6 Steps Plan To Book an African Safari
Planning and booking an African safari in Kenya can be a difficult decision for any first time traveller, as there are a lot of things worth considering. Some of these factors include; choosing a tour operator, type of accommodation, mode of transport, additional optional activities, mode of payment and documentation of all the required travel document.
That said, planning your safari holiday in Africa is still exciting, and there exists so many top African bucket-list experiences to choose from; plenty of natural wonders to see; exciting luxury vacations; gorgeous tented camps and safari lodges to stay at; alluring landscapes to soak in – the best mountain trekking tours to beaches, and everything in between.
With that in mind, if you want to start planning a vacation to Africa, below we discuss each of these factors in detail; everything you need to know before booking your first African safari, our 6 Steps guide on how to plan and book your safari in Africa:
1. Identify When You Want to Go
Deciding when to go on African safari depends on what country you would like to visit and when you would like to take your trip. In Africa, timing is everything since safari seasons differ as most of Africa’s best safari experiences depend entirely on naturally occurring factors, like seasonal sunshine and rainfall.
What this means is that having planned travel dates will make an important difference to your safari itinerary – trust me, you don’t want to be in the Serengeti when the millions of wildebeest are already moving down fresh grass in the Masai Mara! Although – keep in mind any time of the year an amazing safari can be planned if you are flexible about where you want to go to.
At this this point, you should know how many days you want to spend in Africa and at what time of year; at least have some idea where in Africa you want to go; the wildlife you would want to see; or is there a particular animal or event you wish to see? All this is very important information to have when you start planning your itinerary.
Not only will this influence your African safari experience, it also has a big impact when planning African safari on a budget.
The top African safari countries are Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, and Rwanda.
2. Know Where You Want to Go
To be able to select the perfect African safari country for you, you need to have a specific safari goal. We suggest that you do a little research to find out what really interests you on a safari, what is it that you would want to explore.
Ask yourself, is it a classic Big Five African safari that you want to see in their natural wilderness? (‘Big five’ refers to the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo) Or do you crave witnessing the Great Migration safari in Kenya? Maybe you’ve been dreaming of gorilla trekking in Uganda or Rwanda? But wait, perhaps you want to see the scenic Victoria Falls. Get to know first what animals or experiences are at the heart of your dream safari. With this answer we will now know your ideal destination.
With all that in mind, there’s a different type of safari for every kind of traveler, and every traveler or group of travelers as expected have different wants and needs. We will make sure your journey is custom-made around your travel needs and concerns.
Now that you have a key safari destination in mind and rough travel dates, you can select top attractions areas and safari experiences that combine well with your travel desires. Take a deeper dive into one safari destination, our listed safari itineraries will help you find out which locations and attractions go well together, and you can enrich your safari with additional places and experiences, leading to a complete African bucket list adventure.
3. Have a Budget Estimate
So if you want to maximize your trip experience and at the same time enjoy an affordable safari, you need to set how much you are willing to spend for the safari alone.
With countless options of African safari itineraries and travel styles, there is a lot of logistics involved in going on safari in Africa. Of course, you can’t expect to be on budget and at the same time get a luxurious experience, it’s worth keeping in mind that these African safari lodges must deliver excellent service, food and accommodation in very remote destinations – and that will costs much more than delivering the same standard of comfort in a big city.
‘We advise clients to have a budget estimate that you feel comfortable working within and share it with us so that we may help you select a safari that fits your budget needs.
Knowing what budget we can work with has a huge impact on the planning of the trip and knowing what is possible and what is not possible. This will make the safari booking even faster and you’ll get an itinerary that fits your travel desires and needs.
Select Level of Accommodation Comfort
It all boils down to the:
Type of accommodation you wish to sleep in.
The expected level of service.
The quality of the tour.
Understand that all African safari parks have amazing hotels that offers a wide range of accommodation options for every budget. The different categories of safari accommodations range from budget camps to mid-range tented camps to super luxurious safari lodges, you can rest assured to find the perfect safari lodge just for you.
Therefore it is important to specify your preferred type of accommodation keeping in mind that your choice should be within your budget.
Luxury Tented Camps & Luxury Safari Lodges – tend to be boutique-type accommodations that are designed to merge into the surroundings and operate to the highest luxury standards and extends to the quality of the service, food and guiding. The idea is to offer luxury while being as close to nature as possible, and its worth spending extra if the luxury trip ensures exclusivity at animal sightings, and more privacy in camp.
Mid-Range Safari Camps – More options come into play here because several camps and lodges in African safari parks falls under this category. They provide travelers with a level of superior experience at an affordable price. Falling in between luxury and budget level, many of these camps have more lodge-like features, tend to be larger, and usually come with swimming pools, en-suite toilets, hot water, good food, spacious common areas, well stocked gift shops and some even have purpose built Spas.
