Discussion
We (Mrs Tosser and I)are having a week(ish) holiday in October and a safari is one of the prefered options, others are a cruise or Florida Keys.
Anyway, has anyone any advice on a short safari, I was thinking Kenya, Tanzania or South Africa.
Prefered locations, who to go with (package) or which company to use locally if I arrange my own flights, actually pretty much any first hand advice would be appreciated.
BTW budget all in is around 4K
Ta
CT
Anyway, has anyone any advice on a short safari, I was thinking Kenya, Tanzania or South Africa.
Prefered locations, who to go with (package) or which company to use locally if I arrange my own flights, actually pretty much any first hand advice would be appreciated.
BTW budget all in is around 4K
Ta
CT
We went to South Africa (Kruger) for our honeymoon but also wanted to tour SA by car so it seemed the logical choice. We went to a private lodge where the property is fenced off on all but 3 sides to the greater Kruger national park. The lodge had only 3 jeeps so you'd only see at most 2 other cars at a sighting. It was absolutely brilliant, although I have nothing else to compare it to. We saw the big 5 on the first day.
You can either self drive or join various tours in Kruger, either staying inside the park at one if the camps or outside the park. There are other reserves throughout SA with some larger ones on the western cape. The advantage of these are they're malaria free, and dealing accessible to twin with Cape Town.
I hear great things about Botswana, friends have just been to Tanzania. The area we we're in was mostly shrub land where Tanzania, Kenya etc is open plains. Looking at my mates pictures if there was a sighting there seemed to be a good 15 plus cars around.
We had 5 days to safari, it wasn't cheap and we we're doing other things so to have a chance to see the most in a limited amount of time I think a private lodge is a good choice. Was an unforgettable experience for us, so was the baboon who made it into our room and fridge......
You can either self drive or join various tours in Kruger, either staying inside the park at one if the camps or outside the park. There are other reserves throughout SA with some larger ones on the western cape. The advantage of these are they're malaria free, and dealing accessible to twin with Cape Town.
I hear great things about Botswana, friends have just been to Tanzania. The area we we're in was mostly shrub land where Tanzania, Kenya etc is open plains. Looking at my mates pictures if there was a sighting there seemed to be a good 15 plus cars around.
We had 5 days to safari, it wasn't cheap and we we're doing other things so to have a chance to see the most in a limited amount of time I think a private lodge is a good choice. Was an unforgettable experience for us, so was the baboon who made it into our room and fridge......
Went to Kenya for 8 days about 4 years ago. Stayed in Mombasa (whitesands hotel) for a few days by the beach, then did a 2 day safari through the Tsavo East safari park with own jeep and driver booked through a company called Glorious Safaris. Also did a day snorkelling in a marine conservation area near the Tanzanian border with a great outfit called Pilli Pippa. Fantastic holiday and saw plenty of wildlife. If you just wanted safari, you could fly into nairobi and do it from there.
Fantastic holiday, would love to go again. Booked flight and hotel through Virgin, and the rest via recommendation on the Tripadvisor kenya forum which is a mine of useful information. If I went again, I would book flight and hotels direct, since Virgin added nothing. We flew Kenya Airways, who were fine, and Sarova Hotels (SA company with number of hotels in kenya, SA and UK) have a number of great hotels and safari lodges which can be booked direct.
Fantastic holiday, would love to go again. Booked flight and hotel through Virgin, and the rest via recommendation on the Tripadvisor kenya forum which is a mine of useful information. If I went again, I would book flight and hotels direct, since Virgin added nothing. We flew Kenya Airways, who were fine, and Sarova Hotels (SA company with number of hotels in kenya, SA and UK) have a number of great hotels and safari lodges which can be booked direct.
We have stayed at www.sablelodge.co.za twice,as its so good.Its a private lodge on the Mabula Game Reserve about 1.5hr drive from Johannesburg airport,you have your very own driver/guide,so no sitting in a truck with loads of others.Anyone staying at Sable can use all the facilities at the main Mabula Lodge,just a short drive down a bush road.
We flew via Dubai with Emirates each time,excellent.One year we also drove the garden route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town.
Do lots of research,there are so many to choose from and its going to be expensive.Believe me though the experience out in the bush with beautiful wild animals you will not forget.
We flew via Dubai with Emirates each time,excellent.One year we also drove the garden route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town.
Do lots of research,there are so many to choose from and its going to be expensive.Believe me though the experience out in the bush with beautiful wild animals you will not forget.
We did Zambia and Botswana last year.
