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A safari is a guided tour, normally in Africa, that may convey you up near elephants, zebras, giraffes, lions, rhinos and extra. Typically, these adventures contain taking open-sided safari automobiles into nature and observing and photographing wild animals of their pure habitats. (Different safaris are for looking; right here, we’ll give attention to the previous.) If you happen to’re planning your first safari, listed below are some suggestions.
1. Work with a journey company that makes a speciality of planning safaris
An elephant walks by the northern Serengeti. (Photograph by Josh Garber)
Even should you’re an avid traveler, safari planning continues to be greatest left to the professionals. Through the use of a good safari planning journey company like Yellow Zebra, Abercrombie & Kent or Timbuktu, you may get a number of advantages:
Steering on when and the place to go based mostly in your needs and desires. Your safari planning skilled will doubtless have related info on the place to go based mostly on climate, animal migrations and what you’re seeking to get out of your safari. (As an example, if you wish to see hordes of wildebeest in July, your safari adviser would possibly information you to a distinct vacation spot than should you’re on the lookout for rhino encounters.)
On-the-ground expertise about lodging. Some safari planners have visited the properties themselves or have colleagues who’ve, which helps provide you with a greater thought of what to anticipate earlier than you guide a property.
Assist arranging transport throughout the safari. Even after you will have the property you’re staying at sorted out, relying on the place you’re happening safari, you might profit from assist arranging transport. As an example, should you’re flying to the northern Serengeti for a safari, you’ll doubtless fly into Kilimanjaro Worldwide Airport, however after that you could be must take a couple of extra, smaller flights to get nearer to your lodging (and even when you land on the airstrip nearer to your lodging, you’ll doubtless want a information to select you up and take you to your remaining vacation spot). If you happen to use a journey company, it might arrange all the inner transportation for you — and also you’ll be grateful it did.
Recommendation about aspect journeys to enhance your safari. Even should you’re solely in happening safari, you might wish to discuss to your safari journey adviser about close by non-safari locations to take a look at. As an example, you’ll be able to add on some seaside time in Zanzibar after your Serengeti safari or should you’re happening safari in South Africa, you could possibly take into account a seaside journey to Mozambique afterward.
🤓Nerdy Tip
When you’ve got a pal or member of the family who booked a safari by a journey company and loved their expertise, inform the safari company that you simply’ve been referred and it’ll typically give you a reduction in your reserving.
2. Purchase and produce the appropriate gear
A male lion protects a sleeping feminine lion. (Photograph by Josh Garber)
There won’t be many shops close to your safari lodging, so you will wish to be sure you purchase and produce the appropriate gear with you. Listed here are some gadgets that you simply would possibly wish to convey in your safari:
Binoculars. Bringing a great pair of binoculars (we suggest both 8x, 10x or 12x magnification) will improve your journey expertise so you’ll be able to see animals which might be farther away, see birds higher and get a better view of your safari expertise. Word that some safari lodging supply complimentary use of binoculars throughout visitors’ keep, so you need to test together with your lodging earlier than buying binoculars.
Digicam. Moderately than relying in your smartphone, take into account buying or renting a digital camera with a telephoto lens so you’ll be able to seize animals from far-off for the very best safari photos. If you happen to’re new to pictures, you might wish to take a couple of pictures courses or watch tutorial movies so that you’re ready to get the very best photographs of the animals and panorama throughout your safari.
Garments which might be applicable in your safari. Normally, you wish to put on pure colours that mix in with the surroundings. Blue and black can entice tsetse flies, and attempt to avoid shiny colours. Moreover, relying on the place you’re going, temperatures can fluctuate from chilly within the mornings to scorching within the afternoons, so you might wish to take into account safari pants that may be unzipped on the knee and become shorts.
Sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat. There are days the place you would possibly spend 10-plus hours on the highway and also you wish to ensure that your pores and skin is protected. Bringing sunscreen with you and carrying a wide-brimmed hat in your journey might help to guard your pores and skin.
