The Where, the When, the How and the Who of Safaris
Safari is a Swahili word that means 'travel'. In the old days, that is how Safaris worked, You walked around with your bearers looking for game, probably hoping to shoot it. It is possible, though mistaken, to have a completely sedentary safari but, like most things, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.
Some consider a Safari to be an African experience, but there are many other countries in which you can see spectacular wildlife (India, Sri Lanka, Canada, Scotland, Brazil, Nepal) and they are covered too.
There are many styles of safari, from the super Luxurious to the deep bush basic camp. Remember that for most people the important thing is the animals you see and the people you meet; comfort is great, but you won't necessarily see any more animals.
If you want to get the most out of your safaris, See below for guidelines to a good safari.
Some consider a Safari to be an African experience, but there are many other countries in which you can see spectacular wildlife (India, Sri Lanka, Canada, Scotland, Brazil, Nepal) and they are covered too.
There are many styles of safari, from the super Luxurious to the deep bush basic camp. Remember that for most people the important thing is the animals you see and the people you meet; comfort is great, but you won't necessarily see any more animals.
If you want to get the most out of your safaris, See below for guidelines to a good safari.
Recent Safaris news
- Devastating floods destroy 6 tourist lodges in Kenya’s Samburu National Park
- 7000 zebra and wildebeest to be moved to Amboseli to restock after drought
- Somak holidays remove controversial new Masai Mara camp from sale.
- Does the Masai Mara need a new lodge in pristine habitat? - Somak seems to think so. And there are unanswered questions.
- Wild dogs seen & photographed on the Serengeti
- Nairobi National Park drought over – Wildlife thriving
- Party disgrace on shores of Lake Kariba
- Rhino poaching hits critical levels in Kenya
- Biofuel developments set to destroy Kenya’s Tana River Delta
- Last chance for world’s rarest rhino as 4 are released into the wild
- Anti-poaching operations boosted in Kruger Park
- White giraffe seen in the Kruger Park
- Tracking leopards in Nairobi National Park
- Mountain gorilla baby born in Virunga
- South Africa and Zimbabwe at epicentre of rhino poaching surge
More Safaris news
- Wildlife tourism could prevent destruction of Lake Natron flamingos
- White rhino calf born in Nairobi National Park
- New wildlife and roads for Addo Elephant National Park
- Karoo National Park to Introduce Lions to Mark 30th Anniversary
- Surprising camera-trap images reveal carnivorous warthogs
- Kenya gets some rain – At last
- $16,000 paid out in compensation for lion predation
- Kenya drought continues - Wildlife and livestock suffering
- Major survey of East African carnivores has some surprising results
- Huge seizures of 1169 kgs of elephant ivory in Kenya and Ethiopia
- New species record for Nairobi National Park – Red duiker!
- Legendary Mountain gorilla silverback dies of old age
- Rhino poaching in Zimbabwe – Midlands Conservancy carnage
- Drought crisis in Nairobi National Park exacerbated by grazing
- 46 Black rhinos moved to safer areas in Zimbabwe – 8 poachers killed
Related News Articles
Tiger, gorilla and Serengeti safaris.
Explore run Tiger safaris in India. They also run a series of Gorilla watching holidays in Uganda, and Serengeti safaris in Tanzania.
Huge seizures of 1169 kgs of elephant ivory in Kenya and Ethiopia The Kenya Wildlife Service has seized the largest haul of ivory in recent history at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, following on 2 days after a similar seizure in Ethiopia.
Read more »
Legendary Mountain gorilla silverback dies of old ageTrackers at the Karisoke Research Centre found the legendary silverback gorilla Titus dead on his night nest in Volcanoes National Park.
Read more »
Congo’s wildlife rangers launch offensive against armed groups trafficking charcoal in gorilla zone of VirungaThe Congolese National Park Authorities have sent the biggest ever deployment of armed rangers to strike at charcoal-making operations run by armed groups deep in the forests of Virunga National Park in Eastern DR Congo.
