7 Perfect Island Getaways Around the Globe

From cheap hideaways to epic fishing and diving spots, we dug up seven crowd-free island escapes for every type of adventurer.

Maalifushi, Maldives
Great Abaco, Bahamas
Corn Islands, Nicaragua
Mumbo Island, Malawi
Niihau, Hawaii
Niue, South Pacificu
Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

Water World: Maalifushi, Maldives

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

The English word atoll comes from ­Dhivehi, the official language of the Maldives. And with good reason. This nation consists of 1,192 islands spread across 35,000 square miles of Indian Ocean. Turquoise ­lagoons, pearlescent beaches, and coral gardens teem with over 1,900 species of fish, 400 species of mollusks, and 350 species of crustaceans, making it an aquaphile’s paradise. But it can be tough to put together a DIY trip in a place where the easiest way around is by boat or seaplane. Base yourself at , which can ­arrange your ­adventures for you (doubles from $650).

The hotel opens in December and is one of only two resorts in the rarely visited, pristine Thaa Atoll. You’ll stay in one of 66 thatched-roof bungalows and villas on the 20-acre ­island, half of which are raised on stilts above the water. When you’re not in one of the eight spa rooms, there’s plenty to do: fish for ­wahoo and grouper or go sailing in 25-knot winds, or snorkel or scuba with hawksbill turtles, schools of bluestripe snapper, or a few dozen manta rays at one of the island’s 40 dive sites. And while the December swells aren’t as good as the high season’s (April to October), (from $160 per person).

Access: Fly to the capital of Malé, then take a barefoot-piloted to the resort.

Trophy Heaven: Great Abaco, Bahamas


7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

The Bahamas are famous for their beaches and bonefishing. has both—with a little luxury thrown in. Blackfly, located in Schooner Bay, opened in March 2013 and is co-owned by Vaughn Cochran, a retired fishing guide, a marine artist, and an original member of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band. Each room has a broad veranda (with even broader views) and a custom-made colonial-style bed. Dinner is snapper, tuna, and mahi-mahi caught locally, complemented by organic fruit, vegetables, and eggs from nearby Lightbourn Farm. But all that is just an afterthought to the fishing. Blackfly has use of the only Atlantic-facing harbor in South Abaco—20,500-acre ­Abaco National Park practically abuts it—which means that anglers can stalk 30-pound permit and occasional 80-pound tarpon from six separate fishing zones, along with 12-pound bonefish from schools of up to 200 thick. From $2,300 per person for three nights, all-inclusive.

Access: Several airlines fly to Great Abaco from South Florida (Palm Beach is 175 miles east) and Nassau (106 miles south).

Two for One: Corn Islands, Nicaragua

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

There was a time when visiting the Caribbean meant empty beaches, limpid waters, plentiful fish to catch (and eat), and ample cheap rum and beer. That idyll still exists on Nicaragua’s Big and Little Corn Islands. You can still score a $10 room on the combined five square miles of land—43 miles off the Caribbean coast­—and $70 gets you a ­bungalow with private veranda (and ­electrical outlets) at . Start by beach hopping on the Big Island: try Long Bay for bodysurfing, Sally Peaches for snorkeling, or South West for vegging out with a coco loco—a coconut and rum cocktail—at Martha’s bar. You can walk to any of them, but a cab is just 70 cents per person, no matter where you go. Then watch a Sunday baseball game in the ­island’s 2,000-seat Karen Tucker stadium for $1. ­

After you’ve had enough of the Big ­Island, take the daily water taxi 30 minutes to roadless , and rent a bungalow with Wi-Fi, fans, mosquito nets, and hot showers ($30). Little Corn’s position in the Caribbean makes for consistent winds that are ($50 for an intro course). You can also from a panga outfitted with two fighting chairs ($50), or take all that money you saved and splurge on a lobster dinner—it’s only $14.

Access: Fly round-trip from Managua to Big Corn on ($165). Then take a water taxi between Big and Little Corn ($12 round-trip; head to the Municipal Wharf in Brig Bay).

Simple Solace: Mumbo Island, Malawi

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

Lake Malawi, a 2,300-foot-deep, 11,400-square-mile gem in southern Africa, is home to 1,000 species of fish—one of the highest concentrations on the planet. It’s also the site of half-mile-wide, 250-acre Mumbo ­Island, one of our favorite out-there getaways. The lake was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1984, and once you get underwater it’s easy to see why. There are more than 400 types of brilliantly colored freshwater tropical fish, like damsels, angelfish, and wrasses. Guests can snorkel or scuba with them past sunken knolls of granite boulders or kayak to the lake’s dozen islands for what Cape Town, South Africa–based Kayak Africa calls the top sea-paddling route in southern Africa.

Best of all, the outfitter limits occupancy to 14 guests at a time, putting them up in six furnished bungalows and tents with hammocks, thatched-reed roofs, and hot bucket showers. It’s bare-bones—there’s no electricity—but that’s by design. claims that if all tents and decks were removed, there wouldn’t be a human trace within a year. There’s also plenty to do on dry land. You can watch the hundreds of white-throated cormorants that nest on Mumbo or hike its five one-to-two-mile ­nature trails past rock fig and baobab trees. But after you’ve had a full day in and on the water, we won’t blame you if you just want to rest in that hammock. From $195 per person per night, all-inclusive.

Access: Fly to Malawi’s Lilongwe Inter­­national Airport ( connects through Johannesburg), drive four hours to Cape Mac­lear, on Lake Malawi’s southern end, and take the 45-minute ferry ride to the island.

