It isn't easy to get started, and for four-fifths of the world, Africa is a very long way from home. But for even the most jaded traveller, the rewards are well worth the effort. It is not just the size and scale of the game reserves; it is also the simple, unsubtle grandeur of it all.

Arid and stark at first look, savannas spill in all directions, punctuated by silhouettes of muscular trees. In spring, these trees unfurl leafy canopies and explode with flowers, extravagantly coloured and scented. Here, not only is the lion king, but the termite too, and everything in between.

It is a miracle to wake to a sudden African morning, dripping in birdsong and beaded with monkey chatter. The experience is second only to a boisterous African sundown. Every puddle, watering hole or mighty river is ignited by a molten sun, drawing the herds to drink deeply, and in peace. Listen: an elephant trumpet, a hippo's throaty grunt ... then frogs, crickets and hyenas ... This is the Song of Africa.