As we were about to take off for Johannesburg, South Africa, yet again, I was filled with elation and anticipation of going on another African safari. Just thinking about seeing the amazing wildlife, spectacular sunsets and scenery was so exciting. Finally, we were on our way!
We’ve planned this trip almost a year ago, so we were more than ready. We are blessed to have the opportunity to see those incredible African animals again.
If you decide to go on safari, you will not regret it and you’ll surely be as amazed as we were. A fair warning: safaris are addictive! And you may get hooked! We did!
By the time we get home we already start to miss all the beautiful animals and birds! There’s nothing like it, truly an epic adventure. We believe that experiencing an African Safari will leave you changed with a greater appreciation for the beauty and magic of nature and the wonders of the world. Every time we go, it’s like a little piece of us stays in Africa and we think:
Why did it take so long to return?
We thought we would write a brief overview of the various spots we have traveled to highlighting some safari planning tips that should be helpful to anyone deciding to go. Whether you choose to book directly and organize your own itinerary or go through an agency that does package deals, we hope these tips will help you choose or at least ask the right questions so that you end up with the perfect safari.
Where we have traveled so far (a growing list)
We’ve made it a tradition to pick an exotic and extravagant venue to celebrate our birthdays! Since we both celebrate in June, just two days apart, we try to pick this time to plan something special. Most times we look at each other and say: Safari? And we both nod our heads and smile! We have gone at other times of the year too, but June is the perfect time for many safari destinations.
Our first safari was an organized tour of Kenya and Tanzania out of Canada with Exotic Tours. We visited Ngorongoro Crater along with camps in Lake Nakuru and the Masai Mara and Serengeti. We made it a point of staying in a baobab treehouse in Tarangire National Park that we had seen in a magazine!
Most of our trip was done via road transfer in a jeep. We had one driver in Kenya and another in Tanzania. The driver stayed with us, so we had the same driver/guide the whole time. We paid a little extra for a private tour which was a great investment and very convenient.
Even though we were forgotten at the bush airport, attacked by tsetse flies, and I even got food poisoning, none of that deterred us, we just knew that we would be back! Seeing these majestic animals firsthand in the wild was such a memorable experience.
Several years later we organized a trip to South Africa where we visited some beautiful camps in the Sabi Sands and Timbavati areas. This time we organized much of the trip on our own and limited the number of camps so as to be less rushed and avoid the long road transfers we had experienced on our first safari.
We had read about white lions in the Timbavati Game reserve, but when we inquired on arrival, they said these lions had not been seen for years! Regardless of how they lured us there, we loved every moment and gained an appreciation for the luxurious camps of South Africa.
Soon after, we read about tree climbing lions in Lake Manyara and despite our experience with white lions, decided to give it a try. Amazingly enough, we did indeed see these incredible creatures perched up in the trees. We also came to find out that mobile camps and luxury tents can be a fantastic way to see the wildlife providing an authentic safari experience.
We also timed a visit to see the Great Migration where millions of wildebeests cross crocodile-infested rivers to get to the greener grass on the other side. Here, we opted for one of those mobile camps. Of course, where the brochures said the camps move to where the animals are, the truth is that they never really know where the animals will be and must apply for permits the year prior assembling the camps where the authorities let them setup.
There is no guarantee that you won’t have a long drive from the camp to the animal sightings. It was still fun to experience these more rustic camps. Ours had a ‘telephone shower’ where someone would pour hot water from just outside the canvas walls of the tent while we yelled ‘more hot water please’. What an adventure!
We also visited the Chobe River and the Okavango Delta in Botswana to do water-based safaris and again stayed in tents even though these were more solid with wooden walls and beams. Botswana does not allow any permanent camps, so this is the only way to experience this area.
Those canvas tents sure gave new meaning to cold mornings. Even just getting dressed in the morning included shivering and cursing! We even got locked into one tent by an absent-minded host so used to locking the door behind her and had to climb over the outside shower wall to escape. She’s probably still getting rubbed about doing this to guests by her colleagues.
