Safari holidays; it’s all just sitting in a jeep looking at animals isn’t it? Not if it’s planned properly.
Luxury safari holidays can be tailored by a safari holiday specialist like Aardvark Safaris to provide an African safari package that suits your needs. You could explore the Zambezi River by canoe steering clear of pods of hippos, or fly low over the Rift Valley lakes in Kenya with flocks of flamingos beneath you.
Alternatively you might find yourselves helping baby turtles to the sea, avoiding marauding crabs, or fishing for your lunch just off the coast from Cape Town.
During a stay in Livingstone in Zambia you could meet elephants in the morning, raft in the afternoon and go on the river for a sunset cruise in the evening. The next morning you could head out to the Devil’s Pool on the edge of the Victoria Falls, before bungee jumping in the afternoon followed by a microlight flight to get some aerial shots of where you were in the morning.
Where you stay on a safari holiday
Image courtesy of Aardvark Safaris
Safari holiday accommodation varies widely and can accomodate most preferences. You could sleep under a cube of mosquito net set up on a beach so you can safely sleep under the stars.. For the ultimate luxury safari holiday, you can stay in a room in a lodge bigger than your house, with a beautiful ensuite marble bathroom and your very own plunge pool.
Traditionally tents have been used on safari holidays, but these aren’t tents as you might have seen them in the scouts or guides. With proper beds, connected loo and shower and wardrobes and chairs, they’re effectively canvas hotel rooms in the bush.
What is a normal safari holiday package?
There is no normal safari holiday package. When you arrange what you want to do with a safari specialist they can alter the holiday to fit your needs. This includes things such as:
- Your budget
- Your desire to walk, horse ride, canoe etc
- What time of year you are travelling
- What type of accommodation you want to stay in
A combination of safari and beach is quite common. People use the section of the holiday by the sea to relax after the early starts of the safari days. If you are not a beach lover then you might choose a few days away from wildlife. You can stay somewhere like Cape Town, in South Africa or Livingstone, close to the Victoria Falls on the Zambian side.
Where should I go on safari at different times of year?
Broadly speaking there are two different climatic zones for the safari areas of Africa.
Image courtesy of Aardvark Safaris
East Africa – Kenya & Tanzania (and to a certain extent Rwanda and Uganda)
Their best weather periods, when they have little or no rain, are June to October and then December to March. So good places to visit for the summer holidays, October half term and Christmas, but not for Easter.
Southern Africa – Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Namibia and Malawi
They tend to have sunshine from April to November so work for holidays in the summer, at Easter and for the October half term, but not for Christmas (although Cape Town is an exception and is nice at Christmas and not in our summer)
How much does an African safari holiday cost?
It is almost easier to ask what you want to spend as there are safaris to suit all budgets.
Specialist luxury safari holiday operators tend to work with smaller camps and lodges. Here the guiding and hosting is better and there are fewer people on each game viewing vehicle. These camps are generally in quieter areas ensuring a more exclusive safari. Clients would typically fly by light aircraft between camps to minimise travel time and increase comfort.
With economy class flights from the UK a two week holiday planned by a safari holiday specialist, with a week on safari and a week on the beach, would generally cost £4,000 per person. This would include all international and internal flights and taxes, accommodation, meals, some drinks and safari activities – very little is excluded.
How do I arrange a safari holiday?
Image courtesy of Aardvark Safaris
There are many companies offering safari holidays; some are purely African specialists, others offer safari holidays throughout the world. You will be able to find many of these by typing African safaris or family safaris into a search engine.
The big question to ask the person who answers the phone is whether they have been to the places they are selling. Discount those who haven’t and work with those who have; they will make sure you are matched to the best safari holiday for you.
Aardvark Safaris
This safari holiday summary was written by African safari specialists Aardvark Safaris who have many years of experience of arranging tailor made holidays for couples, families, honeymooners and singles. Their consultants have incredible knowledge from years of travelling to Africa. They will use their knowledge combined with your thoughts to plan the perfect safari holiday for you
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