African Safari Ideas

[Quickstatus]

Is June July a good time for an African safari?. Planning 2 weeks only

 

[Milboo]

Where are you looking at going? It's migration season for the wildebeest around Serengeti and Grumeti so high demand up that way especially July when the river crossings are happening.

South Africa - its low season as its winter.

 

[Quickstatus]

Would be last 2 weeks of June. Have to be back in OZ by end of first week in July

Great wildebeest migration would be nice but not sure if the timing would be right

Otherwise Kruger will be good too.

I've seen prices around $500-1000 per person per night?

How should I split up a 2 week.
4-5 days in each location or 7 days per location?

 

[Milboo]

I'd spend say 3 days per lodge, definitely change locations to maximise chance of viewings and change of scenery. I'd fly into JNB - up to Victoria Falls for a few days, then down into Kruger - around Sabi? To 2 lodges and then a couple of days in JNB?

&Beyond and Sabi combine their lodges in SA into packages.

I haven't gone up to Serengeti so can't help there but have looked a lot at the Grumeti Reserve area.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

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!)

You have since said that you only have two weeks. So not long and so you will need to prioritise.

Firstly WHAT do you want to see the most?:

• The animals (high on most peoples desires)
• The scenery (Victoria Falls, The Serengeti etc)
• The people as in a tribal experience
• Being spoilt in private Safari Lodge but mainly at significant $$$

In my trip I drove a 4WD from Nairobi overall to Victoria Falls and sample many different game reserves, often being able to drive at my own pace in my own vehicle. I also finished the trip after that with 4 days in Chobe, a week in the Capetown Region (Breathtaking scenery, great wineries etc...but not so good for genuine wildlife), a stint in a private Safari Lodge, and a week driving around Kruger National Park in a fire car.

A few thoughts as you only have 2 weeks:

• The Maasai Mara National Reserve is hard to beat with those classic African plain vistas and density and diversity of wildlife, Interation with the Maasai guarding our campsites was also a highlight.
• Kruger National Park is also excellent for these and it is easy to to it DIY at a fraction of the cost of the Private Lodges by renting a car (the gravel roads are excellent) and by staying in the SANPARK government camps South African National Parks - SANParks - Official Website - Accommodation, Activities, Prices, Reservations I think Lower Sabie South African National Parks - SANParks - Official Website - Accommodation, Activities, Prices, Reservations is excellent for wildlife, facilities and access to SkuKuza Airport (you can pick up a rental car there). You can stay at several camps for 3 or 4 nights each.
• Botswana is a very well run country with many good game viewing parks, but prices are also more. For first trip with only two weeks I would recommend one of the two parks above though.
• I visited many other reserves and each had their own attractions. But with only a fortnight they are too far apart to visit. ie Amboseli National Park overlooked by Mt Kilamanjaro was a great park off the beaten track with good views and diverse wildlife.
• Victoria Falls is yes stunning. But the game reserves nearby are not that good and so of you only have two weeks I would go elsewhere unless wateralls are high on your bucket list.

Also while I know that some don't like camping, for me that was the best part of my African trip.

Maasi Maru

5m from our 4WD in Maasai Maru - Great camouflage

Amboseli

Camped on the edge of Lake Malawi

Rhino while on a walking tour-only 10m away! Near Victoria Falls

 

[Quickstatus]

Thanks all!.

Side note- the previous post quoted a post from 2014 by someone else. The thread has been dormant for a while

 

[Milboo]

Personally I would not self drive the Kruger if you only have a short visit. You are fighting all the other tourists for sightings and you're confined to the roads. In a private reserve they are able to track the animals and usually you are the only vehicle at a sighting - which is less impact on the animals too - with an unimpeded view.

Victoria Falls is lighter on animals but there was something spectacular about cruising on the Zambezi and seeing hippos, crocodiles etc. We sat and watched a herd of elephants feeding on an island, and another coming for a drink. Then watched a herd cross the river at sunset. We saw zebras, giraffes, kudu etc in the park and had monkeys and warthogs at the lodge. We stayed at the Victoria Falls River Lodge so were in the park itself and when they took you down to the town - by boat or jeep, it was like another safari drive/ cruise.

The helicopter ride was spectacular too.

 

[JohnM]

If you like aviation, maybe think about an aerial safari. Cover extensive ground easily in superb comfort and stay at high-end lodges.

Two TRs I've done:

Aerial safari in Kenya and gorilla trek in Rwanda

JohnM's E Africa aerial safari

Australian agent is BenchAfrica in Sydney: African Safaris & Tours - Bench Africa – Bench International

June is a good time to go to Chobe. The vegetation in the river and islands is still lush and hasn't yet been eaten down and trampled into the mud by the eles.

 

[Quickstatus]

So much to see thanks all!!.
It is the beginnings of a pivot away from US/Canada.

What's January like in SA?

 

[JohnM]

So much to see thanks all!!.
It is the beginnings of a pivot away from US/Canada.

What's January like in SA?

If you haven't been to Africa before, be prepared for an addiction experience that exceeds heroi_.

As a general rule, game viewing is better in the dry season, so summer is not the favoured time in southern Africa.

 

[Quickstatus]

The big mistake I made was not to get the ATO friendly Altitude KrisFlyer card. I would enjoy SyD-SIn-JNB

The tours seems very busy with 2 nights per camp

 

[JohnM]

The tours seems very busy with 2 nights per camp

I don't know which tours you are referring to here, but bear in mind that two game drives per day (dawn & dusk - and the obligatory sundowner) is generally the main activity, while variety is something to treasure in Africa. My personal preference is to cover a lot of territory as I enjoy the landscape changes as well but YMMV.