Out of Bounds: Niihau, Hawaii

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

Ever since this 70-square-mile spit of land was purchased in 1864 by Elizabeth Sinclair, a wealthy Scottish farmer, Hawaii’s Forbidden Isle has been most famous for being off-limits. But the wild landscape of arid, red-tinged volcanic terrain is easier to reach than you think: you can still take day trips from Kauai. Join Niihau Helicopters, which will land you on secluded beaches with nothing but shells, translucent water, and a few endangered monk seals ($400 per person; niihau.us). Or with monk seals, spinner dolphins, Galapagos sharks, and humpback whales (three-tank dives from $315).

Access: Trips start and end in Kauai. The 17-mile crossing takes 2.5 hours by boat. Stay at (from $346).

Wild Thing: Niue, South Pacific

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

Eighteen hundred miles northeast of New Zealand, Niue can feel isolated. News on the island is only broadcast twice a week, swimming is frowned upon on Sundays, and, with just over 1,600 people on 100 square miles of the largest uplifted coral atoll in the world, it’s the least populated self-governing ­nation on the planet after the Vatican. But the quirks are part of the allure of this rocky cave-ridden island. Visitors can angle for ($55) or from July through September ($101).

But don’t ignore the land. Chasms and caverns perforate the island by the thousands. ­Until the early 1800s, Niueans inhabited them instead of houses, and even today there are fewer than 100 ­accommodations on Niue. Go for the large studios at the recently opened oceanfront , each of which has a private balcony perched on the rocky shore (from $106). The Huvalu Conservation Area tropical forest covers 13,000 acres, nearly one-quarter of the island, and has plenty of cycling oppor­tunities. or ride the 42-mile road around the island past beaches and along limestone cliffs (bike rentals, $12 per day).

Access: flies from Auckland weekly—the 3.5-hour flight crosses the ­International Date Line, arriving 20.5 hours before it departed.

Easy Living: Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

Many know Jost Van Dyke, one of the handful of inhabited islands in the BVIs, as the barefoot island. Fifteen years ago, it had no electricity and few paved roads. That’s changed, but the atmosphere hasn’t. There are still no brand-name hotels—stay at , which offers essential amenities like iPod docks and charcoal grills (from $135). Then start with the adventure: rent 12- or 13-foot SUPs from , then head into Great Harbor to paddle near surfacing dolphins ($20 per hour). But take the island’s nickname to heart and spend some time padding between the 50-odd seasonal bars.

, located on White Bay, claims invention of the Painkiller (rum, pineapple juice, OJ, cream of coconut) and serves four-course dinners to the yachting set; boasts one of the biggest Caribbean New Year’s Eve parties in Great Harbor; and does barbecue every Thursday—and offers campsites for the inevitable postprandial collapse (equipped sites from $45).

Access: Fly to St. Thomas directly from the East Coast, and —or take the 75-minute public ferry from Red Hook, which is 25 minutes by cab from the airport.

The post The 7 Best Island Escapes appeared first on ¹ú²ú³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Online.

Get ready for the new age of adventure on the world's wildest continent. Whether it's the Ugandan National Kayak Team leading raft trips on the raging White Nile or entrepreneurial young guides building stylish bush camps with an eye toward helping local communities, a fresh generation is redefining travel in Africa. Leave your pith helmet at home.

Mozambique: The New “It” Country

South Africa: The New Paradigm

Safari Camps: The New Aesthetic

¹ú²ú³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Guides: The New Adrenaline

Thrill Seekers: The New ¹ú²ú³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏs

The Isles Have It

After 16 years of civil war, Mozambique is back in the bliss business, with 1,500 miles of Indian Ocean coastline, thriving coral reefs . . . and peace at hand

“Tem força,” said Abudo, in Portuguese. “O vento há-de soprar.”

Have strength. The wind will come.

The sail flapped listlessly as we drifted in the sun's growing heat. We'd hired the 70-year-old fisherman to sail us in his wooden dhow across a channel from Ilha de Moçambique, a tiny speck off the northern coast, to a nearby isthmus of the mainland. Soon the wind did come, billowing the patched sails of nearby fishing dhows and winging them to sea. Beaching at a thatch village under coconut palms, we waded through tidal inlets to a spectacularly empty, several-mile-long curve of white beach. After snorkeling in the quiet shallows, avoiding enormous sea urchins, we hiked back to discover our dhow sprawled on its side on a sandy flat at least 500 yards from the water's edge.

“What do we do now?” I asked Abudo.

“Now we wait for the sea,” he replied.

Ìý

Back in the fifties and early sixties, Mozambique then a Portuguese colony was on its way to becoming the Caribbean of Africa for white South Africans, landlocked Rhodesians, and others. After Portugal granted independence in 1975 commemorated in Bob Dylan's song “Mozambique” a new black socialist government came to power. Then came 16 brutal years of civil war.

Now, after more than a decade of peace, Mozambique is rebuilding, and tourism is one of its brightest spots. But you don't go there to zoom your crystalline lenses across the African savanna and zing off photos of the Big Five. During the war, bush fighters slaughtered many animals for food, and, as a result, there really isn't much big wildlife in the scrubby interior. Where you do find stunning wildlife is among Mozambique's palmy archipelagoes, coral reefs, and 1,500 miles of Indian Ocean coast that the civil war paradoxically kept pristine from development. Some 700,000 visitors arrive in the country annually (nearly double from 2001), many of them eco-tourists who've quickly spread the word.