We visited some of the vast plains in the Serengeti and Masai Mara where we did balloon rides and saw some beautiful cheetahs and exotic African wildcats, servals, and more. We added a few days of scuba diving in Zanzibar where we even saw elephant shrews, one of the Little Five of Africa!
Another time we went to Victoria Falls and Botswana for a different take on water safaris. Once we even combined a helicopter tour with a transfer between camps giving us a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding area while arriving in camp like rock-stars.
In Namibia, we even did a fly-in safari where we had a private little plane named Lucy that took us between camps from the great sand dunes of the Namib Desert to the desolate Skeleton Coast. We’ve also visited the Kalahari Desert’s huge Tswalu reserve.
Most recently, we returned to the Sabi Sands area to revisit one of our favorite African destinations where sightings of the Big Five are just about guarantied.
Suffice it to say. Once you get the safari bug it’s easy to succumb to the temptation of going back, and back, and back again!
General safari tips and lessons learned
Here are a few tips and lessons learned from our own safari experiences. We hope they help you in your planning. At least it should provide some entertaining reading.
How to book
We’ve used agencies to book our whole itinerary, and we’ve also put together our own trips piece by piece. Much of this depends on what you are comfortable with. Some destinations are more complicated to organize than others.
While an agent may not necessarily charge you more as they may get their commissions from the camps, we found that most agencies won’t give you a price breakdown so you can’t really compare. Generally, they will only give you a lump sum price. They may tell you that they get special pricing, but it didn’t seem that it was always cheaper! Further the bookings may be limited to a given room type, duration, or some combination of camps in a given order.
As we’ve become more experienced safari-goers, we’ve found that the camps themselves deal with the charter flights directly and will often give you preferential treatment if you book direct. It’s also not that hard even if at first it seems overwhelming. Of course, we enjoy travel planning.
International flights
We’ve tried various routes to Africa from Miami, and most are two-day itineraries with a long stopover in Europe, Qatar, Istanbul, or somewhere along the way. We recently found an overnight flight with United Airlines out of Newark that was more relaxing with just one night on the plane instead of two. While prices fluctuate a lot, we plan to keep an eye on this flight for future trips as it did make a difference.
Johannesburg is often the best place to start unless you’re going to Cape Town which also has some good options from New York making it easy to connect locally. Nairobi in Kenya and even Dar el Salam and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania are reachable with Qatar. Routes are often changing, and we generally look for the best deal on airfare to get the best seats with a reasonable transfer time. That said, we really did appreciate the faster United flight getting us there in 22 hours instead of the often 30+ hours with the longer routes and stopovers.
Almost all the flights out of Joburg to the various camps or cities close to the Safari camps are morning flights. In one of our first trips where we self-organized our itinerary, we made the mistake of arriving on a later flight thinking we can connect the same day. This ended up shortening our safari as we had already booked the international flight and had to now add a night at the airport in Johannesburg.
Another time our flight was delayed with a schedule change making it a tighter and more stressful same day international transfer on a split ticket. We have found that the best strategy is to either arrive very early or to simply spend the night at the airport hotel and head out the next morning to ensure arriving in time for the afternoon game drive.
We once connected through Brazil with LATAM. One thing to remember there is that arriving from Brazil will require proof of yellow fever vaccination to enter South Africa. So, be sure to get that vaccination and bring proof.
We’ve also connected through Qatar with Qatar Airways and Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. Both usually have long stopovers but if your timing is good such that you have a daytime stopover, you can check out the free (or minimal fee) tours that are offered by the airlines around these hub cities. A long stopover at night can also be made more bearable with one of their in-terminal hotels right in the secure area.
Connecting through London with British Airways and American Airlines or through other European hub cities with many of the major European-based airlines is also possible. Almost every route here requires two days and usually there is a fairly long 8-hour or more layover. If you search with google flights, you’ll see a +2 next to the arrival time.
