Hippo safaris · Est. 1987 · 100% mud guaranteed

Come say hello to
Africa's pink giants.

We run small-boat hippo expeditions to the three best hippo hangouts on Earth. You bring the sense of adventure. We bring the rain ponchos.

Pick your safari

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0hippos in the Chobe basin alone

0maximum mouth opening. Yes, degrees.

0top sprint speed on dry land

0a big bull, fully loaded with opinions

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Why hippos?

Because lions can wait. Hippos can't.

A hippo's head poking out of the water, eyes and ears above the surface — Eyes, ears and nostrils — that's all above water, and it's more than enough.

Closer to whales than to pigs. Hippos' nearest living relatives are cetaceans. Their ancestors left the water, regretted it, and came right back.
They make their own sunscreen. That famous pink "blood sweat" is a red secretion that works as SPF and an antibacterial. It's not blood. Probably.
The 180° grin. They can open their mouths wide enough to fit a small car's wheel. The smile is for show. The bite is not.
Africa's most dangerous big mammal. Hippos cause more human fatalities on the continent than lions, leopards or crocodiles. We keep our boats at a respectful distance.

Two hippos locked in a fight, jaws wide open, in the Serengeti National Park — Tuesday in the Serengeti. Our boats watch from a respectful — and very safe — distance.

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Pick your muddy adventure

Three rivers. Three pods. Zero apologies for the mud.

A hippo in the water at Chobe National Park, Botswana

$899

Chobe Chatter

📍 Chobe, Botswana · ⏱ 2 days · 👥 max 8

The densest hippo population on Earth, front-row seats. Sunrise boat cruise, the famous sunset bellow show, and a mud spa where the hippos are included and you are optional.

Sunrise & sunset boat cruises
The sunset Bellow Show (free of charge, free of control)
Mud spa access (hippos included, you optional)

A group of hippos wading in the water in the Serengeti, Tanzania

$1,299

Serengeti Sunset Snorkel

📍 Serengeti, Tanzania · ⏱ 3 days · 👥 max 10

Track bull pods across the plains, witness a real (safe-distance) turf dispute, and end each day with sundowners at the baobab bar. Snorkeling is in the name only.

Plains tracking with expert guides
Safe-distance turf dispute viewing
Sundowners at the baobab bar

Hippos on the shore of Lake Tana at Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

$1,599

Lake Tana Dawn Patrol

📍 Lake Tana, Ethiopia · ⏱ 4 days · 👥 max 6

Dawn canoe patrols on Africa's largest highland lake, island monasteries, and hippos so completely unbothered by your existence it actually hurts. Our slowest, most magical trip.

Dawn canoe patrols
Island monastery visits
Hippos who have decided you don't exist

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Proof it actually happened

Click any photo for the full story. (It's a photo, but still.)

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Word on the riverbank

Real reviews from real, very muddy humans.

I've seen lions. I've seen leopards. Nothing prepares you for a three-tonne cow sneezing directly at your boat.

— Priya S. · Chobe Chatter

My hippo had a name. I had a mud stain the size of a dinner plate. 10/10, would bellow again.

— Marcus T. · Serengeti Sunset Snorkel

I asked the guide if we could get a little closer. The guide looked at me. The hippo looked at me. I understood.

— Dana K. · Lake Tana Dawn Patrol

Worth every drop of pink. (The hippos aren't actually pink. The mud is.)

— Tom & Ana · honeymooners, now permanently 60% mud

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Frequently asked (whispered) questions

Are hippos actually dangerous? +

Yes, genuinely — hippos are responsible for more human deaths in Africa than any other large animal. Which is exactly why we are obsessed with them and why our guides are the calmest people you will ever meet. We keep boats at safe distances, we never feed, and we absolutely never make the "hippo face".

How wet will I get? +

Wet. Very wet. Our boats carry a waterproofing rating we describe internally as "nope". You will get splashed, you will get rained on, and at least one of you will get a full dunking. We include dry clothes, a towel, and emotional support.

What is the pink stuff? +

Hippos secrete a red, jelly-like substance often nicknamed "blood sweat". It's not blood — it's a natural sunscreen and antibacterial. It's also how the company got its color palette. You're welcome.

Do I have to swim with them? +

No. We do not recommend it. "Snorkel" in the Serengeti trip refers to the boat model (the Snorkel II), not to any activity you will be asked to do. If you jump in voluntarily, the guide is contractually required to watch from the shore.

Can I bring my own bellow? +

We provide one — a proper rubber bellow, in your name, with a small brass plaque. Bellowing at hippos is technically permitted but strongly discouraged; bellowing at the sunset is not. That's what the Bellow Show is for.

Ready to get
properly muddy?

Tell us where you want to end up (riverside) and how many humans are coming. A guide — an actual human with a whistle — will get back to you within one river-crossing (about 24 hours).

📎 Fine print: this is a demo booking form. No real safari will be booked, no real mud will be provided, and no real hippo will be offended. But the button is very satisfying to press.

Come say hello toAfrica's pink giants.