Please help us book our African safari bucket list trip!
October 4, 2023 1:13 PM Subscribe
My family (2 adults and 3 teenagers aged 16-18) want to go on an African safari next summer, probably mid to end of June. But the possibilities are endless! If you have experience in this area, I'd love to hear from you.
So this is a combination of a 20 year wedding anniversary and high school graduation trip. We'll be flying out of the NY area and have a total of 2 weeks available, likely between June 16 and July 4th.
Our main objective is to go on a safari for as many days as we can afford and see as many animals as we can.
We don't have a particular country or park in mind, but I am interested in going to visit Capetown either at the beginning or end of the trip.
We have two difficulty factors:
First, food: 1 has significant food intolerances (gluten, dairy, soy, corn), 1 is a vegetarian, and 1 is a picky eater with a limited repertoire, so we need a safari experience that can cater to this.
Second, 2 of our party have trouble sleeping on trips, so while we don't need luxury, we can't sleep on mats on the floor either. We're probably looking for something in the middle.
I've been googling, but it's pretty overwhelming! So if anyone here has personal experience with countries/parks to visit, or with specific safari outfits, I would greatly appreciate your insight!
So this is a combination of a 20 year wedding anniversary and high school graduation trip. We'll be flying out of the NY area and have a total of 2 weeks available, likely between June 16 and July 4th.
Our main objective is to go on a safari for as many days as we can afford and see as many animals as we can.
We don't have a particular country or park in mind, but I am interested in going to visit Capetown either at the beginning or end of the trip.
We have two difficulty factors:
First, food: 1 has significant food intolerances (gluten, dairy, soy, corn), 1 is a vegetarian, and 1 is a picky eater with a limited repertoire, so we need a safari experience that can cater to this.
Second, 2 of our party have trouble sleeping on trips, so while we don't need luxury, we can't sleep on mats on the floor either. We're probably looking for something in the middle.
I've been googling, but it's pretty overwhelming! So if anyone here has personal experience with countries/parks to visit, or with specific safari outfits, I would greatly appreciate your insight!
i really loved my time in Kenya and would be so happy to memail you the names & whatsapp contacts for some truly wonderful drivers in nairobi who can take you around wherever you need to go.
i had also gotten some advice to the effect of 2 or 3 days on safari is about as much as you need before it starts to get repetitive. we did two shorter safaris in different parts of the country and it was great- masai mara park and samburu. Accommodations were great in both places, even in "safari tents" we had full on mattresses we spent 14 days altogether, and broke up the safari time with local stuff in nairobi and a trip to the wonderful beaches in Kilifi & watamu.
happy to memail you our itinerary- had help from some expats who had lived there and cannot speak highly enough about kenya tourism.
posted by wowenthusiast at 2:00 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
i had also gotten some advice to the effect of 2 or 3 days on safari is about as much as you need before it starts to get repetitive. we did two shorter safaris in different parts of the country and it was great- masai mara park and samburu. Accommodations were great in both places, even in "safari tents" we had full on mattresses we spent 14 days altogether, and broke up the safari time with local stuff in nairobi and a trip to the wonderful beaches in Kilifi & watamu.
happy to memail you our itinerary- had help from some expats who had lived there and cannot speak highly enough about kenya tourism.
posted by wowenthusiast at 2:00 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
First, check what time of year is best for which places. I can speak to traveling in East Africa in February, but don't know what it would be like to visit those same places in June. We spent a few days near Nairobi, in Karen, and went to the elephant and giraffe sanctuaries, and then went to the Masai Mara and stayed with Mara Explorer Camp (and here's their FB page), who also led our safari. They were excellent. At the time, they seemed to be one of the few places that catered to a crowd that wasn't either expensive luxury or diy camping. The cabins were simple and very comfortable. I believe we spent three days, but it might have been one evening and two days. It was a good length of time for my family of four with two adults and two middle school kids. They also picked us up in and brought us back to Karen.
Then we went to Zanzibar for about five or six days, which was also spectacular. I really recommend it as well. Highlights included a snorkeling trip that featured lunch on an island where they also gave us a local fruit sampler with lots of unusual (to us) fruits. Stone Town is pretty great, too.
Having said that, I probably would not combine East Africa and South Africa in a two-week trip from the US, so this might not be super relevant. And apparently our summer is a great time of year to visit South Africa. So, here's how I would approach this: I would get a semi-recent Lonely Planet guide for South Africa from my local library, and look at their recommendations for companies, and then I'd contact those companies.
posted by bluedaisy at 2:14 PM on October 4, 2023
Then we went to Zanzibar for about five or six days, which was also spectacular. I really recommend it as well. Highlights included a snorkeling trip that featured lunch on an island where they also gave us a local fruit sampler with lots of unusual (to us) fruits. Stone Town is pretty great, too.
