How to design a perfect tailor-made safari holiday
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Going away to Africa for an extraordinary safari holiday is surely an exciting thing. The planning part, however, can be daunting especially if you’re a first timer and you have zero idea on where to go, what to do, how much to bring, and all the hodgepodge. Add to that the preferences, travel style, assumed budget and travel companion you have. To achieve the ideal trip, your itinerary should be tailored according to your standards. But how? Lucky for you, this guide helps you design a perfect tailor-made safari holiday!
Things to consider
Before anything else, you need to take into account the certain things in order for you to ensure an enjoyable safari vacation. Things that you will have to consider will of course depend on your priorities, but examples of these things are:
Naturally, every traveller or group have certain needs and wants. And all these things can greatly affect your holiday. For instance, you are bringing smaller kids. Do you think they’d be comfortable with long flights and several transfers? How about long game drives?
Maximize your holiday
Safari game drives are must-try activities while in Africa. But apart from this exciting pursuit, what other activities do you want to try?
Here is a list of the most titillating activities you can do in Africa. Of course, you can only do these things in selected countries or parks.
Know where to go and what to see
Some people, when they plan on going to Africa, they already have their hearts set out to a particular country or region. Others, remain completely clueless. Some others, still think that Africa is a country. Well, first of all, Africa is NOT a country. It is huge continent made up of several beautiful countries, some of them among the most fascinating places on Earth.
So where should you go?
To answer that question, we should first know what you want to see. Is there a particular wildlife scenery you are aiming to revel in? Are you interested in seeing a certain animal or perhaps an event you don’t want to miss?
If you are eyeing to see the famous Great Wildebeest Migration, Tanzania would be your perfect bet and Kenya also between July and October. For gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking and a thrilling visit to the jungle, go to Uganda or Rwanda. The “Big Five” are also very abundant around East Africa and most countries in Southern Africa.
If you want to see incredible herds of African elephants all year round, head on to South Africa or Botswana. For other wildlife spectacles such as dolphins, whales and even penguins, South Africa is the place to be.
City tours are also increasingly becoming popular in some parts of Africa. If you’re looking to experience the African city life as well, the top cities to explore are Nairobi in Kenya, Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa, Windhoek in Namibia, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Kigali in Rwanda.
Know when to go
Keep in mind the schedule that’s convenient for you and your travel buddies. Then, consider the different seasons of each country you’re eyeing on.
East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda) and South Africa are all year-round destinations but the best time to visit these countries for game viewing is during dry season. In Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, it’s best to visit between June and October; for South Africa, between July and November is deemed best; for Uganda, the best wildlife viewing months as well as primate trekking are June to August and December to February.
December to early March is also an excellent time to visit these countries. In Tanzania during these months, you will be able to catch the action-packed calving season during the iconic Wildebeest Migration. In South Africa, these dry, summer months are perfect times to explore the Cape. In Kenya, migratory birds, newborn animals and lush scenery will welcome you warmly.
In April to May, which is generally the wettest months in East Africa, lush vegetation in Kenya and Tanzania provide a green scenery that’s gorgeous to look at. In Rwanda and Uganda, gorillas climb down to lower altitudes to feed on bamboos so while these times are not really ideal to trek the forest, the chance of seeing them right away is also quite high.
Also, take note of the seasonal changes in each country. Knowing when their peak and low seasons are helps you expect things like the amount of crowd, the prices of safaris, etc. Generally speaking, prices are steeper, tours are booked faster and crowds are aplenty during peak season. Low season offers lower prices, lesser crowds and bigger chances of scoring your most-coveted accommodation. However, you still have to bear in mind the animals you want to see and things you want to do as some of them might not be available during other seasons.
Find the most convenient way of getting there
There are plenty of flights to Africa from all over the world. These are general flights to get to these countries:
To get to Tanzania: Tanzania is known to be an expensive country to fly into, especially if you’re flying direct to Kilimanjaro International Airport. While several flights are available to Dar es Salaam (DAR), Kilimanjaro which is very near Arusha (JRO) and Zanzibar Island (ZNZ), the major hub that accepts more flights from different parts of the world is DAR. Other tourists also fly into Nairobi in Kenya and then take a connecting flight to Tanzania, usually Arusha which is the “safari central” of the country.
To get to Kenya: Flights to Kenya are highly available from many major countries and cities in the world, including UK, New York, Amsterdam, Dubai, Qatar and Istanbul. Known to provide cheaper flights, Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta Airport (NBO) in Nairobi is dubbed the third busiest airport in Africa. Another international airport that’s popular with business tourists and visitors traveling to coastal areas of Kenya is Mombasa Airport (MBA).
To get to Uganda: The main entry point for flights into Uganda is Entebbe International Airport (EBB), which is a couple of miles away from Kampala City, Uganda’s capital.
To get to Rwanda: Rwanda is another country known to be expensive to fly into. Aside from that, not many direct flights are available from other parts of the world. However, getting into Rwanda from other African countries is easy which is why many visitors also opt to use this route.
To get to South Africa: South Africa is probably the easiest to fly into. It has direct and one-stop flights from almost every major continent in the world. Plus, it has plenty of major hubs that you can get into, the most popular of which are Johannesburg International Airport (JNB) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT).
Taking into account all of these vital information and blending it with your travel preferences, you will have the perfect ingredients to a well-tailored safari holiday! To learn more about the most beautiful African safari destinations, explore our website and make it a starting point of your safari holiday planning.
Just to get the excitement going, see some of our past Tailor-Made Tour Itineraries created for, with, and by our inspired travelers!
We will take you dip within the world’s greatest Safari destination and enjoy daily game drives across endless Serengeti plains with abundant wildlife
Serengeti In-Depth Safari
7 Nights - 8 Days Safari
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Experience two of Tanzania’s most spectacular regions during the one vacation on this eight-day safari and beach package.
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