Wilderness Safaris

Wilderness Safaris (now trading as Wilderness) was founded in 1983 by Colin Bell and Chris McIntyre and has grown into one of the largest premium safari operators in Africa, with more than fifty-five camps spread across Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and South Africa. The company is headquartered in Paulshof, South Africa, and operates its own bush airline, Wilderness Air, to move guests between remote camps. Birding is woven into their offering rather than packaged as a stand-alone specialty: their camps in the Okavango Delta, Linyanti, Kalahari, Skeleton Coast, Hwange and Volcanoes National Park sit on or near birding hotspots that produce Pel's Fishing Owl, Slaty Egret, African Skimmer, Wattled Crane and Carmine Bee-eater colonies. Guides are encouraged to develop specialisms and the company says avid birders can request dedicated leaders. They are members of leading trade associations and hold a long-standing partnership with the Virtuoso network.