Again, if the transit time is during the day you may want to head out for a self-organized tour for a few hours but leave yourself plenty of time to make that final leg! We once took the subway to grab a croissant in Paris overlooking the Notre Dame Cathedral. How cool is that! Most European hubs have a good transit system to get into town via subway or train.
There are also places in the lounge or third-party services to store luggage, so you don’t have to drag your bags around. Many of the airport lounges also have showers.
Traveling between safari camps
Our first trip was via land transfer for the most part. We had a private driver who stayed at the hotels with us in driver accommodations. It was great to have the private vehicle but some of the travel between camps was long and the roads were pretty rough. “African massage” the driver said to us smiling. It became a worn-out joke after a few days, but we managed. At least it was a covered jeep with a roof we could raise up and not an open one. It’s pretty dusty on some roads!
We also took commercial flights to many of the smaller airports connecting through Johannesburg. These are typically Airlink flights or South African Airways. Flights leave from the domestic terminal at Joburg airport. One good part is that it’s possible to take a separate hallway if you’re connecting directly from your international incoming flight to an international destination like Botswana.
This is only possible if you’ve been able to check in online and have a boarding pass and are traveling with carry-on bags. Make sure they meet the strict carry-on allowances for both size and weight on the smaller local airlines. While there are no guarantees (and we would recommend a layover of 3 hours or more) we once made it through in 30 minutes. Of course, better to sit at the terminal for 2.5 hours than to time it so tight and have your flight leave without you!
There are also charter flights that can take you directly. Many of the safari camps have a landing strip at the lodge or close by. These flights operate outside of the main terminal in Johannesburg and have their own separate satellite hangars. They provide shuttle or limo services to and from the local hotels and the terminals. We have taken Federal Airlines and Fireblade Aviation (both are great) but there seem to be many others too.
Usually, the safari camp can help secure these flights for you and organize the transfer. They deal with them day in and day out regardless of who books them. The planes are small single or dual prop planes for the most part and some of the runways at the camps can even be grass or dirt.
We had jeeps chase lions off the runway so we could land at one airport. They seemingly come to warm up on the asphalt that has absorbed the heat of the sun during the day. We could not help but wonder how far these lions had gone as we exited the plane and collected our bags climbing into the jeep!
Another fun option we did once was to take a helicopter tour and have them drop us off at a camp that had a helipad. We also had a beautiful scenic tour on the way. A memorable experience and it didn’t cost us more than the tour itself.
One other time in Namibia where we wanted to cover more ground across large distances, we had a private plane and pilot take us around all week. This was pretty cool, and we got to know our Portuguese pilot over our weeklong itinerary and his plane that he called Lucy (based on the tail insignia).
Basically, the plane would land and drop us off and park on the private airstrip at the camp. The pilot would generally join us for dinner (at our request, which he appreciated). We got to know him quite well and exchanged interesting stories. I’d like to think that he did a little extra for us too circling the dunes a little closer and longer and making the experience more fun.
When it came time to leave, he would fire up the plane and we’d be off. Lucy was a 6-seater plane, and we had the back seats folded down for our luggage. Very intimate and an incredible experience!
The best thing to do is to explore the various options available and to work with the camps to find the option best suited to where you’re going and what you want to see and what fits in your budget.
Be sure to get there in time for the afternoon safari. You are paying a lot per night, and this nightly rate includes a morning and afternoon game drive. It’s more practical to spend a night at the airport in Johannesburg and take the flight the next morning to get that game drive in instead of just getting a night in camp to sleep. Many camps also don’t allow arrivals after dark.
Private concession or public park access
We have come to learn that the private concessions and reserves are much more rewarding to visit than the national parks. Not only can you go off road and start and end your safari drives in the dark, but they also limit the number of vehicles at a site to avoid stressing the animals. The rangers are always passionate about the animals and the well-being of the land.
We were horrified on one of our earlier safaris where we saw a jeep drive into the bush to chase a cheetah into view so tourists could take pictures. Another time we saw well over a dozen jeeps encircling a lion that was trying to eat its catch. The private camps generally limit the viewing to two or three jeeps and maintain a respectful distance.
How to pick a camp
Aside from the price and general quality of accommodations, try to pick a camp that has access to a running river (many are dry) for the best success of seeing animals. Other parks with watering holes can also give good sightings. Look at both visitor reviews and the brochures. We found Go2Africa had a good rating and review section.
- Check to see how much land the camp has access to for game drives. Even if the concession is small, they may have agreements to drive onto neighboring properties.
- Ask about rules regarding the number of vehicles on a sighting.
- Is off-roading allowed? This can get you closer to the animals.
- And if you are interested ask if it’s possible to do night safaris or walking safaris?
How long to stay
Another thing we’ve learned is that it’s nice to stay at least 3 or 4 nights in a camp but of course this depends on what there is to see. Some of the packaged safaris try to pack in too many things and you’re running from camp to camp and don’t even have time to explore the camp or to see the wildlife that can be found there.
Even if you do some of the same roads, it’s nature, you never know what you might find. That said after 3-4 days of morning and afternoon (and possibly night) game drives you start to know the road and know the animals in a given area even at the largest camps we’d been to. The rangers generally communicate their sightings over the radio and these animals roam across a large territory. There is also often a limited menu at the camps and after 3-4 days (sometimes 2) you start having the same meals.
Private vs shared jeep
Camps have different norms, and you may have 4, 6, or even 8 people to a jeep, if budget allows, request a private jeep. We remember we got paired up with a family once at the Great Migration in the Serengeti and the teenage son in our group was bored and wanted to head back to camp! Just then, the animals started crossing and we would have missed it had our guide not been fast enough to turn around and grab a parking spot along the river.
Another time we were watching a male lion and a first-time safari-goer in our group said: “Can we go see some zebras and giraffes now?” We thought he was joking but he really wasn’t. I guess he had never seen any African wildlife and was checking off the boxes for his desired sightings. Experience has shown us that each encounter is special and unique and that we should cherish the moment. Stop, look, put the camera down, and observe (preferably in silence), and immerse yourself in the moment!
The price for a private vehicle varies by location and can be quite reasonable. It is sometimes based on paying for the empty seats, other times a fixed fee that can vary a lot. The private vehicle also gives you the flexibility to leave when you want and stay at a sighting as long as you want. You also benefit by having the guide and tracker focus on your interests.
Funny, we once had a fellow on a tour group that was taking pictures of all the animal turds. Well, whatever turns you on, I guess! We also had a tour where we felt pressure to go on a walking safari with rhinos as the rest of the group wanted to and the ranger said it was everyone or no one. With a private vehicle you can choose what you want to do, no pressure.
Ask about staying out longer on the roads with the ranger even if there are regular departure and return times. Most rangers and trackers love being in the jeep seeing the animals too. It won’t take much convincing to get them to keep you out longer and that special sighting can happen at any moment!
We generally tell them on arrival that we want to see as much as possible and stay out as long as possible. We’re happy to be the first one out (even if it means grabbing a bite to go instead of the sit-down breakfast) and the last to be back in camp.
When to go
Depending on the location, you generally want to plan to not be there during rainy season (the torrential rains can cause flooding and even be life-threatening). You also want to plan for winter or dry season when the grass is shorter and there are less leaves on the trees so it’s easier to spot the animals. Sure, you can go all year, and the camps will encourage you to come but your chances of seeing the most are improved when planning accordingly.
We have been out on a jeep in torrential rains slipping and sliding in the mud. We’ve also been out in the rain in an open jeep with parkas and ponchos (but cold feet and wet glasses don’t make for great viewing). The animals were also hiding in these conditions, and we couldn’t blame them!
