coast, Namibia will remain with you forever.

Stunning game parks, the mighty Zambezi River and the majestic Victoria Falls, Zambia offers dramatic scenery and action-packed adventures like nowhere else. Wonderfully unspoilt and surprisingly unexplored, Zambia is home to some of Africa's most authentic wilderness, as well as some of the most sublime safari lodges and camps.

Zimbabweans are incredibly friendly people, providing great service and arguably the best-trained guides in Africa. More reasonably-priced than its neighbours, Zimbabwe has fabulous game viewing, delicious food, unspoilt scenery and is especially good for active adventures including bungee jumping and white-water rafting.

Remote expanses of pearl-white sand, warm Indian Ocean waters, unexplored island archipelagoes, Mozambique is Africa's rising star. With foot-long prawns, South African wines and charming people, Mozambique offers over 2,500km of exquisite coastline, some of the best diving in the world and a unique culture where African, Iberian and Brazilian influences meet.

Bordered by Tanzania and Zambia to the north and Mozambique to the south, Malawi is considered by many to be Africa's best-kept secret. And whilst it may be landlocked, the 'warm heart of Africa' has some of the best beaches on the continent on Lake Malawi, as well mountainous plateaux and beautiful riverside parks populated by hippo and elephant.

Culturally rich with a long established Orthodox Christian heritage in the north and ancient tribal traditions in the south, Ethiopia is perhaps one of the most surprising African destinations. From the highlands of the Simien Mountains and the heritage sites of Gondar and Lalibela to the tribal heartlands of the Omo Valley, Ethiopia is a land of fascinating contrasts.