 

[Quickstatus]

I don't know which tours you are referring to here, but bear in mind that two game drives per day (dawn & dusk - and the obligatory sundowner) is generally the main activity, while variety is something to treasure in Africa. My personal preference is to cover a lot of territory as I enjoy the landscape changes as well but YMMV.

Very nice TR JohnM. Thanks
Often the 2 nighters are 2night 1 day?. I'm more of a 3 nights 2 days kind of traveller.

Do you think there is much of a wildebeest migration late June? I understand it often depends on the rains

The trek to see our cousins in Rwanda - you mentioned some in the group did not have enough aerobic capacity.can you please relate the physical requirements to some activity closer to home? Bushwalking?

 

[JohnM]

Very nice TR JohnM. Thanks
Often the 2 nighters are 2night 1 day?. I'm more of a 3 nights 2 days kind of traveller.

Do you think there is much of a wildebeest migration late June? I understand it often depends on the rains

The trek to see our cousins in Rwanda - you mentioned some in the group did not have enough aerobic capacity.can you please relate the physical requirements to some activity closer to home? Bushwalking?

You'd have to do a bit of Googling to check the timing of the migration - but like all rainfall-driven things they can vary. The first aerial safari was early August 2013 and IIRC the wildebeest surge over the river we observed was getting to be late in the season. The big aerial safari in 2014 was in June and it was a little unclear whether the wildebeest hadn't yet quite massed up for the famed river crossing or whether it had already happened. We saw plenty but in many medium-size groups.

My trek to the gorillas was easy. We encountered our group just a few hundred metres into the park. The ground is steep and wet and slippery in places and a walking pole is useful, and the guides will help. I can't say how difficult the walking was for those who had to go further and be out longer. IIRC, it was claimed (and I think we filled in a fitness-level sheet) that the groups going to the gorillas were graded for age/fitness and allocated a family located to take that into account. However, given that by and large our group was quite fit and we probably encountered the closest family, that didn't seem to be done rigorously. But, again, there is high unpredictability with animal encounters.

It was the chimpanzee trek that pushed the limits very hard - but that was because the chimps were far out and up in the mountains at that time. I think I mentioned that it was probably at the limit of what could be achieved within a day. One chap in his 80s dropped out very early, but that was expected. Others that did so were quite unfit late middle-age Swiss city-dwellers who struggled with fitness, the heat and being in the bush.

The degree off difficulty with the treks really depends on where and how far away the animals are and how hot and humid it is. It's very hard to benchmark against a bushwalk and it depends on your fitness. Some could be easy; others hard. I'm late 60s and quite fit (run, body surf, go to gym), don't carry excess weight and I'm used to the bush, so maybe I'm not the best person to ask. I guess the only thing I can say is that hiking trails marked with the usual 1-5 levels I always find seem excessively cautious (ie. what they mark a 4 I might consider a 2 or a 3).

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Personally I would not self drive the Kruger if you only have a short visit. You are fighting all the other tourists for sightings .

Kruger is vast and there is also a huge road network or roads. Yes right near each of the more popular camps and on the main roads you can get a posse of cars at animal sightings, but do a bit of a circuit on the many side roads and you get few people.

For example drove for about 30 minutes down a side road from Lower Sabie Camp and came across a rhino with babe which we watched by ourselves for a while. 10 minutes further driving and over about an hour we then watched a mating pair of Lions, with three other males nearby roaring to be for an hour to be part of the action and in that time only one other car came and went. During the remainder of the day where we drove a larger circuit cars were few except when we arrived at picnic site for lunch and when we drew near Lower Sabie at the end of the day.

40 minutes from Lower Sabie and lions by ourselves

.

Also the the northern part of Kruger gets less people that the southern parts. And then are many camps that attract smaller numbers too such as the Bushveld Camps.

The good thing about Kruger is that you will see a diverse range of wildlife virtually guaranteed. Some of the private reserves cannot offer that.

With some of the camps like Lower Sabie you can game spot from the camp itself.

and you're confined to the roads..

Not so. Many of the camps run walking tours at small fees. There are also longer multi-day walking hikes that can be done.

The view from our $30 a night cabin at Olifants Rest Camp.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I don't know which tours you are referring to here, but bear in mind that two game drives per day (dawn & dusk - and the obligatory sundowner) is generally the main activity, while variety is something to treasure in Africa. My personal preference is to cover a lot of territory as I enjoy the landscape changes as well but YMMV.

I agree, which to me is big advantage of self-driving.

At the private game reserves they just often have the two drives and maybe a walk each day. But the rest of the day there is little to do except chill out and relax. Some may have a night drive, or a dusk drive which becomes a night drive.

They tend to just have the dawn and dusk drives as that is more animals tend to be active.

With your own vehicle you can continue to explore and view all the various vistas on offer. Plus there are normally some form of wildlife including birds to be seen still anyway.

So in general I prefer to be out and about looking rather than just chillin in camp. But each to their own.

 

[JohnM]

Here's a TR I did on Kruger: Kruger National Park

There's stuff on Namibia in my RTW2015 TR link in my signature line below and on S Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe in the Madagascar link.

 

[Milboo]

When I said confined to the roads, I meant that your vehicles cannot leave the road but you go off-road in the reserves.

We used Jacada Travel for our trip - all custom designed. Not cheap but it was an amazing experience.