The exhilaration of a safari is failed by words and undersold by photos. It must be experienced. I also hesitate to call safaris a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, because you could go on a million and never have the same experience.
And once you get a taste for safaris, the yearning for the wild never truly leaves you. That said, safaris are some of the most logistically challenging and extravagant trips you can take. If you have one chance at your safari, you want to make it count.
When I had my first safari experience in South Africa, I decided to rest on the assumed expertise of my husband, a Cape Town local. But I naively conflated Cape Town, a bustling metropolis, with the rugged landscape of the Karoo where we safari’ed. Spoiler: we were wildly underprepared.
While my first safari has a place in my heart as one of the best trips of my life, if I was given a do-over, there are many things I would do differently. If you have an upcoming safari planned, or dream of taking one someday, read on so that you don’t have to learn the hard way like me.
In this article
- Plan to Bookend Your Safari
- Avoid Common Transfer Headaches
- Don’t Go it Alone: Choose Tour Operators for Less Stress
- Understand That There Are Different Levels to Safaris
- Don’t Expect to See All of the Big Five
- Pack a Book or Journal
- Safaris Have Impact on Local Communities—Make It a Good One
- Bring Clothes for Every Season
- Want to See the Most? Invest in Good Binoculars
- Clearly Communicate Dietary Needs
- The Shortcut
Plan to Bookend Your Safari
Safaris are located in remote locations far beyond the reaches of urban life. The further out you venture, the more untouched the landscape and wildlife become. Trying to parachute into the desert from a long-haul flight is a recipe for burnout.
To ease into the experience without feeling rushed, bookend your safari with stays near where you are flying in and out.
The gateway locales often have as much to discover as the safari destination, and you don’t want to miss out. For example, catch your breath when you arrive at a locally owned five-star resort in Kigali before driving toward the Rwandan mountains to go gorilla trekking, or kick up your feet on the penguin-populated beaches of Cape Town before heading into the Karoo.
Safaris are best done as part of a larger itinerary so you can seep in the enjoyment, rather than wading through a jet-lagged fever dream. You don’t want to speed through all the beauty there is in Africa.
Avoid Common Transfer Headaches
So you've arrived in your port city, taken a few days to decompress (because you listened to tip No. 1!), and ahead of you stretches a rugged, winding journey to the final safari destination. You might want to tackle the next part yourself, but I’d advise strongly against it.
Here’s a little story to explain why.
My husband is a born-and-bred Cape Townian. In a moment of hubris, we decided to handle our own transfer from the Mother City to the game reserve. The drive itself was seven hours of the scenic route, and all was well until our tiny Volkswagen got stuck in a ditch of the Karoo and we had to push it out.
Even for a local, making that drive is not for the faint of heart, or the faint of four-wheel drive.
Renting a car abroad isn’t always the move, especially in locales like Africa with complicated backroads. For tourists seeking a seamless journey, it's best to leave it to the pros. Employ a full-service tour operator who will pick you up from your starting hotel, or book a reservation that offers transfers to bring you out to your safari meeting point.
Don’t Go it Alone: Choose Tour Operators for Less Stress
To tour guide or not to tour guide, that is the question. I'll admit it, as someone who writes about destinations for her daily bread, the idea of employing a tour operator sounded like forfeiting my favorite vacation pregame: the planning.
But on an African safari, that’s not so. Tour operators are like a gentle hand escorting you along, allowing you to be a passenger in your own itinerary, your only obligation being to enjoy the ride. Tour companies handle all the behind-the-scenes planning and support your journey remotely to make sure your entire itinerary runs smoothly.
Looking back on the logistics of our first safari, the stress of our car breaking down in the middle of the Karoo on our drive to the lodge, it would have been much easier with a tour guide to handle the planning.
If you don't want to stress about navigating to remote locations, arranging booking, and airport transfers, do yourself a favor and use a tour operator if it’s in your means. For multi-generational safaris, or guests flying on various itineraries, an experienced tour operator is a chaos-buster. Thank me later.
Understand That There Are Different Levels to Safaris
Before going on a safari, I envisioned no-frills canvas tent accommodations illuminated by lanterns.
My experience was far from that. It was miles past glamping, and actually one of the most luxurious stays of my life.
The five-star safari we ponied up for was lavish beyond my wildest dreams. Not only were the suites in the lodge sumptuous and modern, complete with four poster beds and fireplaces, the service was impeccable. The staff picked up on little preferences, like who was left-handed or the liquor we preferred, and catered to those desires preemptively.
After every drive, the lodge of the game reserve had been transformed for the next meal, each dining experience its own theater performance. One evening, the lodge had been reimagined with tiki torches and a blazing bonfire for a banquet braai. The next evening, we picnicked under the glittering sky in a star bed. Each game drive was led by a professional driver and a safari guide, a local naturalist who helps you to spot game.
Of course, there’s a safari to match every budget.
Growing up, my husband has fond memories of rest camps and self-driven game rides, observing wildlife from his family vehicle in Kruger National Park. While wallet-friendly, self-drives require a certain level of local knowledge and are not recommended for first-time travelers to Africa.
When it comes to planning a safari, there are tiered levels of accommodations and truly something for everyone. There’s a safari for every price-point, from budget rest camps to five-star resorts, to everything in between. Tour operators can help tailor an itinerary to your needs.
