Once Africa Has You: Why Travellers Keep Coming Back

Three years. That's how long it's been since I last set foot on South African soil. But after settling into our new life abroad, it was finally time to return to Africa to visit friends and family. Here's why Africa pulls you back each and every time, from my own personal experience...

An Inevitable Return to African Soil 

After all this time, my spirit yearned for the soft, cool sand of the Cape beaches beneath my feet. I longed to sip flinty, Atlantic-kissed sauvignon blanc, and to lose myself in the hushed majesty of elephants towering above me from a hidden wildlife hide. I imagined the Southern Cross reflected in their eyes – and mine.

I could almost taste the scent of rain on dry grass as we prepared to return. The thought of once again breathing the Cape's sea-spray-infused air awakened a wave of nostalgia – for endless summers on Cape Town's sparkling shores, for my carefree, sun-streaked childhood.

I recall thinking how lucky I am to have grown up in this alluring place, in the sunshine and barefoot (most of the time), where people cross oceans and continents to visit. And once they do, it's very rarely a one-hit wonder on their travel agenda.

The inimitable charm of Africa creeps into your soul through the openness of her people, their natural hospitality that flows so effortlessly, the energy, the incomparable quality of our food and drink, our landscapes and our wildernesses with all the fantastical creatures they harbour.

Africa: Home of Deeper Connections

My visit got me thinking: why do people return to Africa? Is it, like me, to visit friends and family? Is it to return to revisit a place to share an experience with a loved one? Or to return with those who have not yet experienced the wonders of Africa. For example, bringing your children or parents on safari for the first time.

Each of these scenarios holds double the reward, for the person experiencing Africa's majesty for the first time and for those reliving it through the eyes of their first-time companions.

Forget the List at Home

It's true some travellers stuff a preconceived tick list into the corner of their world-weary minds. The danger of having such a list is that you may close yourself off to one of Africa's most potent antidotes to modern life: spontaneity.

Travellers who choose to stay longer to allow for unscheduled time to daydream, lie by the pool, enjoy a languid day on the beach with a picnic or embark on a community visit to meet and support the local communities and contribute to conservation efforts are the lucky ones.

Whether visiting a school or learning about the endangered desert-adapted giraffe in Namibia, your stay becomes more meaningful, offering more reasons to return than you can resist.

Plotting Your Return

Thinking of returning to Africa? You're not alone. In fact, many travellers find themselves drawn back within three years, not just by the landscapes but by the feeling they left behind.

This time, consider staying a little longer. Ten to 14 days gives you the space to slow down, to linger in the places that moved you the most. Perhaps you'll return to a favourite lodge, unpack for a few nights, and let the rhythm of the bush or the coast settle into your bones.

If you're based in the UK or Europe, South Africa's time zone makes it easy to blend work and leisure. Send a few emails in the morning, then enjoy a sunset game drive to close the day.

And as you plan, travel with intent. Choose lodges that give back, whether to conservation, communities, or the land itself. Owner-run properties often have deep roots in their regions and are full of stories worth sharing. Ask your travel planner about places where your stay makes a difference. It's a beautiful way to deepen your connection – and your reason to return.

Of Longing and Belonging

There's something about Africa that defies explanation. It's not just the landscapes or the wildlife. Most notably, it's how the continent makes you feel. Grounded. Alive. Connected. Travellers often arrive expecting a holiday. They leave with something far more profound: a sense of belonging.

Our trip took us from the vast wilderness of the 75,000 ha bushveld of the Madikwe Game Reserve, where we saw more wildlife species than we could count, to the arresting beauty of the wild Cape Point peninsula, the storied Constantia and Franschhoek Winelands and over the folded mountains of the Overberg. 

Lively reunions with friends and family, usually around a cooking fire, filled my spiritual cup far beyond overflowing. Beyond connecting with those who mean so much to me, I reconnected with my continent.

Oceans Apart: Home Is Where the Heart Is

Back home now in Scotland, the warm North African air stream has arrived, openly flirting with me, delivering a rare sweltering, sun-kissed day. With temperatures soaring close to 30 degrees Celsius, I was almost driven to distraction as the warm day toyed with my emotions, daring me to start planning my return to Africa, where the invitation to bask in the sunshine abounds, even in winter.

I reminded myself that home is not a physical place bound by geography; it's a feeling. Holding that feeling close, I picked up the thread and started dreamweaving our next trip.

Hurry Back (or Experience Your First Taste) to Africa

Where do you long to return to in Africa? Listen to your heart and 'haste ye back', as we say in Scotland. To experience a life-changing trip of your own, don’t wait. Start planning now, so you can not only start daydreaming but also ensure you have the best possible experiences reserved for you.

Let Rhino Africa make your return (or first) trip to Africa a reality.   

Featured Image Credit: Lion Sands Narina Lodge