African Safari
Discussion
Some help needed from well travelled PHers.
It's Mrs Numptie's 40th in April. Something she's always wanted to do (but doesn't float my boat) is to go on safari. I'm thinking lions, tigers, wildebeest etc.
Any advice? I'm wondering about ...
Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
N
>>> Edited by Numptie on Monday 10th January 16:29
It's Mrs Numptie's 40th in April. Something she's always wanted to do (but doesn't float my boat) is to go on safari. I'm thinking lions, tigers, wildebeest etc.
Any advice? I'm wondering about ...
- Time of year? - her birthday is early April but if there's a much better time of year, then it may be worth postponing / advancing.
- Which country? - Kenya seems the obvious one but I've heard that Botswana is better.
Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
N
>>> Edited by Numptie on Monday 10th January 16:29
I was in Botswana last year for work and one weekend I went to Mokolodi Game Park for a day. It is an enclosed park near Gaborone but it does have 2 tame adult Cheetah which you can get out of the land rover and stroke. It is a fantastic experience to have a cheetah licking your hand. (dunno if he was tasting the produce first!) If you go further into the country, it is meant to be the best safari and a safe country. I found the people to be so welcoming and friendly.
I went in March and we had a few storms but it wasn't too bad.
I went in March and we had a few storms but it wasn't too bad.
Try Kenya/Zanzibar & tanzania
Kenya because Mombasa is nice for some beach stuff but not as bounty advert as Zanzibar. But up country Tanzania there is Ngorogoro crater wildlife reserve, it's a wicked place! The reserve is in the bottom of an extinct volcano when the animal have great difficulty getting out of due to the steep sides etc, access is via 4x4. The accomodation and the crater lodge is quite rustic but bizarrely enough, although it is almost on the equator it gets quite cold, so makes for an interesting contrast, plus you can go and see Kilamanjaro which is sort of in that neck of the woods. Been there twice, wouldn't really plan to spend more than a week in the reserves as, you know the thing, once you've seen one herd of wildebeest then you've seen them all
Another place in Tanzania is Lake Manyara, used to have lots of elephants, not sure now, but there is a rather nice hotel that is high on an escarpment that overlooks the game park and the lake. Quite pleasant.
It can take quite alot of planning if you want to get the best out of these places but it is worth it. Best to try to arrange a beach break to chill out after chasing the wildlife.
Also be careful, it isn't like Alicante, people can and DO end up in serious trouble if they don't look after their personal safety, do not wander around alone at anytime, especially at night.
Any questions, ask away, I'll try to answer if I can, mind you, it's a while since I was last there, could have changed a whole lot.
Equally so, you could consider South Africa, I don't think they've eaten all their wildlife...yet!
Kenya because Mombasa is nice for some beach stuff but not as bounty advert as Zanzibar. But up country Tanzania there is Ngorogoro crater wildlife reserve, it's a wicked place! The reserve is in the bottom of an extinct volcano when the animal have great difficulty getting out of due to the steep sides etc, access is via 4x4. The accomodation and the crater lodge is quite rustic but bizarrely enough, although it is almost on the equator it gets quite cold, so makes for an interesting contrast, plus you can go and see Kilamanjaro which is sort of in that neck of the woods. Been there twice, wouldn't really plan to spend more than a week in the reserves as, you know the thing, once you've seen one herd of wildebeest then you've seen them all
Another place in Tanzania is Lake Manyara, used to have lots of elephants, not sure now, but there is a rather nice hotel that is high on an escarpment that overlooks the game park and the lake. Quite pleasant.
It can take quite alot of planning if you want to get the best out of these places but it is worth it. Best to try to arrange a beach break to chill out after chasing the wildlife.
Also be careful, it isn't like Alicante, people can and DO end up in serious trouble if they don't look after their personal safety, do not wander around alone at anytime, especially at night.
Any questions, ask away, I'll try to answer if I can, mind you, it's a while since I was last there, could have changed a whole lot.
Equally so, you could consider South Africa, I don't think they've eaten all their wildlife...yet!
Timing is quite important. In their winter there's not much rain and so the grass dies down a bit and lying water is concentrated in fewer areas. This makes game watching much easier as the animals congregate round the fewer bits of available water. In the summer the afternoon rains means you can often go for ages without seeing a damn thing as the grass es shoot up.
South Africa is great for sanitised game watching but the numbers of game tend to be much less than in other places like Okavango in Botswana and Kenya. The coast North of Durban at St Lucia is quite a good spot for a lot of game and you get the added advantage of Indian Ocean beaches. Johannesburg is quite good for Kruger (about 5 hrs by road) and the game park at Sun City (where you also get the chance to do romantic dinners etc.
If you really want to do rustic then try Mozambique, but be prepared to need to look after your own safety.
You probably need to decide if you want to take her on a 5-star type experience that happens to include some game watching,or a game watching experience that happens to involve some camping. For example Kruger park as "council" run Rondavels to stay in for very little (15 quid a night when I last went) and you do your own driving in the park generally. Or you could stay in Treetops resort in Kenya which is very high quality. They even have people to wake you up at night so you can see the game that comes into the camp.
If you organise it all from the UK through UK tour companies it willcost you a lot. But if you can live with organising it yourself, taking into account the strength of the pound, you can make it really quite cheap.
South Africa is great for sanitised game watching but the numbers of game tend to be much less than in other places like Okavango in Botswana and Kenya. The coast North of Durban at St Lucia is quite a good spot for a lot of game and you get the added advantage of Indian Ocean beaches. Johannesburg is quite good for Kruger (about 5 hrs by road) and the game park at Sun City (where you also get the chance to do romantic dinners etc.