Having said that, I probably would not combine East Africa and South Africa in a two-week trip from the US, so this might not be super relevant. And apparently our summer is a great time of year to visit South Africa. So, here's how I would approach this: I would get a semi-recent Lonely Planet guide for South Africa from my local library, and look at their recommendations for companies, and then I'd contact those companies.
posted by bluedaisy at 2:14 PM on October 4, 2023
I recommend Nyerere National Park in Tanzania, formerly known as Selous Game Reserve. Much larger, less well known and hence less busy than Serengeti etc. You can have walking tours & river boat safari, and small open topped trucks - better than sitting on a bus all day.
posted by rd45 at 2:18 PM on October 4, 2023
posted by rd45 at 2:18 PM on October 4, 2023
Cape Town has more or less a micro-climate compared to the rest of South Africa; it’s windy all the time, but more so in winter, which is also wetter. It’s 15 years since I was there but I’m looking forward to going back sometime soon.
No one’s mentioned the food options; I can’t speak for the safari dining, and it’s been a while since I’ve been in South Africa but supermarkets should have options. The fast food there is really good, but from a cursory glance at the website for Steers (a popular burger chain) the nutritional info doesn’t have specific dietary details.
posted by macdara at 2:40 PM on October 4, 2023
No one’s mentioned the food options; I can’t speak for the safari dining, and it’s been a while since I’ve been in South Africa but supermarkets should have options. The fast food there is really good, but from a cursory glance at the website for Steers (a popular burger chain) the nutritional info doesn’t have specific dietary details.
posted by macdara at 2:40 PM on October 4, 2023
We did a 10 day safari. Did not get repetitive at all. We went thru Tanzania.
posted by sid at 5:58 PM on October 4, 2023
posted by sid at 5:58 PM on October 4, 2023
I’m a safari enthusiast, and I’ve been to both southern and eastern Africa (Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya-twice, and South Africa).
I highly, highly recommend any of the Porini camps if you are going to Kenya. They are located on private reserves adjacent to national parks, and they benefit the local Maasai people who own the land. The camps are neither too fussy, nor too primitive, very comfortable and very accommodating. They will do their best to cater to your food needs, but do be aware that in the bush, it can be difficult to satisfy everyone’s every requirement 100%. That said, you will most definitely not starve! In fact, it will be challenging not to gain weight. They feed you well.
As for locations, I agree that it is difficult to combine eastern and southern Africa in one trip. When I visited Cape Town, I went on safari in South Africa, and if Cape Town is a must, that is what I recommend. I will admit that so far Kenya is my favorite along with Zimbabwe. I see that many people have recommended Tanzania. I haven’t been myself, though I would very much like to.
I will caution you on one huge point. I cannot stress this enough. Make sure that the camp where you stay has open sided vehicles (preferably with a roof vs. the sun.) Nothing says misery and disconnection like being in a closed van on safari. I know that many national parks in Tanzania require closed vehicles, as does Krueger Park in South Africa. I only experienced a closed vehicle during a one-day drive in Krueger, and I would not recommend it. At all. Krueger Park is gorgeous, but the closed vehicle really ruins it.
I could go on for ages, and I have. You are welcome to read my travelogues and travel advice and to view my pictures at www.reginahart.net. Apologies if the link is not in accordance with meta-filter rules just let me know, and I will take it down. I’m always happy to chat about safari, so if you have any other questions, give me a holler.
posted by ReginaHart at 6:44 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
I highly, highly recommend any of the Porini camps if you are going to Kenya. They are located on private reserves adjacent to national parks, and they benefit the local Maasai people who own the land. The camps are neither too fussy, nor too primitive, very comfortable and very accommodating. They will do their best to cater to your food needs, but do be aware that in the bush, it can be difficult to satisfy everyone’s every requirement 100%. That said, you will most definitely not starve! In fact, it will be challenging not to gain weight. They feed you well.
As for locations, I agree that it is difficult to combine eastern and southern Africa in one trip. When I visited Cape Town, I went on safari in South Africa, and if Cape Town is a must, that is what I recommend. I will admit that so far Kenya is my favorite along with Zimbabwe. I see that many people have recommended Tanzania. I haven’t been myself, though I would very much like to.
I will caution you on one huge point. I cannot stress this enough. Make sure that the camp where you stay has open sided vehicles (preferably with a roof vs. the sun.) Nothing says misery and disconnection like being in a closed van on safari. I know that many national parks in Tanzania require closed vehicles, as does Krueger Park in South Africa. I only experienced a closed vehicle during a one-day drive in Krueger, and I would not recommend it. At all. Krueger Park is gorgeous, but the closed vehicle really ruins it.
I could go on for ages, and I have. You are welcome to read my travelogues and travel advice and to view my pictures at www.reginahart.net. Apologies if the link is not in accordance with meta-filter rules just let me know, and I will take it down. I’m always happy to chat about safari, so if you have any other questions, give me a holler.
posted by ReginaHart at 6:44 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
My time in Africa was decades ago, and I'm sure a lot has changed. But with that caveat, here's what I remember and loved and would recommend.
I did a three day canoe safari on the Zambezi, between Zimbabwe and Zambia, near Victoria Falls. The days involved a combination of time on the river and time in the bush in the regular safari vehicles. It was great. The time on teh river was a great contrast to the time in motorized vehicles.
Later I spent a few days in the Luangwa Valley in eastern Zambia. It was very quiet. There were lots of animals, and there weren't that many people. The safari guides in Luangwa used to joke, "how do you find a lion in Kenya? You look inside the circle of safari vehicles." The songs of the hippos at night were magical.
In between I had the opportunity to visit the Chimfunshi wildlife orphanage deep in the bush in northern Zambia. This isn't a safari and it's not a tourist destination, but if you want to go out of your way to spend time with our closest non-human relatives, I highly recommend it.
I would caution you about trying to go too many places that are too far apart. Africa is a huge continent, and you want to spend time at places, not traveling between them. This particularly applies to Cape Town, which is all the way at the southern tip of the continent. Pinning that in your itinerary will constrain your other choices.
Have a great trip. Africa is amazing.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 7:12 PM on October 4, 2023
I did a three day canoe safari on the Zambezi, between Zimbabwe and Zambia, near Victoria Falls. The days involved a combination of time on the river and time in the bush in the regular safari vehicles. It was great. The time on teh river was a great contrast to the time in motorized vehicles.
Later I spent a few days in the Luangwa Valley in eastern Zambia. It was very quiet. There were lots of animals, and there weren't that many people. The safari guides in Luangwa used to joke, "how do you find a lion in Kenya? You look inside the circle of safari vehicles." The songs of the hippos at night were magical.
In between I had the opportunity to visit the Chimfunshi wildlife orphanage deep in the bush in northern Zambia. This isn't a safari and it's not a tourist destination, but if you want to go out of your way to spend time with our closest non-human relatives, I highly recommend it.
I would caution you about trying to go too many places that are too far apart. Africa is a huge continent, and you want to spend time at places, not traveling between them. This particularly applies to Cape Town, which is all the way at the southern tip of the continent. Pinning that in your itinerary will constrain your other choices.
Have a great trip. Africa is amazing.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 7:12 PM on October 4, 2023
Best answer: I'm another person who's done a number of safaris in different parts of Kenya. I literally made a presentation for family and friend about planning a safari, based on our trips.
However, with the limited time you have, I don't think you should combine Cape Town (South Africa) with a safari in Kenya (East Africa) as you'll just burn a lot of time and money flying from one country to the other.
If you're interested in info about Kenya, MeMail me if you want to see the presentation. The below is specific to Kenyan safaris.
+1 to Porini camps, I've stayed at the Porini Rhino camp in Ol Pejeta (Amboseli area) and it was one of the nicer places we stayed at with a more "boutique" feel.
+1 to getting the Land Rovers with the pop top and open sides. Do not cheap out and get a van with tiny windows.
Food: they are used to catering to vegetarians at the major camps (a lot of Indian Kenyans are veg) so that's not a problem. Corn may be trickier, the local starch there is maize-based, but honestly I remember the higher end camp sites (like Porini) asking about the group's dietary restrictions prior to the trip.
Comfort: the mid-range or higher camps have safari tents that are niiiiice with flush toilets, hot water showers, comfy beds and mosquito nets... they even put a hot water bottle in at night to warm the bed before you get in. They are basically hotel rooms with a soft door that you zip open/closed. Unless you are doing this on a shoestring budget, I wouldn't worry about sleeping on mats on the floor.
posted by tinydancer at 7:30 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
However, with the limited time you have, I don't think you should combine Cape Town (South Africa) with a safari in Kenya (East Africa) as you'll just burn a lot of time and money flying from one country to the other.
If you're interested in info about Kenya, MeMail me if you want to see the presentation. The below is specific to Kenyan safaris.
+1 to Porini camps, I've stayed at the Porini Rhino camp in Ol Pejeta (Amboseli area) and it was one of the nicer places we stayed at with a more "boutique" feel.
+1 to getting the Land Rovers with the pop top and open sides. Do not cheap out and get a van with tiny windows.
Food: they are used to catering to vegetarians at the major camps (a lot of Indian Kenyans are veg) so that's not a problem. Corn may be trickier, the local starch there is maize-based, but honestly I remember the higher end camp sites (like Porini) asking about the group's dietary restrictions prior to the trip.
