South Africa Travel: How does a South Africa safari work?
This depends on your budget.
- Do you plan on visiting the Game Reserve or National Park?
- What time of the year do you plan on travelling?
The operator you choose to go with is also a factor.
- Your safari can be anything from a day safari through a Game Park
- A guided walking safari with an armed ranger and tracker
- A luxury fly-in safari staying in world class lodge
- Or enjoying a rail safari aboard Rovos Rail or the Shongololo Express.
South Africa Travel: Getting Around
- Some overland companies use their overland trucks to drive through a National Park where this is allowed. This does mean you are a big vehicle visible to animals and are restricted to roads, but, you are high up in the vehicle with a great view.
- Some operators use mini-vans with pop-tops, others use open toped Landrovers or similar, sometimes custom-built to hold more people, and too allow the best game viewing.
- 4WD vehicles are essential in the more remote parks, where they will often go off-road through the bush when tracking game.
South Africa Travel: Where to stay
When on safari you can stay at anything from a hotel outside the park gates, to a luxury tented lodge by a waterhole, to a sleeping platform in the trees!
South Africa Travel: Lodges
A lodge is usually comprised of chalet-styled accommodation, with a central lodge area where guests gather to eat, relax, have a drink etc. There is usually also an open-air boma (similar to a barbeque) where meals can be cooked and enjoyed outside around a fire at night.
Some ‘lodges’ actually offer tented accommodation, but not tents as we Kiwis know them. They are usually on raised wooden platforms, are permanent structures, sometimes under thatch, and have private facilities, proper beds and furnishings etc.
Although many lodges aim to offer a luxury experience, they are often furnished with an African theme in tune with their surroundings. And, they needn’t be beyond anyone’s price range.
Drifters Game Lodge, adjacent to Kruger features 10 luxury tents under thatch with private facilities and a private patio overlooking a seasonal riverbed. The central lodge building has a lounge, bar, boma and rock pool. A 5-day/4-night package here costs from $1684 per person share twin including all meals, game activities and road transfers from Hoedspruit Airport
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