Safari Packages in Africa

genericguy

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone could possibly share some advice on where would be good for a safari package break (for myself and my girlfriend) - she's finishing up her master's so I want to take her somewhere nice. The problem is I'm not particularly well-travelled, so I've little knowledge on how/with whom to book such a trip, and also about which country might be the best for the trip. Personally, the idea of shark diving in SA and heading off to Kruger sounds amazing, but safety would be a concern based on what I've heard from friends and clients who've been there. And Louis Theroux painted a fairly bleak picture too!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - in terms of budget, I'd obviously like it to be as cheap as possible, I'm in no way posh about hotels etc., but all-in I'd say i could probably devote 8-10k for the pair of us.

Cheers guys.

Ponster

genericguy wrote: »

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - in terms of budget, I'd obviously like it to be as cheap as possible, I'm in no way posh about hotels etc., but all-in I'd say i could probably devote 8-10k for the pair of us.

wow. Until I got to that line I thought I could help you as I spent 2 weeks in South Africa (Cape Town) this week with the wife and went on a 3-day safari but we only spent 2.5K, between us, including flights

10K in South Africa means that you can do whatever you like and don't *really* need advise from forums as to hotels and such. There's a few around who should be able to help you as to which safari to choose though.

Six of One

I would recommend East Africa as I have been there and think everybody should go in their lifetime if they can! We have friends who did a safari in SA and they said it felt like the animals were walled in, like it was a bit of a large zoo. In the Serengeti the animals are completely free to travel and migrate.

My partner and I did a 5 day safari trip in Tanzania. The itinerary was Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater, staying in the 5 star Serena lodges. It was amazing. A lot to take in in 5 days but fantastic.

We wanted a somewhat luxurious trip for the price of a budget one! In the end we went with Gofan, we took a chance as there were mixed reviews online. It was 1600 USD per person, for the 5 day safari. That included meet and greet from the airport, overnight the night before, binoculars provided, a t-shirt, all meals. It was a private safari with just us and our driver. At the beginning I thought that might be a bit intense but I was so glad afterwards, no compromises or indulging other people, just going wherever and seeing whatever we wanted!

We were delighted with the accommodation, however we didn't spend an awful lot of time there (really only overnights) so we probably would have been happy either way. That was because we traveled a lot to get to the different parks. I have other friends who just stayed in the Serengeti, they went out in the morning and the evening to see the animals and relaxed enjoying the hotel facilities in the afternoons, so that is another way of doing it.

If you do decide on Kenya or Tanzania instead of S.A. I know that there are a lot of backpacker type camping or budget accommodation safari packages too that would be much cheaper, and there are a lot of high priced luxury ones. Be careful to check what each one offers. Kenya / Tanzania / Uganda also have a lot to offer for after your safari. We chose a few days snorkeling and chilling out on Zanzibar and loved it.

genericguy

Ponster wrote: »

wow. Until I got to that line I thought I could help you as I spent 2 weeks in South Africa (Cape Town) this week with the wife and went on a 3-day safari but we only spent 2.5K, between us, including flights

10K in South Africa means that you can do whatever you like and don't *really* need advise from forums as to hotels and such. There's a few around who should be able to help you as to which safari to choose though.

Thanks a mil for this - can I ask who you booked with? Cape town and then a 3 day safari would be precisely what I had in mind, I haven't seen it available on any of the sites I've seen though. And as far as the money is concerned, If I could do it for 2.5k between us that would be savage - although I would need an escorted tour which I think makes it more expensive.

Cheers!

genericguy

Six of One wrote: »

I would recommend East Africa as I have been there and think everybody should go in their lifetime if they can! We have friends who did a safari in SA and they said it felt like the animals were walled in, like it was a bit of a large zoo. In the Serengeti the animals are completely free to travel and migrate.

My partner and I did a 5 day safari trip in Tanzania. The itinerary was Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater, staying in the 5 star Serena lodges. It was amazing. A lot to take in in 5 days but fantastic.

That sounds awesome! I think SA appeals to me a bit more with the whole shark diving bit added in though, but that's definitely something worth looking at - thanks a mil.

SuperStarHoney

We booked with Trailfinders when we went to SA and they were excellent. We did a game reserve outside PE as they're malaria free, eagle's cregg in Shamwari if you really want to splash out, you won't be disappointed!

Absolutely loved SA, so much to see and do on top off the safari stuff.

Would also love to go to East Africa as mentioned above though!

bungaro79

just back from a trip to tanzania and rwanda and would definitely recommend it genericguy!! as well as the normal safari (which was amazing) we did a gorilla trek in rwanda. can def recommend basecamp tanzania if you are thinking about it

sarkozy

genericguy wrote: »

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone could possibly share some advice on where would be good for a safari package break (for myself and my girlfriend) - she's finishing up her master's so I want to take her somewhere nice. The problem is I'm not particularly well-travelled, so I've little knowledge on how/with whom to book such a trip, and also about which country might be the best for the trip. Personally, the idea of shark diving in SA and heading off to Kruger sounds amazing, but safety would be a concern based on what I've heard from friends and clients who've been there. And Louis Theroux painted a fairly bleak picture too!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - in terms of budget, I'd obviously like it to be as cheap as possible, I'm in no way posh about hotels etc., but all-in I'd say i could probably devote 8-10k for the pair of us.

Cheers guys.

Personally, I wouldn't get hung up on the safety. Generally, if you're on a decent package tour, everything will be fine if you follow your tour guide's guidelines. Louis Theroux? His 'canned hunting' thing is true; often, ecpecially in Eastern Cape province, there are many 'reserves' which double as hunting grounds - one side for those looking for wildlife, the other looking to kill wildlife. Theroux's other programme, about Johannesburg, painted a picture more extreme than reality, I think. Many South Africans I spoke to while living in Lesotho thought things in Jo'burg had improved greatly. Nonetheless, you do take precautions while in the major SA cities, and I'm happy to share them. Outside the cities, you've nothing at all to worry about. In rural towns like Ladybrand (the nearest to me), you could walk around at night; in Bloemfontein (the nearest city), you could also walk around the city centre at night. I never heard of carjackings, muggings or crimes of any sort there (not that they were non existent).

Krueger is a good one to hit as South Africa is very developed. Personally, I'm just not into all this waiting involved to see big animals. Instead, an easy and enjoyable option is to go to Hluhlue nature reserve and you stand a good chance of seeing the 'Big Five' in less than one day. I saw three (white rhino, elephants and buffalo) but the cats eluded me; you can also visit some reserves in Swaziland (very developed for tourists also) and they have hippos. Also there's loads of monkeys about and baboons (but I hate baboons, vicious animals). This option could free up some more time to see more of South Africa or even to visit Mozambique or Zimbabwe. I always wanted to see the ancient Shona ruins in Zim. I know ... part of the appeal is staying and relaxing in the wilderness, relishing the beautiful sunsets and skies so deep with starts that you can see the milkiness of the Milky Way. You can see that in so much of South Africa (and other places like Namib Desert where I never experienced sunsets like them).

tbukela

Went to SA for two weeks in March for Honeymoon, best two weeks I've ever had. IMO nicest place I have been to, nicer then US or Australia by far. Never felt in danger and had some great nights out with locals. Food and drink is ridiculously good value.
Did a three day safari in a game reserve an hour from Port Elizabeth, the early morning game drives were among the most memorable things I have ever done abroad (and I jumped out of a place in Australia). Would recommend to anyone.