Going on a safari is one of Africa’s signature experiences; it is one of the primary reasons first-time visitors come to the continent and one of major experiences marketed to international tourists.

The most commonly enjoyed safaris are those experienced through guided game drives or self-drive experiences in national parks. Walking tours (with appropriate protection, of course) are also common; and cycling safaris are growing in popularity.

But there are a number of out-of-the-ordinary safaris in Africa, giving tourists an intriguing selection of options to see the wild and wonderful offerings that Africa has.

Yoga safaris

Yoga safaris combine the health and fitness benefits of yoga with exploring Africa’s wildlife. Yoga Safari in Botswana, for example, offers guests a variety of options, where an internationally qualified yoga instructor joins groups on guided tours. One interesting offer is a yoga and stargazing retreat, where visitors experience a self-drive safari over a weekend that includes the exercise regime and star-gazing in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans of northern Botswana.

Made in Africa Tours and Safaris offers yoga retreats in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The Zimbabwe retreat gives guests seven days to explore the best wilderness areas in Zimbabwe, from Hwange National Park to Victoria Falls. Days begin with morning yoga practice and include afternoon meditation in the African bush, with guests staying in a remote luxury lodge in Hwange. Guests then move across to the Zambezi National Park to experience yoga sessions against the backdrop of the Victoria Falls.

Flying safaris

Aerial safaris offer visitors an incredible, bird’s-eye view of southern and East Africa. Balloon safaris, in particular, include an element of romance. An African Anthology takes to the skies with AirVentures – safaris over the Okavango Delta, where the landscape flooded with water and winding channels can be seen from above. On landing, a scenic guided game drive through the bush takes guests back to the camp for breakfast.

Luca Safari based in Kenya offers a month-long private air safari taking passengers from Kenya to Namibia and back, making stops in Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Guests visit eight countries, 15 lodges and traverse two oceans. Passengers see chimpanzees in Tanzania, rhinos in Namibia’s Etosha National Park, they quadbike over sand dunes, fly over the Skeleton Coast, canoe in a mokoro on Lake Malawi, scuba dive at Mozambique’s Vamizi Island, and listen to Bushman stories, amongst other activities.

In the Limpopo province in South Africa. Sky Adventures offers short game and landscape viewing safaris by microlight. The company operates around Hoedspruit and surrounds, offering flights over the Olifants River, Blyde River Canyon, Graskop, Bourke’s Potholes and the Klaserie Nature Reserve. Guests can also travel further afield to enjoy ocean and mountain safaris in KwaZulu Natal and Cape Town.

Water safaris

Natural World Safaris offers guests the opportunity to experience Mozambique from a dhow – a 12-foot (3.7m) kayak – in an eight-day safari exploring the Quirimbas Archipelago. The water-based journey takes visitors around the group of islands, allowing guests to enjoy snorkelling and see a rich variety of fish, turtles, humpback whales and dugongs. Beach stops take visitors onto islands where they can explore the terrain, as well as enjoy freshly caught seafood cooked over an open fire.

The company also offers canoe trails in Mana Pools in Zimbabwe, where guests meander down the Zambezi River to explore the national park, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Travelling around the four inland pools, travellers can see elephant, buffalo, hippopotamus, impala, lion, crocodiles and a variety of birds.

Conservation safaris

A growing number of tourists are choosing safaris with an angle of ‘giving back’ – contributing to local communities and the protection of wildlife and natural habitats. Gorilla and conservation safaris in the Volcanoes National Park and Virunga Mountains of Rwanda are one option, which includes spending a morning at the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project. Another meaningful safari is at the Africat Foundation in Namibia – an organisation promoting the conservation of large carnivores – where guests can experience the project first hand, while also being able to ‘radio track’ leopards.

In Madagascar, small-group safaris offered by Natural World Safaris allow guests to spend time with lemurs at the Kianjavato Lemur Project – an initiative that researches bamboo lemurs, black and white ruffed lemurs and aye-ayes.

The Gondwana Conservation Foundation offers guests a cheetah conservation experience, where guests join the team as they go about their daily research schedule. Travellers can help to track the cheetah and locate them before observations of the animals, at hunt or rest, begin. It also includes identifying and documenting the condition of cheetah that have been rehabilitated to the wild.

Gondwana also offers a Junior Ranger Experience, a carefully crafted safari journey that gives children a greater understanding of conservation and the eco-system.

Getting to and from safari

Airlink has a Lodge Link System service, which provides direct connectivity beyond the Skukuza and Nelspruit/Kruger airports to five of the most popular game lodge destinations in South Africa. A unique 20-minute airside transfer connects guests to the doorstep of their safari destination.