During our year's stay in the capital city, Maputo, where my wife, Amy, was doing research on dance, we took advantage of the coastline most weekends. On our children's five-week Christmas school break, we flew deep into the subtropics, 12 degrees south of the equator. It was here, in 2002, that the World Wildlife Fund helped Mozambique establish Quirimbas National Park. This encompasses 11 of the 28 islands of the Quirimbas Archipelago, plus a large swath of the mainland's mangrove and miombo forests and the St. Lazarus Bank farther offshore, considered one of the world's premier diving and sportfishing locations.

The park is an experiment in eco-tourism, approved by the area's traditional fishing villages in order to preserve their way of life, manage marine resources, and develop basic services in a region with a life expectancy of less than 40 years. Rather than bringing in the masses, the park emphasizes limited, high-end tourism. Opened in 2002, the Quilálea Island resort offers elegant thatch-and-stone villas with access to empty beaches and some of the archipelago's best diving right offshore. The Medjumbe Island Resort, also on its own small island, gives easy access to bonefishing and scuba diving. At the Vamizi Island lodge, outside the park on a seven-mile-long island, you can luxuriate in a house-size villa. Backed by European investors, Vamizi collaborates with researchers from the Zoological Society of London to preserve the area's sea turtles and the mainland's elephant habitat.

In the clear waters of another island group, the Bazaruto Archipelago, off the southern coast and protected by a national park, you can swim (if you're lucky) with the threatened dugong a shy sea cow that supposedly inspired the mermaid myth. Upscale lodges here include the Benguerra and the Marlin.

My 51st birthday happened to find us on Ilha de Moçambique, which lies partway between the Quirimbas and the Bazarutos. The Portuguese built their stronghold in East Africa on this tiny, 1.5-mile-long sliver of old coral and shipped out the interior's gold and ivory from here. Today there's still no place on earth like Ilha, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tree roots sprout from the broken walls of old coral-and-stone villas in its narrow streets, rusted cannonballs lie about the massive fortress, the tiny chapel of the Southern Hemisphere's oldest church overlooks the sea, and the ornate St. Paul's Palace seems untouched dusty furniture and all since the time of the Portuguese.

European artists and architects are rehabilitating old villas into small hotels. We stayed at the Escondidinho, which had been renovated by an Italian doctor. Under its portico, looking onto a courtyard where it's rumored slaves were once sold, a French ballerina and her computer-engineer partner who chucked it all to move to Africa run a bistro featuring a delicious cuisine that, like the island itself, takes its accents from Africa and Europe, Arabia and India.

At the hour Abudo predicted, the ocean refloated our dhow. Soon we were broad-reaching amid flying spray. We would land just in time for me to join a fast-paced game with Ilha's men's soccer team near the fortress walls. Then I would meet my family in the bistro for kid-goat stew and birthday flan. But for now, it was just the wind and the sea.

Access & Resources
GettingÌýThere:ÌýFly South African Airways () from New York to Johannesburg to Maputo for about $1,400 round-trip. From there, it's a two-hour flight on LAM () to Pemba, the launch point for charter flights to the Quirimbas. (For the Bazarutos, flights depart from Vilanculos.) Prime Time: April September, with crowds peaking in August. Where to Stay: The Quilálea Island resort has nine villas ($400 per person; 011-258-2-722-1808, ). There are 13 chalets at Medjumbe Island Resort (from $345 per person; closed for renovations until March; 011-27-11-465-6904, ). Vamizi Island lodge has ten beach houses ($560 per person; 011-27-11-884-8869, ). Escondidinho, on Ilha de Moçambique, is a ten-room guesthouse (doubles, $50; 011-258-2-661-0078, ). Benguerra Lodge offers 11 chalets ($395 per person; 011-27-11-452-0641, ). There are 19 chalets at the Marlin Lodge (from $213 per person; 011-27-12-460-9410, ).

Peter Stark's book Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival will be published in March 2014 by Ecco.

¹ú²ú³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Capital

More than just the darling of Bono and the Bills, South Africa is breaking down barriers—from cosmopolitan Cape Town to the wild superparks of the future

IT'S THE DREAMLIKE, cinematic power of Africa unfolding yet again. This time, it's late afternoon when the leopard emerges from the bush, 20 feet away, crossing the sandy wash with a lazy stride, pelt rippling in the golden light. Then the radio crackles and we're fishtailing across the 54-square-mile Ngala Private Game Reserve, on Kruger National Park's western edge. Another cat's been spotted, and Jimmy Ndubane, our Shangaan tracker, leads us straight to it. This one is anything but lazy; seconds after we see the white tip of its tail twitching in the grass, the beast leaps forward and zigzags explosively through the meadow. We hear its prey, a mongoose, screaming and, finally, silence. It's awful, it's beautiful, it's what you came for: Africa forever.

However unforgettable, such classic safari epiphanies explain only part of South Africa's allure. You could come for the climbing or surfing, to dive with great white sharks, or to experience the spectacular two-ocean sailing. (The sleek black hull of Shosholoza, South Africa's 2007 America's Cup challenger and the race's first African entrant, was hauled out on the dock across the harbor from my hotel room in Cape Town.) You could come to beat the crowds flooding Johannesburg for the 2010 World Cup soccer finals—though you'll probably miss Oprah's glittery 2006 New Year's Eve bash.

The best reason, however, is hope—the dream that things can get better in Africa, that South Africa is leading the way, and that you can be part of it. A dozen years after the nightmare of apartheid, South Africa can still be a tough, bitter environment. But Mandela's vision of a democratic, multiracial African nation is alive and well, and tourism, once the target= of a global boycott, is the fastest-growing area of the economy, providing 1.2 million jobs for the country of 47 million.

