I’ve talked in the past about Africa and where to go to see what. Another issue that can be just as important is the “How?” and that’s what I’d like to chat about today. I don’t mean “Should I fly?” (of course unless you live on the continent already) or “Should I use an agency or not?” but whether it’s best to do Africa on a group tour, to share a safari vehicle with others, or to have a private vehicle.
Most of the people I’ve talked with who have been on an African safari have either gone as a part of a group, or booked a lodge or two through an agent and shared their safari vehicle with others who happen to be there at the same time. I’ve done it both ways at this point, and there’s a lot to recommend either of these approaches.
Group tours (we used Natural Habitat Adventures) have the advantage of grouping you with others who will have the same itinerary and guiding you through however many different places and activities you might be experiencing. We know a lot of people who love this approach because they get to meet people and stay with friends they’ve made through their entire trip. You can share your interests, talk about your day, and have convivial company throughout. Yes, we’ve had a few travelers that we’ve not been wild about, but in most cases you can find enough people you get along with to have a good time.
The downside of group tours isn’t the occasional bad apple (maybe one trip in ten will have one) but the nature of a shared itinerary. In many cases, these tours will target a specific type of facility because they want to make the trip affordable, and because some private reserves in Africa won’t let outsiders guide there. You also have a mixture of interests in animals, birds, people, etc. and all of these interests mean that you may not get as much of what you really want yourself, in order that all can be satisfied.
The key to making this approach successful is to research every camp you’ll visit and understand how they’ll load the safari vehicles. Every camp in Africa has its own special magic, its own wildlife, accommodations style, food, and so forth. You should look up every one (try Eyes on Africa and/or look them up individually) and make sure that you like what you see. In particular, understand whether the camp is tented or a lodge, because air-conditioned tents are rarely effective and Africa is often very hot.
Loading vehicles is important too; see my next section for information on that.
The next option is to book specific camps and go there as independent travelers. This option, which is the one we took on our first African trip, seems a bit scary to many and most people probably won’t want to do a multi-camp trip with internal transportation all on their own. We use Icon Expeditions (a division of Rhino Africa) for our bookings, but Micato Safaris (who did our first two trips) is also excellent, and particularly adept at holding your hand through the various steps in your itinerary.
When you book this way, you’ll share a vehicle on your safari drives. Most of the vehicles will hold a maximum of 10 people, but any more than six is going to mean it will be difficult to take photos or videos because others will be in the way. Ask how many people maximum will be allowed.
The benefit of the book-by-camp approach is that you get to pick what you want to see because you can find out what wildlife is common (or available) in each area. The downside is the sharing process, partly because you may end up more crowded than you like, and partly because of that collision of interests I already mentioned.
Most camps will try to get their guests out to see the key animals (like the Big Five, meaning lion, leopard, cape buffalo, elephant, and rhino) as quickly as possible. Some people may have seen them already, others may be missing only one (different, of course, from another’s missing one!) and some may be primarily interested in birds or snakes. Add to this the fact that guest come and go, particularly if you’re staying a long time, and you can end up chasing a single critter that you saw two days ago because a new guest has never seen it.
The private vehicle is the answer, maybe. If you have the vehicle to yourself you’ll probably always have a chance to take a picture or video, and you can direct the ranger/tracker to the things you want to see when you want to see them. The obvious downside of this is the cost—it will usually run between $300 and $600 US extra per day, and if you want a special guide for something it might reach $1,000 per day.
Aside from the cost, some people also find private vehicles inhibit their ability to socialize with other travelers and share experiences. Most camps will serve meals in a common room (though you may be able to eat in your own), but obviously the easiest relationships are among those who have shared a vehicle and thus shared experiences. If you’re on your own, you may not find it as easy to get to know others in the camp.
So what’s the best approach? My recommendation is that if you have never been to Africa (and if, in particular, you have familiarity with an outfit like NatHab that goes there), take your first trip with a group. You can then use your experience to guide you in going off more on your own. The best overall approach, or at least the most popular, is to use an agent and book specific camps, sharing the vehicle with others more or less at random. If you have special interests, and if you’re willing to pay to indulge them, private is the way to go.
I’ve experienced all these options and I have good memories from them all. Over time, on our own trips, we’ve gravitated more to private safaris because we’ve been to Africa many times and don’t have the same drive to see the Big Five. We’re into birds, in fact, and if you want to photograph African birds in earnest, you’ll either have to have a private vehicle or expect your fellow travelers to toss you out at some point!
Whatever you do, or consider, research your options carefully. Everything can be great if you know what to expect, and surprises are often unhappy ones.