On many different trips to Tanzania safari from south africa (one of my favorite countries), I've had the pleasure of going on safaris in different corners (from Kruger to the Garden Route) and take my hat off to properties like Royal Malewane, Thornybush, Tintswalo and Sabi Sabi , my favorites ( click here to see my recommendations for lodges at different prices and in different areas of South Africa). Simply impeccable lodges, impeccable from the rooms to the cuisine, and responsible for some of the best travel experiences I have ever had in my life. Watching baby elephants playing in water spillways right in front of my breakfast table, having the safari car surrounded by an entire family of lions, watching buffalo resting under a marula tree, hippos crawling in the pond, hyenas chasing a poor pumba, lions mating, two male rhinos fighting, a leopard mother taking care of her young, lions killing a buffalo right in front of me… and all of this living with very interesting characters (trekkers are always my favorites on any trip!),
Because I do so many Tanzania safari from south africa and always talk about them so much, my personal blog MariCampos.com has also become an important reference for those who fall on Google about to do their first safari, with several reviews of lodges, tips for choosing yours and several posts explaining important things for the safari experience itself, like the difference between game reserve and game farm ( you can read everything by clicking here ). And lately, with so many flight deals to South Africa (including business class flights for less than a thousand dollars!), Many readers here at Sala Vip have asked me to bring here my tips for those who want to choose one of the best safaris from South Africa for your next trip.
I always say: the words “safari” and “cheap” never went together - safari lodges really represent a considerable investment in any trip. And the truth is that luxury lodges are really worth every penny of the investment - for the incredible accommodations, the lovely staff, the impeccable service and, as they always choose isolated and abundant wildlife reserves to settle in, for the unparalleled experiences in the sighting of wild life.
Tanzania safari from south africa is no wonder the champion country in terms of large safari lodges. There are even more luxurious and incredible examples in destinations like Tanzania and Botswana, for example, but South Africa was the first destination to invest heavily in this vein - and its lodges inspired so many others, in so many other parts of the world. Not least because, let's face it, in the same trip we have not only the unique experience of safari, but also great urban experiences, beach, wine tourism and so many others.
When choosing the lodge itself, I think it is important to keep in mind also other factors that are, yes, important for the overall safari experience:
Because I do so many Tanzania safari from south africa and always talk about them so much, my personal blog MariCampos.com has also become an important reference for those who fall on Google about to do their first safari, with several reviews of lodges, tips for choosing yours and several posts explaining important things for the safari experience itself, like the difference between game reserve and game farm ( you can read everything by clicking here ). And lately, with so many flight deals to South Africa (including business class flights for less than a thousand dollars!), Many readers here at Sala Vip have asked me to bring here my tips for those who want to choose one of the best safaris from South Africa for your next trip.
I always say: the words “safari” and “cheap” never went together - safari lodges really represent a considerable investment in any trip. And the truth is that luxury lodges are really worth every penny of the investment - for the incredible accommodations, the lovely staff, the impeccable service and, as they always choose isolated and abundant wildlife reserves to settle in, for the unparalleled experiences in the sighting of wild life.
Tanzania safari from south africa is no wonder the champion country in terms of large safari lodges. There are even more luxurious and incredible examples in destinations like Tanzania and Botswana, for example, but South Africa was the first destination to invest heavily in this vein - and its lodges inspired so many others, in so many other parts of the world. Not least because, let's face it, in the same trip we have not only the unique experience of safari, but also great urban experiences, beach, wine tourism and so many others.
When choosing the lodge itself, I think it is important to keep in mind also other factors that are, yes, important for the overall safari experience:
- wild life . Who goes on safari is indisputable, wants to see a good number and a beautiful diversity of animals during the experience. In my opinion, the type of contact we have with wildlife is more important than seeing the Big 5 - even because, taste is taste, and many people dream more of seeing giraffes than buffalo. Lodges installed in reserves or large national parks even offer a much greater chance of seeing real wildlife, and with more abundance of species and encounters, than lodges in game farms.
- staff . The staff of a lodge is its most important item. Of course, the quality of the bed, the shower and the food matter. But the quality of rangers, trekkers and staff in general and the connection they are able to establish with guests is what, in essence, makes our experience there incredible or not. In addition, having a good ranger on your safari trips is essential, both in terms of knowledge (what he will teach you, show you) and in terms of trust / security (how safe and confident you will be led by him in the savannahs) . In my opinion, having a trekker on safari is also essential. They know the savannah like the back of their hands and are able to identify tracks and animals at an impressive distance, much more than the best of rangers.
- isolation . The more remote and wild the areas chosen for Tanzania safari from south africa, the more memorable the experiences are, both for the landscapes themselves and for the variety of fauna and flora (again: the game reserves are far superior than the game farms). Rooms isolated from each other also make a difference: they not only guarantee the privacy of guests but also give us the feeling of being alone in the middle of that wild nature.
- flexibility . It is very important that the ranger has flexibility when guiding safaris to always provide the best possible experience for guests. Which means, for example, being able to travel long distances to find a leopard, even if guests arrive late for breakfast. The best safaris have a correct time for departure but only have an estimated time for return.
- quality . Since we have to invest a lot of money in this experience, in a neat room, with top-notch cuisine and trained and qualified staff to make the best safaris possible.
- exclusivity . I'm not even talking about pampering, private pool, butler, or anything like that. But it is a fact that the number of people in your lodge and in your safari car can, yes, interfere in your experience. Being able to enjoy a whole safari in a car with a maximum of eight people is very different from taking a safari in 20 people. The contact with nature is felt more intensely and the interaction with other guests is better. Not to mention that, in the savannas, silence can also be a gold coin when it comes to meeting and observing wild animals.