What is a Safari like? This is one of the many questions that most inquisitive first timer tourists always ask. The Safari provides a veritable gold mine of difficult to find information and natural answers to many questions.
This blog post will discuss your thoughts. I will match the experience you are looking for with one of more than a hundred safaris we have to offer, putting you one step closer to experiencing the safari of your dreams.
What is a Safari Like: An Experience
“Alephaant, allephanntt,” the Masai softly said as he escorted us to dinner that evening. Neither of us could understand him until he shined his flashlight on a tree – sized elephant browsing not fifty feet from where we stood. It was then I realized why we were requested to wait for the spear-wielding Masai assigned to our tent to escort us to dinner.
The pathway to the dinning tent was covered with giant pizza-sized footprints that were not there forty-five minutes earlier. Carrying a spear in these part is not bad!
The dinning tent was filled with people from the four corners of the earth, reveling in camaraderie and sumptuous cuisine by candlelight. An excellent selection of wines and desserts complemented the meal.
After dinner we sat around roaring fire, listening to bush lore from our entertaining host. Later we watched hippo grazing only a few feet from our tent. The night was alive with the sounds and scents of the Africa we had dreamed of – the untamed wilderness where man is but a temporary guest and not a controller of time, season and nature.
Only then did we retire to our comfortable deluxe tent with some private facilities to sleep that gentle sleep which comes with a sigh of contentment. Now we should be getting the real answer behind the question, what is a safari like?
What happens on Safari?
What is a typical day in a Safari like? Most safaris are centred around guests participating in two or three activities per day, such as game drives in minivans or four-wheel drive in a vehicle. A game drive simply consists of having your guide drive you around a park or reserve in search of wildlife.
Most activities last two to four hours and are made when the wildlife is most active: early morning, often before breakfast, just after breakfast, in the late afternoon and at night (where allowed). Midday activities might include lazing around the swimming pool, reading or taking a nap.
After an exhilarating day on safari, many guests return to revel in the day’s adventure over exquisite European cuisine in comfortable lodges and camps.
The kind and quality of experiences one has on safari varies greatly from country to country, and even from park to park within the same country. For instance, going on safari in East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) is completely different from going on safari in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana.
Simply watching wildlife anywhere in Africa is an experience in itself. However, more and more people are preferring to travel away from the crowd and wish to personally experience more from the safari than just seeing animals.
How can this be done? By choosing a safari that includes parks which are not crowded and afford the feeling of being more in the bush.
Choose reserves that allow you to participate in activities that make you a more integral part of the safari, like walking and canoeing. Choose smaller camps and lodges that are unfenced, allowing wildlife to walk freely about the ground.
Another excellent way to get the most out of your safari is to have a private safari arranged for you. A private safari immediately becomes your safari.
You do not have to bow to the wishes of the majority of the group or the strictly set itinerary of group departures. You are basically free to do what you wish to during the day as long as your guide can get you to your camp or lodge before nightfall.
Depending on your park or reserve, safari activities might include day game drives, night drives, walks, boat safaris, canoeing, kayaking, white-water rafting, ballooning, mountain climbing, fishing – the options are almost endless.
Dispelling myths about travel on the dark continent
Many prospective travelers to Africa seem to think that if they go on an African safari they may have to stay in mud or grass huts or little pup tents and eat strange foods even though they still have this interest of asking questions of what is a safari like.
Which means that they are quite inquisitive and eager to come and see for themselves but then the belief of the myths of the dark continent still exists amongst them. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Almost all of the top parks and reserves covered in this guide have deluxe or first class (Class A or B by our grading system) lodges or camps (with private bathroom facilities) serving excellent food, specifically designed to cater to the discerning traveler’s needs. Going on safari can be a very comfortable, fun-filled adventure.
Most prospective travelers to Africa have voiced their fear of being overwhelmed by mosquitoes and other insects, or the fear of encountering snakes on safari.
However, most travelers return pleasantly surprised, having found that insects and small snakes are a much greater problem in their own neighborhood than on safari. In over fifteen years of travel to Africa, I have only seen about five snakes – and I had to look for them!
The fact is, most safaris do not take place in the jungle, but on open savannah during the dry season when the insect populations are at a minimum. In addition, the best time to go on safari after asking what is a safari like for most of the countries is during the winter period, which is when many snakes hibernate.
Also, many parks are located over three thousand feet in altitude, resulting in cool to cold nights, further reducing the presence of any pests.
In any case, except for walking safaris, most time spent in the bush will be spent in the safety of a vehicle or boat.
