Safari specialist Acacia Africa has added nine countries to its portfolio of small group tours for this year.
The overland tour specialist, which offers tours in custom-built vehicles, said it has expanded its range of destinations in Africa to meet pent-up demand for small group travel and more immersive experiences.
The destinations being featured by the operator for the first time in its small group touring programme are Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi, Uganda, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia. The destinations have previously been featured by the operator for other tours.
To mark the launch, the operator is offering discounts of 15% on small group adventure camping tours and 10% on small group adventure accommodated tours booked before February 28 for travel in 2023.
Marketing manager Arno Delport said: “We have expanded and broadened our small group destinations and realised the demand for true, small group travel in Africa. 2023 is poised to be an exciting year for Africa.”
Delport said the desire to travel was at “an all-time high” among customers, and cited demand for ‘classic’ safari destinations, including Kenya’s Masai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti, bucket list trips, and more remote destinations such as Eswatini and Lesotho.
He added: “Overall, travellers are more confident about booking longer trips, and well ahead of their departure.”
He predicted Namibia, the first African country to offer a ‘digital nomad’ visa, would be popular this year, with remote working boosting the desire for ‘bleisure’ travel to the destination, along with the opportunity to travel in the country and to neighbouring countries over a six-month period.
The operator’s 19-day Cape Town to Victoria Falls small group adventure camping experience costs £2,185, and includes wildlife viewing in Botswana’s Chobe National Park, a mokoro (canoe) safari on the Okavango Delta and game drives in Etosha National Park in Namibia. The price includes transport, camping accommodation, most meals, a tour leader, driver, and adventure pass. It does not include flights.
Other new trips offered by the operator include a 13-day Small Group Kenya & Tanzania Accommodated Adventure with stays in lodges and tented camps, game drives in the Masai Mara, the Serengeti and the Ngoronogoro Crater, a Masai Culture village walk in Arusha and a stay on the Spice island of Zanzibar. The full tour price starts at £2,115.
Tours are aimed at travellers aged 18 and over and do not include return flights. Prices start at £602 for a four-day Kruger Safari tour.