We stayed at the Royal Livingstone right on the banks of the Zambezi beside the Victoria Falls (amazing, to die for) http://www.suninternational.com/fallsresort/royal-... - which was rather nice. Hotel is in the falls national park, zebra, giraffe, and monkeys all resident in hotel grounds, hippos often to be seen from the decking over the Zambezi. Free access to the falls too.
From there we did Chobe National Park, http://wikitravel.org/en/Chobe_National_Park an hour or so's drive from the hotel, over the border in Botswana, and did a half day drive and a half day by boat on the river. Utterly amazing, saw the odd other jeep and boat, but never more than one at a time and typically no more than two or three times an hour max. The whole crossing the border 'thing' was a lot of fun too.
We also did a helicopter flight over the falls and a not-entirely-legal helicopter bush 'safari', chasing down giraffe.
We had a mad night out at The Pub and Grille in Livingstone, despite being told not to venture into town by many, and drank a huge amount of beer, met some great locals and didn't return to hotel until 3am. Which would typically be OK, just not when your pick up for a flight to Jo'burg was at 7.30...
Good times, wherever you go you will have memories you will never, ever, forget.
We stayed at the Royal Livingstone right on the banks of the Zambezi beside the Victoria Falls (amazing, to die for) http://www.suninternational.com/fallsresort/royal-... - which was rather nice. Hotel is in the falls national park, zebra, giraffe, and monkeys all resident in hotel grounds, hippos often to be seen from the decking over the Zambezi. Free access to the falls too.
From there we did Chobe National Park, http://wikitravel.org/en/Chobe_National_Park an hour or so's drive from the hotel, over the border in Botswana, and did a half day drive and a half day by boat on the river. Utterly amazing, saw the odd other jeep and boat, but never more than one at a time and typically no more than two or three times an hour max. The whole crossing the border 'thing' was a lot of fun too.
We also did a helicopter flight over the falls and a not-entirely-legal helicopter bush 'safari', chasing down giraffe.
We had a mad night out at The Pub and Grille in Livingstone, despite being told not to venture into town by many, and drank a huge amount of beer, met some great locals and didn't return to hotel until 3am. Which would typically be OK, just not when your pick up for a flight to Jo'burg was at 7.30...
Good times, wherever you go you will have memories you will never, ever, forget.
And some photos for what it is worth...
The hotel and what you would typically see whilst wandering around..
How close we got to a bull elephant that emerged from the bush right beside us whilst we were watching some Hippos in the river..
And finally the trip over the falls - our hotel was the string of white buildings you can see to the right of the river..
The hotel and what you would typically see whilst wandering around..
How close we got to a bull elephant that emerged from the bush right beside us whilst we were watching some Hippos in the river..
And finally the trip over the falls - our hotel was the string of white buildings you can see to the right of the river..
Hi, I'm biased as I run a african tour operator but I'd recommend you speak to a specialist operator who will give you a much better deal, and a much better experience, than the likes of the well known companies mentioned earlier. And I'm not saying those companies aren't good - they are - but specialists REALLY know africa rather than what's in a brochure.
PM me if you want more info, or search for specialists by googling something like "African Adventure holidays".
African holidays can be very expensive so you need to make your money work hard - for example, you don't want dead time in a city - you want to be in the bush for the whole time you are there, I mean, that's what you're on safari for
October is a good time to go for your budget as it's just past the peak price season. If you want Kenya then to avoid the scrum of appalling mini vans you need to consider a private conservancy. Don't (please!!) book a mini bus holiday as you'll not enjoy it.
South Africa is always a good bet and offers lots of options at various price brackets. A lodge at a reserve like Madikwe would be within your budget, as would some of the private ones around Kruger (e.g. Timbavati area). Timbavati might be a good bet as you could do a guided stay there in a private camp then combine this with some self driving in the greater Kruger. Plus Timbavati is famous for white lions and you don't see those in many places
Happy to answer any more Q's, so feel free to PM me or add them here
A word of warning though - go to Africa once and it gets in your veins!
PM me if you want more info, or search for specialists by googling something like "African Adventure holidays".
African holidays can be very expensive so you need to make your money work hard - for example, you don't want dead time in a city - you want to be in the bush for the whole time you are there, I mean, that's what you're on safari for
October is a good time to go for your budget as it's just past the peak price season. If you want Kenya then to avoid the scrum of appalling mini vans you need to consider a private conservancy. Don't (please!!) book a mini bus holiday as you'll not enjoy it.
South Africa is always a good bet and offers lots of options at various price brackets. A lodge at a reserve like Madikwe would be within your budget, as would some of the private ones around Kruger (e.g. Timbavati area). Timbavati might be a good bet as you could do a guided stay there in a private camp then combine this with some self driving in the greater Kruger. Plus Timbavati is famous for white lions and you don't see those in many places
Happy to answer any more Q's, so feel free to PM me or add them here
A word of warning though - go to Africa once and it gets in your veins!