On a wide-ranging journey through the nation's wild and urban landscapes, my goal was to max out on the abundant pleasures on offer while witnessing that transformed face. This meant obligatory visits to sprawling, hustling Jo'burg and laid-back, spectacular Cape Town, cities where the street life is set to a booming kwaito beat and revolutionary history is so fresh it's like 1776 was yesterday. South Africa, of course, remains happy to outfit you in khaki, mix you a gin-and-tonic, and make your Hemingway fantasies come true. But in the bush, too, big ideas are taking shape. The first is black empowerment, the integration of economic realms long dominated by whites. The second is South Africa's role in the global movement to create vast “transfrontier” parks that transcend borders while restoring wildlife routes.

Both ideas are being enthusiastically enacted at Tembe Elephant Park, a 190-square-mile preserve just south of Mozambique. The co-owner of Tembe's serene lodge compound, former Durban private detective Ernest Robbertse, manages the operation in partnership with the Tembe tribe. And walls will be coming down: In 1989, war in Mozambique led South Africa to erect an electric border fence, cutting off Tembe's massive 220-strong elephant herd from much of its range. The goal is to remove that barrier, reuniting Tembe's herd with their relatives in Mozambique's Maputo reserve.

An even grander expansion is planned at Kruger National Park, where I took a revelatory, weeklong game drive with naturalist Mike Stephens, experiencing close encounters with lions, rhinos, and a fantastic array of birds. Vast as Kruger may be (it's bigger than Israel), it's part of a pipe-dream-in-the-making called the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which will one day unite Kruger, Mozambique's Limpopo, and Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou in a superpark the size of Maine. “Hopefully,” one official told me, “we'll get herds the size of the Serengeti.”

For now, nothing I saw matched the luxurious wildness of Ngala. The lodge's 20 cottages are unfenced, so you must summon an armed guard if you want to leave your room after dark. This frisson of danger, along with manic four-wheel sprints cross-country looking for game (not allowed in Kruger), adds a keen adrenaline edge. Yet here, too, Ngala quietly preaches the transfrontier vision and, via its support of the Africa Foundation, social justice. In nearby Welverdiend, I saw the foundation's work: new schoolrooms and families piloting “hippo rollers,” easy-to-roll barrels, to the well.

Small steps, small connections. Will South Africa's future include prosperity, huge parks stretching over the horizon, and all its people experiencing Africa's riches, traveling in the footsteps of the wild herds of long ago? All I know is that I'm going back.

Access & Resources
Getting There: Fly to Johannesburg from New York on South African Airways () for about $1,200 round-trip. From there, fly to Durban to see Tembe Elephant Park. Conservation Corporation Africa's Ngala Private Game Reserve () is a two-hour flight from Johannesburg on Federal Air (011-27-11-395-9000, ). Prime Time: ±·´Ç±¹±ð³¾²ú±ð°ùËʲѲ¹°ù³¦³ó. Where to Stay: Tembe Elephant Lodge offers ten safari-tent suites for $162 per person (011-27-31-267-0144, ). Ngala's 20 thatched chalets start at $280, including an overnight walking safari (011-27-11-809-4300, ). In Cape Town, try the hip little Kensington Place Hotel (doubles from $190; 011-27-21-424-4744, ), on the slopes of Table Mountain.

Bed, Bush, and Beyond

The latest safari camps aren't only rediscovering the rugged glamour and extravagance of canvas; they're also letting the community in on the action

Africa

Apoka Lodge // Uganda Good-quality digs were in short supply in Uganda until locals Jonathan Wright and his wife, Pamela, opened the remote Semliki Safari Lodge and Kampala's Emin Pasha Hotel. Now comes their latest addition, Apoka, in the northeast's Kidepo Valley National Park—the choice place to see cheetahs. Ten elegant tent-cottages outfitted with locally made furnishings look out on the savanna—a landscape traversed by the Karimojong, seminomadic pastoralists who receive a percentage of the lodge revenue and sell their crafts in the lodge store. Doubles from $640; 011-256-41-251-182,

Naibor Camp // Kenya The Art of Ventures, the company that started the groundbreaking Zen-like lodge Shompole in partnership with a group of Masai in southern Kenya, created nearby Naibor in 2004. The camp has recently been moved to the banks of the Talek River in the heart of the Masai Mara Game Reserve, flush with rhinos, cheetahs, hippos, zebras, and tons of birds. Its eight opulent canvas tents with verandas sit in a riverine forest, close to a wildebeest migration route. Doubles from $860; 011-254-20-883-331,

Onguma Camp // Namibia Built just outside Etosha National Park on a 50,000-acre private reserve, the luxury camp at Onguma has seven spacious tents incorporating wood, steel, and stone, all under billowing canvas ceilings. The U-shaped layout of tents, lodge, and a pool allows 24/7 views of a central watering hole. As in Kruger National Park, plans are afoot to remove fences between private reserves alongside Etosha to create one greater park. Doubles from $500; 011-264-61-232-009,

Nkwichi Lodge // Mozambique So lavishly remote is Nkwichi, the only way to reach it is by boat. Hidden on the eastern shore of the vast white-sanded Lake Malawi—one of the world's largest freshwater lakes—Nkwichi's six chalets (each with secluded open-air baths) are surrounded by the 370,000-acre Manda wilderness reserve, the perfect setting for exploring, canoeing, sailing the cerulean waters, or hammock time. The owners have helped the community with everything from growing vegetables to creating the reserve and developing a sustainable environment for tourism. Doubles from $320;

Marataba // South Africa Opened in 2005 on a private concession in Marakele National Park, a few hours north of Johannesburg, this 15-suite camp is owned by the Hunter family, which also runs the excellent Gorah in Addo Elephant Park, in the Eastern Cape. Set in a malaria-free landscape that quickly changes from veldt to mountain, Marataba has stonework reminiscent of African ruins—and huge windows to take in the expanse of Big Five habitat. Doubles from $1,000; 011-27-44-532-7818,

