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Types of African Safaris |
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Introduction |
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To a large extent the early exploits of Selous, Roosevelt, Hemingway, the early missionaries, explorers, colonial pioneers and great white hunters were conducted on foot and often only fully appreciated through the sights of their rifles.Nowadays the best way to do a safari is still on foot but emphasis is on game-viewing and photographic pursuits....
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Types of safaris
Walking safaris This
is a very loose term used to define an emphasis on walking in game rich
areas with an armed, qualified and experienced Professional
Guide.
These safaris usually make use of temporary bush camps or permanent lodges as a base from which vehicles and sometimes boats will get you into areas of game activity or specific interest, thereafter you're led by a Professional Safari Guide to sample all aspects of the environment. Walking safaris are unquestionably the best way to experience the African wilderness areas. They range from simple trails not far from camp (similar to those you'll find in Zambia and Botswana) to "fly-camping" with backup crews (as you'll find in the Mara Triangle) to full blown backpack-toting expeditions (as we've done in Zimbabwe and Gabon). You can do it in luxury
or at the other end of the scale really get back to basics. The
key however is the quality of the guides and location... The very best walking safaris are in the Luangwa and Zambezi Valleys, two specific areas in Botswana and three very special spots in East Africa. In East Africa, the best options are found in southern Tanzania with one very special area west of the Serengeti and another in Kenya's Mara. We've provided a far more comprehensive guide to African walking safaris elsewhere on our site. Mobile safarisMobile safaris make use of 4x4 vehicles usually to cover larger areas or a variety of different habitats in a single trip. The diversity and relatively large distances between the prime spots in Botswana and Namibia make mobile safaris the preferred means for covering these destinations.
More often than not, the driver is a fully qualified Professional Guide which means that some of the better stop-over points will include some time exploring on foot. Mobile safaris offer a high degree of flexibility taking in the full range of accommodation options ranging from temporary fly-camps to luxury lodges but more importantly enable far greater access to areas affected by constantly changing seasonal patterns (as in the Okavango) or game movements (as in the Kalahari and East Africa). The migration in Tanzania's Serengeti is best done on a "mobile" basis using semi-permanent tented camps. These trips shouldn't be confused with overland expeditions or mini-bus tours ... we recommend Guerba, Kumuka, Dragoman and the host of overland companies you'll find by doing a simple search...
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Fly-in or "wing" safaris Fly-in
safaris are regularly done in Botswana and Namibia in order to cover a
large amount of territory with some very specific spots on the agenda in
as short a space of time as possible.
Kenya is another area well suited to flying safaris particularly when combining the Mara with Laikipia, Amboseli, the Northern Frontier District and the north coast. Often the pilot serves as the guide for the duration of the safari. The camps and lodges used for stop-overs are often the most exclusive available. Six or seven night fly-in safaris are fairly popular with guests who're short on time. When faced with a shortage of time and a desire to see the best spots then you should expect to spend more money....
Canoe safaris
One of the
more popular means of experiencing Africa's wilderness, big game and
warm weather. Several of the large African rivers are run by canoe
but it's the lower Zambezi that really holds centre stage....
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Our
canoe safaris range from deluxe backed up trails using tented camps or
permanent lodges for overnight stops to full participation canoe trails
running over 10 days from Kariba down to Kanyemba. 
If you're
looking for exclusivity, special attention or have a very particular
subject that you want to cover in more depth than most then you'll find
a number of specialist guides who're more than up to the task - and in
many cases equally motivated to indulge themselves in a favoured
pursuit.
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Zambezi Site Last updated 12 June, 2009 |
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