If you’re in the market for a high-octane adventure, perhaps self-driving a game car in a foreign country is the adrenaline rush for you. Personally? You can spot me at the game reserve having an ostrich burger on some thousand thread count sheets. Worth every penny.
Don’t Expect to See All of the Big Five
“The Big Five” is lingo for the most sought-after animals on an African safari: the Cape buffalo, lion, leopard, elephant and rhino. While many travelers book a safari excitedly expecting to see the Big Five, it’s far from a promise. In the national parks, wildlife is unmonitored and unbounded, meaning there is no guarantee that you will see any game.
At game reserves like the one I booked for my first experience, animals roam within an expanse of hundreds-to-thousands of square kilometers. The resort wildlife teams have a grasp on the animals’ bounds and keep close tabs. While the wildlife is free to roam a huge expanse of land, trackers’ systems approximate the animals’ migration patterns to give guests the best odds of witnessing big game. But they can’t force it to happen.
If I’m traveling cross-continent for a safari experience, I want to be fairly sure I’m going to see something. To give yourself the optimal chance at spotting wildlife, I recommend booking a game reserve, having enough time to go on multiple drives, investing in binoculars and employing a safari guide familiar with the local landscape to accompany you on expeditions.
On my first safari, I used all the above strategies and spotted four out of the Big Five during a three night stay—a rare score.
Pack a Book or Journal
Safaris are a dichotomy; they are as action-packed as they are peaceful. Game drives often take place at sunrise and sunset, when the wildlife is most likely to be observed.
Between daybreak and golden hour drives, there are periods of rest. There’s a lot of time to relax, pause, and integrate what you saw on the latest ride.
I didn’t realize there would also be ample unstructured time on a safari and had I known, I would have packed differently. I passed this time with backgammon and journaling about the game drives by the resort pool. If I were to run it back, I would’ve packed a few more beach reads.
Anticipate that these exhilarating excursions will be punctuated with periods of rest and plan accordingly. If you’re someone who can’t sit still (guilty!), opt for accommodations with a lot of amenities or pack things to keep yourself entertained. Oh, and it might not be the best Wi-Fi you have ever experienced, but it is a fabulous opportunity to unplug.
Safaris Have Impact on Local Communities—Make It a Good One
The worst safari is one that is exploitative of the animals, people, and local land for pure profit.
Consider the impact your dollars can have and take that responsibility seriously when booking your safari vacation.
Many safari resorts are excellent stewards of the land and communities that they inhabit. Others simply claim to be on their website.
Conducting due diligence on the legitimacy of a safari’s sustainability programming can be overwhelming and murky, but you can look for red flags to weed out the bad ones.
For example, if there is a promise of animal interaction, a “conservation fee” that is vague as to where the funds are directed, or a price that is suspiciously low to similar accommodations, back away fast. Always thoroughly vet a tour operator as opposed to taking them at face value.
Bring Clothes for Every Season
Safaris have intense temperature swings from day to night.
What might have been a 90 degree Fahrenheit day could have you shivering after one of the jaw-dropping African sunsets. Don’t ruin your trip by feeling uncomfortable. Come prepared with layers, such as sweaters and cozy socks for the evening, and lightweight clothing for the daytime.
Hiking boots are nice to have, but not totally essential. Good sneakers would do just the trick.
I learned that the hard way when I wore high heels on a game drive in the name of good photos. I immediately regretted it when the vehicle stopped and we were asked to walk for a lengthy portion on foot to see cheetah cubs from a distance. I do not recommend it. There’s no need to impress Mother Nature.
Want to See the Most? Invest in Good Binoculars
If you don’t pack binoculars, you might as well not go on a safari. This advice is harsh, but true.
When I packed for my first safari, binoculars were a bit of an afterthought. But they can make or break how much you see.
When you’re riding out and waiting for big game, there’s abundant wildlife to captivate your attention outside of the heavy hitters. A set of binos with serious magnifying power can bring astounding bird life into focus between the big spots.
In hindsight, I would have more carefully selected a set (or at least begged a friend to borrow their Leica pair). Binoculars specs are designated with two numbers, for example 10x25. The former represents the magnifying power, the latter the lens diameter size. Generally, as both of those numbers increase, so does the quality and price, though there are some nuances to selecting the perfect pair of binoculars.
Plus, the easiest way to become the most popular person in your game drive car is to have the nicest pair of binoculars.
Clearly Communicate Dietary Needs
Consider the logistics: everything at your safari destination needs to be procured from the surrounding area, which is often miles away.
So, the time to inform the staff about a major allergy or dietary restriction is not when you have a menu in your hand at the lodge restaurant.
At that point, ingredients will be sourced and there will be little they can do. And I can speak from experience when I say it’s incredibly challenging to improv a gluten-free option when the nearest provisions are a 90-minute round-trip drive.
Even if you’re furnishing your own safari for self-drive, pack accordingly for food and water and with intention. There’s no 24/7 bodega to pick up the incidentals that slipped your mind.
The Shortcut
Safaris are in isolated locales with dramatic temperature swings and ample downtime between game drives. Better to overpack than underpack.
Tour operators shine with safari planning. If you want to take the headaches out of what can be a logistically involved excursion, hire one.
There’s more to game drives than lions. Bring wildlife into focus with a powerful pair of binoculars. Look for specs with high magnification and a wide lens diameter.
Book a game reserve over a self-drive if it's your first time. Trackers approximate animal locations and give you a real shot at the Big Five. A self-drive doesn't.