Edo's Camp // Botswana In a 300,000-acre private reserve in the western Kalahari Desert, the four twin-bed tents of Edo's Camp overlook a water hole frequented by antelope and are the latest offering from esteemed outfitter Ker & Downey. Resident guides or the indigenous San people can help you track the seven endangered white rhinos relocated to the reserve from South Africa. Doubles from $660 (closed December through February); 800-423-4236,

Mequat Mariam // Ethiopia A two-bedroom tukul—a round thatch-roofed hut of stone and mud—sits at the edge of a cliff at nearly 10,000 feet, overlooking endless canyonland. This small piece of nowhere is Mequat Mariam, some 400 miles north of Addis Ababa. Mequat and its sister property, Wajela—a seven-hour trek away, with photo ops of baboons—are the work of Tourism in Ethiopia for Sustainable Future Alternatives, which supports nearly 300 local families. From $35 per person; 011-251-11-122-5024,

Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge // Rwanda Virunga Lodge, with its gorgeous vistas of the lakes and volcanoes of Parc National des Volcans, set the standard for comfort in gorilla-watching country, and it will soon have company: the Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, set to open this spring. The brainchild of the people behind Governors' Camp, in Kenya, Sabyinyo is owned by a trust that helps support 6,000 households in the area. Doubles from $600; 011-254-20-273-4000,

Lupita Island Resort and spa // Tanzania The 14 open-air suites, each with a plunge pool, are carved into a hillside on lush Lupita Island with views across Lake Tanganyika. For off-island awe, take a four-hour drive to Katavi, one of the mainland's most remote savanna parks, or try a two-day trip on a lake cruiser to chimp-filled Mahale Mountain National Park. Doubles from $1,300; 011-255-27-250-8773,

Shumba camp // Zambia Wilderness Safaris, winner of multiple conservation and community-involvement awards, never does things in small measures. So it's no surprise that it opened four camps at once in Kafue National Park, one of the biggest reserves in Africa. All are intimate; the best of the quartet is Shumba, in Kafue's remote northwestern corner. Its six immense safari tents on raised platforms have four-poster beds and inviting couches looking onto sweeping savanna and wetlands. Doubles from $1,480; 800-513-5222,

Additional reporting by Danielle Pergament

Access & Resources
Since these lodges are remote, it's usually wise to book them as part of a bigger, customized itinerary—your best bet is to have a reputable outfitter plan the logistics for you. Lodges can direct you to favorite outfitters, or you can try these recommended companies (check out the Web sites to see what each specializes in): Abercrombie & Kent (800-554-7094, ), Bushtracks Expeditions (800-995-8689, ), Explore Africa (888-596-6377, ), Ker & Downey (800-423-4236, ), Mango African Safaris (888-698-9220, ), Maniago Safaris (800-923-7422, ), Micato Safaris (800-642-2861, ), Africa ¹ú²ú³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Company (800-882-9453, ), Uncharted Outposts (888-995-0909, ), Volcanoes Safaris (770-573-2274, ), Wildland ¹ú²ú³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏs (800-345-4453, ).

The Wild Bunch

Nine Stellar guides with new-school safari smarts—and a commitment to conservation—take adventure and altruism where they've never been before

Phil West
The Nairobi-based West, 31, who guided for Kenya's Lewa Wildlife Conservancy before striking out on his own, is as passionate about ethnobotany as he is about tracking leopards. His custom-designed East African safaris might include a six-day walk through the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and two Masai areas, Il Ngwesi and Lekurruki Masai, plus rafting down Kenya's Ewaso Ng'iro River. Like most outfitters, West has arrangements with local tribes and parks, so nights can as easily be spent in a tent or a lodge and days spent ambling or driving.

Grant and Brent Reed
The two South African brothers, Grant, 32, and Brent, 33, come from a family of naturalists—which explains their safari savvy and bird and reptile expertise. (Grant has been collecting snakes since he was five.) Cofounders of Letaka Safaris, the brothers offer everything from walking safaris to birdwatching in Botswana. But for a triple shot of adventure, sign up for one of the nine-day Wildguides courses at their Okavango Guiding School. Participants of all skill levels learn how to handle rifles, track animals on foot, and find their way back to camp on their own, while becoming versed in geology, fauna, and conservation issues of the lush Okavango Delta. ,

Endale Teshome
Born in Ethiopia, Teshome, 31, herded goats in the remote Bale Mountains until his teens. After guiding on his own, he joined Ethiopian Rift Valley Safaris, studying his nation's ancient and cultural history along the way. If it's the vastly diverse flora and fauna of the south you want to see, that's his home turf. In the north, Teshome tours rock-hewn churches—places few foreigners have seen.

Craig Doria
South African Doria, 44, guided for ten years in Zambia, where he helped create an anti-poaching unit in the national parks, a passion he's carried to Tanzania, his current base. He's written two books about snakes and also collects DNA for wildlife research. His deluxe tented-camp- and lodge-based safaris, tailored to clients' interests, include hikes, driving, sailing, and more.

Derek Shenton
The third generation of his Zambian family to go into guiding and conservation, Shenton, 41, has built two camps, Kaingo and Mwamba, deep in the game-rich South Luangwa National Park, the launchpad for his guided walks and drives. The stylish Kaingo offers big-game close-ups. (Shenton's forte is tracking cats.) Three hours away by foot is the simpler but equally wild Mwamba. Shenton is a founding member of the South Luangwa Conservation Society, which fights poaching, offers job training, and educates children about wildlife.

