Organizing a safari- Planning a safari

There are three ways to arrange a safari – buy a tailor made or what is known as a customized safari with an African Safari Tour Operator, buy a package, or arrange everything yourself.

Whatever you choose depends on you and each has got its own advantages. For people seeking to maximize on their holidays a prearranged safari would be advised so as to save hours and days which could be spent trying to find reliable transport and accommodation.

Caution should be taken when choosing a safari company or Tour Operator especially since it is standard practice to pay in advance to ensure a booking. The nightmare scenario would be to pay for your safari and then get to your destination and discover that the company does not exist!

Arranging things yourself

It is perfectly feasible to organize your own safari, either by renting a vehicle, or – doing an overland safari. Should you be considering a self-drive then consider hiring a 4×4 four wheel drive vehicle. Land cruisers are a favorite. Others include Toyota Rav4 and Land Rover. These vehicles are quite handy because the roads inside national parks and game reserves can be terrible.

Arranging your own trip has the advantage of flexibility in planning but may not necessarily be cheaper than going through a safari company. An idea would be to travel as a group and share out the cost of vehicle rental, and some tourist establishments do offer discounts for group travel.

Apart from accommodation and transport you will have to budget for food, buy or rent camping equipment and maybe even have to hire a local guide to show you around. If you are good with logistics then a map would save you the expense of hiring a guide. When it comes to game viewing maps may not really help you find game. Local guides usually know where to find them.