A leopard jumped from an acacia tree and padded purposefully toward our van, which was parked along a rough dirt track on the equatorial plains of East Africa.

I stuck my head out the window, frantically twisting my telephoto lens to get him into focus.

?Roll up your window,? whispered a nervous travel companion. I kept turning my lens.

?Close your window now!? she shouted. ?He?s going to jump in!?

I pulled the camera away from my face and peered down ? straight into the leopard?s dusky-yellow eyes.

He bared his fangs in a silent snarl. I whipped my head inside and shut the window. The drama of close-up encounters with elusive predators like this one, or witnessing masses of zebras and wildebeests thundering across the savannah during migration, has whetted many a traveler?s appetite for an African adventure.

But such an adventure ? which is vastly greater than the sum parts of cable TV?s Animal Planet offerings and National Geographic specials ? can be expensive in terms of money as well as time. An African safari figures to cost at least a few thousand dollars per person. And it requires traveling one-third or more of the way around the world. So it?s vital to plan or book a trip whose length, itinerary and structure fit your interests, needs and budget.

Such planning won?t ensure that you?ll have an experience as dramatic as our meeting with the nonchalant young male leopard, but it will greatly raise the odds of a memorable journey.

The leopard encounter occurred during a two-week safari to Kenya and Tanzania.

During the trip, my husband and I watched three more leopards, not to mention cheetahs, dozens of lions, rhinoceros, skittish African buffalo, troops of elephants, baboons, black-and-white colobus monkeys and an array of other mammal species. We also spotted more than 200 types of birds feathered in metallic aqua and purple, iridescent cobalt blue, blinding yellow and orange, a flash of red and a slash of green. And plenty of brown.

By the end of the journey, our minds and cameras were crammed with vivid images of people, wildlife and varied ecosystems that make Africa one of the world?s most spectacular travel experiences. The adventure was enough to draw us back. Several years later, we trekked up steep mountainsides through a dense equatorial forest to see mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

There, a full-grown silverback male ? the leader of his troop and strong enough to bite my head off ? bumped my arm gently as he knuckle-walked toward a patch of toothsome vegetation.

(Applying proper ape etiquette, five fellow trekkers and I had crouched face down in trampled nettles when he ambled in our direction.)

In 2003, we travelled with two friends through the desert and delta terrains of Botswana and Namibia, where humans, plants and animals have adapted to a difficult, but often spectacular, environment. We voted our finest animal experience as the one in which a three-week-old rhinoceros gamboled into the dirt track ahead of our safari vehicle, then tried but failed to turn around in midair, crash-landing on his tangled stumpy legs.

But he returned twice to peer at us while his mom stayed a discreet distance away in scraggly bushes.

Moments like these have given us more than our money?s worth on the distant African continent. Here?s some of what we?ve learned about planning a wildlife safari.

? Work with safari specialists. If the company offers or plans independent trips to other parts of the world than Africa, these tours should also be strongly oriented toward wildlife-watching, ecotourism and conservation.

?You need to be sure that the travel agent or tour operator you?re talking to has the experience to figure out your needs and wants and assist you,? says Ellison Poe at Poe Travel in Little Rock, Arkansas, an agency designated as one of the country?s top specialists by Travel & Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler magazines.

Poe plans individual trips to Africa, such as our Botswana/Namibia trip, and also leads small groups.

Mark W. Nolting agrees. Nolting is the author of ?Africa?s Top Wildlife Countries,? an outstanding planning resource, and president of Africa Adventure Co. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

?The most important thing is that the individual at the company has in-depth, on-site knowledge of where you want to go,? he says. ?The majority of big-name tour companies are simply selling a trip off their computer screens. So ask the person at the company, ?When were you last there??

?Pick a company that?s been around awhile ? since before the Gulf War, certainly pre-September 11.? Newcomers won?t have learned the differences between lodges that seem similar or become acquainted with the most expert guides.

The company should accept credit cards, have $1 million or more of liability insurance and be willing to provide references from previous clients ?- with whom you should check.

? Decide whether you want to travel with a group or independently. If you choose to go with a group, ?Never sign up for one with more than 12 people,? says Nolting, rated one of the top Africa hands in the country by Conde Nast Traveler.

?We never have more than two vehicles travelling together. With just one vehicle, you find more wildlife than do groups with four or five vehicles, even if they?re communicating on radios.?

