For our 1 year anniversary, we booked a safari trip to Kenya. That was one holiday we will remember for the rest of our lives! We did a bit of research before we went and we thought we will share some of the tips we found helpful with you.
Booking the trip
If you are already considering booking a safari trip, you are heading the right direction! The next problem is how?
You can either research and book the tours yourself or you book it through travel agencies. We took the latter approach because it was more convenient for us. We didn’t know much about safari holidays at the time and we weren’t sure of the options that were available. There are so many places in the world for a safari holiday, each with their own perks. Cost was a big factor for us and we were working with a tight budget.
We booked our tour with holidaysplease.com. They are a UK based company and they also helped us organise our honeymoon to Hawaii. We were able to keep to our budget and tailor our trip to our preferences. We would recommend you booking with travel agencies and make use of their expertise, connections, special discounts and hotels and the opportunities for free upgrades!
How long?
We split our trip into half beach and half safari. We wanted to sandwich our safari adventure in between relaxations on the beach.
Here’s how we divided our time:
- 3 nights beach resort
- 3 nights safari (a different park everyday)
- 2 nights beach resort
What to bring?
Once you have booked your trip, you may want to start thinking about what to bring with you.
Clothes:
- Avoid dark colours! They attract tsetse flies and you can get nasty bites.
- Avoid brilliant whites. White reflects light which will make you too bright for the animals and also, you will be covered in dust and dirt! Stick with a cream colour.
- Go for neutral colours like khaki, light green and light brown. But DO not wear camouflage patterned clothes because it is illegal for civilians in most African countries.
- Layers- Early morning game drives can get very cold but afternoon game drives can get very warm. Layering is the solution!
- Scarf- you will probably spend most of the day with your head sticking out of the car roof. A scarf can keep you warm, keep dust out of your face and protect you from the wind.
- Shoes- there is not a lot of walking involved because you spend most of your time in a van, trying to avoid being eaten by animals. But do wear comfortable shoes in case you get a chance to step outside.
Water:
- Don’t worry too much about bringing water, most tour providers will have bottled watered stored in the van.
Binoculars:
- This is a must. Do not think that all the animals are going to walk right up to your van. Most of the time, animals are going to be far far away and a good pair of binoculars will allow you to see a lot more.
Camera:
- This is an obvious one… A safari trip is likely to be a once in a life time experience and a better camera could mean better images.
- Zoom lenses are great!
Food:
- Food is usually all inclusive when you stay in safari lodges.
- You can bring some snacks out with you for the game drives but we were often too full from all-you-can-eat breakfasts or lunches to eat anything else.
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