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Africa is ready for its close-up, whether you're the particular kind of photographer who turns up on safari with a bag full of glass, a monopod, a carefully researched list of target species and an expression of focused intent that suggests they mean serious business or an average Joe.

Let's be honest about something... The safari industry has a type. Think golden light, a lion on a kopje, a leopard draped over a branch like living sculpture, an elephant silhouetted against a burnt orange sky. All of it magnificent, all of it entirely real.

Girls just want to have... Africa, it turns out. Because that's where it's all happening, on safari in the middle of nowhere, dressed in varying shades of khaki, surrounded by some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes on the planet and animals red in tooth and claw.

There's a particular type of travel content that exists in the safari world. It features luminous sunsets, impeccably dressed couples clutching sundowners, and lions doing photogenic things at the exact right moment. It is, in a word, lying. Not maliciously. Just selectively.

You've booked the flights. You've packed the binoculars and the khaki (good). You've been dreaming of lions and leopards, sundowners and starlit skies. All of which are, without question, utterly fabulous and non-negotiable on any self-respecting Zafaris safari. But here's the thing.

Let’s get something straight from the start. Safari is not beige. It’s not polite, predictable, or neatly wrapped in a bow. It’s messy and exhilarating and occasionally ridiculous. It messes up your hair, ruins your sleep schedule, and somehow resets your entire brain in the best possible way.

Safari has had a glow up. Actually, several over the last few decades. There was a time in the times of yore when a good safari meant a canvas tent, a bucket shower, a crackling fire and a guide who could read the bush like a novel. Then things escalated.

Let's get one thing straight. Safaris are not only for shiny Gen Zs or upwardly mobile Millennials - or twenty-somethings with suspiciously clean trainers and an Instagram strategy. They are not reserved for families with small children who want to tick off the Big Five before lunch.