Your first safari: how to choose
Where to go, how long, what it costs and the three questions that settle most of it.
Most first-safari questions come down to three decisions. Make those, and the rest follows.
1. Which country?
For a first safari, the honest shortlist is South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana. South Africa is the easiest: direct flights, good roads, malaria-free options, a city to finish in, and prices that stretch further than anywhere else. Kenya and Tanzania give the classic East African plains and the migration, at a higher cost. Botswana is the most exclusive and the most expensive. Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are superb but suit a second trip, when you know what you like.
2. How long?
Four nights on safari is a sensible minimum; six to eight is better, split between two areas. Game viewing has quiet days, and you need enough mornings for luck to even out. Add two or three nights somewhere restful at the end: Cape Town, Zanzibar, the Kenyan coast, Victoria Falls.
3. Guided or self-drive?
A guided safari at a lodge or camp is the full experience: an expert finds the animals, explains them, and takes you off-road and out at night. It costs more, and it is what most first-timers should do for at least part of the trip. Self-driving is realistic only in Kruger, Etosha and a few other southern African parks; it is cheaper, more independent and a lot of fun, and you will see less.
What it costs
Very roughly, per person per night, excluding international flights: a self-drive rest-camp safari in Kruger from about US$100; a mid-range guided lodge from US$300 to 500; a good private-reserve or conservancy camp from US$600 to 1,000; the top camps in Botswana and the Serengeti from US$1,200 to 2,500. Park fees, light aircraft and transfers are usually included in packages; check.
When to book
For peak months (July to October everywhere, and the Botswana flood), nine to twelve months ahead. For shoulder and green seasons, three to six months is usually fine and the prices are better.
The things people wish they had known
- Early mornings are the whole point. Plan to be up before dawn every day and sleep in the afternoon.
- Binoculars matter more than a big camera. One pair each.
- The animals do not perform on demand. Three nights in one place is the minimum to give yourself a fair chance.
- Tipping is expected at lodges; budget for it.
- Take malaria advice from a travel clinic, not from the internet, including us.
