A Beginner’s Guide To Safaris
Most of us have seen epic wildlife documentaries which is where the dream of a safari usually begins! It tends to be high on most people’s bucket list so after we experienced our first one in Kenya, we couldn’t get enough! No matter how many pictures of animals you’ve seen, seeing one out in the wild is truly one of the most memorable experiences.
Booking a safari is not cheap, but the memories you will come back with will be unforgettable. You need to go with an open mind, patience and have complete respect for the animals in their habitat.
What to wear
Ideally, the colours you should go for are khaki, olives and brown shades – think camouflage colours. This will help you blend in with your surroundings and not scare the animals off. Not to mention the dust you may get on you during the drive in the jeep!
Try not to wear clothing that is too bright – this can sometimes attract too much attention to you and again, scare the animals off.
Don’t I need expensive camera gear?
No! A smartphone with a camera over 12mp will be good enough, although sometimes the jeep will have to keep their distance from the animals so they don’t scare them away. We love using the Sony Telephoto lens, with a 3.8x optical zoom and amazing 210mm focal length that makes it easy to capture subjects that are far away. This is also an E-Mount which means we can easily switch between lenses on our Sony A6400 camera. Compared to other cameras out there, the price is reasonable and it does take some pretty good shots!
Eco Tip 12: Try to find an eco lodge that supports local communities and has sustainable systems in place
Here are our top 3 safaris for every type of traveller!
Kenya
Tsavo East and Tsavo West
Best time to go
June to October is the dry season. During this time you’ll get a higher chance to spot more animals as they all gather around water sources. The weather is generally better throughout these months with usually little rainfall.
Time Recommended
Minimum 3-4 night. You can combine this with 2 contrasting safaris which will give you a broader diversity of wildlife and experience.
The entrance to the national park
With 54 countries in Africa, Kenya remains one of the tops spots to go on a safari. Making up almost half of Kenya’s protected land, this national park is split into two parts – East and West. It’s the biggest National Park in Kenya, spanning over 22,000km2 making it one of the largest in the world. The difference between the 2 parts is only marginal but many people prefer to visit the East side because there are a lot fewer shrubs and bushes, which means the animals will be easier to spot. Some people do enjoy the more hilly landscapes of Tsavo West so it’s entirely up to your preference. If the skies are clear you’ll also be able to see Mount Kilimanjaro from the park!
Surrounded by iconic African savannahs grasslands, this isn’t as touristy as the Masai Mara safari and you’ll still be able to spot the impressive Big Five. This is a widely used term by safari operators, which was once used by game hunters to label the 5 more difficult animals to hunt on foot.
The Big 5 are:
1
Lion
There are only approximately 20,000 left and are extinct in 26 African countries!
2
Rhino
They're slowly becoming extinct due to poaching and habitat loss
3
Elephant
There are only 2 species of elephants left (African and Asian), with the African elephants being the largest of the 2.
4
Leopard
The smallest of the big cats, but the stealthiest and are extremely difficult to trace in the wild.
5
Cape Buffalo
Have the potential to reach 6.8 to 11 feet in length and are known to kill lions!
Perfect opportunity for a photobomb!
The elephants gather at the watering hole in the early hours
The national park is located more or less in-between Mombassa and Nairobi, although the drive from Mombassa is slightly shorter (5 and a half hours). It’s a bit of a bumpy ride but as soon as you get there the excitement will take over and you’ll completely forget about the journey! There are lodges to suit different budgets and you’ll most likely go down to breakfast and see a herd of elephants and giraffes drinking from the watering hole!
The first game drive is at around 5 am, the perfect time to see the sun rising over the savannahs. This is the best time to go on a game drive because the animals are more active during the cooler times of the day. You’ll need to be patient here as you could be driving for hours and not see anything, but make sure you take lots of pictures when you do! You can never have too many pictures of safari wildlife and you can always delete them after. Because of the red sand, you’ll get an interesting orange/red hue to your photography which adds to the uniqueness! This is also a birders paradise, with over 500 different species.
The vastness of this place is astounding and the peacefulness will be unlike no other. There is so much land that most of the time you’ll be the only jeep in the area and you’ll hardly come across anyone else. If you’re wondering what there is to do after, most lodges have swimming pools and other facilities you can use to relax in the evenings. This is definitely one of the best places to see the natural wonders of Africa and you won’t want to miss it!
South Africa
Inverdoorn Game Reserve
Best time to go
All year round, although the coldest weather will be between June to August, so it might not be too comfortable riding around in an open jeep for hours.