Another vote for Zambia here.
We went for a meal at The Royal Livingstone which was superb, then one of those Giraffes scared the crap out of us when we were walking back. It was the first bit of proper wildlife we'd seen so we went from surprise, to awe, then a realisation that it was walking towards us, we weren't in a zoo and there wasn't a fence between us, then fear
We stayed in a backpackers in Livingstone (which wasn't your typical backpackers - kind of like a slightly grubby hotel, but £100 p/n cheaper
). Did Victoria Falls of course and got mugged by a baboon which was interesting. We organised a trip to a local village which was extraordinary, then walked with lions, which we expected to be little kittens but turned out to be almost fully grown and ready to be released into the wild 
.
Loved all of it. We also ignored the advice not to go out at night in Livingstone and also had a good night (we didn't get to the pub though which I do regret).
The second half of our holiday was in South Luangwa National Park. Wonderful stuff again. We stayed at Flatdogs in a sort of posh tent, and could watch hippo, elephant and crocs right from our beds. The first night was a bit of a shock; hearing hippo coming up from the river to eating the grass around our tent.
We did day and night safaris every day and a walking safari at one point too which is a really relaxed and peaceful alternative.
Booked everything ourselves via email and it came to £4k for the two of us iirc.
Here's a video that should give you an idea if it helps:
http://vimeo.com/56807951
We went for a meal at The Royal Livingstone which was superb, then one of those Giraffes scared the crap out of us when we were walking back. It was the first bit of proper wildlife we'd seen so we went from surprise, to awe, then a realisation that it was walking towards us, we weren't in a zoo and there wasn't a fence between us, then fear
We stayed in a backpackers in Livingstone (which wasn't your typical backpackers - kind of like a slightly grubby hotel, but £100 p/n cheaper
). Did Victoria Falls of course and got mugged by a baboon which was interesting. We organised a trip to a local village which was extraordinary, then walked with lions, which we expected to be little kittens but turned out to be almost fully grown and ready to be released into the wild . Loved all of it. We also ignored the advice not to go out at night in Livingstone and also had a good night (we didn't get to the pub though which I do regret).
The second half of our holiday was in South Luangwa National Park. Wonderful stuff again. We stayed at Flatdogs in a sort of posh tent, and could watch hippo, elephant and crocs right from our beds. The first night was a bit of a shock; hearing hippo coming up from the river to eating the grass around our tent.
We did day and night safaris every day and a walking safari at one point too which is a really relaxed and peaceful alternative.
Booked everything ourselves via email and it came to £4k for the two of us iirc.
Here's a video that should give you an idea if it helps:
http://vimeo.com/56807951
Edited by durbster on Thursday 4th April 22:53
Sorry for late reply on holiday.... We booked independently as we tend to 99.9% of the time. We'll normally get an agent or several to price things up then tot it up independently. We stayed at the Elephant Plains life is the sabi sands reserve you really can write a blank cheque for some of these places but EPA was relatively reasonable.
Like I said it would be good for you to hear off someone who's done multi safaris in different countries to give an honest opinion. The pic supplies in Kenya is my idea of hell.
Like I said it would be good for you to hear off someone who's done multi safaris in different countries to give an honest opinion. The pic supplies in Kenya is my idea of hell.
Agree 100% with last poster - those Kenya safaris are not good!
As for independent booking, whilst you can do this in some countries, some of the best lodges don't take direct bookings and with refer you to an agent. This makes their life easier and protects you. This last point is so important it needs repeating ... if you book direct and the camp, airline, transfer company goes bust you are not covered and risk losing all your money but if you go through an ATOL protected operator who is fully bonded (say by the TTA) then your money is FULLY protected. When you're talking £4k, that is very important.
Also, for a like-4-like trip you will never get it cheaper going direct than going through an operator (assuming they don't try to stiff you!). The reason being that the camp will charge you their rack rate if you go direct, and the rour operator will (should!) never charge you more than the rack rate. They may even charge you less, so going through an operator may save you money. Plus we operators get special deals off camps (stay 3 nights pay 2 etc) which you may not get going direct.
For £4k for the 2 of you (I assume this includes the cost of flights and transfers) then Botswana and Namibia are not in the budget. For this South Africa is your best best for an amazing experience within the £4k range .. partly because fights and transfers are less expensive in SA compared to other countries. A combination of Madikwe and Pilanesberg, or Kruger (say Timbavati) would be ideal as all easily driven from Jo'berg airport.
