Anyone been on Safari?
Discussion
SA for our honeymoon here (Private reserve on the Kruger National Park):
https://elephantplains.co.za/
Superb. I don't have anything else to though. We got a free upgrade to the honeymoon suite which was set away from the rest of the accommodation with a watering hole directly out front. Had elephants and Rhino so close you could touch them (I didn't) Had a male baboon wander into the place when my wife went out and didn't lock the door that was a bit scary......
The private reserves as I remember this one is fenced off on three sides so the animals are free to wander in and out of the greater national park. Seen everything I wanted to, really was an unforgettable experience.
https://elephantplains.co.za/
Superb. I don't have anything else to though. We got a free upgrade to the honeymoon suite which was set away from the rest of the accommodation with a watering hole directly out front. Had elephants and Rhino so close you could touch them (I didn't) Had a male baboon wander into the place when my wife went out and didn't lock the door that was a bit scary......
The private reserves as I remember this one is fenced off on three sides so the animals are free to wander in and out of the greater national park. Seen everything I wanted to, really was an unforgettable experience.
I once did a 3 day mini safari in the Terai in Nepal out of 'Tiger Tops', it was a memorable trip - saw lots of wildlife but no tigers (expect for some footprints in the mud).
We were on elephants and it's amazing how they truly are the king of the jungle - all other animals totally respect and defer to them.
We were on elephants and it's amazing how they truly are the king of the jungle - all other animals totally respect and defer to them.
I've spent many years totally in Africa, living and working, and been on 50+ safaris, feel free to ask anything specific about it. A lot of it will come down to your budget (you can do them fairly cheaply, and go up to huge prices - probably best you have an idea of this first and go from there).
Time of year will also affect where may be best to go. For example, if you are wanting to see the great migration over the Serengeti, bear in mind there are three "phases" of this, best seen in Jan-Feb, April-May & Mid July-Sept, and then select camps accordingly based on location.
If you have a particular country in mind, then this is a good starting point too. Different countries are 'better' for different things. Botswana is great for elephants, wild experiences with them, and also very nice and high end camps. South Africa is an obvious all-rounder, with lots of different things going on. I would say it is less wild than other places, but this may not necessarily take away from your experience though.
Rwanda is a fantastic location for gorillas, and great lodges. Also the most expensive (a single gorilla tracking permit there is $1,500 per person per trek). Uganda is much cheaper for gorillas.
Tanzania has some great camps run by Roland Purcell, the Irish safari legend - they're all really fantastic operations - https://www.nomad-tanzania.com/ They have some excellent options for remote location big cat safaris in Katavi, Ruaha and Nyerere (go between June and November).
For something really wild, the Republic of Congo is a great destination and has as surprisingly good lodge - https://congoconservation.travel/ Similarly, the Dzangha Sangha Bai in the Central African Republic, where I was recently.
A really good resource for doing research, especially for a first time safari, without a doubt is the Africa Travel Resource - https://africatravelresource.com/ They have a great mapping resource, showing most of the lodges, ideas of prices, recommendations of what to see and do and at what time of year etc. They'll also book things for you too although I never personally used them for that - https://africatravelresource.com/safari-explore/fi... They also offer specific advice based on particular interests, in your case big cats: https://africatravelresource.com/safari-experience...
Do not necessarily overlook less obvious destinations, also. Brazil has some first class big cat (jaguars) experiences in the Pantanal (remote area of western Brazil) and, as others have said, take a look at Nepal and India for tigers, too.
Lions in Zakouma National Park in Chad. A less obvious destination for big cats, but really excellent. I was there recently during an overland expedition in Central Africa.
Time of year will also affect where may be best to go. For example, if you are wanting to see the great migration over the Serengeti, bear in mind there are three "phases" of this, best seen in Jan-Feb, April-May & Mid July-Sept, and then select camps accordingly based on location.
If you have a particular country in mind, then this is a good starting point too. Different countries are 'better' for different things. Botswana is great for elephants, wild experiences with them, and also very nice and high end camps. South Africa is an obvious all-rounder, with lots of different things going on. I would say it is less wild than other places, but this may not necessarily take away from your experience though.
Rwanda is a fantastic location for gorillas, and great lodges. Also the most expensive (a single gorilla tracking permit there is $1,500 per person per trek). Uganda is much cheaper for gorillas.
Tanzania has some great camps run by Roland Purcell, the Irish safari legend - they're all really fantastic operations - https://www.nomad-tanzania.com/ They have some excellent options for remote location big cat safaris in Katavi, Ruaha and Nyerere (go between June and November).
For something really wild, the Republic of Congo is a great destination and has as surprisingly good lodge - https://congoconservation.travel/ Similarly, the Dzangha Sangha Bai in the Central African Republic, where I was recently.