Of course, for some areas more specific timing is required but more on that below.
Location specific tips
South Africa’s Kruger area
The Kruger area is a huge area made up of the public Kruger National Park and many luxurious private game reserves on the outskirts of the park. These regions are unfenced with the main Kruger area allowing the animals to roam free. The number and variety of animals is huge.
While you can see a lot in Kruger self-driving already, the best safari experience will be with the private concessions where they can drive off-road at all hours. Pick a safari camp with a large area of accessible roads and ideally near water. See our posts on MalaMala, Londolozi and Kings Camp for inspiration.
The best time to come is during the dry winter months and more specifically between May and October. While the mornings can be crisp during the winter months, there is less foliage and vegetation making it easier to spot wildlife. There is also less available water, so the animals congregate around the remaining waterholes and rivers. While it’s colder there is less chance of rain, making your viewing experience better.
The Kalahari Desert
Spanning South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia this area has greener areas (on the South African side) and extremely arid areas near Namibia. It’s a unique area with some special creatures only found in arid or semi-arid areas of Southern Africa.
We had stayed at Tswalu in June, and the lodges were beautiful. See our write up about our Kalahari Desert safari. In comparison with some other areas, animal sightings are fewer and further apart requiring more driving. That said the terrain is quite beautiful and you can see some unique creatures.
For those that have been on other safaris before, it’s a unique experience definitely worth doing. But bring good winter clothes as driving on those open jeeps in winter is really cold. July is probably the best time for wildlife viewing but also the coldest. It was already cold in early June. One night we even saw snow!
Kenya and Tanzania
The dry seasons are generally best and are either June-October or from December to February. However, if you want to see the Great Migration in the Serengeti and Masai Mara with the river crossings the time to come is more in or after July and before October.
The rainy season is to be avoided. We were once caught in torrential rains and honestly scared to get stuck. While you can go to the various spots year-round to see animals, it’s good to time your visits with the Great Migration to see the most animals.
The constant movement of the wildebeests is something really unique and special. These animals cover vast amounts of territory across Kenya and Tanzania as they follow the rains and the resultant growth of grass. The millions of animals leave a path of thick fertilizer behind to help grow next year’s crops.
You can actually see this in various areas throughout the year as the animals are constantly on the move to find greener pastures. Generally speaking, January-March is calving season. Watching a newborn wildebeest jump to their feet within seconds of birth and watching it be able to run is amazing. Of course, they have to as there are lots of predators in the area at this time waiting to pounce.
April-May is when the herds move northwards across the Grumeti River in June and July and then across the Mara River in August to September. Watching the huge herds of hundreds and sometimes thousands of wildebeests crossing the crocodile infested waters is an amazing site.
Torn between fear and reaching the greener grasses on the other side, the wildebeests often hesitate for hours or even days until one brave one takes the plunge down the steep incline into the river starting a chain reaction with the herd following behind. We were cheering for everyone to make it across, while others may have been cheering for the crocodiles. Ultimately everyone must eat and it’s a tough life out there.
October and November is when you’ll find the large herds in the Masai Mara in Kenya after which they return southwards towards the Serengeti in December repeating the cycle all over again. A pretty spectacular phenomenon!
There are a number of great camps, from mobile camps to tents to lodges. We’ve tried a few and we’d recommend a lodge near the river for comfort. Even the traveling camps are not necessarily closer to the animals. See our Great Migration post.
Botswana
May to October with June -August being the high season is also the best time to go. It’s both the dry season in terms of rain but the time when the Okavango Delta’s water is highest allowing for the unique boat-based safaris that can be enjoyed there.
Here every camp is a temporary camp on rented land as it is not possible to build permanent lodges. That said, there are tents and then there are tents!
We stayed in a wonderful &Beyond property in the Okavango Delta which we enjoyed a lot.
The Chobe River is also a wonderful area for water-based safari giving a different perspective of wildlife. See our write up about our safari in Botswana.
Namibia
The dry season May to October is a good time again to go. There are some amazing sites to see here but many are quite far apart. You can drive but you may need 8 hours of driving between sites on roads that are not ideal.
The best way, budget allowing, is with a small plane. This can be either a shared or private charter. We did the latter with the help of Namibia Tours & Safaris that helped secure our lodgings in the famous Shipwreck Lodge and other amazing properties. See our write up about our Namibia adventure.
Victoria Falls
Again, the African winter months are usually better and in June there was lots of water flowing.
In the summer months the falls can dry out, and you will be looking at walls of rocks. See our write up about Victoria Falls and Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park.
Some tips for going on safari
What to wear
We generally have come in the winter months and the temperature ranges from a chilly 5℃ (40°F) in the morning to a balmy 25℃ (80°F) or more during the day. We literally start the day with a windbreaker over a puff jacket over a sweater over a t-shirt and as the sun rises it warms up and we’re in our t-shirts by about 11am.
Our recent trip to the Kalahari challenged this premise as it was a chilly 0℃ (32°F) but it felt even colder when moving in the open jeep). Either way, a good windbreaker shell and various layers from thermals to sweaters and jackets is the way to go.
Don’t forget a good wool hat and some thick socks and gloves. Get some that allow you to use your phone with a special pad on the fingers. Another important item is a good pair of sturdy shoes or hiking boots! We saw some ladies in open back sandals, flip-flops, and even high heels. Cmon ladies!
Stick to the usual tan, beige, green, or grey safari colors. In South Africa black is ok too. Nothing bright or attention getting. You don’t want to stand out like a matador’s red cape!
Avoid blue or black in areas where there may be tzetze flies. These nasty biting flies are tough and vicious. One got in the jeep with us once and we hit it hard, but it shook it off and came back at us to bite us some more. They can also carry the sleeping disease so bring repellant or use what the camp supplies (most will have sprays) and cover up.
Also, very important is a good wide brim hat or perhaps a baseball cap with a neck cover. We always bring a bandana and a neck gaiter to protect from the sun. These also double up for warmth on the cold drives.
Should you do a walking safari
Our first safari offered these, and we booked online thinking nothing of it. When it came to going out and we saw the ranger come to get us with his rifle we started having second thoughts. Sure enough, we bumped into a herd of elephants, and the matriarch was flapping her ears and raising her trunk in warning. Our guide quickly headed off with us following close behind grateful to make it back to camp unscathed. Read more about that adventure in our Kenya and Tanzania post.
Another time we saw a rhino and our guide said the wind was changing direction and the poor vision (but good sense of smell) could cause them to charge if they felt threatened.
While many lodges offer this we have declined to partake in these again. The concern is that if the animal does feel threatened and turns on us (just doing the natural animal thing!) we are at risk and the animal risks getting shot. We don’t want to imagine such a scenario and be responsible for that. We get close enough to the animals in the jeep.
Should you do a night safari
Many camps either offer a separate night safari or take you back after dark on the afternoon game drive. While it’s not great for photos, it is indeed a good time to see nocturnal creatures that may be very difficult or impossible to see during the day.
We’ve seen small cats like the African wild cat, the caracal as well as bat-eared foxes, porcupines, hares, and owls. We’ve also been in the middle of a hunt with lions after dark where the lions had actually learned to use the sound of the jeep as a decoy to get closer to their prey.
We would definitely encourage requesting this with your camp even though you may drive around for an hour or two and not see much. You may also be surprised with a rare sighting. Be sure to look up at the starry sky.
Should you request a full day drive instead of two half days:
We have enjoyed this experience in many camps. The kitchen usually packs a lunch for us and the ranger will find a cool spot in the wild for a picnic. It also allows you to go further to see something that may not be accessible in the usual half day outings.
