Have you always wanted to go on an African safari? From deciding how to go, where to go, what to bring, and sharing our experiences. We’ll get you started planning the best safari of your life. We love gazing at elephants, zebras, and giraffes to name a few, and we know you’ll want to do it over and over again.
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Types of African Safaris and Tours
There are so many ways to achieve your safari dream, but let’s face it, traveling in Africa seems daunting. It was for me. So, when we started getting serious about finally doing a safari, we looked into so many options.
Some of the types of tours are:
- Overlanders
- Luxury to budget group tours
- Lodge Stays
- Self-drives or individual road trips with a driver
What’s an Overlander?
An overlander tour is a group of budget travelers who sign on for a portion or the whole circular route on a massive 4-wheel drive bus/truck contraption. Compared to most tours, it’s definitely the cheapest way to go on a group tour where you don’t have to do anything except follow the guide. Well, you are camping most days, and from what I understand, chores are assigned. It’s budget!
Jim and I actually considered this option because it seemed pretty adventurous, but the more we thought about it, we just couldn’t do it.
Africa Group Tours
If you are interested in group tours, there are thousands of options out there. The two biggest concerns are the cost and where they go. Africa is a huge continent, and many countries have national parks where animals can be seen, so narrowing down where you want to go might be the hardest part of your decision-making process. Once you book, you can turn over all decisions to the experts.
If you don’t mind following a group, not being in charge, and having a rather uniform experience, this is definitely a great option, especially for your very first Africa trip. Jim and I, though, are not big fans. We want to go on excursions where we are not competing for the best jeep seats or jockeying for position and following a crowd. We really just like to do it on our own.
Plus, when I say cost is a factor, it’s going to cost you at least three times as much to go on a group tour with 15-20 of your closest friends than if you do it solo. Just saying.
African Lodge Stays
A more luxurious option is to book a lodge on your own, get there for a few days or a week, and let the lodge determine your trip. Many of these lodges are in super remote, fly-in locations. The good thing is that you’re not moving every day. You get to know the workers at the lodge. You can relax and let the animals come to you.
The downside is that you don’t get to see as much as if you were driving around, and this is also not a cheap option.
There is too much to see in all the locations that Jim and I plan on going, so this will never be an option for us. We like to move.
Safari Self-Drives
For us, the perfect option for traveling around Africa is a self-drive. We’ve done a few now, and we’re sold.
Both times, we worked with the rental car company to create a good itinerary. They even book the lodges and hotels for you. You can drive yourself or pay extra to have a driver do the work. We’ve always driven ourselves, but we have friends who used the same company we did and hired a driver. They loved it.
This is still not the cheapest way to see Africa, because rental cars, paperwork, gas, and accommodations can still add up, but we feel it’s the best way to figure out what the country is really about.
You can also lessen the cost by doing all the planning and reservations yourself and just renting the car. It’s up to you.
Our Tips for Enjoying your African Safari
After a few safaris, we’ve developed a rhythm for our days and preferences. Granted, these will be different for each person, but some of our tips are universal and will hopefully make your trip that much smoother and more enjoyable.
Research, Research, Research
We can’t stress this enough. You really need to do your due diligence when picking the right type of safari for you. Do you like to hike? Do you want totally luxury? Do you want to save money? Do you want to see more than just animals? Which country are you the most interested in?
There are so many questions and so many options, and especially if this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, you want to get it right. For example, whenever people talk of safaris, you really only hear about Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. Still, it’s a vast continent, and other countries might offer you more for less money. We found this to be true when we traveled to Uganda, which was not one of the countries that I had previously thought about visiting. So yeah, research is vital.
Optional Excursions from Your Lodge
If you are on your own, each place you stay will offer you choices on when to go on the game or boat safaris. We’ve found that going in the early morning, just after dawn, or early evening around sunset, are the absolute best times to see wildlife.
Also, a number of places we’ve been have offered night safaris, and these never disappoint. Even though it’s harder to take photos, the experience has always been really fun, and you get to see animals that you would never otherwise come across because they sleep during the day.
The other tip here, is if there is an option to do a boat ride instead of a jeep, take it! Every time we’ve done boat safaris we’ve seen animals much closer up. They tend to stay pretty close, if not in, the water, and for the most part don’t seem to mind boats as much as cars. Take the boat ride!
About the Food
First of all, before you leave the city, go to a store and buy some snacks and water. There is not much in-between places in any of the countries we’ve visited. The drives can be long and thirsty. Just be prepared.
Secondly, don’t worry about the food at the lodges. We’ve definitely stayed in some of the lower end accommodations, along with not so budget, and no matter where we’ve been, the food has been phenomenal. Really good.
We’ve had a combination of local meats and produce to more run-of-the-mill western fare, and all of it has been done well. Also, we’ve never had any stomach issues. Go ahead and bring your anti-diarrhials, but more than likely you’ll be fine.
Our favorites were the many kinds of squash we had almost every night we were in Botswana. Wow!
Also, the lodges know the best time to see animals just happens to be when westerners like to eat. So, talk to them and find out the earliest or latest you can still eat and get to go on the best-timed drives. You’ll be glad you did.
What to Bring
The great thing about being on safari is that everyone is doing the exact same thing you are, so you don’t have to dress to impress.
Bring:
- Light colored clothes (read: beige), because it doesn’t attract bugs.
- Wide-brimmed hat, fleece for evenings, knee socks, and good walking shoes.
- A torch or flashlight. No matter where you stay, you will probably need it at some point.
- Lots of card-readers for your camera, your charging gear, and charge them every.single.night! Also the largest lens you have or can rent.
- Cash. There are ATMs around, but it’s nice not to have to rely on them.
- All your medications and prescriptions, as well as proof of your immunizations and copies of your passport.
More Reading about the African Safaris We’ve Been On
Click on the links below to find out more about each place we’ve done a safari. Which one is right for you?
Botswana
Madagascar
Namibia
South Africa
Uganda
- Queen Elizabeth National Park – Kazinga Channel
- Isasha Lions
- Chimpanzee Trekking
- Trekking with Bwindi Gorillas
- 2 Week Itinerary for a Uganda Self-Drive
Zambia
No matter where you go for an African Safari, I guarantee, you’ll love it and want to keep going back over and over again.
If you enjoyed planning a safari...
Podcaster Bios for Jim and Corinne: Jim and Corinne are a married couple who love everything travel. Having met and married in Germany, they’ve never stopped. Along the way, they have raised two kids, visited over 90 countries (including every country in Europe), and have plenty of stories and travel tips to share. Read more about them on our About page.