Zimbabwe

With more than a passing resemblance to a National Geographic best-of issue, Zimbabwe is a beautiful and usually safe country to visit. It boasts the majestic Victoria Falls, magnificent wildlife preserves and the medieval ruins of Great Zimbabwe, as well as the bustling city of Harare. Whether you're lying in a tent listening to hippos snuffle in the river nearby or shaking your booty at an all-night percussion jam, there's more than enough elbow room to raise a bucket of chibuku to your lips and toast this fascinating country.

Kalahari Desert

Don't dismiss the Kalahari Desert as just sand. Covering more than two-thirds of Botswana, this home of the San (also known as the Bushmen) and the Tswana herdsmen consists primarily of small scrub trees and tall grass crisscrossed by dry riverbeds, which fill during thunderstorms.

The Kalahari, or Kgalagadi as it is known in the local language, has a scattering of birds and animals, including ostrich, hyena, antelope, cheetah and the famous black-maned Kalahari lion. Safaris are available into Deception Valley and other popular parts of the Kalahari. Dqae Qare, a community-run Bushman tourism project 15 mi/24 km fron Ghanzi, showcases the culture and environment of the San people.

A highlight of a visit to the Kalahari is to go on a walk with members of the San community. Their language is full of clicks and their English heavily accented (their speech is amazing to hear), but as they share their intimate knowledge of the flora and fauna and humorous ways of adapting to, and surviving in, the harsh environment, they'll leave you with unforgettable memories.

There are no permanent tented campsites in the desert—everything, including water, must be carried in.

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the place to experience a mobile safari, which can range from the remarkably luxurious to adventure camping. On a luxury mobile safari, expect a spacious tent with private bath and flush toilet, dining at a table laid with linen tablecloth, silverware and glassware, a gourmet chef assisted by trained waiters, fine wines and a substantial complement of staff, traveling with supplies in separate vehicles, setting up and dismantling camps when guests are not present. Meanwhile, visitors travel in spacious safari vehicles with the undivided attention of a professional guide, to return to a new setting, hot showers and a chilled sundowner.

Semi-participation safaris are less luxurious, as guests help out with a few of the tasks, such as attending the camp fire or preparing vegetables for the evening meal, but they still offer reasonable comfort, good food and the camaraderie of involvement.

Full participation safaris are for the adventurous—those happy to put up tents and prepare food, and who do not expect to be waited on. What they all offer is the privilege of a true wilderness experience.

Makgadikgadi Pans

The barren landscape of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in Botswana attracts adventurous nature lovers. The salt pans, about 310 mi/500 km north of Gaborone, are among the largest in the world, covering 2,500 sq mi/6,500 sq km between Francistown and the Okavango Delta.

Bird-watchers interested in unusual habitats are the best candidates for a trip to Makgadikgadi. Game lovers might see zebra, springbok, gemsbok and other animals (primarily in February and March), but there are much better places in Botswana to watch animals. And, in reality, most of the birds seen there are the same species that can be viewed more conveniently in the Okavango Delta (though the flocks of flamingos and pelicans tend to be larger on the pans).

The main attraction of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans is the atmosphere: The bleached landscape, the dead-flat terrain, the few bloated baobab trees and the multitude of mirages provide a kind of otherworldly experience. Quad biking (using four-wheel-drive all-terrain vehicles) across the cracked and dried pans is a popular adventure activity, and most guides can arrange it.

Kubu Island is especially eerie, as the vistas of salt flats extend to the horizon. Large baobab trees dot the island, which at the north end looks much like a ship's prow. A circular stone wall and about 70 small stone cairns can be seen at the south end of the island. Some archaeologists believe this enclosure was used as an initiation site by 14th-century Zimbabwe peoples.

If you visit Kubu Island, which can only be reached by four-wheel-drive vehicles, be very careful of the salt. When wet, it is so soft that it can literally swallow a vehicle down to the wheel wells in a few seconds.

Several typical Zimbabwe ruins are situated around the east and southern edges of the salt pan. Consumption of the salt on the pan is not advisable because it can cause diarrhea.

Joining a professional mobile safari is the safest way to explore the pans, and there are plenty of camp sites.

Khwai Private Wildlife Reserve