6 Tips for Planning Your African Safari

1.     Guided versus Self-Guided:

Imagine driving a new neighborhood and looking for your destination without a GPS. That’s what a self-guide safari feels like, but with instead of not finding your house, you miss all the spectacular wildlife that you wanted to see in the first place!

When you meet your guide they ask, “What would you like to see the most?” and based on their knowledge and experience, they do the best of their ability (and your luck) to meet that expectation. But driving yourself means you have to navigate a foreign park whilst also searching for animals. Save yourself the hassle and stress and spend a little extra for a guided safari!

2.     Choose your animals:

Africa is a huge continent and for that reason each safari in every country has a little different feel. Most safaris try to feature the Big 5 (Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Rhino and Elephant – the animals most dangerous to hunt on foot), but knowing what you want to see most can help guide your safari decision.

Choose what you want to see most and then find a park that has the biggest population and therefore the best chance of seeing it. For example, Chobe National Park in Botswana has one of the largest elephant populations, so if that’s your goal, head there! As for the best Big 5 viewing, the Masai Mara in Kenya, Kruger National Park in South Africa and the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania are very popular locations for safari adventures!

With that said, also look into different parks and reserves treat their animals and the conservation work they do. Walking with lions, or cheetah encounters, may get lots of likes on Instagram, but might not be the best for the animal. Look into the work parks do with conservation, and also use that to choose your experience.

3.     Lodge versus Bush Camping:

There are safari accommodations for every traveler. Decide if you want to Bush Camp and sleep among the animals (its safe!) or whether a lodge with a bed, strong walls and sit-down dining is more your style. Not all safari destinations offer Bush Camping, so decide what experience you want and go from there.

4.     Safari Type:

When you decide to safari there are tons of different methods in which you can see the animals. From driving to walking, you can also mountain bike, travel by boat, view from a hot air balloon and even ride camels or horses. The most popular is obviously driving safaris, but the other options are always offered, so if that is the way you want to safari, use your method as the starting point for your planning.

5.     Timing and Location:

Africa has seasons characterized by rainy and wet along with very hot and more mild temperatures. This also affects the animals and their movement. So before booking your safari look at the best time of year to visit and take in factors such as heat, rain and animal movement to get the best possible experience. If you’re not comfortable in the heat look at destinations that are bit colder, or go during the winter months (remember winter is the opposite time of year in the southern hemisphere!)

6.     Don’t limit yourself just to safari:

Safari is great, but Africa and its countries have so much to offer adventurers in addition to just the stereotypical safari. Look at other activities that you can do in conjunction with your trip, and combine them. Driving 4-6 hours each day can get grueling and routine, so add some non-safari adventures to your itinerary.

For example, Etosha National Park in Namibia can be bundled in with a visit to Sossusvlei or the Skeleton Coast. Kruger National Park is just a short drive from the mountains of Swaziland or the beaches of Mozambique. In Tanzania or Kenya you’re just a short flight from the beautiful island of Zanzibar. Many people combine safari in Botswana with a trip to Victoria Falls. In many cases you can choose a safari and an adventure company to help with all of those plans and develop a package fit best fit for your adventure goals.