A really good resource for doing research, especially for a first time safari, without a doubt is the Africa Travel Resource - https://africatravelresource.com/ They have a great mapping resource, showing most of the lodges, ideas of prices, recommendations of what to see and do and at what time of year etc. They'll also book things for you too although I never personally used them for that - https://africatravelresource.com/safari-explore/fi... They also offer specific advice based on particular interests, in your case big cats: https://africatravelresource.com/safari-experience...
Do not necessarily overlook less obvious destinations, also. Brazil has some first class big cat (jaguars) experiences in the Pantanal (remote area of western Brazil) and, as others have said, take a look at Nepal and India for tigers, too.
Lions in Zakouma National Park in Chad. A less obvious destination for big cats, but really excellent. I was there recently during an overland expedition in Central Africa.
We've been to Tanzania a couple of times and would support the comments above about ATR. We actually used them to book the first safari and they put together a great trip for us. For the second trip we used a local company in Arusha to provide the safari but still used the ATR site for a lot of research.
We did Tarangire, Manyana, Ngorongoro and Serengeti - no shortage of Big Cats:
We did Tarangire, Manyana, Ngorongoro and Serengeti - no shortage of Big Cats:
Xenobian said:
I've spent many years totally in Africa, living and working, and been on 50+ safaris, feel free to ask anything specific about it. A lot of it will come down to your budget (you can do them fairly cheaply, and go up to huge prices - probably best you have an idea of this first and go from there).
Time of year will also affect where may be best to go. For example, if you are wanting to see the great migration over the Serengeti, bear in mind there are three "phases" of this, best seen in Jan-Feb, April-May & Mid July-Sept, and then select camps accordingly based on location.
If you have a particular country in mind, then this is a good starting point too. Different countries are 'better' for different things. Botswana is great for elephants, wild experiences with them, and also very nice and high end camps. South Africa is an obvious all-rounder, with lots of different things going on. I would say it is less wild than other places, but this may not necessarily take away from your experience though.
Rwanda is a fantastic location for gorillas, and great lodges. Also the most expensive (a single gorilla tracking permit there is $1,500 per person per trek). Uganda is much cheaper for gorillas.
Tanzania has some great camps run by Roland Purcell, the Irish safari legend - they're all really fantastic operations - https://www.nomad-tanzania.com/ They have some excellent options for remote location big cat safaris in Katavi, Ruaha and Nyerere (go between June and November).
For something really wild, the Republic of Congo is a great destination and has as surprisingly good lodge - https://congoconservation.travel/ Similarly, the Dzangha Sangha Bai in the Central African Republic, where I was recently.
A really good resource for doing research, especially for a first time safari, without a doubt is the Africa Travel Resource - https://africatravelresource.com/ They have a great mapping resource, showing most of the lodges, ideas of prices, recommendations of what to see and do and at what time of year etc. They'll also book things for you too although I never personally used them for that - https://africatravelresource.com/safari-explore/fi... They also offer specific advice based on particular interests, in your case big cats: https://africatravelresource.com/safari-experience...
Do not necessarily overlook less obvious destinations, also. Brazil has some first class big cat (jaguars) experiences in the Pantanal (remote area of western Brazil) and, as others have said, take a look at Nepal and India for tigers, too.
Lions in Zakouma National Park in Chad. A less obvious destination for big cats, but really excellent. I was there recently during an overland expedition in Central Africa.
Really appreciate such informative replies, I'd love to see big cats lions, leopards (if I'm lucky enough)Time of year will also affect where may be best to go. For example, if you are wanting to see the great migration over the Serengeti, bear in mind there are three "phases" of this, best seen in Jan-Feb, April-May & Mid July-Sept, and then select camps accordingly based on location.
If you have a particular country in mind, then this is a good starting point too. Different countries are 'better' for different things. Botswana is great for elephants, wild experiences with them, and also very nice and high end camps. South Africa is an obvious all-rounder, with lots of different things going on. I would say it is less wild than other places, but this may not necessarily take away from your experience though.
Rwanda is a fantastic location for gorillas, and great lodges. Also the most expensive (a single gorilla tracking permit there is $1,500 per person per trek). Uganda is much cheaper for gorillas.
Tanzania has some great camps run by Roland Purcell, the Irish safari legend - they're all really fantastic operations - https://www.nomad-tanzania.com/ They have some excellent options for remote location big cat safaris in Katavi, Ruaha and Nyerere (go between June and November).
For something really wild, the Republic of Congo is a great destination and has as surprisingly good lodge - https://congoconservation.travel/ Similarly, the Dzangha Sangha Bai in the Central African Republic, where I was recently.
A really good resource for doing research, especially for a first time safari, without a doubt is the Africa Travel Resource - https://africatravelresource.com/ They have a great mapping resource, showing most of the lodges, ideas of prices, recommendations of what to see and do and at what time of year etc. They'll also book things for you too although I never personally used them for that - https://africatravelresource.com/safari-explore/fi... They also offer specific advice based on particular interests, in your case big cats: https://africatravelresource.com/safari-experience...
