safari...

wijcc

wijcc

wijcc

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Anyone here been on safari.. thinking of going in october for about 10-12 days. Was thinking either going to South Africa and staying in one resort/place or doing a safari tour tour visiting several places/countries.
Has anyone got any tips or advice?
 
I'm currently looking at the gadventures tours but will check back to see if you find something more appealing.

I ideally want to combine it with Victoria Falls.
 
I used to live in South Africa. I wouldn't recommend it. It's a beautiful country with amazing wildlife but the homo sapiens that inhabit it are ruining it. It's very dangerous and lawless. Kenya would be my choice for a safer memorable safari.
 
Ive done 3 safari's (Tsavo east & west) and its the best thing ive done. No matter where you go you will love it.

As above Kenya is the more popular as there are quite a few parks there to choose from. The Masai Mara & the Serengeti are probably the more popular ones. I'd love to go the Okavango Delta in Botswana but its too expensive.
 
I prefer Google Chrome. /thread.

Apologies for one of the worst jokes ever attempted in this forum or the universe.
 
Been twice to South Africa in the days before children. Once you're out of the big cities it is a stunning place. Don't trust anyone at Jo'burg airport - especially the porters who are a shower of scamming *****.

Take:
- The best camera you can afford and spare batteries, memory cards (film if you're still in last century).
- Some good binoculars and a set per person. Ideally try them out before you go - Jessop's were really good for us, but this is going back 10 years :(

Keep both of these with you at all times. You never know when something will just show up.

Depending on time of year, you may want layers for clothing. Morning can be cold and the afternoon really hot. You want to be fully covered up to avoid insect bites.

Decent walking boots for if you do anything on foot.

Mosquito repellent. Get malaria tablets from your GP and check innoculations needed for the area you are visiting.

Oh ... and South Africa had some weird shaped plug type I've never come across anywhere else, which is a pain for charging stuff up. I was fortunate in that I had South African colleagues who could lend me a SA style plug and I rigged that up to a UK style extension lead. Their mains was 220v like ours.
 
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Doing two days in Babile Elephant sanctuary in Ethiopia in January. They have plenty of lions there two, including rare black maned ones.

Way cheaper than in other places, paying about £20 each for two days including a vehicle and guide.
 
Kmodo said:
I'm currently looking at the gadventures tours but will check back to see if you find something more appealing.

I ideally want to combine it with Victoria Falls.
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Did that in April... Awesome... :p

I chose them because it was a lot of camping (although they do hotel ones too) which meant you would be closer to the action, for example there's nothing like being in a tent and hearing a load of mountain zebra clipping down the hill and running around on the plain in front of you. I actually posted a thread in the photographs forums but not managed to finish the last week of the trip yet!

Best time to go to southern Africa is April/may according to a number of people I spoke to, and that's when I went. We did Etosha and saw loads of rhinos, the okovango (inc a night in the delta with a safari walk) and chobe, chive being the least interesting. Botswana was massively more touristy than Namibia and Zambia with hotels all along the river and dozens of cars and boats round the park. Etosha you were lucky to see a few cars a day.

Having said that the scenery was stunning in Namibia however a lot of people on my trip carried on to Tanzania and did the serengetti and saw a more action so to speak, lions and leopards and kills.

It really depends what you want to see and when you are going as to where to go. For example Etosha has a huge number of Rhino (more than any other park), Chobe has loads of elephants (but we saw more in Etosha) and the serengetti is best if you want more big cats and huge herds.

I plan in going back to the okavango at some point and doing a few days wild camping/walking. It's much cheaper than hotels which just seem stupendusly expensive. The walking was far more involving as well, far more than driving along the tracks in a 4x4.
 
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Kmodo said:
I ideally want to combine it with Victoria Falls.
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The Falls isn't really near any game parks, so just trot down there as a day trip. Book the hot air balloon if you can. It's also nicer from the Zambia side, although you can walk around.

I wouldn't go the SA now, Africa was iffy 30 years ago and it's not got any better since. Kenya is the main Safari location although you can see just about every animal in Zambia.

A walking Safari is a much better experience, driving around in a 4x4 will get you close to everything in a few days but it will feel exactly like driving around a zoo in a golf cart.

Most of the interesting things will happen while you sit by a riverbed and walk quietly through tall grass. We saw a dead elephant and a group of lionesses stalking an antelope, we fell over a pride of lions so don't worry about not seeing anything.

If you can, go right after the rainy season

Actually if you can hire a car, just driving around Africa is an experience in itself.

Anything in your luggage will get stolen or broken

I'd love to do the Gorilla trip but it's never going to be an option now.
 
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thanks guys... i am limited by the dates i can travel, due to the people i am going with being doctors and have set times off.
If we can't find anything suitable might have to put off safari trip for another time and go elsewhere.
 
wijcc said:
Anyone here been on safari.. thinking of going in october for about 10-12 days. Was thinking either going to South Africa and staying in one resort/place or doing a safari tour tour visiting several places/countries.
Has anyone got any tips or advice?
Click to expand...
We went to Victoria falls then onto Chobe national park in Botswana (a couple of hours transfer including a speed boat transfer across the border), in April 2009. Booked with Trailfinders, it was an amazing safari.

According to this website (which I used before going), Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania are the best places for a safari in October.

I did look at a safari this year with Porini but we ended up in Barbados :).
 
I did Kenya some years ago and it was incredible. Really memorable. Did a hot air balloon safari there as well which was a really amazing change of perspective.
 
Definitely a highlight in my life.

Went to Zambia, stayed at the Royal Livingstone Hotel and across the border to Botswana to the Chobe National Park.

The freaky thing about the Royal Livingston is that there are enough wild elephants, giraffes and zebras walking about for you not to want to go to a reserve.
 
Managed to find one that fits our dates but it costs £2400 each in Kenya including flights. 9 Days long tour visiting Selenkay Conservation Area, Masai Mara and Amboseli National Park. It involves one night stay in a hotel and the rest camping in a tent.
Question is whether to spend that much on safari or go on a cheaper holiday to India or Japan... hard decisions to make...
 
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I hired a car and drove myself around Kruger. I booked all the rest stops and had a braai every night. Drove from the south to the north, then home via God's Window and a few other places. Was such a great trip, saw lions, hippos, elephants, giraffes, hyenas etc. The only one we didnt see was a leopard.
I went with my ex, wish I pushed her out of the car at the time, it would have saved me a lot of time, money and hassle.
 
molinari said:
I did look at a safari this year with Porini but we ended up in Barbados :).
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Wow! Those trips are expensive... Reminds me why I went with Gadventures, far more reasonably priced.

wijcc said:
Managed to find one that fits our dates but it costs £2400 each in Kenya including flights. 9 Days long tour visiting Selenkay Conservation Area, Masai Mara and Amboseli National Park. It involves one night stay in a hotel and the rest camping in a tent.
Question is whether to spend that much on safari or go on a cheaper holiday to India or Japan... hard decisions to make...
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Whose that with? You may be able to get it much cheaper if you look at explore, gadventures, intrepid and other adventure companies.

Flights are about £600 and you can easily get a 9-12 day trip for around £1000-1300. Less than £2k all in. Depends what you want I guess, for example http://www.gadventures.com/trips/kenya-camping-safari/DKWA/2013/ even means you don't have to help with cooking and other things. Or http://www.gadventures.com/trips/kenya-uganda-gorilla-adventure/DKKU/2013/ and you get to see the Gorillas, although sold out for this October with them you should be able to find it on intrepid.

Alternatively you can stay in a hotel with one of the big tour operators and spend £5k... :p
 
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