A safari in Africa is one of the most exciting wilderness experiences you can have in your life. From watching large herds of elephant at close range, to sleeping in a luxury camp, to driving a 4×4 on remote roads, to sipping a glass of wine as the sun sets, to listening to the roar of waterfalls, to flying over the savannah in a light aircraft, there is something for everyone.
However, going on safari requires some planning to ensure the best possible experience. In this article, safari expert Gonzalo Gimeno, CEO of Elefant Travel, who has been travelling the continent for over 18 years, shares his tips for going on safari in Africa.
He tells us that the key variables are the time of year, the topography, the area, the level of physical activity and the accommodation.
When and where to go on safari?
The location and timing of the safari are the two most important factors affecting the overall safari experience.
East Africa, is the home of the Sunday afternoon documentary. Kenya and Tanzania are a great choice for safari because of the fertile grasslands that provide food for the large herds of herbivores and carnivores. The great migration consists of a herd of one and a half million wildebeest and zebra that follow the cycle of the of the rainy season in search of the greenest grasslands between the Masai Mara and the Serengeti. It is important to choose the area to visit depending on where the herd is in the month you are travelling.
To get an idea of the scale, the area of the Serengeti and Masai Mara is over 15,000 square kilometres, 50% larger than the province of Asturias, and each month the herd is in a different area. Carnivores follow herbivores, and the likelihood of seeing a large number of animals depends on the quality of the advice given by the safari operator.
The month in which we travel determines the destination and the quality of the safari, and there are destinations for every month. This means that with good advice, you can travel all year round and not be disappointed.
Importance of topography
A safari can be a wonderful experience, or it can be monotonous day after day. The human eye gets used to everything, and what looked like a beautiful zebra on the first day may look like a striped mule on day three. This is why it is important to study the topography when planning a safari.
The characteristics of the terrain will allow us to spend a few days in different ecosystems and not be monotonous, and although we will see similar animals, they will behave very differently. We could see a herd of elephants in the savannah among the acacias, and if we choose the area well, in a few days we could see them swimming in a river full of crocodiles, or crossing the Kalahari desert, losing a lot of weight due to dehydration. It is the same elephant, but we will be able to observe its habits in a very different way.
From the Namib or Kalahari deserts, the Makgadikgadi salt flats that are the size of Cantabria, the Congo River basin, the Zambezi River and its toothy tiger fish, the plains of the Masai Mara and the Serengeti, or the Okavango Delta where the river curiously flows and dies inland rather than towards the coast, the terrain demands any planning.
How physically demanding is it?
A safari can be done comfortably in a large 4×4, now often electric, without the noise of the engine, or on foot, accompanied by what we call a mobile safari, or on horseback.
The traditional safari consists of a combination of light aircraft and comfortable vehicles. The planes take us from one point to another and then we go out in big cars with all the comforts.
A walking safari is a very special experience that requires logistical organization since the entire camp, including showers and kitchen, is set up and dismantled daily. There is a support team and the whole safari is led by specialized guides. Less distance is covered, but it allows us to live a unique skin-deep experience.
National Park or Conservation Zone
It is important to understand the difference between a national park such as the famous Kruger, Masai Mara, Serengeti or Etosha and a conservation area.
A national park is regulated and you can only go on safari in a vehicle from sunrise to sunset. It is forbidden to get out of the car and you have to follow the defined paths. The advantage is that the animals are very used to the cars, and are very relaxed. This allows us to see them very closely.
A conservation area is a piece of land, usually large (the size of a province in any European country), where a few camps manage the area. Their aim is to protect the ecosystem and achieve harmony with the local population. These areas have a very low density of visitors and vehicles and, not being regulated as a reserve, allow activities such as night outings. This exclusivity is usually accompanied by a higher cost.
Lodging
One of the iconic images of safari we all have in our minds are those beautiful tents, fully furnished in the purest vintage style. Well, the good news is that they do exist and they look just like the pictures. The “lodges” are more like a small hotel with independent cottages. Tented camps are the camps we all have in mind. There are simpler ones and others that surprise with their level of equipment and decoration details. There are few, but excellent private villas.
Big houses of course, all of them decorated “magazine style” for family safaris. Almost all of them have either their own airstrip or a nearby airstrip that they share with nearby lodges that can be reached by plane or helicopter.
In short, planning a safari requires extensive knowledge of the continent, most importantly, of the traveller. Depending on what our expectations are, the design of a safari will have to be one way or another.
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