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Safari Basics: Your Journey Starts Here
Preparing for Africa should be as exciting as the trip itself. However it can be a daunting prospect and it can seem complicated.
I've compiled a brief snapshot of the basics provide the confidence you need to move from considering Africa to start planning your African adventure.
As part of the safari planning process I will guide you through the destinations, accommodation and ways to travel so that you can feel confident and assured each step of the journey.
How To Explore
Overland Camping Safari
Overland Accommodated Safari
Small Group Safari
This safari is for adventure seekers who wants a hands-on overland journey, camping under African skies, pitching in with chores and sharing an overland truck with like-minded travellers. A guide accompanies tours for the duration as well as a driver/cook. To keep the cost down less activities are included but can be purchased as optional extras. Trucks generally seat up to 24 passengers. Tents and mattresses are provided.
This safari is for travellers who want the same scheduled overland route and shared truck experience, but with the comfort of a bed throughout the adventure. These accommodated tours blend adventure with comfort, offering hand-picked lodges where you can enjoy a good night’s sleep in a real bed.
This safari usually has a maximum of 7- 12 guests and travel in more comfortable vehicles and a range of higher accommodation options. Travel may include a 7-seater 4WD vehicle, a 12-seater overland vehicle, a 12-seater minivan or a mixture of minivans and game-viewing vehicles.
Lodge-Based Safari
Self-Drive Safari
Fly-in Safari
This usually involves a longer stay at a lodge in or near a game reserve. A transfer takes you to the accommodation from a nearby city or regional airport. Safari activities are conducted from your accommodation in purpose built safari vehicles.
A self-drive safari allows the flexibility of travelling between each destination and pacing your own journey whilst also having the reassurance of confirmed accommodation. Self-drive safaris, most common in Namibia and South Africa, can involve rooftop tents, campervans or regular cars combined with hotel accommodation.
Fly-in safaris use light aircraft to shuttle you between wilderness regions, maximizing your time for wildlife encounters. By skipping long road transfers, you gain swift access to remote, high-end lodges tucked within private concessions and untouched ecosystems.
Safari by Rail
Rovos Rail and The Blue Train are the best known rail experiences in Africa. Extended journeys see passengers eat and sleep aboard the train over a number of days. Excursions are taken off the train for sightseeing and game-viewing activities.
Safari by Water
Internal Flights
The Zambezi Queen and the Chobe Princess are the best known water safaris. Situated on the Chobe River the boats also utilise small tender boats for further exploration throughout the 3 to 4 day tours. Houseboats are also common on Lake Kariba.
Distances between iconic destinations can be significant. Internal flights cut down travel time drastically, allowing you to maximize your safari experience. Rather than spending hours on the road, you can soar over breath-taking landscapes and land right in the heart of the action.
Minivan with Pop-Top Roof
Closed-Game Viewing 4WD
Open-Sided 4x4 Vehicles
Budget safari operators typically use closed minibuses with group sizes typically up to 9 passengers. They have air conditioning for the hot season, and their windows lower halfway.
However, photography from a minibus is consistently obstructed by glass reflections and camera angles are limited by the fixed window frame.
Road-based safaris, common in East Africa, where you travel from one national park to another use closed safari vehicles. Closed vehicles protect travellers from dust, wind, rain, and heat during long drives. Part of the roof pops up for better game viewing. A maximum of 6 people sit in the back and one passenger sits in the front.
Custom-designed open-sided Land Cruisers and Land Rovers have tiered seating and may have a canvas canopy for shade, giving guests uninterrupted 360-degree views. These vehicles are commonly used in Southern Africa and some private conservancies in East Africa. These vehicles offer enhanced visibility and a more immersive experience.
Safari Budgets Explained
This safari is for those travellers for which being in Africa is the priority.
You will often stay in basic accommodation, travel in larger groups, pitch in and help with chores and have less inclusions in the price.
Overland truck safaris are the backbone of budget safaris and allow you to travel from about $150 per person per day.
$ - Budget Safaris
These safaris are for those travellers who wish to stay in accommodation that is comfortable without costing too much money. A variety of permanent tents, guesthouses, lodges, and hotels available to the area are paired with travelling in a larger vehicle to reduce overall cost whilst ensuring you will have a comfy bed each night.
Other options may include self-drive tours in South Africa where guesthouses and lodges tend to be cheaper.