Time Recommended
2 days/ 1 night to truly get to experience the reserve
Located in the Klein Karoo region, it’s proximity to Cape Town makes it a perfect short safari if you are limited on time or want a taste into what a safari is like. Being a former fruit farm, the owner’s started clearing the trees to make space for wildlife after a decade of drought, and from here Inverdoorn National park was born.
South Africa is perfect for the lower cost safaris and has some real game reserve gems. A game reserve is the same as a safari, however, the land is owned privately rather than by the government. Many times the animals have also been rescued and put through a rehabilitation programme to enable them to get back into the wild. A bonus about visiting game reserves in this area is that they’re also malaria-free, unlike the more popular safari in Kruger National Park.
The landscapes aren’t as wild here but rest assured it’s still an incredible experience! You can do day trips but we’d definitely recommend staying the night. This will allow you to do an early game drive and be able to see lions hunting for their prey. Inverdoorn also has a cheetah rehabilitation programme, which is one of the primary focuses here. It allows you to watch the rangers train the big cats to prepare to release them into the wild. Cheetah interaction with the public is no longer allowed (understandably) and you’ll only be able to watch them, which is still a magnificent experience to see them from up close.
There are options to either stay in lodges or glamping tents, which is definitely worth the experience to truly connect with nature. It’s in a remote location so don’t expect a TV, internet or even phone reception! Check out our post on the Kuganha Tents to read more about it!
A morning coffee stop with our safari jeep
Breakfast time!
Gemsbok seem to be everywhere here...and in restaurant menus in Cape Town
A 5am peaceful stroll along Inverdoorn
Sri Lanka
Udawalewe National Park
Best time to go
October to April is the best time to see elephants and migratory birds.
Time Recommended
It only takes a few hours to drive around the park, but we’d recommend staying in Udawalewe town for convenience.
These playful elephants couldn't get enough!
Who says you need to visit Africa to go on a safari! Udawalewe is home to over 700 elephants, 187 bird species and 33 reptiles species.
Spanning over 30,821 hectares, this is possibly the best place in the country to see elephants. The drives are usually around 4 hours long which gives you enough time to make a loop around the national park and see a wide variety of species. This is less well known than the neighbouring Yala National Park, which can get a bit crowded as it’s part of the standard tourist route in Sri Lanka.
Once you get to the park you’ll be guided to the ticket office and introduced to your driver and guide. Apart from the entrance fee, there is also a separate fee to pay for the actual jeep.
Here you can take your time to appreciate the flora and fauna, as the large lake acts as a centre point in the park and this is where a lot of the activity happens. You’ll be able to spot water buffalos mingling with various species of birds – and elephants cooling themselves down with the water. The game drives are in the classic safari 4×4 jeeps which will give you the visibility from all angles but you’ll still experience a bumpy ride! If you want the driver to stay in a spot for longer to take more pictures, feel free to ask him. But don’t be that tourist that tells the driver to speed up to get closer to the elephants because you’ll only scare them away!
We’d recommend staying in Udawalawe for a day or 2 to experience Elephant Transit Home – an elephant orphanage just on the outskirts of the national park. They run the orphanage extremely ethically and there is no interaction allowed. The elephants are fed at set times, where you’re able to watch this from a viewing platform, so they aren’t disturbed by tourists.
You count, I hide...
Playing hide and seek seems a common theme in Udawalawe!
Feeling ready to get out into the wild? Contact us to help you book your trip and we’ll design a personalised safari based on your requirements!
This green bee-eater seemed to be following us around!
Female Safety
Being on protected land, safaris tend to be safe and you’ll also be with a game ranger who is trained on knowing what to do if an animal does attack. Most of them very experienced and are able to recognise if the animal is uneasy, so they’ll act based on the situation. If you’re staying in a camp, make sure to listen to instructions and don’t go wandering around at night, as several incidents have happened this way due to people not listening. The game rangers do carry guns which are only used to scare the animals off, not to kill them. The animals don’t see the vehicles as a threat, but remember that they are wild so do not approach them no matter how tranquil they look, and always stay near your guide.
Sustainability Check + Giving Back
We always encourage people to give back during or after a trip they’ve been on, whether it’s to help to plant trees or help out a local community. With all the carbon emissions that we emit from travelling, there are several ways to offset this and contribute to sustainable travel.
Here’s how you can follow these simple steps to give back after your trip:
1. Calculate your carbon footprint using a free online calculator
2. Offset your carbon footprint by visiting an online voluntary market through the purchase of carbon credits. Gold Standard is one of the leading certifiers of carbon credits.
