The Top 10: Exclusive Safaris

1. Back to nature in Namibia

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Mundulea, a park located in remote northern Namibia towards the Angola border, covers 120 square kilometres in the Otavi mountains, and is highly rated by Africa hands. The Mundulea Nature Reserve was established at the turn of the century; safaris are not widely promoted and visitor numbers are low. A safari here means a chance to see the African bush in its natural state, with steep gorges, underwater lakes and huge, spreading trees. Wildlife includes eland, the largest antelope in Africa, along with black rhino, kudu, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena and 230 species of bird. Another attraction is the outstanding local guide, Bruno Nebe, who leads the safari tours and is recognised as one of the continent's leading but curiously low-profile guides. He typically takes visitors on three-day treks - an attractive alternative to the traditional long hours of driving punctuated by lodges. The camps are basic and simple in construction - it's shared toilets and bucket showers - though there are plans to upgrade.

How to get there: Expert Africa (020-8232 9777; expertafrica.com) offers a 17-day self-drive trip around Namibia from £2,705 per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, transfers, accommodation and most meals.

2. The gorillas of Gabon

Five years ago, Gabon's president, El Hadj Omar Bongo, took the far-sighted decision to set aside 10 per cent of the country for a network of national parks, of which Loango, Lope and Ivindo are the major attractions. All are quietly thriving destinations, drawing in small groups of visitors. Thanks to Gabon's oil reserves, per capita income is higher than the African average, and there is less pressure on forests and other wildlife-friendly habitats than is the case elsewhere. The main appeal is the critically endangered lowland gorilla, though you can expect to see chimpanzees, crocodiles, buffalo and waterbuck. The gorillas in Ivindo are habituated to humans and relatively easy to see; though they can be spotted in Loango and Lope, they are shyer and more elusive. Gabon's coastline links different areas of habitats and consequently is a good place to see wildlife. Perhaps the most extraordinary spectacle - though rarely seen - is that of the surfing hippos, wading through the low tides from one bank to another, usually at night. It's more common to see the hippos on the beach, along with elephants.

How to get there: Wildlife Worldwide (0845 130 6982; wildlifeworldwide .com) offers 17 nights from £4,395 per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, transfers, accommodation and most meals. For more information go to gabonnationalparks.com.

3. Mauritania's marine world

Characterised by tiny oases, meteor craters and endless miles of Saharan desert, Mauritania offers a safari experience a world away from the traditional bush trip. The austerity of the desert and the biodiversity of the adjacent sea result in a strongly contrasting land and marinescape. Interest centres on cetaceans, particularly dolphins, along with several species of sea turtle and an elephant seal colony at Baie de l'Etoile. The main attraction is Banc d'Arguin National Park, an important bird habitat, running along a third of Mauritania's coastline, and features windblown sand dunes, marshes and mangrove swamps, tidal mudflats, mazes of channels and creeks, sandbanks and islets. The park represents a transition zone between the Sahara and the Atlantic Ocean, and comprises sand dunes, coastal swamps, small islands and a wide expanse of shallow coastal waters. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the park has the largest winter concentration of wading birds in the world. It is also the most important breeding area for birds on the Atlantic seaboard - mainly thanks to West Africa's richest fishery, which lies off the coast.

How to get there: Dragoman Overland (01728 861133; dragoman.com) operates a 16-day tour of Mauritania, with prices from £995 per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, transfers, accommodation and most meals.

4. A paradise for birds in Mali

Better known for the legendary, if ultimately hugely disappointing destination of Timbuktu, Mali has an abundance of wildlife in its southern Guinean forests and savannah. Birds are among the real highlights of a safari here and species range from the Senegal parrot, violet turaco and Abyssinian rollers to northern carmine bee-eater, yellow-crowned gonolek, Egyptian plover, knob-billed duck and the outstandingly named Senegal thick-knee. A journey around the country brings encounters with roadside birds that include grasshopper buzzard, brown snake eagle, fox kestrel, grey and red-billed hornbills and the little piapiac, which sits on the backs of cattle. In the Dogon region, the wildlife of the escarpment and the surrounding savannah include stone partridge, bearded barbet, green wood-hoopoe, fine-spotted woodpecker, cliff chat, Neumann's starling and the kulikouro firefinch, a Malian endemic. And if you must go to Timbuktu, the acacia grasslands en route, as you head northwards, are in the path of an annual elephant migration.

How to get there: Nature Trek (01962 733051; naturetrek.co.uk) offers a 17-day tour of Mali from £2,950 per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, transfers, accommodation and most meals.

