Lions, Tigers, and Yellow Zebras: Your First Safari

An African Safari…

Imagine the incredible experience of sitting or standing in an open Jeep only meters away from a lion and the breathtaking sight of a giraffe craning its neck to eat leaves from a tree! Safaris in Botswana are considered the planet’s best place to view wildlife. Botswana borders South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, and Angola, and offers four prime wilderness preserves, including Chobe National Park, Okavango Delta, Central Kalahari Game Reserve, and Gemsbok National Park.

Before going on African safari

Review countries’ requirements for the tourist visa. Check with the traveler’s home country embassy in Botswana, South Africa, or wherever the safari is likely to take place. For example, British citizens should contact the British High Commission in Botswana.

Check on the necessary vaccinations and any preventative medicines necessary for the journey with the embassy, too. Then ring up one’s private physician or the Health Protection Agency or similar organisation to discuss the risks of common African diseases, e.g. malaria.

Then, consider the following for your first safari adventure:

Safaris are Expensive

Let’s just get that fact out there. It’s vital to engage the best resources along the way. Hire really experienced safari operators to avoid disappointment!

There’s no way to get around the cost of going on safari. Adventurers are going to spend to get the experience of a lifetime. The best way to enjoy your safari is to stay directly on a private, exclusive game reserve. Since many lodges offer travel packages—including housing, meals, and drivers to view the truly incredible wildlife—it’s important to refine what’s really important to you at the start.

Some guidebooks recommend cost-saving strategies that honestly put the quality of the safari holiday at risk. For example, the traveler could save money by booking a hotel outside the confines of a plum game reserve, but they’ll spend so much more time traveling to where the action is! Why do that? Renting a personal vehicle is yet another expense! Plan to stay directly at the game reserve, in the company of truly experienced safari trackers (who know precisely where the wild game the adventurer wants to see) to get the most out of the safari experience.

Don’t be Fooled by Travel Companies Posing as Safari Operators

Again, it’s so essential to find safari experts. In these days and times, many otherwise adept travel companies hang out a shingle for safaris, so it’s best to do the research. Find those who really know the terrain from many previous safari journeys.

It’s important to prepare a list of questions for preliminary contact with the safari operator. If the safari tour business seems vague or reluctant about providing references from previous enthusiastically satisfied visitors, find another who offers these details!

Where to Go on a Safari

Vacationers see a wide range of places to go on safari, including Botswana, South Africa, Tanzania, and Kenya. Although the selection of where to go on safari is an individual choice, Botswana is the place to see more wild game and natural beauty.

What to Wear on a Safari

Choose comfortable, light clothing for an African safari.

Breathable, sun-protective clothing can help fair-skinned travelers avoid sunburns or skin reactions. Bring along a variety of short-sleeved shirts, jackets, jumpers/sweaters, shorts, hats, and closed-toe shoes. Sunglasses and a great camera to take pictures of you on safari are important, too.

Botswana Safari Specialist

After finding an experienced safari operator, identifying the best game lodge is more straightforward. An Internet search won’t necessarily help when the visitors don’t know the lay of the land. This is one instance where the  usual “perform the research online” isn’t the next best step.

The right safari operator will suggest a complete package that inclusively combines air travel, ground transportation, and residence on the game preserve. Yellow Zebra Safaris are an example of an experienced safari planner: they recommend contact by telephone to identify visitors’ preferences and goals for the most amazing safari adventure possible.

Photos: Arno Meintjes, Don Sullivan, Cris Pierry, and Akhilesh Ravishankar