If you yearn to embark on one of the most exhilarating adventures known to man, choose a wildlife safari. Each dawn promises a new day of discovery of the amazing creatures that inhabit this earth. Travelers of all ages and interests will be dazzled by nature's bounty, making a safari of truly universal appeal.

Although you can participate on safaris in Australia, Nepal, India, Central and South America and other habitats of concentrated wildlife, Africa boasts the most prolific game parks and the finest safari and tourism infrastructure. The Dark Continent, with its unique tribal cultures, haunting beauty and turbulent history, offers one of the top travel destinations on the planet. Despite the recurring political and economical troubles of its individual countries, Africa is a beacon to the traveler who wants to experience creatures as well as creature comforts.

Hot and dusty from your twice-a-day expeditions by land-rover, minivan or on foot with an experienced guide, you'll savor the old-world TLC offered at your bush lodge or luxury tented camp: three ample and tasty meals served in gracious colonial style or under the African sky; afternoon tea; comfortable or even fabulous died-and-gone-to-heaven accommodations; and access to resident rangers who will answer all your questions about tribes and flora and fauna in the local area. Scores of unexpected sights and sounds make each day on safari one of high anticipation and infinite surprise.

In the evening at many of the lodges and camps, you'll have an intimate view of animals, great and small, as they gather at discreetly lighted watering holes. And in Southern Africa, night-tracking is permitted in the private reserves, with spotlights capturing carnivores gnawing on their hapless dinners. Armed guards escort you to your tent or cottage, to protect you from predators whose glowing eyes may reflect in the dark only yards from your path. Every night brings a further reminder that you are the interloper in these plains and forests claimed by the beasts.

Africa's game parks are wisely operated on the premise that catering to visitors is secondary to preserving the well-being of its wildlife. Visitor conduct within government and private reserves is strictly regulated. Careful stewardship of Africa's magnificent game has led to many conservation successes of healthier stock and increased numbers. In fact, the exemplary game management program in Botswana has led to such proliferation among elephant herds as to cause serious concerns among local villagers. Yet, the greatest perils to wildlife — poachers and droughts — are an ongoing and dire threat to many of this continent's endangered species.

Among Africa's legendary animal-viewing reserves, some of the best are found in Kenya: Masai Mara, Samburu, Mount Meru, Amboseli and Tsavo. Neighboring Tanzania, more recently catching up with improved visitor facilities and infrastructure, boasts the unforgettable Seren-geti Plain (site of the Great Migration), Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Selous Reserve. South Africa's sprawling Kruger National Park and its adjacent private game parks teem with a vast diversity of wildlife.

Tour operators are going further afield from traditional destinations and now regularly offer safaris to some of the finest wildlife habitats in Africa: Bots-wana's Chobe and Okavango Delta National Parks; Zimbabwe's Hwange Park, Zambezi River and Lake Kariba; and Namibia's Etosha Park. Carefully regulated treks to observe rare mountain gorillas are conducted in Uganda's Impenetrable Forest, Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park and in Zaire's Kahuzi Biega Park. South Luangwa in Zambia, noted for its multiday game walks, is becoming a fixture of the African safari circuit. Gabon, the new kid on the block, bills its recently created national game parks ecosystem as one of the "last great pockets of wilderness" on the continent.

Each of East and Southern Africa's game areas is home to certain species of animals, but you will undoubtedly see a wide variety of wildlife wherever your safari takes you. Americans tend to visit from June through October during the "dry" season, considered the best months for optimal sightings. However, game-viewing is rewarding even during the historically rainy months of November, March and April. Among animals that you may spot within a few yards of your open or enclosed vehicle are the Big Five — elephants, lions, rhinos, buffalo and leopards — as well as cheetahs, giraffes and gazelles, crocodiles and hippos, zebras and wildebeests, and baboons and hyenas.

Teddy Roosevelt's legendary hunting safari at the turn of the last century with an entourage of 500 porters may be a thing of the past, but numerous tour operators today can provide almost any safari adventure you can think of. Depending on the style (simple or sumptuous) and mode of transport (landrover, minivan or air charter) you desire, your daily all-inclusive per diem for a standard fabulous safari will run a very reasonable $350 and up; figure $650 to $1,400 and higher for luxury lodges and from $800 per diem for highly customized itineraries with mobile camps and all the trimmings. A trip to Africa is absolutely, positively an experience worth saving for.

Special-interest safaris are widely available with a focus on photography, rails, trekking, bird life, balloons, food and wine, tribal crafts and cultures, and a dozen other orientations. To fulfill your dreams, top safari operators can offer packaged programs as well as custom itineraries that can satisfy anyone's notion of a dazzling African adventure. Check out venerable Abercrombie & Kent, (800) 554-7016 or www.abercrombiekent.com, for out-of-this-world safaris, fabled for their novelty, superb organization and luxury.

A few well-known, reliable specialists with a spectrum of orientations and price ranges include Micato Safaris, 800-642-2861 or www.micatosafaris.com, and Ker & Downey, 800-423-4236 or www.kerdowney.com.

My favorite operator, well-known to many Hawai'i travelers, is Ethne Cameron of Going Africa. She organizes irresistible arrangements — from deluxe to ultra-luxury, throughout East and Southern Africa — for families and groups. Contact your travel agent or query Ethne at goingafrica@mweb.co.za.

Irene Croft Jr. of Kailua, Kona, is a travel writer and 40-year veteran globetrotter. Her column is published in this section every other week.