Peter and Tom Silvester
The Silvester brothers, from Kenya, merge hipness with high ideals. Peter, 42, runs Royal African Safaris, an ultra-luxe outfitter operating in East Africa, Botswana, and South Africa. Frequented by celebs, CEOs, and royalty, RAS specializes in custom itineraries. (Guides usually visit clients in their home country to iron out details.) Guests stay in tented camps or at lodges like Loisaba, a 60,000-acre community ranch run by Tom, 39, who works it in tandem with the local Laikipiak Masai and Samburu and offers clients everything from mountain biking and camel safaris to rafting. A portion of the profits goes to wildlife research and the community. ,

Corbett Bishop
Originally from Texas, Bishop, 35, moved to Tanzania in 1994 to lead trips up Mount Kilimanjaro and, two years later, started a safari company there, offering mobile luxury camping and camel- or donkey-assisted treks. Bishop's most recent project, the two-year-old Ol Tukai Conservancy, funds both community development and conservation projects; it's named for a village in a critical wildlife corridor between Tarangire and Lake Manyara national parks.

Beyond Kakhi

Two-story rapids, hot, spouting lava, a frenzy of sharks, lions in the dark—if it's thrills you're after, you'll find them in Africa

Rafting
White Nile, Uganda
There's a simple way the guides at Nile River Explorers measure waves on the White Nile: If a 16-foot raft disappears entirely, the wave is about the size of a two-story building. But while the river's 30,000-cubic-feet-per-second flow (roughly three times that of the Colorado) creates monster rapids, there are swimmer-friendly calm spots in between, and NRE's guides include charter members of the Ugandan national kayak team. The 18-mile day trip begins with five Class IV–V rapids, each with placid, crocodile-free pools below. Day trips, $95; luxury tented accommodations at the Nile Porch from $54; 011-256-43-120-236,

Hiking
Ol Doinyo Lengai, Tanzania
Allan Mbaga, Tanzanian owner of African Outdoor Expeditions, has worked with David Breashears and Imax film crews on Kilimanjaro, and he'll take you up Ol Doinyo Lengai, a 9,235-foot peak north of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You'll spend two days climbing steeply through volcanic ash and lava rock; near the top, hikers pitch camp in the inactive south crater before exploring the north crater's steaming vents and magma pools. The five-day trek includes a visit to Lake Natron, where flamingos flock by the thousands. $1,900, all-inclusive; 011-255-744-263-170,

Surfing
Southwest Madagascar
This May through October, African Surfaris will guide clients around the planet's fourth-largest island—considered one of the last undiscovered surfing outposts. The trip starts in the Toilara Reef region near the southwestern town of Toilara, just 25 miles north of Flame Balls—a hollow 200-yard-long left reef break two miles offshore. Ten-day trips from $1,600, including airfare from Johannesburg, lodging, meals, and boat trips; 011-27-82-836-7597,

Fly-fishing
Zambezi River, Namibia
Cast a fly on the Zambezi, where 15-pound dagger-toothed tiger fish prowl. The posh Impalila Island Lodge, at the confluence of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers, is not only the best place to find the ferocious fish; it's also within striking distance of Victoria Falls and beast-rich Chobe National Park. Seven-day trips with Aardvark McLeod from $4,000, all-inclusive, from Johannesburg; 011-44-1980-840-590,

Lion Tracking
Tsavo East National Park, Kenya
In 1898, two lions ate scores of railroad workers near what is now Tsavo East National Park. Today, area lions regularly kill livestock in nearby settlements, which is why in 2002 Earthwatch Institute launched its Lions of Tsavo program. Volunteers join American and Kenyan scientists to track and study the cats during night drives in order to help people and prides coexist. Thirteen-day trips from $3,249; 800-776-0188,

Horse Trekking
Malawi and Zambia
This fall, Malawi and Zambia are set to create the Nyika Transfrontier Conservation Area, a 13,500-square-mile international peace park. The best way to explore this remote region is by horseback on a mobile safari: two nights at the upscale Chelinda Lodge, followed by a week of galloping through montane grasslands and forested valleys, and hoofing it to the top of 8,553-foot Nganda Mountain. Ten-day trips from May through October, $3,090, including lodging, meals, and riding; 011-44-1-837-82544,

Diving
Port St. Johns, South Africa
Each winter, as the water temperature drops along South Africa's eastern coast, millions of sardines rocket the 300 miles from East London to Durban—serving as the main course for sharks, seals, whales, and superpods of 5,000-plus common dolphins. June and July are the best months to catch the frenzy. Six-day dive trips from $1,800, including lodging, diving, and meals at iNtaba River Lodge; 011-27-21-782-2205,

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Knoydart Peninsula, Scotland
The Knoydart Peninsula pokes out from Scotland's west coast, flanked by Loch Nevis (Gaelic for “Heaven Lake”) and Loch Hourn (“Hell Lake”) . . . which would appear to place the Old Forge in purgatory. In fact, it's a sublime spot, a revamped blacksmith's forge and inn that's perched on the coast seven miles by boat from the tiny fishing village of Mallaig, where crucial pub supplies arrive three times a week. You can get there by boat, but the classic way is an 18-mile east-west trek over 3,500-foot mountains. 011-44-16-87-46-22-67,

SUGARLOAF KIOSK
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
To reach the summit of 1,296-foot Pão de Açúcar (“Sugarloaf”), you can go the easy way (riding a 75-passenger cable car) or the hard way (multipitch rock climbing). Either way, you'll be rewarded at the top with a tall caipirinha—a blend of ice, sugar, lime, and cachaça, a Brazilian alcohol made from distilled sugarcane. Impress the tourists by climbing Italianos, a bolted 5.9 route that rises 810 feet along the monolith's west face. 011-55-21-2235-3716, english

ZULUNKHUNI RIVER LODGE
Lake Malawi, Malawi
On the northern shore of Africa's vast and forest-rimmed Lake Malawi, there's an unusual lodge: four thatched huts next to a bar and restaurant built into a rock cave near a waterfall. Getting to the so-called Where Are We? Lodge requires a five-hour trek from Usisya, the closest road-accessible village, or a five-hour ferry ride north from Nkhata Bay. There's no electricity, so the bar's vodka-filled watermelons are kept chilled in a kerosene icebox.