On our Kenya/Tanzania trip, the leopard felt confident enough to saunter to the side of our van ? something he probably would not have done had there been even two vehicles, let alone four or five pulling up to look him over.

? Determine if you want to fly or drive from camp to camp. It?s not necessarily true anymore that going with a group on safari saves money (as most often still is the case on US trips).

?Flying safaris now can use scheduled daily charters between camps,? Nolting says. ?That?s eliminated most of the cost-effectiveness of group travel.

?Going with a group can be less expensive only if you?ve signed up for a tour that primarily drives from place to place. But the trend is not to do so because it means spending lots of time on bad roads.?

? Ask about security issues. ?In the wildlife countries ? South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya ? things have stabilized to the extent of being the best in years,? Nolting says. ?Camps and lodges are full. A major problem is getting space.?

As to the belief that it?s safer to travel with a group, ?It?s quite the contrary in this age of cell phones and radios,? Nolting says. Larger groups make a more profitable target.

? Don?t plan a trip yourself. If you?ve arranged United States, European or Far Eastern trips yourself, don?t be tempted to try it in Africa, Poe and Nolting agree.

?If you?re talking directly to tour companies in Africa via the Internet, you must be very, very careful,? Nolting says.

Too many of these companies have no incentive to perform. There?s a risk that they?ll simply take your money and run.

?There?s a lot more to getting you from Point A to Point B in Africa than elsewhere,? Poe says. This is true even for getting from the airport to your hotel.

? Consider nonprofit travel. Nonprofit organisations like Heifer International sponsor trips that visit community-based projects.

Heifer provides farm animals and training on sustainable ways to house and feed them, and the first offspring are passed on to another family along with expertise on care.

Conservation, wildlife-oriented, alumni and other nonprofit groups often sponsor trips off-season so that built-in donations to the organisation won?t increase the trip?s price beyond what members are willing to pay, Nolting notes. But done well, such trips bring group members together with people in the field whose projects they sponsor. They should be led by an expert in the field in which the traveller is interested.

? Identify your interests. Gauge your level of enthusiasm for wildlife watching or another passion. A friend, Karen Gibson, a lawyer and zoo volunteer in her late 30s, began planning a trip to Africa more than a year ahead.

?My trip is based on frequent-flier miles and dates when they can be used,? Gibson says. She turned to such references as Nolting?s book, starting with its charts showing best times to view game in each national park in wildlife-watching countries, and what wildlife is best seen where.

?I knew I wanted a hardcore ecotour with animals, animals, animals,? Gibson says. She also studied other guidebooks and Web site sources.

?I decided that what I really wanted to focus on were apes and other primates,? she says. She then began searching for companies specialising in that focus.

Africa offers rewards for those with special interests, including birding, botany, photography, mountain climbing, canoeing and kayaking, rafting and scuba diving. Before signing up, be sure the trip?s leader is a specialist.

Well-constructed trips exist for mom, dad and the kids, as well as grandparents and grandchildren. Horseback, camel-back and walking safaris might be the ticket. You can include hot-air ballooning and night drives at certain lodges and find romantic honeymoon-style spots.

South Africa is particularly good for those who prefer a ?spa-fari? with a touch of wildlife. Interests from wildlife to wine can be indulged.

? Look for conservation orientation. Choose a travel company dedicated to ecologically responsible tourism.

Gibson examined travel guidelines for a number of organisations such as the Sierra Club and the Ecotourism Society so she could apply them to travel companies she considered. She wanted to go with those who contributed to conservation and local communities.

Then she focused on trips involving animals she most wanted to see in the wild: gorillas. ?I found out about the need for permits to go see them,? she says.

?There?s a limited number of permits, so I looked for a company offering the most built into its program, or one that could get extras for me.?

? What?s your budget? ?If it turns out you can?t afford to go this year, save up and go next year,? Poe says. Accumulating frequent-flier miles and travel dollars is a reason Gibson began planning more than a year ahead.

Still, Poe says, ?A safari is usually all prepaid, so that all the cash you need is for the things you buy. So it?s not unlike a cruise in that respect.?

? Guides are vital. Guides are the most important element in your trip. As to budget allotments, Poe and Nolting agree that if a choice is necessary, the quality of guides should override the quality of accommodations.

The best guides are knowledgeable in the identification and behaviour of wildlife. They also provide insights into local people?s lives and cultures. The most experienced travel companies have the capacity to find you a guide who will add greatly to your experience.

