Get a head start on your next adventure with Tajikistan on the Bradt App. This new guide has launched weeks before the print edition, so you can start planning your trip early.
Continuing our Best Safaris campaign, this week we’re shining a light on Botswana and Madagascar. From vast wetlands and remarkable wildlife to remote landscapes and unique species, discover two destinations made for adventurous safari experiences.
And a reminder for aspiring travel writers: our New Travel Writer of the Year Competition 2027 is still open for entries! This year’s theme is ‘An Animal Encounter’, and we’re looking for true, first-hand stories of 600-800 words.
Botswana is the master of low-impact tourism. It isn’t the cheapest safari destination, but this is the place to come for a true wilderness experience – the opposite of what is jokingly called a ‘Ferrari safari.’
Botswana is all about quality sightings and immersive experiences.
Glide through the watery wonderland of the Okavango Delta in a mokoro, learn ancient survival skills from the San in the Central Kalahari, track wild dogs in Moremi Game Reserve or watch more elephants than you can count along the Chobe River. Then there are the vast salt flats of Makgadikgadi, where the night sky can leave you speechless.
Small bush camps strike a magical balance between rustic simplicity and understated luxury, while mobile safaris offer a more adventurous way to get even closer to the wilderness.
All-inclusive and tailor-made, with off-season pricing from £2500 per person.
Madagascar: A World Apart
Madagascar is an extraordinary biodiversity hotspot, with a wealth of unique wildlife found nowhere else on earth. There are no lions, elephants or antelopes here. Instead, wildlife ranges from ring-tailed lemurs and the hauntingly vocal indri to bizarre aye-ayes and cat-sized Parson’s chameleons. Even the island’s largest predator, the agile fossa, is found nowhere else.
Most wildlife viewing in Madagascar is done on foot, following forest trails with expert guides who are remarkably good at finding even the most elusive creatures. Along the way, the focus often shifts to the small stuff: leaf-tailed geckos, tiny chameleons, colourful frogs, unusual insects and orchids. Wildlife is often remarkably approachable, making encounters wonderfully intimate.
Madagascar is ecotourism in its truest sense: low-impact, immersive and endlessly surprising. Come for the lemurs, but expect to leave with a renewed sense of wonder at the sheer diversity of nature.
Remote River Expeditions – Madagascar is a small, hands-on company that has been creating unique vacations that cater to all ages and interests since 1985.
Their Contrasts of the Great Red Island tour highlights the contrasts between the eastern rainforest and the western deciduous forest. Prices start at £120 per person, per day.
From epic mountain trekking and crystal-clear lakes to snow leopards, Marco Polo sheep and ancient Silk Road sites, Tajikistan offers adventure at every turn.
Travel the legendary Pamir Highway, explore the Wakhan Valley and Fann Mountains, or discover Dushanbe’s cultural heritage. From Sogdian ruins to medieval shrines, this is a destination rich in history, culture and wild landscapes.
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In this issue of The Inside Track, Hilary Bradt finds unexpected echoes of her own travels in The Odyssey. From the ancient Law of Zeus and the enduring importance of kindness to the powerful pull of home at the end of a long journey, she reflects on what it means to travel, and on the restlessness that can follow a return home. *** I’ve been reflecting on the film The Odyssey, brought into focus by the guilty realisation that I’ve never read that epic poem, despite my grandfather doing the...
September in Review September has been another busy month here at Bradt! Our 2027 New Travel Writer of the Year Competition is still open, with around one month to go until entries close. This year’s theme is ‘An Animal Encounter’, with a five-night South African adventure for two, courtesy of Safari.com, up for grabs. Africa has also been in focus elsewhere, with the launch of our annual best safaris in Africa round-up. Read on for our first two spotlights: safari classics Kenya and...
The prize is in...win a five-night South African adventure for two We’re delighted to reveal the prize for our 2027 New Travel Writer of the Year Competition - and it’s one for the books. The winner (and a guest of their choice) will be heading to South Africa for five unforgettable nights courtesy of Safari.com! ENTER HERE Your prize awaits… Your South African adventure begins with three nights at a luxury lodge in a private reserve in the Sabi Sands or Greater Kruger, where you’ll have the...
