When we went to Kenya the ultimate goal for us and a definite bucket list tick was a safari. Before we went to Kenya, we had no idea how many types of African safari there are to choose from. It is also important when choosing an African Safari that the company is registered with the Local tourism board. Each African country has their own safari tourism authority so check the company is approved before booking. If you don’t do your research beforehand the options can seem a little overwhelming as not all safari tours are created equally. Don’t despair though we have done some research for you so choosing an African safari should be a breeze.
If a safari in Kenya is your dream check out this post for the Best Safari Destinations in Kenya.
Game Drive Safari
When most people think of safari, they are thinking of the game drive safari. One that involves 4WD vehicles with a pop-up top, traversing the African bush in search of wildlife. Where you can spot herds of elephants in the distance or be wowed by lions sleeping at the side of the dirt road.
A game drive is a safari tour with a maximum number of people, usually 8 to a car and can either be booked as a private tour or as part of a group tour depending on your budget. When choosing our African safari, we had a group of 8 so we booked a private game drive safari tour.
As part of your game drive safari you will stay overnight. Either in the national park or just outside depending on the number of days your tour is for and what type of accommodation you choose.
Self-drive Safari
Kinda like an African road trip, it is a real budget friendly option. You have the ultimate freedom to choose where you go within the National Park and you may end up with wildlife encounters all to yourself. If you are planning to do your own game drives, make sure your car rental company allows self-drive safari and that you have the correct insurance. The parks do have opening times so plan ahead before you set off and take plenty of water. Also make sure you have means of contacting the park wardens if you get into trouble.
Small Group Safari
A small group safari is a game drive for solo travellers or couples with a group of other individual travellers. Smaller groups are better, and most companies offer a maximum of 8 people per tour. Though we did see one minibus type vehicle with around 15 people in it. Great for solo and budget travellers who can’t afford the luxury of a private tour. But it could mean you may spend some time driving to various accommodations to collect fellow travellers.
Family Friendly Safari
A lot of safari lodges won’t allow children under a certain age for safety reasons. When considering a family safari one of the main things to think about is the length of the safari. Safari days themselves tend to be long, starting early in the morning and covering long distances with few stops. Toilet breaks are few and far between and other than wildlife spotting, there are no activities which some children may find boring.
When we were choosing an African safari, we had to think family friendly as went with our two nephews who were 9 and 11 years old. We chose a 3-day safari and although they enjoyed it, at times they were fidgety on the game drives when there was nothing to see.
A good option for families with younger children would be a short 1- or 2-day safari staying in different places within a national park. This would mean less driving around and more time spent in one place. Another great option would be a staying in a lodge that has a steady flow of animals. Like the Voi Safari Lodge we stayed in with a viewing point but also a pool for the children to enjoy.
Choosing African Safari Accommodation
Camping in tents
Basic but budget friendly, it does exactly what it says on the tin. Some of these tours will require you to bring your own sleeping bag and mats while others will be provided for you. Also depending on your budget, you may be expected to erect your own tent, or the guides might do this, so you are free to explore the bush.
Tented lodges
These are semi-permanent accommodations giving you all the excitement of camping in the wilderness but with the comfort of full-sized beds, bathrooms and wifi. Like a hotel room made of canvas, but still easy on the wallet. Tented lodges range in luxury from basic to palatial.
Safari Lodges
Basically a hotel but in the national parks. Safari Lodges have all the things you would expect from a hotel. Including a bar and a restaurant, some even have a pool or a spa for guests to enjoy. This is the accommodation type we opted for because our young nephews came with us.
You can read all about our experience staying in Safari Lodges in Kenya in these posts:
Luxury Lodges
Like standard safari lodges but with 5* facilities. They often have the option for experience accommodation too such as sleeping in a tree house or star-bed. Some have individual villas with private pools where the animals can wander up to you while you sunbathe on your deck or even splash around in the pool with you.
Private Safari Villas
These are luxury villas or houses in a safari zone that are rented out as a whole house. Usually they come fully staffed including cleaning, maintenance, and security as well as a personal chef and a private safari guide. They also include a private pool and the use of a 4WD vehicle so you can decide when and where you want to go at any time offering complete flexibility. The ultimate luxury experience for couples or small groups.
Other types of African Safari
Walking safari
Also known as fly camping is a safari out in the bush with a guide and a backpack. Popular in Tanzania a walking tour involves a bit of bravery and an adventurous spirit. Mostly you walk with the guide spotting wildlife as you go. When you reach a suitable spot to camp, the guide sets up the camp at that location in the bush. The whole thing is pretty basic with emphasis on travelling light with either light tents or only mosquito nets being used for cover. The guide carries a radio and often a gun in case you get into trouble, but wild animals usually steer clear of strange humans.
Village or Tribal Safari
This type of safari doesn’t necessarily involve seeing any animals. A village safari is where you go into a local village and meet the people who live there and experience local village life. You may get to see the local school or how they pump their water and where they wash their clothes. There is often dancing and music and sometimes the indigenous people will cook a small meal for you in exchange for a donation to the village. A tribal safari is similar but visiting an African tribe such as the Maasai. Our family went on one of these types of safari in Kenya but we didn’t think it was entirely ethical to go into their village with our smart phones and cameras, knowing we had 3 hot meals a day, clean clothes, hot showers and access to good education. It didn’t sit right with us, so we skipped this experience.
Hot Air Balloon Safari
Lasting for around an hour and leaving just before sunrise with maximum groups of around 16 people. You can float along on the early morning African breeze taking in the spectacular sights of the African bush as the wildlife start to rise and shine. Enjoy a once in a lifetime sunrise with a 360-degree view of the Savannah unfolding below you. This is one of our ultimate bucket list goals for a future safari!
Is an African safari on your bucket list or have you been on safari before? If you found this post helpful let us know in the comments!
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An African safari is in my top 3 bucket list dream adventures! This is seriously such a helpful guide and I can’t wait to refer back to it when I can eventually plan my own trip. 🙂
Thank you Amanda I’m so glad you found it useful 🙂
Great post! An African safari features very high on our families bucket list.
You photos are fantastic and it sounds like you had a brilliant time.
Some great advice here!
Thank you it was the best experience we have had to date! We can’t wait to go back and we would highly recommend it to everyone
A safari holiday has been on my bucket list for so long. I would love the glamping idea, I think. My kids are teens, they would love a safari tour on a jeep. It looks so adventurous and fun.
It is great fun! I think teenagers would definitely love it, it’s so different from a ‘normal’ holiday.