Bug spray. To assist forestall mosquito and different insect bites, take into account bringing bug spray resembling DDT. Earlier than deciding which bug spray to pack, test with native rules to see if any chemical substances are banned within the nation you’re visiting.
Bringing the appropriate gear can improve your safari expertise.
3. Verify to see whether or not the planes that you simply’re flying to your safari have weight or different restrictions for baggage
Relying on the place you’re happening safari, you might be in small planes which have baggage necessities that you could be not have needed to comply with for different journeys. As an example, Coastal Aviation in Tanzania has the next baggage restrictions for gentle plane flights:
Weight allowance of 33 kilos (15 kilograms) per individual, together with hand baggage.
All baggage have to be in comfortable baggage (i.e., duffel baggage).
🤓Nerdy Tip
If you happen to’ll be away for per week or extra, test together with your safari lodging to see if it provides laundry providers, which might help you pack lighter.
4. Embrace the expertise, and count on lodging which may be outdoors of what you’re used to
Wildebeest collect within the northern Serengeti. (Photograph by Josh Garber)
Whereas there are some extra conventional lodge choices you could possibly guide on safari — resembling 4 Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti and the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge — you might end up reserving a safari the place the lodging are extra akin to tenting (albeit higher-end tenting) than a lodge.
As an example, Wayo Serengeti Inexperienced Camp in northern Tanzania is so near the animals that you’ll find zebras outdoors your lodging, and you may even take strolling safaris, however the camp differs from typical accommodations in some ways, together with:
“Bucket showers” as an alternative of typical showers. (A bucket bathe is mainly when the workers warms water up upon request after which fills a bucket outdoors of your tent that connects to the bathe in your tent.)
No Wi-Fi or electrical plugs in your room, with Wi-Fi and charging solely within the frequent space.
Set lunch and dinner occasions with no room service, though many camps will offer you a bagged breakfast, lunch or dinner upon request.
It’s possible you’ll should be escorted to and out of your tent at evening to make sure your security, together with utilizing a flashlight to alert the workers once you’re able to be picked up out of your room.
A gaggle of zebras outdoors of lodging at Wayo Serengeti Inexperienced Camp. (Photograph by Josh Garber)
If you happen to’re reserving a safari camp as an alternative of a lodge, you need to embrace the expertise so as to absolutely benefit from the tranquility as an alternative of specializing in how the camp differs from the kind of lodge expertise you would possibly usually guide.
5. Look into what photographs, medicines and visas you might want in your journey
As quickly as you’ll be able to after reserving your journey, you need to look into whether or not you want any particular photographs, medicines or visas in your safari. As an example, you have to have a yellow fever vaccination and certificates to enter Kenya, Uganda and the Republic of Congo. Moreover, Tanzania requires residents of the USA to get a visa to enter the nation (be aware that you would be able to pay for the visa on arrival).
We suggest reserving an appointment together with your physician or going to a journey clinic to debate photographs and drugs and utilizing the U.S. Division of State’s web site to be taught concerning the visas you might want.
Tips on how to guide a safari on factors
Safaris could be costly, and a good way to save cash in your safari is to make use of factors. There are a few methods that you would be able to guide a safari on factors:
Ebook your flights utilizing factors. A round-trip ticket from Los Angeles to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, from June 2 to June 16, 2025, at present prices $1,704 in money or you could possibly use 139,000 Flying Blue miles and pay $441.10 in charges for a similar flights. American Categorical, Chase, Capital One and Citi all allow you to switch factors to Air France’s Flying Blue program.
Ebook your lodging utilizing factors. You need to use factors to guide your safari lodging both by reserving a lodge just like the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, which permits Marriott Bonvoy members to pay for the stick with factors, or by paying in your lodging with a bank card that allows you to use factors to offset the entire steadiness owed, like Chase’s Pay Your self Again program.
Even should you’re solely capable of offset a portion of your safari utilizing factors, it might assist cut back the general value of what may in any other case be an costly journey.
A giraffe strolling by the Serengeti. (Photograph by Josh Garber)
Tips on how to maximize your rewards
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