LABAN RATA RESTHOUSE
Mount Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia
At 13,455 feet, Mount Kinabalu is the highest peak on the Malaysian island of Borneo. To reach the top, you'll hike for two days among orchids and 290 species of birds. Halfway up, stop for an overnight respite at Laban Rata, a 60-bunk hostel with electricity, showers, heated rooms, and a restaurant that serves hot noodles and cold beer. 011-60-88-243629,

ALBATROSS BAR
Tristan da Cunha Island, South Atlantic Ocean
There's no airport on the British-controlled island of Tristan da Cunha, 1,750 miles west of Cape Town, South Africa, so pretty much the only way to get there is via a seven-day ride aboard a crawfish trawler. A 2001 hurricane ripped the roof off the Albatross—the island's lone bar—but the village's 280 locals banded together to repair it. By September 2004, the no-frills establishment had reopened for business, complete with a snooker table, locally made crisps, and pints of beer.

PHANTOM RANCH
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Descend 5,000 feet and 9.5 miles on the South Rim's Bright Angel Trail and you'll arrive at a wooden oasis that isn't a mirage—it's the famous Phantom Ranch, since 1922 the only lodge operating below the canyon rim. In the rustic dining room, you'll be treated to cold Tecate (hauled in by trusty mules) and spicy beef stew. Afterwards, retreat to a private cabin or camp nearby; same-day hiking down and up with a bellyful of beer is not advised. 888-297-2757, 704.html

LA PAELLA
Tapana Island, Kingdom of Tonga
Rent a sailboat in the South Pacific town of Neiafu—in Tonga's Vavau island group—and follow the winds three hours to Tapana, a remote, four-square-mile island. Besides one native Tongan, the only residents are Eduardo and Maria Mejias, two Spanish expatriates who run a restaurant they built from driftwood. Call ahead to let them know you're coming, and they'll serve paella cooked over a fire, Spanish tapas, and all the sangria you can drink. 011-676-12310,

BOB MARLEY RASTA RESTAURANT & REGGAE BAR
Muktinath, Nepal
Buddhists and Hindus make the pilgrimage to Muktinath, in the Nepalese Himalayas, to bathe in the 108 fountains that are believed to bring salvation after death. Everyone else goes for the beer and music. Welcome to the Bob Marley Rasta Restaurant & Reggae Bar, elevation 12,470 feet. From Kathmandu, you'll trek six days to the town of Jomsom and then spend a day acclimatizing before climbing 3,500 feet up to Muktinath. A Jamaican flag hangs next to Tibetan prayer flags, and the owner's son plays “Get Up, Stand Up” on his guitar. If you're tired, it's OK to stay seated.

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ON FOOT

As the low, rumbling growl reverberated from the bushes, we froze in our tracks, every sense on red alert. The growl—so deep and powerful that it seemed to emanate from the earth itself—wasn't a threat, really, just a reminder. “I am the king of beasts, and I stand at the top of the food chain around here. For now, I choose not to kill you—as long as you don't do anything stupid.”
We'd been tracking the pair of lions on foot in Zimbabwe's Matusadona National Park for almost an hour. And although we caught only occasional obscured glimpses of them—the closest from perhaps 200 feet away—the thrill of the chase and the adrenaline rush of our discreet encounter were something no checklist-toting game-viewers could ever experience from the safety of their minivan.

Quite simply, everything changes when you are on foot, on the animals' turf, playing by their rules. (Of course, we held the ultimate trump card in this game: a .458 Mauser rifle in the hands of Steve Carey, our hunky blond Zimbabwean safari guide. “It'll stop an elephant, “he assured us. “And the one behind him.”) Shortly after the lion encounter, we dialed down the adrenaline meter and lolled silently under an acacia tree for an hour, waiting to see what might walk by. Nothing did, but Steve suddenly jumped up and said, “I heard something. Let's go.” Ten minutes later we came upon an antelope, skin still warm to the touch, its neck crushed by a leopard—another reminder that we were puny interlopers in a land where the beasts still rule.

Our safari was organized by Graeme Lemon Walking Safaris, whose trips can be booked in the U.S. through African Portfolio (800.700.3677; www.africanportfolio.com). Cost is $210-$240 per day, plus $50 for boat transfers to and from Kariba. Accommodations are roomy tents equipped with cots.

By Sailboat

As the 15-strong herd of elephants—bulls, mamas, and babies—stood haunch-deep in the shimmering blue waters of Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba, placidly grazing the lake bottom near the shoreline, our safari vehicle approached to within a few yards. Suddenly, a big bull turned to glare menacingly at us. Did we worry? Naah.

