Africa: Suggestions for a safari experience on a Budget?

[Quickstatus]

??? Private car + guide???

 

[Flying mermaid]

??? Private car + guide???

In the Private game reserves all vehicles are supplied by the lodge - you fly in. Generally you are between 4 and 6 to a vehicle with driver/guide. These are totally open vehicles with nothing between you and the animals . I must find a photo later of us with lions on either side . So if you want a private vehicle it automatically come with a guide The guides are in communication with each other all the time so if something interesting is happen they will let each other know. They never allow more than two vehicles to be together and generally they try to keep it to one, so there is a bit of coordination going on in the back ground to make sure you get a good experience. Numbers are small which helps e.g. Singita Grumeti is 350,000 acres and they have 3 lodges -18 people in two of them and the other about 36. So as you can imagine you don’t run into other vehicles very much.

 

[Quickstatus]

Ah ok
No private game reserves here.

 

[Quickstatus]

Well if you ever get the opportunity- don’t hesitate!

Binoculars- really good to take if you have any.

Good idea binoculars
Bad idea for the other one. Hesitation will turn me into a stone cold statue

 

[Flying mermaid]

Good idea binoculars
Bad idea for the other one. Hesitation will turn into stone cold

If we could do it anyone can

 

[Quickstatus]

If we could do it anyone can

I’ve learnt:
Not everyone can do everything
Remember the Pied Piper

 

[vetrade]

Thanks.
Now they want to do Devils Pool at the VF. Quite scary IMO

I heard that Robben has some Penguins that aren’t afraid of human and are quite happy swimming with them.

Devils Pool is an exhilarating & unique experience. Wading across to the pool with the Falls so close is actually quite safe - they give you a rope to hang onto.

Cut anything else from your itinerary to save money but don't miss the Devil's Pool boat trip.

Robben Island is quite barren and featureless - plus the water passage to get there can often be rough - a lot of people (including me) would say "Don't bother" (unless you're really into the history / Mandela thing).

 

[vetrade]

you absolutely have to do Devils Pool! We did Angels pool as the water was so deep and fast Devils was closed. That was scary enough! However I would think at the time you are going to be there the water will be right down so it will be a lot less scary. The current was so strong we really felt we could be pulled over the edge and clung onto the ropes and weren’t brave enough to go right to the edge, but then we are pretty wimpy.

No need to worry - the guide will hold you by the foot as you look into the abyss!

 

[Flying mermaid]

No need to worry - the guide will hold you by the foot as you look into the abyss!

yeah wasn’t going to do that . We were just plain terrified - not good with heights at the best of times. Mr FM wouldn’t even go out on the Eiffel Tower and cowered in the lift going up and down, so looking over the edge with all that water rushing past was not going to happen. Just watching our guide dancing on the edge taking photos for us almost triggered a panic attack in me . One of the best things we’ve done though

 

[Quickstatus]

Yeah well it’s not the Eiffel Tower. It’s wild Africa!!.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Yeah well it’s not the Eiffel Tower. It’s wild Africa!!.

So the picture of us in Angels pool - we did actually go further in after this, but no way to the edge - just look at that water!

Then the photos of the vehicle with the lions. There was actually one on either side! We had been following 3 lions for a few hours, because our guide thought they would rejoin the pride and he wanted us to see the interactions when they did. He had overtaken them and then positioned the vehicle so Mr FM could get photos of them walking towards us. At one point my lion looked up and looked me directly in the eye - I was not tempted to pat him Fortunately another vehicle had joined us just as this was happening and they took photos and gave them to us.

 

[Quickstatus]

How cold is the water?
November is quite hot so any water dipping will be refreshing.

Do you tip the guide / guard after a game drive? what’s an appropriate amount?

 

[Flying mermaid]

How cold is the water?
November is quite hot so any water dipping will be refreshing.

Do you tip the guide / guard after a game drive? what’s an appropriate amount?

We were there in late February - we didn’t find the water cold at all.

You generally tip at the end of the stay. We had Jimmy for 9 days and tipped at the end of that. Singita moved him around with us as we stayed 3 nights at each camp. The last time we were in Africa it was around $10 to $20 per person per day. We tipped a lot more than that for Jimmy because we were the only ones with him and we just loved him and felt he did so much for us. It’s entirely voluntary, but of course the guys do rely on tips, as I don’t think salaries are anything much.

 

[Quickstatus]

Is Africa going/gone down USA route by making their employee rely on tips?

 

[Flying mermaid]

Is Africa going/gone down USA route by making their employee rely on tips?

i suspect so. When I lived there prior to 1975, I can only remember tipping in restaurants, but it seems much more prevalent now and definitely in the game reserves. From what I have heard salaries are quite low there.

I would think the cheaper safaris tips would be less as well, but the places we go to have huge numbers of Americans and they tip really extravagantly.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Talking of tipping - when you land in Johannesburg people will want to carry your luggage. The official porters have orange bibs and identity cards. There isn’t a going rate - pretty much what you want to give them. The people are very poor and unemployment is huge, so we always let them pull our wheelie cases

 

[Quickstatus]

Yes I see no problem with that so long as it’s officially sanctioned.
I really really hate it when people serving me are not paid a fair living wage while I’m being charged the proverbial A&L

 

[Flying mermaid]

Yes I see no problem with that so long as it’s officially sanctioned.
I really really hate it when people serving me are not paid a fair living wage while I’m being charged the proverbial A&L

totally agree!

 

[vetrade]

Master V in Devil's Pool (he's the one in the front!!!)

 

[Quickstatus]

Complete madness