Do not necessarily overlook less obvious destinations, also. Brazil has some first class big cat (jaguars) experiences in the Pantanal (remote area of western Brazil) and, as others have said, take a look at Nepal and India for tigers, too.
Lions in Zakouma National Park in Chad. A less obvious destination for big cats, but really excellent. I was there recently during an overland expedition in Central Africa.
digimeistter said:
Really appreciate such informative replies, I'd love to see big cats lions, leopards (if I'm lucky enough)
You are most welcome.For leopards, you will have the best chances in the Masai Mara, Kenya and Serengeti, Tanzania (specifically the Lobo area in the north of the park). The South Luangwa National Park in Zambia is also excellent for leopards, especially at nighttime on night drives, in fact it is almost certain... A good base there would be Mfuwe Lodge (operated by The Bushcamp Co.)
While Africa is a bit hit and miss, luck wise, with seeing leopards, you have really excellent chances of seeing them in the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka. They have one of the highest concentrations of them in the world, if not the highest.
Went a few years back - best holiday I have ever been on.
Stayed at Shamwari and went in early May so got a good deal as its their offpeak season but still warm.
It was also very quiet - because there werent many guests we basically had a ranger to ourselves for a few days which was ideal.
https://www.shamwari.com/
Mr Squarekins said:
Just the child in me. First thoughts to this thread;
Christopher Biggins & Gillian Taylforth
Safari, so goodie!Christopher Biggins & Gillian Taylforth
Away from the usual places, the parks in Swaziland/Eswatini are more compact so more chance of seeing the interesting animals => https://biggameparks.org/
Plus not so over run with other tourists.
Kenya. Ol Pejeta near Nanuki is great. My favourite for the whole experience is Il N'qwesi north of Lewa Downs which is Maasai owned and run.
https://www.olpejetaconservancy.org/
http://www.ilngwesi.com/
https://www.olpejetaconservancy.org/
http://www.ilngwesi.com/
I live in Kenya. There are three main parks. Maasai Mara, Ambiseli and Tsavo (East and West) all offer the opportunity to see the “Big 5”
Most are unaware that the Safari parks are “Parks” as a Kenyan resident I can turn up at the gate in my car, pay £2 per person and £6 for the car (only card payments are accepted) and in I go!!
For a non resident you can do the same but it’s £50 per person but I wouldn’t advise just rocking up as the parks are the size of Wales, you’ll get lost, see little and probably break down. You can get a local guide with transport who will give you the trip of a lifetime.
Clearly this is way cheaper than you’d pay from the UK and you’ll be putting all your money into the local economy.
I’ll update this post later with some more gen and hope it helps but the overall message I’d send is if you go for Kenya, do not book from the UK with a mainstream agent.
Im a good friend of the owner of Governers Camp in the Mara which is tented and top quality, the previous manager runs a hotel a Mile from my house now.
I also have a good pal who would put together a personal safari and drive/escort you. He’s a one man band but the absolute nicest man and will show you stuff you’d normally never see.
If you want to stick to a good size operator I’d use either Bonfire or Peafowl tours. Both Kenyan based, they’ll put together a trip if you want to include a beach stay, I’ll get you the resident rate if needed which will make UK prices look criminal.
Finally if you want somewhere to stay in Nairobi I’ve 10 apartments and 3 houses, one will be completed next spring with rooftop Jacuzzi and gym, maid etc. I wasn’t going to let it but it has a nice guest suite if there’s only 2 of you.
Feel free to pm me if you need any more info.
Most are unaware that the Safari parks are “Parks” as a Kenyan resident I can turn up at the gate in my car, pay £2 per person and £6 for the car (only card payments are accepted) and in I go!!
For a non resident you can do the same but it’s £50 per person but I wouldn’t advise just rocking up as the parks are the size of Wales, you’ll get lost, see little and probably break down. You can get a local guide with transport who will give you the trip of a lifetime.
Clearly this is way cheaper than you’d pay from the UK and you’ll be putting all your money into the local economy.
I’ll update this post later with some more gen and hope it helps but the overall message I’d send is if you go for Kenya, do not book from the UK with a mainstream agent.
Im a good friend of the owner of Governers Camp in the Mara which is tented and top quality, the previous manager runs a hotel a Mile from my house now.
I also have a good pal who would put together a personal safari and drive/escort you. He’s a one man band but the absolute nicest man and will show you stuff you’d normally never see.
If you want to stick to a good size operator I’d use either Bonfire or Peafowl tours. Both Kenyan based, they’ll put together a trip if you want to include a beach stay, I’ll get you the resident rate if needed which will make UK prices look criminal.
Finally if you want somewhere to stay in Nairobi I’ve 10 apartments and 3 houses, one will be completed next spring with rooftop Jacuzzi and gym, maid etc. I wasn’t going to let it but it has a nice guest suite if there’s only 2 of you.
Feel free to pm me if you need any more info.
Edited by Thankyou4calling on Wednesday 2nd March 11:50
Edited by Thankyou4calling on Thursday 3rd March 09:08
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