Picking the Best African Safari
Picking the Best African Safari That Suits Your Travel Needs
Picking the Best African Safari. This is a crucial step if you need to have a successful and unforgettable safari. This is because picking a destination involves considering factors like attractions, affordability, and accessibility. Though many choose Tanzania for many reasons, other African safari destinations are worth visiting. Tanzania is home to the famous Serengeti migration and a wonder of the natural world, the famed Ngorongoro Crater. It’s also the home for climbing Kilimanjaro, an inspiring summit that is Africa’s highest. Less famous parks in Tanzania offer other unforgettable sights and experiences.
You can find other safari experiences in other countries, both near and far away from Tanzania. For example, Chimpanzees haunt the forests of Kibale and Nyungwe in Uganda and Rwanda respectively. Cultural opportunities to see real tribes, like the Maasai and Bushmen people, are found throughout the country. The sunny beach heaven of Zanzibar is conveniently located just off the coast. You can also go for a beach vacation in Diani in neighboring Kenya.
In this article, we’ll discuss several safari experiences and in which country you can find them.
Looking For The Ultimate wildlife experience You Are willing to Pay For
Picking the Best African Safari- the ultimate wildlife experience. Africa is positively loaded with remarkable choices for lucky travelers with the resources to enjoy the ultimate safari of a lifetime.
One option is to combine a classic luxury African safari in Tanzania or Kenya. This includes some little touches, like a hot air balloon ride over the migration, etc. You can combine this with a visit to the precious mountain gorillas of Uganda or Rwanda. You can top this amazing experience off with a relaxing visit to lovely Zanzibar or Lamu along the coast.
Another “ultimate” experience is a Southern Africa fly-in safari. It combines all or parts of the following: A luxury Botswana fly-in safari and Victoria Falls. It also includes a visit to the deserts of Namibia, a private game reserve in Kruger, and Cape Town.
Another option is to choose a safari with elite accommodations wherever you go. For example, you can stay in luxury properties that rank the most famous in the world. These include the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge in Tanzania and the Greystoke in the chimp-dwelling forest of Mahale (Tanzania). You can also stay at the Governor’s Camp in the Mara of Kenya; and Sabyinyo Lodge in Rwanda. Also, consider the Singita in the Kruger area of South Africa; Mombo Camp in Botswana’s Okavango Delta; and many more. If you are looking for the ultimate safari, we can match you with the best combination of parks, experiences, and accommodations to fulfill your dreams.
Seeing Victoria Falls
Picking the Best African Safari- viewing Africa’s biggest falls. To see Victoria Falls, which is in southern Africa, you’ll want to visit Livingstone, Zambia, or Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, both of which share the falls between them – Victoria Falls is found on the massive, border-defining Zambezi River. The best choice then is to consider a safari in one or all three of the border countries around it: Zambia (which is home to the revered South Luangwa National Park and rising Kafue), Zimbabwe, and Botswana, our favorite safari destination within Southern Africa. Other options include a quick visit before or after South Africa or Namibia. Because of the time and expense of inter-Africa air, we recommend including Victoria Falls only as part of a southern Africa safari.
Going for a gorilla Tour
Picking the Best African Safari- gorilla safaris. A gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda is an experience you will never forget! In Rwanda, you can see the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. However, with the increase in the price of gorilla permits. Uganda is now more popular to visit for mountain gorillas in Rwanda. This is because Uganda has about 23 gorilla families for gorilla trekking. This almost doubles that of Rwanda, which has 12 gorilla families.
A Rwanda gorilla permit costs $1500 for foreign non-residents. It also costs $1000 for both foreign residents and African Citizens. Meanwhile, a Uganda gorilla permit costs $800 for foreign non-residents and $700 for foreign residents. It also costs $500 for African Citizens and Ugx300,000 for East African citizens. This is an ideal extension to a classic safari in Kenya or Tanzania (or a Kilimanjaro trek).
Another wonderful option, especially for travelers who are keen primate enthusiasts or have been on safari before, is a 25-day East Africa Safari that visits Uganda’s highlights, like Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale Forest, and the gorillas in Bwindi. Travelers can see up to 9 species of primates on this safari, including active and vocal chimpanzees, which some travelers consider an even better time than sitting with the gorillas.
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Seeing elephants
The premier reserves in Africa to see lots of elephants are Tarangire National Park in Tanzania and Amboseli National Park. You can also find many of them in Chobe National Park in Botswana and Hwange National Park. In Uganda, you find large populations of elephants in Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks.
All of these parks have significant populations in a safe, protected environment. Most of the larger safari parks have elephants. So, even without seeing any of the above parks, seeing elephants is usually not an “if” but a “when.”
Going to Remote Areas; far away from People
Picking the Best African Safari- remote but rewarding areas. Several places vie for most isolated in East and Southern Africa. Katavi National Park in southwestern Tanzania is one of the most removed parks in Africa. It requires flights and mobile camps. The game is prolific whereas humanity has barely touched the area. Kidepo National Park is in the wild and wooly northeastern Uganda. It’s another extraordinary option for people with the time and money to cover the ground necessary (1 day by car each way).
It borders Kenya & Sudan so it is truly “out there.” Easier remote places include the Skeleton Coast in Namibia and several private concessions in Botswana. In East Africa, private concessions make finding an exclusive experience easier. Meanwhile, parks like Ruaha and Selous also present opportunities for getting away from it all.
Since these parks are remote, you’ll equally find communities in those areas whose culture is worth exploring.
