Which Safari is for you?
After her recent travels to Africa, the Vice President of Yampu Tours, Monica Irauzqui, is excited to start planning new safari options! Now even more of an expert in the region, read on to let her help you find the best safari option for you!
What kind of Safari is for you?
“A Safari trip is a bucket list place for most people and will be one of your most special trips of your life. Everyone has a different idea of what the perfect safari is going to be like. We want to know as much as possible about what you are expecting so we can plan the perfect trip. Some people will definitely want to see the Serengeti Migration when others want to feel like they are they are in old Africa, like when the settlers arrived, with no other people around. Tell us what is in your imagination! Below is a list of kinds of Safaris. Please take a look and let us know what from the list below you would like to have in your itinerary and we remember in most cases we can combine experiences if you want more than one of these experiences.
Transportation options:
Private land transfers combined with commercial flights – available in areas accessible by land.
Self Drive (only available with us in a few countries) combined with commercial flights – good for the brave Savvy travelers.
One engine small planes combined with commercial flights- best use of time when combining Safari areas
Accommodation Options:
Lodge Safari:
These lodges range from just a few rooms to up to 150 rooms. Most of the lodges have nice bathrooms, pretty beds, verandas, and pools. They offer morning and afternoon game drives, with time to relax in the hottest mid day hours. We would suggest 3 days at each lodge so you have time to see everything in the area, get to now the people there and have some time to adjust and relax also. The larger lodges may even have a spa and other activities there at the lodge. Some lodges may offer Air-conditioning and good internet BUT most may not. If AC or WIFI is a must for you, please let us know.
Find Sanctuary at the Sanctuary Retreats
Bush camp – Fixed
If you are imagining old Africa safari’s a bush camp may be a great experience. Many camps now have very nice tents built on Semi-permanent platforms complete with toilets, sinks, and showers in the tent. You will have comfortable beds and sleep well knowing you are tucked safely inside listening to all the sounds of the African night outside your room. There is very little roughing it in this kind of safari.
Mobile Safari Camp
Tented Safari’s that move from place to place. These can be in many levels. From a small tent with a mat on the ground up to a bigger, very luxurious one with a real bed and furniture similar to what you may find in the fixed camps. These mobile camps may have a toilet that is not flushing and a bucket shower so the roughing it factor will be more in this kind of Safari. The upside is having dinner cooked on an open fire with the animals calling in the background can be very exciting. If you have the budget and book well in advance we can even provide such experiences such as following the Serengeti Migration in a mobile camp.
Walking safari
Some people who think of eating and drinking everyday and only sitting on game drives would not be enough activity may want to consider a walking safari. Normally walking safari’s are for a second trip to Africa, but active people may want to consider this even for the first trip. You will not get as close to the animals as in a vehicle or be able to see as much variety of big game but you will see wonderful game as well as fauna, insects, birds, you may have missed in the land- cruiser. For this reason, if doing a walking safari we suggest you combine it with a regular safari.
This kind of safari, you will walk with a armed scout as well as your guide and it can be very adrenaline inducing exciting. Your safety will be on the forefront of the mind of your guide and tracker. You’ll learn how trackers find game using their senses. Some Safari lodges can offer day walks, but mostly this happens in a very few places that you will visit specifically for this kind of Safari. You may be in a mobile safari and do camping or walk from lodge to lodge.
Walking Safari with an Elephant Guide? I’m In!
Safari Combined with Wine Country, Ocean Safari’s or Cities.
If two weeks of game drives early every morning would become boring for you, you may want to visit a country which can be combined with more cultural activities or we can combine countries for these activities.
Safari and Wineries? An unbeatable combination!
Safari and Beach combination
Days on safari are quite filled between early morning game drives, lunches, tea, evening drives, and dinner. If you want to go home rested and refreshed, a few nights on the beach can be added from many country combinations.
After seeing the “Great Migration”, migrate to those silky shores!
Family Safari
Bringing the kids and grand parents is a great idea. A safari is a great time to get everyone off their electronics and out in nature under the stars, by the fire. Please let us know ages and any physical limitations so we can pick the best experience for your family. Prices can also go down a bit if you bring your own group!
Pack up the kids, and head to your trip of a lifetime!
Small Group Safari
If you want to save money and join a group departure, we have a few of those we can offer, just let us know.
Safari for persons with disabilities
Everyone should be able to have access to the wonderful Safari experience, so let us know what kinds of mobility issues you are facing and we can find the right option for you. We can combine mobile tented safari camps and lodges giving you the full safari experience. The safari camps are also accessible to children of any age, the elderly, and those with sensory and motor difficulties. The tents can be double, single or family (with 1 or 2 children). The tents have large windows with mosquito gauze. The tents are equipped for those with mobility problems, and are very spacious to allow and facilitate ease of movement with in the tent and comfort getting into bed or into the en-suite bathroom. These safari vehicles are equipped with a hydraulic lift to allow access to the vehicle for those who use wheelchairs or have mobility problems and an energy converter to charge items such as an electric wheelchair.
Visits to local tribal communities
Some countries and lodges have better options for this than others so if you want to spend some time with a local community, then do let us know so we can keep that in mind when helping you pick your destination. Also a great idea if you are interested in helping local cultures is we can write ahead and see if the community needs anything and you can bring it with you for your visit.
Written By Monica Irauzqui”
Tags: