So you’ve decided to go on safari. Awesome. You’re going to love it. But what style of safari is best for you? This will also depend on where you go and there’s no right or wrong, just a style that’s more suited to how you like to travel.
Lodge / Camp-Based Safari
With a lodge or camp-based safari you do everything through your accommodation. Touch down and you follow the lodge’s safari activity program, with their guides and trackers. This is typical of a private game reserve or private concession, where access to the land is restricted to guests at the lodge.
In most places you’ll go on activities with other guests and have some opportunity to adapt the program to your interests.
You will travel with different guides and enjoy all manner of extras, like picnics on the plains or a sunrise bush walk.
And while this may seem like a resort-style experience, you’re very much in the wild so don’t think it’s anything like Disneyland.
Guided Overland Safari
Africa’s national parks are enormous. Traveling in them is part of the experience and it’s great to explore different habitats and ecosystems.
With an overland safari you travel through and between the parks in a four-wheel drive vehicle, led by the same guide every day. It’s like a tour, except it’s the wilderness and the daily program is dictated by the animals you encounter.
This kind of safari is very popular in East Africa, where you need a few days just to get a feel for some of the parks. You’ll stay at different camps and lodges along the way, but always have the same driver and guide.
In some ways it’s more flexible – like the daily program and route – but in other ways it’s not, because the guide might not be able to take you on specific activities, like a game walk.
Self Drive Safari
In Southern Africa it’s possible to visit safari destinations without a guide. All you need is your own vehicle and camping equipment.
This means adventure and a relatively inexpensive way to go on safari. However, just consider: how much you know about wild Africa? Not only do guides help you experience more wildlife, they help keep you safe in landscapes that many visitors underestimate.
So while a self drive safari may sound like the perfect way to connect with your wild side, we’d caution against it because you can’t go that wild when you don’t know what you’re doing.