Our safari vehicle, you see, was a 30-foot sailing catamaran. We hovered just off-shore, impervious to any pachydermatous attack save for a good hosing down, which we would have welcomed on that hot afternoon. Our three-boat flotilla of Wharram Tiki 30s—fast, stable, gaff-rigged cats that sleep six in slightly cramped quarters—spent four days cruising the remote 170-mile-long reservoir. Each night we'd pull into protected coves along a shoreline that just might shelter more large mammalslions, rhinos, zebras, buffalo, and hippos—and fewer people than any lake in the world. Although most clients sail the boats themselves, Sail Safaris owner Lance Reynolds commands the flotilla from a lead “mother ship.” Fluctuating water levels and the thickets of Daliesque dead trees make navigation tricky for newcomers, however polished their sailing skills.
Mine were definitely tarnished. Although a veteran windsurfer, I had never sailed a boat. Under Reynolds's tutelage, however, I quickly picked up the basics, and I don't doubt his claim that any weekend dinghy sailor can hand the Tiki 30 with a brief checkout. A staff captain can accompany nonsailors. But for all the fun of sailing, this trip was mainly about the animals. I've already forgotten how to furl the jib, but I'll always remember the look in that bull elephant's face.

Sailing safaris can be booked in the U.S. through African Portfolio at 800.700.3677 or www.africanportfolio.com. For a group of four, a four-day trip costs $1,825, a seven-day trip, $2,730, including meals, national park fees, and taxes.

By Mountain Bike

To become truly intimate with the animals of Africa, you must travel as they do: under your own steam. A mountain-bike safari is a great way to explore the bush, and southern Africa is the most bike-friendly of safari regions. At the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and the Mkhaya Game Reserve in Swaziland, a five-hour drive east of Johannesburg, I rented low-tech mountain bikes and rode with local Swazi guide on a network of good dirt trails that ranged from relaxed to technical. From my bike saddle I saw zebra, impala, giraffe, hippo, and the rare black rhino, and rode in the middle of a pack of bounding springboks. Mkhaya's accommodations are comfortable safari tents, while Mlilwane's digs are more rustic—thatched “beehive” huts and cabins.

For more creatures and comforts, head into South Africa. Faw-Mbili Game Lodge in the Thornybush Nature Reserve adjacent to renowned Kruger National Park, is a friendly, luxurious bush lodge that accommodates up to ten guests. You can take a guided walking safari in the morning, a mountain-biking tour midday, and a Land Rover safari after dinner. The terrain here consists of easy, sandy roads, and the wildlife is abundant—I rolled among the “Big Five”: lions, elephant, buffalo, leopards, and rhinos. Which means that the guides pack pistols along side their CamelBaks.
Guided mountain-bike safaris at Mlilwane cost $6.75 per hour (including bike rental), and park lodging is $5 per person per night for camping, $13 per person per night for beehive huts, and $28-$32 per person per night for cottages (including breakfast). Mkhaya accommodates groups of five or more in luxury safaris tents for $87 per person per night, including meals and safaris. Contact Big Game Parks at 011.268.404.4541; www.biggame.co.sz. Kwa-Mbili Lodges charge $113 per person per night, including all meals, bikes and guided safaris (walking, biking, and driving). Contact 011.27.15.793.2773; www.kwambaili.com.

By Canoe

Feather your paddles, sit tight, and slip past the elephants drinking at water's edge. Watch out for cruising crocodiles and the occasional loony hippo launching a high dive into the river from a steep bank while displaying a lethal set of choppers. All part of another leisurely day canoeing an idyllic stretch of the Lower Zambezi River, from Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe to Kanyemba on the Mozambique border.

Here in one of the richest wildlife areas of southern Africa, the Zambezi is flat and glassy and broad as a lake, bounded by waterside villages on the Zambian side and by riverine forest thick with mango trees, itala palms, and towering natal mahoganies on the Zimbabwean shore. Watch for kudus and warthogs by day, lions, leopards, and hyenas by night. Narrow, meandering side channels teem with bird life—harons, egrets, hornbills, and ibises.
Local outfitters Ruwesi Canoe Trails, Natureways, Shearwater, and Safari Par Excellence negotiate the hazards on three- to nine-day trips. You can choose your side of the river—Zambia or Zimbabwe—and your style of trip—a “fully serviced” safari (staff go ahead by truck to have tents, hot showers, and dinner ready), or a “participatory” safari (you tote the gear, help prepare meals, and help set up the tents).

The cost ranges from about $400 for a three-day drive-in, participatory trip to $1,200 for a four-day fly-in trip. Book through African Portfolio in the U.S. (800.700.3677; www.africanportfolio.com) or in Harare, Zimbabwe, (011.263.4.481117).

On Horseback

As your horse lopes across the high grassland of Malawi's Nyika Plateau, your approach is likely to flush out a clutch of roan antelope, reedbuck, zebra, or eland. Or head south toward the rocky peaks of Vitinteiza and Mwanda, where klipspringers bound like pogo sticks over stony ground. Much of the great treeless plateau in the country's far north is unlike any other landscape in Africa—bare as the Scottish moors or the rolling grasslands of Montana. It's the site of 3,000-square-kilometer Nyika National Park, Malawi's biggest, where the upland wildlife is staging a comeback after having lost numbers to local poachers and cooking pots.

There are few roads across the plateau and vehicle traffic is restricted in the park, so the best view of Nyika is from the back of one of David Foots' fine thoroughbred or Boerperde horses. Foot can tailor a trip to suit from two to six novices or experienced riders. You'll set out from the chalets of Chelinda Camp, then stop at remote safari camps (walk-in tents, bucket showers) along the North Rumphi and North Rukuru rivers. You'll cover a lot of the landscape on the seven- and ten-day trips, which cost approximately $200 per night per person, including accommodations, meals, horses, and equipment (airfare not included). Call Equitour at 800.545.0019; www.ridingtours.com.
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