How To Plan Your Safari

 How to Decide Where to Go on Safari

Choosing where to go on safari depends on what you want to experience most — wildlife, landscapes, comfort, or adventure. Africa offers everything from classic Big Five game drives to remote desert wilderness. Here’s how to make your decision step by step:

Define Your Safari Style

  • Classic safari: Kenya or Tanzania for the Great Migration and wide open savannahs.
  • Luxury lodges & easy logistics: South Africa or Namibia — excellent roads, malaria-free zones, and stylish lodges.
  • Off-the-beaten-path: Zambia, Zimbabwe or Congo for walking safaris, canoe trips, or forest gorilla tracking.
  • ⁠Combination trips: Combine beach and bush — e.g. Tanzania & Zanzibar, or South Africa & Mozambique.

Decide When You Want to Travel

Timing makes a big difference:
  • Dry season (June–October) → Best for wildlife viewing across most of Southern and East Africa.
  • Green season (November–March) → Lush landscapes, fewer crowds, and good prices — perfect for photography and birding.
  • Migration months (July–September) → Wildebeest migration in Kenya and Tanzania; must be booked well in advance.

Set Your Budget and Comfort Level

  • Luxury (from €1200–€3,000 per person per day): Exclusive lodges, private vehicles, gourmet meals.
  • Mid-range (€400–€800): Comfortable lodges and guided tours.
  • Adventurous (under €400): Tented camps or mobile safaris — closer to nature, fewer frills.

Consider How Far You Want to Travel

  • Southern Africa — including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe — is one of the most accessible safari regions. Major airlines connect directly or with a single stop from hubs such as London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Doha, and New York to Johannesburg, Cape Town, or Windhoek. This region offers excellent infrastructure, diverse scenery, and year-round travel options.
  • East Africa — home to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda — is typically reached with one connecting flight, though direct services to Nairobi are available from several global cities. Once there, short regional flights easily link you to iconic safari areas such as the Serengeti, Maasai Mara, Ngorongoro Crater, or Bwindi Forest for gorilla trekking.

Think About What You Want to See

  • Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino) South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya
  • Wildebeest migration Serengeti (Tanzania), Maasai Mara (Kenya)
  • Gorillas & primates Uganda, Rwanda, Congo
  • Desert & dunes Namibia
  • Water safaris Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Check Climate & Health Requirements

Review visa needs, malaria risk zones, and vaccinations.
  • Check the expiry date of your passport (it needs to be valid for 6 months after travelling)
  • Each passport needs to contain 2 blank pages