How to book a safari

This might not be the place to book, but it will get you started. Safari Link

Did South Africa with my family last year. Had the time of our lives. I’d strongly recommend South Africa due to its relatively low cost to visit and also safety. Kenya would be great too; but, the overall cost just doubled.

Not sure what your particular dynamic is. Number of people; kids, etc.

Remember; their seasons are opposite ours. It’s going to be quite warm in November and insect activity will be forbidding.

I will also add this. Be very clear about what sort of Safari experience you are looking for?

Do you or anyone in the party actually want to hunt?

You’ll then be looking for a private preserve. These giant preserves often have a greater density and variety of animals than Kruger/Mpumgubwe.

Do you just want to see animals? Then a photo safari at Kruger is probably for you.

I will say, after about three or four days of seeing animals a change of pace is nice.

There also is not a hell of a lot to see in Johannesburg/Pretoria.

If I had to do it all over again, I would spend three days in Cape Town/Stellenbosch in addition to doing the Safari.

Cape Town seems to have a lot of culture and Stellenbosh is their Napa Valley. Lots of wineries…

Do not go cheap. This is a case of you get what you pay for.

We are going to Tanzania and doing some all day game drives through the Four Seasons Serengeti in about 2.5 weeks. It is pricey, but as others have stated, you will get what you pay for. We will have all day game drives several days plus a hot air balloon safari.

I also have looked at the travel group/company Globus. Have travelled with them before and they do an excellent job from meals to lodging to knowledgeable guides. I figured it would be insane price wise, however for a 9 day safari, all meals, all lodging, and airfare and the total was approximately $8000 per person. Tried to read recent reviews, but couldn’t find too many. Most were at least 8 years old and talked about being in cramped vans with poor ventilation for the game drives. Did find it odd that they don’t include many photos on their website.

I’ll post some updates when we get back to this thread and the one I started a few months back.