A 7-day, purpose-driven trip built around the elephant conservation work of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi and Tsavo. Itinerary and price from £1,500.

Nine days on the historic route of Ethiopia - the rock churches of Lalibela, the castles of Gondar, the Axum stelae - with two days trekking among gelada baboons in the Simien Mountains.

Five days pairing one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World with a Chobe river safari - the highest concentration of elephants anywhere in Africa - just across the Botswana border.

Five days to track mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, with a permit included and time at Lake Bunyonyi to unwind afterwards.

Eight days through the northern circuit of Tanzania - Tarangire, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater - the richest concentration of large mammals on earth.

Seven days across Kenya greatest game country - the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and the Great Rift Valley - timed for big cats and, in season, the wildebeest crossings.