Going for an Affordable Safari
Picking the Best African Safari- combining attractiveness and affordability. The best countries to safari in without breaking the bank include Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. The most affordable style is the basic camping safari. Here, you use dome tents, cots or a sleeping mattress, and sleeping bags in public campgrounds. Some private concessions are also now offering use of their land for camping safaris.
Travelers with small budgets will want to consider a shorter safari. This may be 1-day, 2-day, or up to 8 days, though most enjoy a minimum of 4 to 6 days. To maximize a visit (and justify the cost and time for all your flights), budget travelers can always fill the rest of their time with other activities and experiences like volunteering for a local non-profit, visiting the beach e.g. on Diani Beach in Kenya, or Zanzibar. Additionally, you can stay in small towns like Moshi and make interesting day trips.
Visiting the Maasai tribe
The best places to visit the Masai are in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. That’s where you can only find their traditional homelands. Some of our favorite spots include Tanzania’s Ngorongoro highlands, plus the region around the Serengeti and the Masai Mara, as well as Lake Natron in northern Tanzania.
Tribal visits and cultural exploration
Tanzania and Kenya are two of the best countries to visit for a wide variety of safari experiences, wildlife, culture, and scenery.
Tanzania alone has over 120 tribes. One of our favorite cultural hot spots is Lake Eyasi in Tanzania. It’s a hard-to-get-to region that requires 2 nights to properly visit. It is however easy and good to add to any safari. Here travelers can go hunting with a nomadic hunter or visit a remote village of the unique Dotoga people.
In Uganda, you can consider a variety of cultural encounters to embark on. For example, you can visit the pygmy community of the Batwa in Bwindi. The strong attachment of this community towards the forest is exciting and worth exploring.
Beach Safari for Relaxation
Zanzibar and Diani are the most popular beach areas for most travelers in East Africa. They’re easily reached by daily flights from Kilimanjaro Airport and Nairobi airports respectively. Nearly the entire island is fringed with shining white sand beaches, though some areas have much better beaches at high tide than others.
On the island, travelers can visit the UNESCO site of Stone Town. They can also enjoy some laid-back touring, like visiting spice farms or enjoying a walk through Jozani Forest, home to the endemic red colobus monkey. Lots of ocean activities are available too, like dolphin tours and scuba/snorkel trips. Lamu Island and Diani Beach in Kenya or other favorite spots on the Indian Ocean coast.
Zanzibar Beach Tours
Going for Night-game drives and Nature walks
These are great experiences if you can fit them into your itinerary. Game walks and nature walks allow you to get a close-up view of the bush especially the rich variety of plants, insects, and birds. It’s a relaxing way to learn more about the fantastic ecosystem all around you and a chance to stretch your legs after all of those game drives.
Night game drives are special since predator activity often picks up at dusk, just when a normal ‘day’ game drive would end. Especially for fans of the big cats, night game drives help increase your chances of seeing unique actions. These include hunting, reproductive behaviors, and territorial behaviors.
Easy safari countries to add these unique types of activities include Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, and Kenya. They are especially widely available in Botswana and Kenya. In Tanzania, they are possible however in select locations and select camps largely due to park regulations. Some of our favorite Tanzania camps for these activities include Grumeti and the Ikoma private game reserves in the north and west of the Serengeti, which are best between mid-June and late October.
Mountain Kilimanjaro Hiking
Only one country has a famous Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. The treks themselves range from 5 – 8 days in length, with the most popular treks lasting 6 or 7 days. We offer all the routes on the mountain.
It is easy to arrange trips solely for Kilimanjaro (plan on 8-10 days in the country, total, if your sole focus is the summit) or in conjunction with a Tanzania safari, a trip to Zanzibar, a volunteer experience, or cultural tours.
Climbing Mountain Kilimanjaro
Chimpanzee Trekking
Three places are ideal: Kibale Forest in Uganda while in Western Tanzania you have Gombe Stream and Mahale. Kibale is the natural choice if you are looking for a combination of chimps and gorillas (plus other primates). Mahale and Gombe Stream are the best choices if you want to combine chimps with a big game safari and gorillas are not on the agenda.
Canoeing and Boat Cruises For Wildlife Viewing
The best combination for a combination of canoeing and maximum wildlife viewing is the Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, and Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe. Mana Pool is in the northern part of Zimbabwe, on the massive Zambezi River. It’s easy to arrange a 3-4-day canoe safari as an add-on to a Zimbabwe or Botswana land safari. Another place to canoe is Botswana, in the Okavango Delta, on the 3-day Selinda canoe safari, though here the emphasis is on the overall wilderness experience, not necessarily big game.
Shorter canoe trips can be found in Arusha National Park in Tanzania and (seasonally) Lake Manyara. One can do other types of boat tours too. Boat safaris are offered in places like Murchison Falls, Uganda. Here, a boat takes you to the most powerful waterfalls in Africa, where the river Nile forces itself into a 7-meter gorge, creating a roaring sound.
Going For Sheer Relaxation
When on safari, you can always make the simple decision to stay in camp or at your lodge and indulge in the tranquility and solitude one can find in many of these properties. However, to maximize peace and relaxation, it’s best to plan extended stays of 3 nights (and sometimes more) at particular camps, hotels, and lodges, freeing up time to relax instead of moving to the next location. While some cities, lodges, parks, and reserves are best for only one or two nights, we can suggest reserves and accommodations for more extended experiences, promoting time for winding down. Some accommodations also offer spa and massage services or include ample siesta time in the middle of the day for R&R. Other lodges also offer serene activities you can decide on the spot, like horse riding or easy nature walks.
Contact Safari Vacations and Travel Services for an unforgettable wildlife and primate experience. We organize tours to Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congo, Tanzania, and Kenya. Click here to send us an email, and our team of safari experts will swiftly respond.