5. With the Kruger Makuleke tribe

Much of the Kruger National Park in South Africa involves following outstanding, if well-worn trails. But in the far north of the park, a new lodge has been built at Pafuri, designed to encourage visitors and support the local tribal community. This part of Kruger was the ancestral home of the Makuleke people, who were evicted when their land was incorporated into Kruger Park in 1969. Although they have now regained title to the land, they have chosen not to move back with their herds, but instead have developed the area for tourism. The 24,000-hectare concession is wild and remote, and one of the park's biodiversity hotspots. The Limpopo and Luvuvhu rivers, with their palm-studded floodplains and seasonal pans, support a wealth of wildlife: large elephant and buffalo herds, leopard, lion and cheetah and 400 species of bird, yellow fever tree forests, groves of baobabs and beautiful gorges. The camp, managed by Wilderness safaris, features 20 tented rooms, and six two-bedroom family rooms.

How to get there: Rainbow Tours (020-7226 1004; rainbowtours.co.uk) offers a week-long package to Kruger Park and Pafuri from £1,345 per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, transfers, accommodation and most meals.

6. Count flamingos for Kenya

The Earthwatch Institute has been quietly sending volunteers to valuable and scientifically important wildlife and conservation projects across the globe since 1971. This year it is opening up a new programme in Kenya's Rift Valley, which focuses on the plight of the lesser flamingo whose numbers have plummeted in recent years. While Earthwatch scientists have studied Kenya's Lake Bogoria since 2000, this is the first time that volunteers have been required to assist them. Scientists now believe the flamingos are suffering from malnutrition following heavy rains, and your tasks will include capturing, weighing, measuring and banding birds, and taking blood samples from them. You may also gather data on the lake's connected ecosystems of springs, wetlands, and streams. There are opportunities to learn and see more of the lake's wildlife, such as birds, small mammals and dragonflies. Your work will make a significant contribution to Earthwatch's conclusions on how to conserve and restore the lake and its surrounding ecology.

How to get there: Earthwatch (01865 318831; earthwatch.org) offers two-week placements at Lake Bogoria from £1,450 per person, excluding return flights but including accommodation, food and training.

7. On foot through Zambia's herds

In the eastern province of Zambia, North Luangwa is about half the size of the more developed neighbouring South Luangwa national park. It has similar animal and birdlife to its southern counterpart, though is especially known for buffalo herds and attendant lions. Thanks to determined efforts by conservationists, the game concentration is high in North Luangwa, and the wildlife includes baboon, impala, leopard and the near-endemic Cookson's wildebeest. Access to the park is strictly controlled, with only three operators granted permission to conduct safaris there. The entire park is almost without roads, and, though it is possible to drive along the Mwaleshi flood plain, almost all game viewing takes place on foot, accompanied by a guide. Access to Mwaleshi Camp - one of the most remote and secluded camps in Zambia - is by light aircraft.

How to get there: Farside Africa (0131-315 2464; farsideafrica.com) offers a nine-night package to North Luangwa from £2,420 per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, transfers, accommodation and most meals.

8. Follow the rhinos of South Africa

It's not compulsory to conclude a safari with a gin and tonic at sunset. For a different perspective on Africa's wildlife consider signing up for a conservation project with African Conservation Experience. One of their most popular projects is based in South Africa's Molemane reserve and the neighbouring, malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve. The area is a haven for white rhino, Cape buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and many other species, and volunteers have exclusive access to restricted area of the parks. You don't need scientific training to take part - just a willingness to get involved and a curiosity about the natural world. Much of the work involves monitoring large species, often on foot. Tasks include identifying rhino by ear notches and marking their midden sites - a scientific euphemism for a pile of droppings; helping to dart and blood-test buffalo; and surveying lions, leopards, hyena and wild dog. More ecology-based work involves surveying damage to vegetation caused by elephants and night-time waterhole game counts.

How to get there: African Conservation Experience (0870-241 5816; conservationafrica.net) offers places on the Molemane project with a minimum stay of two weeks from £1,950 per person, which includes return flights, food and accommodation.

9. The best beach-safari trip: Pack your swimsuit

Many safari tourists combine game watching with a spell on the beach. Now Mozambique is offering this combi-nation. The Niassa Reserve is adjacent to the Quirimba archipelago, whose 30 islands sprawl along the northern coast. Highlights include sightings of some of the 12,000 or so elephants. Audley Travel (01993 838000; audleytravel .com) has a 10-day package from £3,070 per person, based on two sharing, including flights and most meals.

10. The best wildlife escape: Just you and the giraffes

Wildlife and sheer remoteness distinguish Katavi National Park in western Tanzania. You will most likely have it to yourself, as it receives barely 200 hundred visitors a year. It isn't easy to get to - you generally need to fly from Dar es Salaam - but the wildlife is outstanding, with hippos, lions and leopards particular features. Tribes (01728 685971; tribes.co.uk) offers a nine-day package from £2,855 per person, including flights, transfers and most meals.