Budget Safari Camps – these are meant to cater for the price sensible traveler. Almost all hotels classified as budget properties are often located outside the main parks boundary. The camps do require close attention to make you’re your expectations are set correctly.
4. Know Your Travel Style
Your travel style depends on your personal preferences and is influenced by the type of people you plan to travel with, your safari budget, and the number of days you have available for your vacation in Africa.
If your budget is limited, you’ll want the most affordable African safari options which consists of our group departure safaris. Keep in mind every traveler or group of travelers as expected have different wants and needs.
Which One of These Travel Types Do You Prefer?
Private Safari Tours:
Perhaps you’re planning a romantic honeymoon or want to travel with young children? Younger kids and older adults might not want to go on a long safari drive therefore if you want a completely private experience with features like your own dedicated guide, exclusive-use safari vehicle, exclusive safari time or private helicopter transfers, then chat with us about the options.
Custom-Made Trips:
Our custom-made safari services doesn’t cost you anything extra – it’s the value you get when you book through African Vulture Safaris. Our Safari Experts will help you match your African safari wish-list, top desires and your budget to the most suitable accommodations, activities, locations, and make sure you get the best value for your time and money.
Group Safaris with – Set Departure Dates:
These types of safaris start and end on fixed dates during the year. This type of travel includes a combination of the best luxury journeys and midrange safari expeditions (such as following the Wildebeest Migration in East Africa). The rest of your itinerary can still be tailor-made to your wishes.
5. Add Optional Activities
Apart from the wildlife safari game viewing, what are the types of available activities while on safari? Depending on the country or safari park, what are the most exciting things you must try?
You can also choose to include some additional activities such as hot air balloon safaris, cultural Masai village tour, nature & guided bush walks, horseback riding, as well as bush meals & sundowners, canoeing, kayaking, rafting, boat rides, wildlife helicopter flights, wildlife photo workshops, quad bikes, mountain biking and so much more.
All these activities are optional but quite exciting and en-riches your Safari experience but come at an added cost.
6. Choose Your Travel Provider - Get A Quote
Price is not the only consideration – with a flexible mindset and some enquiry, while choosing a travel agent who can add true value to your African safari, we recommend going with an African local tour operator, it will be easy and will be much cheaper, and with a local operator you are sure of experienced local safari guides who also double up as excellent drivers.
Choosing an African safari operator comes with lots of advantages;
A great safari expert takes the time to get to know your safari preferences, will address all your concerns, and offers you detailed, up-to-date travel advice – good planning reduces risk and increases safari rewards.
Your utmost comfort and convenience are always guaranteed and above all, a fantastic safari experience.
Furthermore, they are likely able to negotiate better prices with the lodges as they are a large local operator often contracted by foreign tour agencies.
Full safari package booking– it’s in your best interest to work with a full-service partner, a tour operator that takes care of every detail from your planned safari activities, accommodation, transfers… almost everything.
Offers 24/7 on-safari support – an important advantage of booking through a credible operator who is based in Africa.
Safari reviews published on independent sites like Google Reviews, TripAdvisor, Trust Pilot & Safari Booking among others.
Safari Booking Tip
Please ensure to check all your requirements are included in the pricing. It is also important to confirm whether accommodation is on full-board, half-board or bed and breakfast.
If you decide to book a road safari also check the type of vehicle, this could be either a Mini-Safari Van or a 4×4 Land Cruiser Jeep that carry up to 7 persons per vehicle.
Understand that typical booking conditions require a deposit with balance a month prior to start of arrangements. Booking conditions including deposit payment and cancellation terms/ the standard terms and conditions will be provided by your tour operator.
Ready To Go?
After providing all the information above, set your travel goal, en-riched your vacation wish-list, worked out your budget range and preferred dates, and it’s time to get ready for the holiday – you can now request for a safari quotation based on your itinerary.
Use the links below to find family-friendly vacations, romantic honeymoon packages, thrilling African safaris and affordable holidays.
Enquire Now
Perhaps you want to get to know more about the trip, maybe you’ve got a bucket list of areas or wildlife adventures, sometimes it’s your passion you want to explore or you’re open to wide suggestions, you can call our office to discuss such issues.
The best thing that can happen is the constant communication between us so strike that conversation and we’ll come up with something great for you.
What next after the enquiry? After receiving your enquiry, you will be immediately assigned a specialist who will match your personal travel brief. (This may be 5-10 minutes on weekends).
Either way, you can simply submit an enquiry form online.
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