Comfort: the mid-range or higher camps have safari tents that are niiiiice with flush toilets, hot water showers, comfy beds and mosquito nets... they even put a hot water bottle in at night to warm the bed before you get in. They are basically hotel rooms with a soft door that you zip open/closed. Unless you are doing this on a shoestring budget, I wouldn't worry about sleeping on mats on the floor.
posted by tinydancer at 7:30 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
I know that many national parks in Tanzania require closed vehicles, as does Krueger Park in South Africa. I only experienced a closed vehicle during a one-day drive in Krueger, and I would not recommend it. At all. Krueger Park is gorgeous, but the closed vehicle really ruins it.
We stayed at Kambaku Lodge in Timbavati Preserve. Very accomodating diet wise and nice beds. Timbavati is right next to Krueger but allows open vehicles. We saw the big 5 as well as vultures, hyenas, wild dogs, and a ton of zebras and giraffes.
posted by soelo at 7:58 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
We stayed at Kambaku Lodge in Timbavati Preserve. Very accomodating diet wise and nice beds. Timbavati is right next to Krueger but allows open vehicles. We saw the big 5 as well as vultures, hyenas, wild dogs, and a ton of zebras and giraffes.
posted by soelo at 7:58 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
I studied in Cape Town for a semester and did an organized safari trip after, leaving from Joburg, going through Botswana to do safari type things in the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park, and then onto Victoria Falls-which are amazing to see in and of themselves, but also a great place to do fun stuff like whitewater rafting.
In the Okavango, we canoed into our campsite, then spent a couple days doing safaris on foot and did a plane safari afterward. Chobe was more of the standard open-top Jeep safari experience. Something like that kind of itinerary might be good to break up some of the safari days.
Cape Town is amazing and definitely recommended, but know that the Western Cape has its own Mediterranean climate that's different than the rest of Southern Africa. It's winter there in June/July and it can be windy, chilly, and damp. Like in many Mediterranean areas, the buildings are not built with this part of the year in mind. I grew up and live in the NE US and I'm known to say that my Cape Town winter was the coldest of my life (my NYC apartment is too warm in the winter, but don't get me started on that). Bring warm clothes! But absolutely go, it's 100% worth it.
posted by benbenson at 8:10 AM on October 5, 2023
In the Okavango, we canoed into our campsite, then spent a couple days doing safaris on foot and did a plane safari afterward. Chobe was more of the standard open-top Jeep safari experience. Something like that kind of itinerary might be good to break up some of the safari days.
Cape Town is amazing and definitely recommended, but know that the Western Cape has its own Mediterranean climate that's different than the rest of Southern Africa. It's winter there in June/July and it can be windy, chilly, and damp. Like in many Mediterranean areas, the buildings are not built with this part of the year in mind. I grew up and live in the NE US and I'm known to say that my Cape Town winter was the coldest of my life (my NYC apartment is too warm in the winter, but don't get me started on that). Bring warm clothes! But absolutely go, it's 100% worth it.
posted by benbenson at 8:10 AM on October 5, 2023
I have been to many of the safari parks in Africa and hands down the most spectacular was Serengeti. We did a camping Safari with a guide and a cook that we booked when we got to Arusha (we went via bus from Dar es Salam), they set up a tent in one of the campgrounds in Serengeti and we went for drives during the day. We asked for vegetarian and it wasn't a problem. It was spectacular. We also booked a hike up to the first base camp on Kilimanjaro. Beautiful forest and wildlife along the way. Also amazing was seeing the mountain gorillas in Rwanda. We took a local bus from Kigali and first stayed at a hotel on Lake Kivu for a night (before the gorilla trek) which was beautiful.
posted by bluesky43 at 2:22 PM on October 5, 2023
posted by bluesky43 at 2:22 PM on October 5, 2023
Response by poster: This is all super helpful, thank you! I'm going through all your suggestions in the next few days and will try to remember to mark best answers after. My family thanks you!
posted by widdershins at 6:08 AM on October 6, 2023
posted by widdershins at 6:08 AM on October 6, 2023
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I’m not sure if budget or logistics allow, but I would start in Tanzania, visit Kilimanjaro (you can do a day hike!) then a safari, head to Zanzibar for a few days, to South Africa or Botswana for a walking safari and then the Capetown and some vineyards before heading home (or do the trip in reverse). I’m biased having done the Tanzania portion of the suggested trip. You may also want to check out the snake/reptile sanctuary- I think it was by Arusha- and Cheetah’s Rock in Zanzibar.
Of course you could also add in Gorilla trekking in Rwanda or Uganda to add in another environment
posted by raccoon409 at 1:18 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]