Once our driver drove a good three hours one way to show us the edges of the Great Migration. We saw fields and fields of black dots that seemed to go on forever. Tens of thousands of wildebeests if not more. It left such an impression on us we came back for another safari to witness the river crossing of the Great Migration a few years later.
Animal sightings are why we come so for sure the more time you spend looking the better your chances of experiencing these encounters.
How many days to go on safari
Much of this depends on the lodge and on one’s interests. We’ve found that 3-4 nights at a camp is usually enough and combining 2 or 3 camps can give you a taste of different animals and scenery.
Consider also the size of the camp and whether there are enough trails to really give a good experience for 3-4 days. That said, even doing the same trails can lead to different sightings.
You never know where those free-roaming animals may go. With no fences between the Kruger National Park and the private game reserves, the animals can come and go as they please from neighboring properties. The rangers usually communicate sightings (even across competing neighboring camps) to help each other out.
When to book
There is no doubt that if you want a particular camp you have to book early! Some camps only have a handful of spots and repeat guest often fill these up a year in advance or more. If you want a specific camp or a specific room, be sure to request it and book as early as you can to avoid disappointment.
Camps can usually provisionally hold a reservation as you put together the other parts of your itinerary. When combining camps, you’ll have to of course also find a slot where everything fits, as well as the transfers and international flights.
What to pair with a safari
So, with 3-4 days in a camp how can you make this a longer vacation? We’ve combined multiple camps. In South Africa, we’ve also added Cape Town with the beautiful Table Mountain and drives along the beautiful coast and wine country.
If like us you like beaches or scuba diving, you can also add a few days in Zanzibar. Mozambique is also supposed to be nice and maybe one day we’ll make it there. Depending on your routing, you could even add a few days in Europe or in your connecting city.
Some safari social graces
Check with the camp’s manager first but where permitted invite your guide and even your tracker to join you for dinner. It’s a great way to team build and learn even more about the bush and get to know them better.
Tipping who and how much
General tipping guidelines can be found in various places so we won’t add a lot here, but it should be noted that when you have a private vehicle or camp or plane, a little extra is called for. People working in these remote locations are often away from their families for months at a time, and they work hard, often getting up well before dawn to get your jeep ready and packed with warm water bottles, drinks, blankets and snacks. Do show your appreciation.
Visit the local village and support local environmental efforts:
Being on safari in a reserve is only possible because of the people that work there to keep the camp going. Many jobs are filled by locals and many of these areas are quite poor. The unemployment rate in South Africa is near 40%, even 60% for the younger population. Think about that for a moment.
Further, many people from even poorer counties migrate to South Africa for opportunity. Even if not on the top of the list of interests it is nice to visit the local village and purchase some souvenirs or make a donation.
Bring a first aid kit
Be sure to have all your prescription medications including some anti-malaria meds (we usually take Malarone). Bring an emergency first aid kit as most camps are very remote and a trip to the pharmacy isn’t possible. Also, be sure to have all your required vaccinations up to date (we are not doctors so check with your doctor first or a travel clinic).
Conclusion
We won’t try to rank or grade safari locations because each one is really unique and special. As a general rule. Kenya and Tanzania probably have the most animals and are the places to go to see the Great Migration if you time it right. South Africa in the Kruger area gives you unprecedented luxury with the choice of many opulent luxury camps that usually end up on the ‘best luxury safari camp’ list. Botswana has unique water-based safari options and Namibia has vast desert landscapes and dunes. The Kalahari is a great spot to see unique animals.
In Joburg we have used the Intercontinental Hotel which is a great property and right across the street from the arrivals area so really convenient. There is also a new City Lodge Hotel on top of the parking center that looked ok.
As you can see, we have definitely caught the safari bug and even as we were unpacking our bags from yet another amazing safari, we are already contemplating the next one. We never know what life will bring us, so we have to enjoy it to the fullest.
We hope this write-up has given you some inspiration!