African Safari Ideas

[N860CR]

I'm looking to take a safari in about march (or may) next year. The better half has Botswana in mind (I'm not entirely sure why). How does that rate compared to the other African countries?

Can anyone recommend a good company to organise it through? I'm looking for something fairly luxurious and comfortable (camping doesn't go down well!)

 

[kpc]

I'm looking to take a safari in about march (or may) next year. The better half has Botswana in mind (I'm not entirely sure why). How does that rate compared to the other African countries?

Can anyone recommend a good company to organise it through? I'm looking for something fairly luxurious and comfortable (camping doesn't go down well!)

have a look at this thread of mine; also add Victoria Falls to your itinerary esp. if you go to Botswana (Chobe National Park) as it is very close by. http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/destination-guide/safari-advise-based-cape-town-31941.html

 

[casanovawa]

I stayed in Livingstone on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls, just wrote a little snapshot about an ultralight flight i did over the falls, so if you go there i would recommend that or a helicopter flight over the falls. I also did a 2 day safari into Chobe Park, there weren't any rhinos there from memory or cheetah, probably the most variety of animal life are to be found either in somewhere like Kruger National Park or in Tanzania or Kenya, but I still liked Chobe, plenty of pictures of crocodiles, elephants, giraffes, hippos, buffalo, glimpsed a leopard and saw a hyena... Saw the aftermaths of a lion attack on a baby elephant but didn't spot the lions even though the tour guide searched for them...

I roughed it in a tent, so can't help you on the accommodation side of things...

 

[drron]

I chose Botswana due to it being one of the most stable and least corrupt governments in Africa.They also take poaching seriously.
My trip report-
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....-trip-photos/a-botswanan-adventure-50060.html

We went with Sanctuary resorts but there are several upmarket operators.
It was a fantastic trip.

 

[LadyC]

The gentleman and I did a self drive tour through Namibia last year. It covered off both safari and nature aspects (eg we went and saw the Sossusvlei which I thought was great). It was organised through a Melbourne safari specialist TA. A number of camps we stayed at were run by Wilderness Safaris - who have properties in Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and a few other African countries. Not cheap but I thought they were great - especially the private game reserve near Etosha. We saw a lot more at the private reserve than at Etosha.

 

[RooFlyer]

Its been too many years to remember the Safari Company and booking details I used, but I suggest you look at safaris to and around Ngorongoro crater in Northern Tanzania.

UNESCO World Heritage area, its a natural protected area, well serviced by lodges etc on the crater rim and there are other safari / Park areas nearby to extend the experience.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

Can anyone recommend a good company to organise it through? I'm looking for something fairly luxurious and comfortable (camping doesn't go down well!)

I did not want to go to Africa. The only way drron could get me there was luxury all the way. I DO NOT do camping. He only had once chance of ever getting me there so he went all out. Even I had a good time. I can highly recommend Sanctuary Resorts. :shock:

 

[tgh]

Safari's are big business and the Mara river crossing is so over used and over run with safari buses and cars that it's a reverse zoo.
On horseback in Kenya I went where ordinary folks cannot , but ordinary folks can also see bits of less trodden Africa with a bit of effort.
Most safari camps are, at least on the surface , pretty luxurious .. just enjoy the wine and don't fret about how clean your shower water is and you will be fine

 

[Sprucegoose]

I chose Botswana due to it being one of the most stable and least corrupt governments in Africa.They also take poaching seriously.
My trip report-
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....-trip-photos/a-botswanan-adventure-50060.html

We went with Sanctuary resorts but there are several upmarket operators.
It was a fantastic trip.

Agree Botswana is better for business all round.

zambia hasnt been overrun with commercialism as yet either, have some contacts there if anyone wants to PM me

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

I'm looking to take a safari in about march (or may) next year. The better half has Botswana in mind (I'm not entirely sure why). How does that rate compared to the other African countries?

Can anyone recommend a good company to organise it through? I'm looking for something fairly luxurious and comfortable (camping doesn't go down well!)

As a number of people have already pointed out, Botswana is generally a well Governed Nation, particularly it's hard line stance on Animal Pouching.

On My trip to Chobe NP last year, i saw a seperate Anti Pouching Unit Headquarters & personnel, from the normal National park Headquarters & personnel.

I was Informed that Botswana is really the only nation in Southern Africa where the pouching of Rhino's is very low due to the Nation's unlimited budget for the Anti Poaching Unit, where it's neighbour's don't share the same emphasis on Poaching.

I'm afraid, i was confronted with the sad reality of the barbaric epidemic of Rhino Pouching in Kruger NP (South Africa) where on the Safari i was on last year.... i saw first hand a fresh Kill by the Poachers (Most likely the Poachers were from Mozambique accordingly to Park Rangers)...... & when i say fresh kill, i'm talking a Kill that was undertaken only 3-4 hours earlier.

But don't let this put you off going to from Kruger NP, by the way...... its wildlife sightings IMHO were better here than anywhere else on my 3 week adventure of Southern Africa.

The Scenery & amazing Sunsets in the Kruger NP are breathtaking in their own right too.

But to Answer your Question about Botswana...... It's a fantastic nation, that warmly welcomes much needed Tourist dollars....... & the people are extremely humble...... The experience of meeting the locals & learning their culture, for me personally was very touching.

As someone else of this forum gave advice to me on Southern Africa...... it's very addictive & one trip won't be enough!

In terms of Safari companies...... so many to choose from, i went with a few different companies on a number of different tours, but a stand out for me was in fact an Aussie favourite - Intrepid.