Search for "Alternative African Adventures" on google. Seriously, speak to an expert on African travel - this is a big investment and you want the best experience
As for independent booking, whilst you can do this in some countries, some of the best lodges don't take direct bookings and with refer you to an agent. This makes their life easier and protects you. This last point is so important it needs repeating ... if you book direct and the camp, airline, transfer company goes bust you are not covered and risk losing all your money but if you go through an ATOL protected operator who is fully bonded (say by the TTA) then your money is FULLY protected. When you're talking £4k, that is very important.
Also, for a like-4-like trip you will never get it cheaper going direct than going through an operator (assuming they don't try to stiff you!). The reason being that the camp will charge you their rack rate if you go direct, and the rour operator will (should!) never charge you more than the rack rate. They may even charge you less, so going through an operator may save you money. Plus we operators get special deals off camps (stay 3 nights pay 2 etc) which you may not get going direct.
For £4k for the 2 of you (I assume this includes the cost of flights and transfers) then Botswana and Namibia are not in the budget. For this South Africa is your best best for an amazing experience within the £4k range .. partly because fights and transfers are less expensive in SA compared to other countries. A combination of Madikwe and Pilanesberg, or Kruger (say Timbavati) would be ideal as all easily driven from Jo'berg airport.
Search for "Alternative African Adventures" on google. Seriously, speak to an expert on African travel - this is a big investment and you want the best experience
We did Ulusaba (http://www.ulusaba.virgin.com/) in SA last August as a family holiday - 5 days in the park and one day in J'burg . August/September is the dry season so lots of animals to see - but cold! Snow on the ground when we arrived. It was the best holiday we have had, and absolutely recommended. I'm sure you can find something equally excellent in your budget, taking the advice posted above.
ETA: Also an opportunity to post some of these again...
]
ETA: Also an opportunity to post some of these again...
]
Edited by V8LM on Friday 5th April 10:28
SafariDude said:
Agree 100% with last poster - those Kenya safaris are not good!
Sorry, but dissing all safais in Kenya on the basis of one photo is nonsense. My experience of a reasonably busy safari park in Kenya was that, for most of the 2 days we were there we saw no other vehicles at all, and only once encountered a scrum of 10 or so minivans when word went round that a leopard had been spotted and all vehicles converged on the same point. The drivers were just offering their clients a view of what they wanted to see however, and the beauty of having your own vehicle, as we did, is that you can say "no thanks" and head off to somewhere quiet. Still, don't let me stop you spouting crap in order to plug your own business.
I seem to remember that last time this topic came up, almost everyone who'd been on an African safari had a great time and this seems to be going the same way.
It just occurred to me that October is probably not a great time to visit Victoria Falls as it's the end of the dry season. It's not that spectacular at the end of the dry season and there's too much spray to see anything in the middle of the wet.
It just occurred to me that October is probably not a great time to visit Victoria Falls as it's the end of the dry season. It's not that spectacular at the end of the dry season and there's too much spray to see anything in the middle of the wet.
Bluebarge said:
Sorry, but dissing all safais in Kenya on the basis of one photo is nonsense. My experience of a reasonably busy safari park in Kenya was that, for most of the 2 days we were there we saw no other vehicles at all, and only once encountered a scrum of 10 or so minivans when word went round that a leopard had been spotted and all vehicles converged on the same point. The drivers were just offering their clients a view of what they wanted to see however, and the beauty of having your own vehicle, as we did, is that you can say "no thanks" and head off to somewhere quiet.
Still, don't let me stop you spouting crap in order to plug your own business.
If you actually read what I say I'm not dissing all Kenya safaris ... I'm dissing minibus safari. Kenya is an amazing country for safaris and has some great parks, but during the migration the triangle gets full of these minibuses. If you know anything about safaris you'll know that these are not thought well of, but where there is a demand there will be supply. I've been in the Mara when these buses block the path of animals crossing the river - google it, you'll see it's not just one photo I'm afraid.Still, don't let me stop you spouting crap in order to plug your own business.
I've been to all countries in Southern and Eastern Africa on safari so I think I know what I'm talking about. But as I said on my first post - there are many specialist operators, use google, find one and get yourself a great holiday.
Safaris are not inexpensive holidays so someone who spends this money deserves an experience commensurate with the money they are paying. That's all I was saying.
You think I'm spouting crap ... that's your view but not based on facts. I'm trying to help someone make the right decision, whether they use us or someone else it makes no real difference to me so long as they support responsible companies and operators (and these minibus companies are not).
One of my own photos here - not a minibus in sight
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