Safari Terminology Explained! Learn How To Choose The Best Safari For You!

Want to know what safari terminology means so you can have the best safari for you? You've come to the right place.

Learn safari terms & find peace of mind & answers to your questions about how to choose the best type of safari for you! Superb deals on the best Africa safari for you.

Starting with basic safari types or terminology, this guide helps you determine which type of African safari vacation is best for you.

Learn what to ask, what to expect, what to avoid. This guide is based on what I’ve learned from taking over 80 African safaris since living in Africa since 1993.

My wife is a local - from South Africa - so you get the benefit of her insider insights as well.

Know What To Expect On Your African Safari Terminology Splendid Sight - An African Lion While On Safari photo courtesy of Sabi Sabi, South Africa

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Safari Terminology Explained -Different Types of Safaris

There are two main safari regions in Africa:

East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania (which includes Zanzibar), Uganda – and increasingly Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo

Southern Africa:South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi

First, think about or list what you want to experience and the countries you want to visit. Here’s a start—

• What types of activities are you interested in experiencing – wildlife, African culture, history, shopping, spas...
• What time of year do you want to travel
• What areas or countries are you interested in
• What is your budget
• How far in advance do you want to book
• Do you want go to go with a group? Or just you, your family and friends?

Here Are The Types Of Safaris Available

These vary in length, group size and budget. You can go safari in an overland truck or travel in style in a small, air conditioned vehicle. You can have a guided tour on a private, exclusive basis as well.

Accommodation:

Here too you have a wide range of accommodation available on an African safari. It can vary from basic camping to luxury tents and five star lodges. We’ve never done an overland safari, our experience and advice concentrates on more upmarket lodges and luxury tented camps.

We have also experienced a large number of affordable African safari trips. They have mainly been very luxurious African safaris that we’ve gotten at a great price. We also have been on budget safaris – cheap African safaris largely when we took advantage of the clean and basic Kruger National Park rest camp accommodation.

Read your itinerary carefully!

No matter what African safari you decide to do, carefully read all the terms and conditions for the tour. This is essential. It is especially important to understand the policy concerning cancellations, changes in departure date and refunds, and change penalties.

Also pay attention to conditions concerning meals, accommodation, air transport, baggage allowance and items not included in the price. With regard to price, be sure to check what is included in the price and what is not!

Pay attention to service charges, taxes, weekend air charges and high season supplements. If you are traveling alone, there is often a single supplement. With regard to the itineraries themselves, pay attention to what it says you will be visiting versus what you will just “see”. Seeing or viewing means that you will be driving through, and that makes a big difference.

Self drive:

South Africa and Namibia are the only countries that we think self-drive is a viable option for most tourists. This is because they both have great road networks.

We live in South Africa & have driven extensively throughout South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland (two small countries nearly surrounded by South Africa). For us the freedom of the road and being able to determine your own pace makes it a wonderful option.

For these countries you can book your car and accommodation. If you want to self drive, click the above links. You should also click here for free detailed maps of South Africa and Namibia.

Here you travel by light aircraft from place to place. This is the only option in a country like Botswana where so many camps are very remote.

Botswana is accessible if you rent a 4x4 but for most these small planes make truly wilderness areas accessible. For this reason, fly-in safaris are very popular. And they also save lots of time.

It is most economical to buy a seat on the flight, though you can charter a plane for exclusive use.

What is your accommodation going to be like?

For many what the hotel or accommodation is like is critical to the success of a trip. Pay attention to the hotel, lodge or camp descriptions, locations and types of facilities they offers.

You need to pay special attention to the location of the hotels. If you have a car or will be on a sightseeing bus then you can afford to be in a hotel that is outside the city center. If you are going to have a lot of free time in the cities you’ll be visiting then you need to be in safe, centrally located hotels.

Food

If this is important to you (and it is very important to us) read your itinerary carefully to see how much opportunity you will have to experience local cuisine.

I hope this information on safari terminology was helpful. Want more help? Contact us now for a free customized itinerary for your Africa safari suited to your interests & budget. Just fill in the form and submit it.

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