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Choosing Your African Safari

By Nicole Harrison, Wildland Adventures

A herd of elephant feed peacefully on the lush green grass that rolls over the hills like a carpet.  A light breeze ruffles your hair and carries the strong scent of the elephants to your nose. Your guide whispers in thick accented English about elephant family structure. The sky is a deep blue, with wispy white clouds dancing along the horizon. This moment is like a dream – but it can be your reality once you make sense of all of the choices available to travelers who want to discover Africa.

Choosing the right African safari can be overwhelming and, at times, confusing. Many travelers are unsure of what style of safari would best suit them and their interests. Regardless of which safari destination you choose, you will not be disappointed in the diversity and wonder of the wildlife viewing. You cannot make a bad decision! To make the best safari selection, it is important to determine how you want to experience African hospitality, culture and wildlife.

Travel with a high quality tour operator has many advantages The most important part of your safari will be the guide (or guides) who accompanies you. You will want to travel with outstanding English-speaking, naturalist driver guides, savvy to local circumstances, ecology and travel conditions. Environmentally and culturally sensitive outfitters will employ local residents who are trained professionals who know Africa’s routes, customs, cultures and natural environments where you are traveling.

They also offer high standards of personal integrity and concern for your individual safety and interests. Your group will be small, ranging in size from two to 25 people. Expect delicious and plentiful cuisine, first-rate camp equipment, personal and attentive service, access to remote areas and a sincere effort to fill your exploration with incomparable quality encounters with local cultures in natural environments.

Another essential part of your safari experience is lodging. The variety of accommodation styles throughout Africa is staggering. Choices range from six-star hotels with all of the comforts of a full service staff to small backpacker tents where guests participate in chores and preparation of meals over a camp fire. Whatever your comfort level, there is room for you in Africa.

Game lodges are full-service luxury hotels reminiscent of Africa’s colonial era. These lodges will remind you of upscale hotels from home, except they have spectacular wilderness settings, often located in or near the borders of popular national parks. Many are deluxe accommodations with all the trimmings -- marble entryways, concierge in uniform and white gloves, elegant dining rooms and large swimming pools. Authentic interactions with local people are rare because most staff work behind the scenes, limiting your exposure to local cultures. Evening performances are common and typically include a traditional dance.

Guests choosing game lodges often travel as part of a privately guided group on an overland safari to various lodges. Those guests experience game drives on their own schedule and for any length of time. This type of safari is easily carried out in East Africa, where roads link most game parks and distances between parks are shorter than those in Southern Africa. At an extra cost, travelers can also fly between game lodges. This maximizes time in the wilderness area and eliminates long overland transfers. Guests who fly in participate in game viewing activities provided by the lodge at scheduled times. Game lodge safaris are in 4x4 Land Rovers equipped with seating for up to eight guests.

Many national parks, where game lodges are located, have restrictions against walking or getting out of the vehicle.  In East Africa, vehicles are enclosed with wide viewing windows and “pop tops,” so guests can stand and search for wildlife. In Southern Africa, open-air vehicles, often with tiered seating, are used for 360-degree viewing.  Game viewing excursions occur in the early morning and late afternoon, when wildlife is most active. The middle of the day is spent resting, journal writing and relaxing in the lodges’ common areas or at poolside.

Permanent camps feature all of the amenities of a hotel except guests can hear, smell and feel the African night. Connect with your surroundings from your spacious, well appointed canvas- walled accommodations. Tents are often covered by a thatched roof and always have private facilities with hot water showers. Solar-powered lights or hurricane lamps are used, and camps have a common dining area.

Permanent tent camps are more intimate than game lodges, consisting of three to 30 tents situated near a water hole, river bank or scenic vista. In a permanent camp, you may hear hyena calling in the night and feel the night air on your skin as you burrow beneath the blankets of your comfortable bed. Dining is casual and meals creative and delectable.