Read more »
Brutal Namibian seal hunt caught on film – Journalists attackedSecret footage smuggled out of Namibia has revealed the brutal reality of the Namibian seal hunt - and the subsequent attack on British journalist Jim Wickens and South African cameraman Bart Smithers.
Read more »
Kenya wildlife down by 40% - Community tourism protects species better than National ParksWildlife populations throughout Kenya-inside as well as outside the national parks-declined by 40 percent from 1977 to 1997.
Read more »
Mali’s elephants under threat from droughtThe future of a rare herd of desert elephants in Mali is under threat from one of the worst droughts in living memory, which has left a key water source at its lowest level in a quarter of a century and is breaking down the usual peaceful co-existence between the elephants and local herdsmen.
Read more »
Leucistic baboons of the Luangwa Valley.Another reader, Steve Tolan, of the Chipembele Wildlife Education Centre has also seen some leucistic baboons inthe Luangwa Valley. There does seem to be a "leucistic hotspot" in the Luangwa, as we have had several reports of different animals from the beautiful part of the world.
Read more »
'Golden' lion of the South Luangwa National ParkOne of our readers, Egil Dröge, has sent us photos photos of a very unusual young lion that is clearly much lighter than his siblings.
Read more »
Rhino poaching- the poacher tells all.
The Van Deventer brothers were arrested in South Africa on charges of poaching rhinoceroses. Having entered into a plea bargain with the state, the brothers received reduced prison sentences. Shortly afterwards, they contacted investigative journalist and Africa Geographic columnist Ian Michler. They wanted to tell their story.
In praise of the much maligned hyena – Needs a PR makeover The hyena gets a bad press. Dan Beaton sings its praises.
20th Rhino Shot in 2007 in Kaziranga: Poacher killed.December 2007: Yet another rhino of Kaziranga National Park fell prey to poachers’ bullets on December 16, bringing the total number killed in 2007 to a record 20.
Read more »
Safari with childrenMy kids were so excited about the thought of going on safari in Kenya, and we had a great time. A walking safari, 4 days on the Masai Mara seeing pretty much everything, the flamingos and rhinos at Nakuru, everything you want to see. And the abiding memories? Hiding under the seats of the open top landrover while watching lions hunting, (as all they have learned from years as armchair viewers is that lions will eat you.) and the hotel with a swim up bar and free coke!
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Photo Story: Martial Eagle Attacks Stork.Fantastic photos of a Martial eagle catching a White stork. Details.
Articles and advice about the wildlife, National parks and safaris in Kenya
Top African Safari Destinations (in no particular order)
- Chobe, Botswana
- Masai Mara, Kenya
- Virunga Volcanoes, Uganda and Rwanda
- Etosha Pans, Namibia
- Luangwa Valley, Zambia
- Serengeti Plains, Tanzania
- Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
- Samburu & Buffalo Springs, Kenya.
- Lake Nakuru, Kenya
- Okavango Delta, Botswana
- Kafue National Park, Zambia.
There are many different styles of Safari to choose from, here are a few rules to help you choose.
- A good guide/spotter. trust us, you will miss more than you see if you don't have a good guide with you. Not only do they see twice as much, they know ten times as much.
- Dawn and dusk are almost always the best time, be prepared to get up early.
- Be patient, the longer you are prepared to sit still, the more you will see.
- Don't forget the people who live there. They often view the animals as pests, but your income will provide a living for them. Don't be ostentatious or patronising.
- Size of vehicle. The bigger and the more people in a vehicle, the less you will see.
- Spending £5000 on a safari doesn't guarantee you will see more than someone who spends £500.
- There’s a lot more to Africa than the big five. Enjoy what you see and don’t go tearing all over to see a lion, thus missing plenty of fantastic but smaller game.
ELEPHANT BACK SAFARIS: CONSERVATION OR CRUELTY.
Shearwater Adventures, a tour operator from Zimbabwe, is under fire for capturing wild elephants for use on elephant back safaris. However Shearwater strongly defend their position by pointing out that the drought in Zimbabwe is devastating the elephant herds.
Read both sides of the argument.
Read both sides of the argument.
