The islands, where the safari finishes

The classic finish for South African and Botswana safaris. Direct flights from Johannesburg, four hours. Mauritius is busy, well-developed, and culturally layered: Indian, French, Creole, and Chinese populations all sit on one island, and the food shows it. The west and north coasts have the calmest lagoons. The south is wilder, with cliffs and surf. Le Morne in the southwest is the most photographed peninsula on the island and where most of our flagship clients stay. We send people here when they want comfort, real cuisine, and beach without remoteness.

One thousand low coral atolls scattered across an ocean. The Maldives is engineered for one thing: stillness on water. You fly into Malé, take a seaplane or speedboat to your resort, and stay there. Each atoll is essentially one resort. The water is shallow, the lagoons are luminous, and the diving is some of the best on earth. North and South Ari atolls for whale sharks. Baa Atoll for mantas. Connections from Africa go through Dubai, Doha, or Nairobi. About ten hours of flying time end-to-end. We pair the Maldives most often with East African safaris.

One hundred and fifteen islands, granite rather than coral, covered in dense jungle. Seychelles is quieter than its reputation suggests, with strict planning controls that have kept overdevelopment off the main islands. Mahé is the airport hub. Praslin and La Digue are short ferry hops away and where most clients stay. The Inner Islands sit close together. The Outer Islands are remote and require dedicated flights. A small handful of private islands sit in the Inner group and operate as exclusive-use or near-exclusive-use destinations. We send people here when they want jungle, beach, and proper privacy at the same time.

The natural finish for any Tanzania safari. Twenty minutes by air from Arusha or Dar es Salaam. Zanzibar is the spice island: Stone Town's UNESCO-listed alleys, the smell of cloves, dhows on the horizon. The east coast (Matemwe, Pongwe, Michamvi) has the best snorkelling and reef. The north (Nungwi, Kendwa) has the calmest lagoons and the busier resort scene. Mnemba Atoll, off the northeast tip, is the small private-island concession that the top end stays on. We treat Zanzibar as a cultural finish first and a beach finish second. Stone Town deserves at least one night.

The volcanic French outlier, an hour by air from Mauritius. Réunion is mountains and craters, not beach. Three vast natural amphitheatres (Cirques de Mafate, Cilaos, and Salazie) sit at the centre of the island, and one of the world's most active volcanoes (Piton de la Fournaise) sits on the southeast flank. People come here to walk. The hiking network rivals the Alps. The food is properly French. We send our active clients here, often paired with two or three nights in Mauritius for a beach finish. Not the right island for first-time Indian Ocean visitors who want to sit still.

The fourth-largest island in the world and a wildlife destination of its own, not really an island finish. Lemurs, chameleons, baobabs, and rainforest exist here in forms that exist nowhere else. Antananarivo is the capital and the entry point. Andasibe-Mantadia is the easiest reserve, three hours by road, where you see indri lemurs. Anjajavy on the northwest coast is the flagship lodge, accessible only by light aircraft. The infrastructure outside the main reserves is challenging. We plan Madagascar for travellers who want a wild trip on its own terms, often a week, sometimes two. Best paired with two or three calmer nights in Mauritius if a beach is needed.