Evening entertainment at permanent or mobile camps is “bush TV” – local speak for sitting around a campfire with other guests, trading stories. Camps are often set in secluded areas around a national park or private reserve and usually have a cleverly hidden fence barrier between the camp area and the wilderness. Wildlife is part of the camp experience and occasional animal visitors such as baboons, hippos, and curious elephants are sometimes chased away by staff – lest they get too comfortable around humans.

Permanent tent camps offer an array of wildlife explorations for inquisitive, active travelers.  Stretch your legs on a bush walk, over flat terrain, learning how to track wildlife or spend an afternoon in a bird blind or hippo hide, secretly observing the animals who wander by. Paddle a canoe along the waterways of Africa or fish in a river – all based from permanent camps.

The remote locations of permanent tent camps often mean that select groups of travelers can enjoy the immediate environment without the crowds experienced in bigger game lodges. Most camps have a nearby airstrip, making them ideal choices for fly-in safaris, which are popular in Southern Africa due to the vast distances and few roads between private reserves. Overall, these camps are personalized to the interests of their guests and take every possible rough edge off the adversity of being in the bush.

Mobile camps are similar to permanent tent camps, but their mobility gives travelers unparalleled access to seasonal wildlife migrations. Because they move into private sites in different areas, unlike permanent tent camps, there are no barriers between a mobile camp and the wilderness.  Mobile camping puts you in the domain of the wildlife – you are a part of it, not just an observer on the periphery.

It is not uncommon for various animal tracks to dot the fire circle or along the walking trails outside of camp. One of our travelers had a lion fall asleep next to her canvas tent!  She spent a magical moonlit night watching his silhouette rise and fall with each deep breath he took. When this lion had rested enough, he simply wandered back into the bush. This is true African mobile camping! Mobile camps vary greatly in style and level of services; some common types are described below.

Luxury mobile camps include large, walk-in, canvas tents with wood-frame beds, private bath, and places to store luggage and clothing. Like a permanent tent camp, staff attends to all details and services. Gourmet meals accompanied by fine wines are served on china. The difference between permanent camps and luxury mobile camps is that during the day, while guests are on safari, staff breaks down the camp and moves it to the next wilderness location. 

Simple mobile camps are a less expensive alternative to luxury mobile camps. Travelers share bath and shower facilities, and cots or sleeping pads are used instead of beds with mattresses.  This is a more rustic type of camping than the luxury mobile camps. For example the shared bath facilities consist of a “long drop” pit toilet and bucket shower.

Depending on the outfitter, there are varying levels of guest participation on a mobile safari. You might have a full camp staff or guests might assist with camp chores such as collecting firewood, cooking meals, setting up tents, and helping pack the vehicles. These simple and participatory camps get you into the heart of wilderness areas and allow you to spend time with the camp staff in a casual setting.  Bath facilities can vary with different safari outfitters; therefore, it is wise to clarify before booking. Group size is often less than 10 travelers on any mobile safari.

Budget camping trips are based around a large lorry or flat-bedded truck outfitted with 18 to 25 center-facing seats. The trucks are slow and can be quite dusty depending on the weather. Forward visibility is limited, but the elevated perspective is good for game spotting. They are not as maneuverable as Land Rovers and occasionally break down. Most groups spend at least a little time waiting while the vehicle is repaired. The ride is rough and noisy in contrast to a well maintained 4X4 land rovers used on mobile safaris. The food is simple and collectively prepared.

Good humor, patience and adaptability are essential attributes on your emotional packing list. Flexibility is key—as itineraries are not always followed to the letter. These trips often have a multi-national clientele though the common language is usually English. Camps are set in public sites and travelers provide their own equipment such as sleeping bag.  Group size is 16 to 25 travelers.

Your decision to travel in one of these styles will lead to an unforgettable adventure among the people and wildlife of Africa.  So, get out there!  The elephants are waiting for you.

Nicole Harrison works with wildlife at the Woodland Park Zoo, in Seattle, and studied wildlife management in Kenya.