If you really want to do rustic then try Mozambique, but be prepared to need to look after your own safety.
You probably need to decide if you want to take her on a 5-star type experience that happens to include some game watching,or a game watching experience that happens to involve some camping. For example Kruger park as "council" run Rondavels to stay in for very little (15 quid a night when I last went) and you do your own driving in the park generally. Or you could stay in Treetops resort in Kenya which is very high quality. They even have people to wake you up at night so you can see the game that comes into the camp.
If you organise it all from the UK through UK tour companies it willcost you a lot. But if you can live with organising it yourself, taking into account the strength of the pound, you can make it really quite cheap.
Glad someone asked this one! I've just booked our honeymoon. 5 days around the Masai Mara and 8 days at the beach in Mombassa. One of the safari nights we're staying at Treetops and various other lodges in the area, then Mombassa Beach resort or Hotel (can't remember which!) for the remainder. I managed to get it through Apollo Travel for about £1400 each flying via BA. Has anyone had any experiences of this?
Mrs Fish said:
Thats where we stayed for 3 days out of our 6 on safari. It is a beautiful place
And this is where we stayed for the first 3 days, far more basic but still a great experience.
www.chelipeacock.com/camps/marabush.htm
Check out www.sunvil.co.uk. I've just got their brochure, and now were saving for Tanzania - fantastic safari's, with fly-camping and luxurious lodges, followed by 2 island stays around Maria Island - one in wooden chalets on Pole Pole, and one in tree lodges on Chole Island - absolutely idyllic...I can't wait!
Size Nine Elm said:
You lucky, lucky... it sounded almost colonial, out on trek during the day, table set up for 'sundowners', etc. I'm saving up already...
Here are a few pics to whet your appetitie
Dining room and leisure area
Infinity Pool, looking out over the landscape
View from our room
Our room
We went right at the start of the season so we were the only ones there for 2 of the three days, so managed to get a guided tour round the whole site and rooms. Its very well done
The biggest problem with going on safari in Africa is the tourists. If you do the serengetti, so will 100 million others. And you'll get to see Japanese people thinking its fun to get out of the land rover to stroke the nice pussycat (lion!).
IMHO the best place to go is off the beaten track. Zimbabwe is excellent as long as you only go to the tourist areas (well protected cos 'Uncle bob' needs your tourist money to line his pockets). I was there a year ago (in fact, landed in Zambia a year ago today) and it was superb. We did a safari on Spur Wing Island, a small island with lodges on Lake Kariba. It has only 2 land rovers. If you go to a large park, then when one ranger see's game, he'll call all the others and you end up with a pride of lion surrounded by 2000 tourists, whereas here when we saw a cheetah with its fresh kill, no one came along to spoil the view. You can also do foot safari's (wake up at 6 then go walking with guides past elephant, tracking leopards etc) this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
Zimbabwe also has Victoria Falls (the Zambia side is also worth a day trip) which is outstanding with great hotels (iylana lodge or elephant falls are the best) and the chance to do a sunset cruise on the Zambeze, watching hippo as the free beer keeps on coming.
If you're brave enough to venture into Harare (I only did it cos my g/f grew up there), it has the Lion and Cheetah park, provider for the animals in the BBC film Safari that was on over xmas. It was there that we played with 2 year old lions and picked up 1 year olds. Wathcing the guide playing with a full grown lioness was incredible and watching a 1 year old play stalking my g/f was really funny.
If you do go to Zim, take cash. The exchange rate is wonky. Last year banks gave Zim$7,500 per pound but the ATM and credit card places only gave Zim$1,500. Luckily I had someone I could borrow $1,000,000 (yes, 1 million zim dollars, about £150) cos I didn't realise till I'd maxed my overdraft on a hotel. They refunded it at the right rate and it all got sorted though, but its easiest to take US$ and not worry.
I'll try to put some photos on the web tonight.
IMHO the best place to go is off the beaten track. Zimbabwe is excellent as long as you only go to the tourist areas (well protected cos 'Uncle bob' needs your tourist money to line his pockets). I was there a year ago (in fact, landed in Zambia a year ago today) and it was superb. We did a safari on Spur Wing Island, a small island with lodges on Lake Kariba. It has only 2 land rovers. If you go to a large park, then when one ranger see's game, he'll call all the others and you end up with a pride of lion surrounded by 2000 tourists, whereas here when we saw a cheetah with its fresh kill, no one came along to spoil the view. You can also do foot safari's (wake up at 6 then go walking with guides past elephant, tracking leopards etc) this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
Zimbabwe also has Victoria Falls (the Zambia side is also worth a day trip) which is outstanding with great hotels (iylana lodge or elephant falls are the best) and the chance to do a sunset cruise on the Zambeze, watching hippo as the free beer keeps on coming.
If you're brave enough to venture into Harare (I only did it cos my g/f grew up there), it has the Lion and Cheetah park, provider for the animals in the BBC film Safari that was on over xmas. It was there that we played with 2 year old lions and picked up 1 year olds. Wathcing the guide playing with a full grown lioness was incredible and watching a 1 year old play stalking my g/f was really funny.
If you do go to Zim, take cash. The exchange rate is wonky. Last year banks gave Zim$7,500 per pound but the ATM and credit card places only gave Zim$1,500. Luckily I had someone I could borrow $1,000,000 (yes, 1 million zim dollars, about £150) cos I didn't realise till I'd maxed my overdraft on a hotel. They refunded it at the right rate and it all got sorted though, but its easiest to take US$ and not worry.
I'll try to put some photos on the web tonight.
Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff