ALL OF THE QUESTIONS YOU NEED ANSWERED AS A SAFARI FIRST TIMER
Going on Safari is one of the most unique travel experiences out there. That also means it can be one of the most intimidating trips to prepare for because it’s hard to know exactly what to expect. Combine that with being “off-the-grid,” so to speak, and you’ll need to do a little bit more preparation than you might do for other trips. The good news is, it’s completely worth it!
If you’re a first-timer on Safari, this guide seeks to answer some of the questions you may have - and some that you haven’t even thought about! The guide has top tips for how to plan your trip, how to prepare before taking off, and what to expect once you’re on the ground.
PHASE I: Planning
18+ MONTHS OUT
1. Book early
I highly recommend booking your safari as early as possible. This is particularly true if you are hoping to go during the peak season (in July / August for East African destinations). From personal experience, the timeline shapes up to be at least 18 months in advance. At that point some of the small, popular lodges will already start to fill up or even be unavailable.
2. Decide if you want to use a travel agent
I'm not typically one to use a travel agent, but going on safari is a trip that opened my eyes to how an agent can be valuable. This is especially true if you are heading out on safari for the first time.
A travel agent can provide first-hand experience to help guide lodge selection
You'll be spending a lot of money on the trip, mostly on your lodge, so you really want the choice to be right. Most lodges aren't run by the major hotel brands you might be familiar with in the rest of the world, and a good experience hinges more on the guides and service than just the facilities. A good agent can give you their account of how each lodge fits in with your needs and wants.
A travel agent can also help with some of the safari-specific logistics
A travel agent can be there for when things go wrong
3. Choose the right safari destination
Africa is a vast continent with many, many destinations to choose from for your safari, each with their own personality. Make sure you think about what you want from your trip and then do your homework to make sure your destination matches that.
Think about what animals you want to see.
Most of the really popular destinations have a variety of fan-favorite species and will keep almost anyone satisfied, but some popular places are niche. For example, Rwanda and Uganda are known for gorilla trekking, so you're going to have a very different experience at Volcanoes National Park or Bwindi Impenetrable Forest than in the Serengeti.
If you have a specific species you're dying to see, a field guide like The Safari Companion or The Kingdon Guide can recommend the best places to find them. Understand that hinging your trip on one specific animal can be risky. A specific area can be the "best" place to see a species, but that species can still be hard to spot - set expectations accordingly!
Think about the unique experiences you're envisioning.
Think about what combination of seclusion and luxury you want.
4. Choose the right safari lodge
WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT
Your choice of lodge matters more than anything else you'll because your choice of lodge really determines everything else about your day-to-day experience. You will eat, sleep, and drink at the lodge, but perhaps most importantly, the lodge will also provide your game drive guides. Staying at a lodge is about the location and facilities of course, but on safari, the level of service and experience are uniquely important. Given the cost associated with this once-in-a-lifetime trip, you really want to make sure you choose the right lodge.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
As you research potential lodges, look for these key features:
A reputation for great guides
I cannot stress this enough. You spend so much time with your guide, and they are such an integral part of the experience that triggered you to travel around the world. They know where to go and what to look for to help find the most incredible sightings. Seriously, they can spot the tiniest glimpse of an animal a mile away. Then once you're there, they have a wealth of knowledge about the animal you're viewing or how to best capture the moment on film. Plus, they're a ton of fun!
I want to note - we did not have a bad guide, so I can't really say what the experience would be like with a "bad" one. Perhaps getting a "bad" guide isn't actually a concern. But, I was blown away by how good our guides were and how much they enhanced the experience. If I'm going to spend the time and money demanded by an African safari, I'd want to hear the lodge I picked had a reputation for knowledgeable, personable guides.
A private game reserve / conservancy
Private game vehicles
A small number of rooms or tents
Local and eco-initiatives
5. Plan for both commercial and bush flights
LOOK AHEAD FOR COMMERCIAL FLIGHT SCHEDULES
You likely won't be able to book your flights at the same time you book your accommodations (since you should book lodges early); however, you should still consider flight schedules when booking. Depending on your destination, airlines may offer limited routes, which may mean that a certain flight is not available every day. Make sure to check typical flight schedules at a site like Flight Connections to make sure that you aren't planning to need a flight between locations that won't be available.
PLAN TO FLY TO YOUR LODGE ON A BUSH PLANE
You'll be staying in truly remote locations that are either not accessible by road or would be incredibly difficult to access by road. The standard method of transportation is to arrive via bush plane. If you choose to book on your own flight, make sure to confirm with your lodge which airstrip you should fly into because it's not always obvious. Additionally, one of the staff members will plan to meet you at the airstrip.
These flights can either be private or part of a shared charter. Shared charters have a somewhat standardized schedule between the regional airstrips. The shared charter will operate somewhat like a bus; you'll pick up and drop off passengers at short stops along the way with just a few minutes in the air between each. If you want to avoid traveling with others and make it to your destination in less time, opt for a private charter.
Flying on a bush plane can be a new experience for most people. For some people the experience is a thrilling opportunity to see the African landscape from above; for others, the flights can be a little nerve-wracking. You'll quickly get used to the flights but knowing what to expect can be helpful.
Prepare yourself to fly on small (~12 seat) propeller planes
You'll board from the ground and have to hunch somewhat to navigate to a seat, which can be more of a challenge depending on your size. The small size is why bush flights have such strict weight limits for passengers and luggage. It is also why the planes can be somewhat bumpier than a typical commercial flight.
Prepare yourself to land into dirt airstrips often just marked with a few rocks and a windsock
If you're nervous, consider bringing something to distract yourself on the flight
If you easily become motion sick, opt for a seat in the front where you can see straight ahead
PLAN YOUR LONG-HAUL FLIGHTS & ACCOMMODATIONS WITH BUSH FLIGHTS IN MIND
Make sure you leave enough time to make all the logistics connect smoothly. If your long-haul flight is landing late in the day, you're likely not going to be able to hop on a bush flight immediately afterwards, and you probably don't want to. You'd be better off booking a hotel room nearby after your long-haul flight and then waking up the next day to hop on a bush flight and arrive at your lodge with a nearly full day to explore. The same thinking applies when you depart Africa. Bush flights are the best way to get around, but they can still involve delays. Don't schedule a long-haul departure too soon after your bush flight is supposed to arrive. Between the possibility of the bush plane being late, changing airports, security, etc., it could add a lot of stress. Again, it can be more comfortable to add a buffer night at a hotel near the international airport.
PHASE II: Preparing
6 MONTHS OUT
6. Consult your healthcare provider & check requirements
Start by checking online at your destination's official site, the US embassy, and a site like Sherpa, which has a handy travel advisory map, to know what health requirements exist for everywhere you are going in Africa. Then schedule an appointment with your doctor. You may want to consider a travel health specialist since not all practices are versed in the latest requirements and carry all the relevant vaccines.
Most likely you'll need a yellow fever vaccine, which is good for life, and your doctor will prescribe malaria pills and potentially some emergency antibiotics for travel diarrhea. Some other vaccines may be recommended but depend on the nature of your visit. If you're working in healthcare or will be in close contact with animals, it will be recommended you receive more vaccines.
Regarding COVID, the requirements are constantly changing, be sure to check all official government requirements. Again, Sherpa is a helpful place to start, but I would triple check against both your destination's official site and with the US embassy. Since traveling post-COVID, I've an experienced a case or two where even official sources have had conflicting info as requirements evolved. Better to be safe than sorry!
7. Check your passport expiration & obtain your visas
This is true for any international trip; just double-check you have the extra six months of validity past your trip dates. Make sure to start early, as there have been big delays in processing passports recently! The US Embassy publishes current passport processing times. At the time of writing, you should expect ~3 months for regular processing and ~2 months for expedited. I would 100% recommend paying for expedited processing.
Once you know your passport is good to go, start thinking about your visas. Once again, Sherpa can be really helpful with visas. It gives overview of requirements for each country and official links for where you need to get started. There is such a thing as getting these too early, but I advise getting them as early as possible because some countries can take a while to process the paperwork, and the process can be a little complicated.
8. File all paperwork to fly a drone (if applicable)
You may have seen some epic drone photos that you're hoping to replicate, but make sure you check all restrictions and requirements in advance. These vary country to country and are subject to change. Some places will require that you file paperwork and / or have a license while other places restrict drone use entirely (some places even restrict having a drone in your luggage). Regulations can vary for recreational vs. commercial which can be defined by the size of drone, the purpose of filming, etc. Almost anywhere you go will have restricted or no-fly zones and general flight rules that you need to abide by.
9. Sign up for International Day Pass
I remember the first few times I traveled abroad, using the phone was so expensive, you couldn't make a call unless it was an absolute emergency. Even then, you started to feel the pressure to wrap up the call after just a couple minutes as you imagined the dollars racking up. Text and data were out of the question. Our past few trips we've signed up for International Day Pass with AT&T which makes things so much easier. It's just $10 a day ($5 for additional lines on the same plan) for unlimited text, calls, and data, and it's seamless. One beauty of safari is disconnecting, which I still strongly encourage, but having access to data definitely helped for last minute needs at the airport and such.
PHASE III: Packing
JUST BEFORE DEPARTURE
10. Jumpstart packing with my complete guide
Make sure you are packing everything you need while staying within your bush plane's weight limit. In my guide, I lay out every item I packed and offer up gear recommendations. Click here to check out my COMPLETE SAFARI PACKING GUIDE! (Coming Soon) There are also some overarching tips for packing for safari - stick to these and you'll be off to a good start.
Know the weight restrictions for bush flights.
In East Africa, you'll most likely only be allowed 33 pounds of total luggage (aka your duffel and personal item have to be 33 pounds total). In other places in Africa, the limit can be somewhat softer but still a challenge - make sure to check no matter what! This will mean that you have to pack strategically, not bringing more than you need, optimally bringing items that can mix and match. This is not much, but the good news is that most lodges offer laundry so you can re-wear things!
It is possible to bring more weight, typically for very heavy camera gear, but you'll need to plan in advance and book a "cargo seat" for your bush flights.
Pack in a soft-sided duffle
Pack neutral colors
Wear layers, long sleeves, and long pants
11. Check with your lodge to see what items they offer
Some lodges have lots of helpful items available - more than you might expect. Depending on the lodge we were offered yoga gear, painting kits, and board games and playing cards while back at the lodge and safari hats, blankets, sweatshirts, guide books, binoculars, water bottles, TP, and even full-fledged DSLR cameras to use while out on game drives. If your lodge offers these items, you might be able to save the weight when packing your bag!
12. Do a last-minute check for anything important
Before taking off, do one final run-through of your essentials checklist. I recommend bringing the following items along with you.
Hard copies of documents
Make sure you have hard copies of your travel visas, health documents, itineraries, passport photocopies, etc. to avoid issues with tech and connectivity in rural areas. While I recommend hard copies, I also keep a copy of all of these documents in our family OneDrive (set to be available offline) - just in case anything gets lost. Redundancy really helps prevent hiccups.
Extra cash
Prescriptions & health OTC kit
Converter
Extra camera batteries & memory cards
Plenty of underwear
Passport
PHASE IV: Exploring!
AFTER ARRIVAL
13. Know what to expect for a typical day on safari
Every day on safari is unique, but there is a typical flow for the day. I know I didn't fully know what to expect before we started planning our trip, so here's a bit of an idea!
Dawn
If you didn't know it already, a day on safari starts early! We're talking before the sun comes up, early. We typically had a wake-up call where coffee and tea were delivered to our room a little before 5 AM to get that jolt of caffeine needed to feel awake. The other good news is you're on the other side of the world, so your body doesn't really know what time it is anyways - use that to your advantage. Because it's still dark, a guide will escort you from your room to the entrance of camp where you'll join your guide and head out for the day. Our camp staff also equipped us with what we needed to enjoy the chilly mornings, including blankets, sweatshirts, and "bush babies" aka long-lasting hot water bladders to hold on your lap.
Morning Game Drive
Midday
Afternoon Game Drive
Evening
14. Follow the rules of the road for game drives
It's honestly not hard, and it'll keep everyone (animals and people alike) safe and happy - just do it! Here are a few highlights:
Do what your guide says.
This is rule number one. These guides do this every day, and many have spent their lives in the bush. They know what they are doing and how to give you the best experience possible, which includes keeping you and the animals safe. Whatever they say goes; do not pass go; do not collect $200.
Don't leave your vehicle.
Don't alter the animals' behavior.
Dress appropriately.
15. Take amazing photos to bring home with you
Taking photos on safari is one of those once-in-a-lifetime adventures that can send chills of excitement up your spine as you anticipate coming face-to-face with a lion and trying to bottle that feeling via your lens. It can also feel rather daunting. You want to make the most of the opportunity, but you won't just be able to bring every piece of equipment you could imagine with you thanks to bush flight weight limits. Put some thought into your photography plan well before you take off so you can return home feeling as satisfied as you can when trying to faithfully represent something so elusive to capture on film as Africa.
Don't rely solely on your phone
For most photography situations these days, phones do a very passable job. Safari is different. You'll want to have a camera with the right technical specs and settings that can meet the demands for zoom shots, fast shutter speeds, and low-light conditions. You might use your phone sometimes, but you'll definitely miss a lot of shots without a DSLR. If you don't own a DSLR already, check out my bullet below about renting equipment.
Bring a versatile zoom lens
Consider renting if you don't own the right equipment
Be prepared to react quickly
Practice before you leave
Look for inspiration ahead of time
Prepare for dust
Don't forget about astrophotography
Other helpful tips
16. Stay smart around the lodge
Your lodge will tell you all of the official ground rules, and there really isn't much to be concerned about, but there are just a couple of things to keep in mind to stay safe & healthy while staying in Africa.
Be aware you are in the animals' home and there's a chance one will wander into camp
It's a small chance since animals generally keep away from people, but you are still in the wild. The risk is bigger at night because animals (and humans) will react differently when surprised. At night, lodges will have an escort walk you between tents to ensure you aren't caught off guard by an animal encounter.
Make sure to only drink drinkable water around camp
Amazing guide. Feels like I have a MUCH better understanding of what to expect. My favorite part was (on guides) “Whatever they say goes; do not pass go; do not collect $200.”