These safaris usually start from $250 per person per day and range to $500 per day depending upon location and inclusions.
$$ - Affordable Safaris
These safaris are for people who want a quality safari experience but don’t need luxury. These tours will often include authentic tented safari lodges, larger size lodges or mobile safaris with quality safari guides.
Travel between locations may be in closed 4WD game vehicles, 12 seater vehicles like Sprinter Vans or customised overland style trucks, with leather seats, USB charging ports and loads of space. However, once at the location, specialised safari vehicles are usually used for wildlife viewing.
These safaris usually start from $500 per person per day and range to $1000 per day depending upon location and inclusions.
$$$ - Mid-Range Safaris
$$$$ - Luxury Safaris
These safaris are for people who want great food, included beverages, luxury amenities, and excellent guides.
Understanding that you get what you pay for on safari, you spend a little more for high quality vehicles, more intimate and personalised experiences and loads of inclusions. Often flights are included to maximise your time on safari and minimise long transfers and rough roads. The accommodation often contributes extensively to the enjoyment of the safari and employs sustainable practices which contribute to the local community.
These safaris usually start from $1000 per person per day .
Types of Safari Arrangements
Set-departure safaris are safaris that have a scheduled departure date and usually are guaranteed to depart with a minimum number of clients.
These safaris allow you to choose a safari based on a set itinerary and clearly define what is included and optional. These tours are based on small groups and therefore offer the opportunity to travel with other like-minded people.
These set departures may have a specific focus such as women's only safaris, family safaris or photographic safaris to further refine who your fellow travellers may be.
Set departures often are available at a lower price as you are sharing costs between a greater number of people. The itinerary is usually fixed and variations and pacing are based upon group consensus.
Set Departures
Tailor-Made Safaris
Tailor-made safari holidays are designed specifically for you, taking into account your needs, wants and budget expectations. These safaris can start on the date that works for you and are guaranteed to depart.
These safaris are private to you. It’s a completely personalised journey, designed around you, not a fixed group or departure date. You choose where, when, and how you want to travel, and everything is built around that. Tailor-made safaris can range from a single destination to safaris that spa several destinations and countries.
As many set departures are based on four people, tailor-made tours can offer a comparable per person price when travelling with your own family or friends whilst maintaining the benefits of exclusivity and privacy.
Safari Extensions
Safari Extensions are the pre or post activities that you may choose to add to set departures. Safari extensions are usually short stay extensions where the focus will be on a particular activity or location.
Common safari extensions include gorilla or chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda and Uganda and beach breaks in Zanzibar or Mauritius. Other short stay extensions may include Greater Kruger National Park safaris or Victoria Falls stopovers.
Safari extensions add value to African Safaris by extending your stay in Africa , helping to improve the value of the international airfare to reach the continent.
Living the Safari Rhythm
From the first light over the savannah to sundowners under the acacia trees, every hour on safari is a moment to treasure. The below outlines a typical safari day.
5:30 am: Your wake-up call. Tea or coffee served at your tent or in the lodge. As the sky begins to lighten, make sure you have some warm layers for your game drive.
6:00 am: Morning safari drive departs. This is peak animal activity time. The light is golden and cool.
9:30 am: Return to your camp / lodge. Time for a full breakfast and more coffee. Time to review photos, rest, or talk through what you saw with your guide.
1:00 pm: Lunch at your lodge. This is the time to escape the midday heat. As the animals rest, you rest too. A dip in the pool, some time to read, relive moments looking through your photos or chat with others.
3:00 pm: Afternoon safari drive. As the heat eases, predators begin to move again. Often the most dramatic sightings of the day happen in the late afternoon light.
6:00 pm: Sundowner drinks may be taken on the game drive or back at your accommodation.
7:30 pm: Dinner under the stars as you recount the days adventures. Your guide will plan the next day's adventures with you based on animal movements and your interests.
When to Travel: Climates & Seasons
Understanding Africa's seasons is the first step to a successful safari. Whether you are chasing the Great Migration across the Serengeti or seeking the lush landscapes of the Okavango Delta, the timing of your visit affects everything from wildlife visibility to local temperatures.
Generally, the dry season offers the best game viewing as animals gather around permanent water sources and the vegetation is thin, while the 'Green Season' brings spectacular birdlife and newborn animals at a more relaxed pace and lower price.
Specific temperature and rainfall details are included for each country. See the destinations menu and then click on the specific country for more information.