For their Kruger Trips, Intrepid Stay in a real authentic, Luxurious Lodge located in a Private Game reserve just outside Kruger..... and let me tell you, staying on a Private Game reserve i got very close to some very large Cat's...... it was very hard to keep my "cool" with the excitement of being so up close & personal to some rather large Male Lions.

That was an experience i'll never forget.

 

[TraceyK90]

I can second Botswana and Namibia. We are actually planning a trip to Namibia at the moment, with three kids.

Try to use a local company if you can.

What are the main reasons you are going? Is it wildlife viewing, a particular animal or event and that should narrow down your options. Consider when its the rainy season, wildlife viewing is harder then. We've been to Etosha in the dry and had an amazing time.

There are some great private parks and lodges in Kruger, including a white lion place and the amarula factory is nearby.

Don't forget to chat to your dr about malaria!

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

...................and the amarula factory is nearby.

OMG !! Amarula is addictive. I see why the elephants love it. :shock: One glass is never enough

 

[mole]

Our first safari experience was in South Africa, we spent 5 nights at the Sabi Sands Game Reserve (private concession adjacent to Kruger) at Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge, very luxurious, fantastic food and very good game drives. Lots of leopards in this area and we had some very good sightings including a 'kill' and subsequently watching the leopard drag an impala up into a tree. Lots of Rhino, lions etc, advantage of the private concession is that you can do night drives and go off road. We also did Addo Elephant Reserve on this trip (near Port Elizabeth) but seemed very tame after Sabi.

We really did love and enjoy South Africa but in June last year we spent a couple of weeks in Kenya and for us the Masai Mara was a hands down winner. We stayed at Mara Explorer, which is a relatively small 5 star tented camp (only 10 tents) and is situated right next to the Talek River. Our tent had a deck complete with outdoor bath and was situated just above the hippo pool, amazing sitting on our deck watching a pod of about 40 hippos in the water and then sunbaking on the bank. The game drives were fantastic, we opted for long morning drives 6 am until 1pm and then back out again at 3pm. The Mara has such a vast amount of wildlife, huge lion prides, which as an avid follower of BBC Big Cat Diaries I loved as we got to see the "Notch" pride and the infamous Notch himself (although he is now believed to have died) as well as some of the featured Cheetahs and Lions. The landscape is so different to South Africa with the wide open plains and huge herds of buffalo, zebra and wildebeest (although we deliberately chose to go before the migration to avoid the crowds and this made for great animal viewing without the crowds). We did the hot air balloon over the Mara and whilst I'm glad we did it, I personally prefer the thrill of a game drive. We will definitely return to the Masai Mara, as our guide said "The Mara never disappoints".

 

[boomy]

+1 for Sabi Sands Game Reserve.
I was there a few years ago and had great safari. Saw all the big 5 and a few more. It's very expensive compared to the rest of SA but it's a unique experience, highly recommended.

 

[vetrade]

We went with Sanctuary resorts but there are several upmarket operators.
It was a fantastic trip.

Can you clarify drron? Was it "Sanctuary Retreats" you used - "Sanctuary Resorts" didn't show up when I Googled it?

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

Can you clarify drron? Was it "Sanctuary Retreats" you used - "Sanctuary Resorts" didn't show up when I Googled it?

This is definitely the place.

Luxury African Safari Holidays, Lodges & Camps - Sanctuary Retreats


We stayed at 4 camps - Baines, Chiefs, Chobe Chilweo and Sussi and Chuma.

 

[vetrade]

This is definitely the place.

Luxury African Safari Holidays, Lodges & Camps - Sanctuary Retreats


We stayed at 4 camps - Baines, Chiefs, Chobe Chilweo and Sussi and Chuma.

Thanks for that - stealing your and drron's travel ideas saves me a lot of time.

 

[N860CR]

That's a lot for the ideas! Seems it's going to take a lot of research!

 

[argus]

Can recommend doing a lot of research to end up with exactly what you want, the choices of not only countries are many but also then which places to go to and then style of accommodation - suggest taking as many days in Africa as is possible. Was there for all of a March and it was a good time of the year to be in the places we chose - that somewhat influenced choices actually.

Used "&beyond" (and beyond) - they have community participation, eco and conservation policies. Travelled to Namibia: Sossusvlei & Windhoek; Botswana: Okavango Delta (Sandibe and Nxabega) and Chobe Chilwero and Zambia - only Livingstone for Vic Falls with several hours in Zimbabwe to see falls from that side stayed at the Royal Livingstone - could not fault any of it. Great assistance with final decisions of where to go and where to stay.

In South Africa prior to above went to Kapama Private Game Reserve (between Kruger and Drakensberg mountains) stayed in Buffalo Camp - different from above as that part of trip was with group of friends and it worked well in that context as had all of the camp. While didn't choose that game park ourselves were very happy though at times game drives sightings seemed a little "crowded" but could not complain as we saw an amazing variety and amount of game every drive. My choice for South Africa would have been Sabi Sabi or Phinda.

 

[saminkaz]

I used andBeyond for amazing trips in Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana. Governor's Camps in Masai Mara - home to the Marsh Pride and Big Cat Diary. Sanctuary in Uganda. Savannah Private Game Reserve in Sabi Sands. Tongabezi Lodge in Zambia. Heading back down in February to see Namibia, Botswana (Chobe) and back to the Masai Mara, Kenya. Happy to pass on my contacts if you PM me. I also have plenty of footage from my trips that you can easily view which includes accommodation I stayed at. Enjoy, it is the trip of a lifetime that you will want to do again and again.