Safari Planning 101
By Christine Stander
Planning an African safari need not be as daunting a task as it may first appear. Rest assured, there are more than sufficient safari options out there, it's about creating the one that suits you! The most important rule is that you need to prioritize according to you or your party's personal requirements.
Firstly, you need to decide on two main factors:
1. What is your perception of what constitutes a "safari"? For many first time safari travellers, the decision to go on safari often stems from something simple like a documentary seen on TV, an article in a travel magazine, or even a story recounted by a friend. Not to say this is a bad thing! The quality of wildlife documentaries we see today are absolutely astounding. My point is that often, we create a picture of a safari in our minds, based on this type of information. This brings me to the next important factor.
2. The expectation of what you want to experience on your safari. First rule is to be realistic. It is always important to remind yourself that the footage seen in a 30 minute wildlife documentary on The Discovery Channel, might have taken a dedicated team of professionals, a year to shoot. It is therefore important to be realistic about expectations bearing in mind the most important restraints namely: time and money.
Time
The average duration for a safari vacation is 4 days! How can that be? I hear you asking yourselves. What can you see in such a short time? The answer is simple: A lot! It depends of course on what you would like to see. For example, if it is the big 5 ( i.e. lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, elephant ) you are after, we can almost guarantee that in a three night stay you will see all 5 of these majestic creatures and more depending on the game reserve!
Bear in mind that most first time safari goers, incorporate a safari into an itinerary that covers other areas of interest or destinations. For example in a 10 day itinerary, most first time visitors to Southern Africa will incorporate at least three destinations for example a safari, a few nights at Victoria Falls and perhaps a visit to Cape Town. If it is intense safari you are looking for, a week is a really good length of time.
My point: You don't need a lot of time! Don't see time as a restraining factor when planning your safari.
Safari Destinations - When and where do I go?
Most people tend to decide on a destination first and then try and piece it together to make their safari "fit in" to what they were hoping to achieve.
Although this is understandable, when it comes to planning a safari, this can be a case of "putting the cart before the horse" or elephant in this case.
A safari is dynamic; it is not a trip to the zoo. The animals are not caged for our viewing pleasure. Many animals are territorial or endemic to specific regions, also, many species move, often over large distances. For example if you are planning on going on safari to Zambia but wanted to see rhino, there are only two! Yes, that is the number. Two left in the whole country. The rest have been hunted out!
Also, the environment in which these animals live is ever changing. The changing seasons affect animal behaviour, as well as the terrain, the vegetation and the game viewing quality in general.
* Some safari destinations are remote and only accessible by light aircraft, for example in areas of Botswana and Zambia, while others for example in South Africa like the Kruger National Park, are easily accessible by road.
* Some regions are closed for long periods during the rainy season (November - May).
* Some safari lodges do not allow children, but many do.
* In some regions the problem of malaria exists, but there are areas that offer malaria free safaris.
* Some destinations offer game viewing on foot with an armed ranger, in an open 4X4 vehicle, a dug out canoe, or by hot air balloon for that matter.
* Some safari lodges are rustic tented camps while others are drop dead gorgeous, 6 star luxury with all the trimmings right down to your own private plunge pool and butler.
No two safari lodges are the same. Each lodge has a different location, different feel, different look, different activities, different vegetation, different wildlife or something that is unique.
So first narrow down what you want to achieve and then find the destination that best suits those requirements.
Money
You are probably wondering why the question of money is not at the top of this list, seeing that it is probably the biggest factor when planning a safari?
What do I mean? Well to those of you that don't know, a safari and specifically, staying in a safari lodge is not cheap and if you are offered one that is cheap, it is probably going to be nasty!
A safari is expensive due to a few criteria: * Firstly, it is not a hotel.
* Apart from the activities, excursions, staff and infrastructure you will experience at a safari lodge, there is a lot that needs to be created behind the scenes in order to support and maintain such an establishment. In order to offer each guest an authentic safari experience in an eco-sensitive area without negatively affecting the environment, while still being able to offer in many cases a 5 star experience takes a lot of effort and ultimately money.
* Many safari lodges are small intimate establishments, created in remote areas so as to be able to offer the unique feeling of being in the wilderness with no visible signs of human habitation like fences, tarred roads, buildings and other people. The idea is to get away from the madding crowd and be at one with nature.
* Many safari operators and game lodges involve and employ people from the local community and in many instances the lodge is the lifeblood of many villages providing in addition to employment, much of their infrastructure like schools, clinics, etc. In most lodges there is a ratio of at least two staff members for every guest.
From a safari planners point of view, it certainly makes life easier knowing up front, how much you plan on spending on your safari HOWEVER, we would always advise that most important is to create the right safari experience and if it involves spending a bit more, it is a small price to pay in the scheme of things. Your main goal is that of realizing your safari dreams and expectations.
A qualified safari expert will be able to guide you through a range of questions that may identify which experience would be your ideal, and most memorable.
About the Author
Excape Tours & Travel have been providing tailor made safaris to southern Africa since 1996. They pride themselves in their attention to detail and their ability to provide personal service when planning tours and safaris that are custom created to suit the individual.