But what about this young leopard that could have bitten off my face had he been so inclined?

Later, in a more relaxed analysis, I realised that guides who allow a leopard to injure a tourist won?t be employed very long.

So our guide had known all along that this guy was habituated to human visits to the extent that he was unlikely to attack, even when within easy striking distance.

And that created a lifelong memory.

The Africa Adventure Co. can be reached at (800) 882-9453 or on the Web at www.africanadventure.com.

?Africa?s Top Wildlife Countries,? by Mark W. Nolting, is available on the Web site or at bookstores. So is his ?African Safari Journal,? which provides guidelines for preparing for a safari, simple maps, checklists and illustrated listings of mammals, birds, reptiles and trees, and general expressions in various local languages.

The journal also has pages to record photographs, expenditures and addresses of friends at home and others met during the trip.

Poe Travel can be reached at (501) 376-4171 or www.poetravel.com.

Marcia Schnedler is a features writer for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and has been a travel writer and photographer for more than 20 years.

? Botswana: This landlocked southern African nation is a gem among wildlife countries. Its centrepiece is the Okavango Delta, an inland river delta that dwindles, then disappears into the Kalahari Desert, home to the sturdy Bushmen.

Some 40 percent of its land is set aside for wildlife, including 22 percent leased as private reserves where visitors feel almost alone in astonishing close-up encounters with wildlife and varied terrain.

? Democratic Republic of the Congo: Now is not the time to visit because of political unrest and violence.

? Kenya: Safaris got their start in Kenya. For an awesome sight, it?s hard to top the annual migration of more than a million wildebeest and zebras in the Serengeti plains of Masai Mara National Reserve.

Visitors invariably appreciate the colourful cultures of the Masai, Samburu and other local tribes.

? Malawi: The country claims Lake Malawi, Africa?s third-largest, noted for some 400 fish species, not to mention water sports. Back on land, botanists interested in wildflowers and birders keep mighty busy.

Although heavily populated, the country devotes 20 percent of its land to wildlife, with plentiful numbers of antelopes, zebra, land predators, crocodiles, hippo, smaller mammals and more.

? Namibia: Set on Africa?s southwest coast, Namibia is renowned for its mind-boggling deserts, the world?s highest sand dunes and stark, craggy landscapes.

Add to that an amazing variety of desert-adapted wildlife (including elephants, leopards, cheetahs, endemic birds, rhinoceros and more), as well as the cold currents along the often-foggy coast that draw enormous numbers of shorebirds, seals, dolphins, sea turtles and other animals.

Other reasons to visit include the country?s geology and gems, cave paintings and diverse tribes.

? Rwanda: This small, mountainous country is famous for its mountain gorillas in Volcano National Park, the site of Dian Fossey?s pioneering work in the habituation and conservation of these gentle giants that was portrayed in the book and film, ?Gorillas in the Mist?.

? South Africa: With two oceans, savannah, scrubland, deserts, high plateaus and mountains, South Africa offers equally varied wildlife, but also big cities with shopping malls, wine routes, the luxurious Blue Train, the Vegas-style Sun City and other first-world luxury experiences.

Many types of outdoor adventure and activities are more easily accommodated here than in other countries.

? Tanzania: In one of the finest wildlife-watching countries of Africa, it?s also a thrill to combine it with the experience of descending into Ngorongoro, the world?s largest intact volcanic crater.

It shares the famed Serengeti with Kenya and is home to Gombe Stream, where Jane Goodall has led studies of chimpanzees for 45 years.

? Uganda: Chimpanzees and smaller primates, plus mountain gorillas, draw visitors, as does the tremendous diversity of other wildlife, including birds. The countryside is gorgeous. And Uganda is vastly less touristy than neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania.

? Zambia: Victoria Falls, one of nature?s scenic wonders, and the Zambezi River form the border with Zimbabwe and visitors won?t go home unhappy with a view from either country.

Zambia?s 53 national parks and reserves are spread among wildlife-rich savannah, wetlands and forests. Some camps are noted for walking safaris and night drives.

? Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls and three major national parks ? Matusadona, Mano Falls and Hwange ? are currently safe for visitors, who will have a magnificent experience viewing eagles, large herds of elephants, sable antelope and dozens of other mammal and bird species.

An infinitesimal amount of your money will go to the repressive government, while the bulk supports wildlife and the people (and families) working at the lodges and parks.