East Africa or South Africa Safari+ more, Help Us Decide

[Anonymous]

Wow..not sure I follow some of the above but have been on safari several times. Places we loved were Tintswalo near the Kruger in South Africa (and not in the Kruger which means less rules). Saw the big 5 and a highlight was literally chasing animals through the bush (fences??? Boundaries to villages maybe but I never saw them). Whomever said “not luxury” has clearly not been on Safari. We flew from Cape Town (started in Amsterdam for a few days, KLM has several direct flights to Cape Town). We had a driver and guide in Cape Town. We also did Tanzania and Zanzibar which were great but I’d recommend SA for your first time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

How is the South Africa safari experience? I saw some videos, and it looks like there are fences and stuff, so it seems like the Reston Zoo.

My South African experience was nothing like a zoo. We went to one of the Sabi Sands lodges so it was an expensive, exclusive experience, but a thousand percent worth it. I've been all over the world to all sorts of countries and it was far and away my favorite travel experience ever. The most mesmerizing thing I've ever experienced. It really could not be farther from a zoo experience. I never once saw a fence.

Are the videos you're seeing the type of trips where people drive their own rental cars through Kruger??

We saw the fence while tracking a cheetah at Singita but it’s because we were dead set on seeing the cheetah and cubs. The guide would have kept us away from the fence if the cheetah didn’t end up near it.

Sabi Sands was historically farm land until the 1920s when it became hunting grounds and then later evolved to the wildlife conservation model (a lot of people don’t know this) so you can still see some evidence of that and there’s some private estates scattered around too that go back to the “OG” families. Again the guides try to avoid all this but if you’re dead set on a rare sighting and tracking you might stumble on it.

What does it matter if you see the fence? It’s still there.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been on safaris in Kenya, Uganda, s Africa (but there only at Kruger) Zimbabwe and Botswana. And, while I loved all of them and saw tons of animals every time, my all time favorite was two years ago (Dec 2024) in Botswana. We flew from Joburg to Maun, where we were then flown in a small prop plane to a private camp called PomPom. In the 3 days there we saw as much wildlife and different species & situations than probably in all the other safaris combined! It was absolutely incredible and I recommend it to everybody I know who’s considering safaris. Small and very comfortable (but not over the top luxury, which I don’t want) with private safari jeeps that have your own driver (of course) and also spotter. They were beyond excellent at finding animals and 99% of the time there weren’t any other people or jeeps around. From PomPom we flew to Moremi, which was also wonderful, but because the rains were late the water levels were low so we couldn’t get in as many of the rivers as usual. It’s a ‘wet’ camp, meaning that the wildlife viewing happens from a boat vs a Jeep. At that time the price worked out to about $750pp/pn, but that included all the meals, the private guide & tracker every day (not tips of course, they were separate) and the flights between the camps and back to more major airports. The prices have probably risen but it’s absolutely worth it. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I’ve lived in both Kenya and South Africa and gone on safari many times at both. If you’re not trying to go super high end, I’d check out Umkumbe in Sabi Sands; it’s a lovely, very small lodge and we had very good luck seeing wildlife there. Self-driving in Kruger or other national parks is also great (and a very different vibe than the private reserves), although I’m guessing you don’t want to rent a car. Capetown and wine country are also great and have lots of activities that will appeal to teens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are looking into both options and would love advice from anyone who has done an East African safari, a South African safari, or both.

One big factor is the flight. South Africa has a direct flight, which is very appealing. The downside is that the direct option would be United business rather than Qatar or Emirates. If we choose a better business class carrier, it adds a stop and turns the travel time from about 15 hours into roughly 26 hours.

We are also a little concerned that a South Africa safari might feel like going to a zoo or one of those artificial drive through wildlife parks. For those who have been, did it feel genuinely wild, or more managed and park like compared with East Africa?

On the other hand, South Africa seems to offer a lot more outside the safari itself. Things like cage diving, a possible side trip to the falls, and generally nicer amenities are appealing. The lodges look much more comfortable compared with the more tent style camps in East Africa. We understand that is part of the classic safari experience, but we suspect our teens might find that less charming and more gross.

We are also thinking about how easy it is to break up the trip with other activities and whether internet access is generally better in South Africa so the teens could do their own things on certain days.

Any insight into how the safari experience compares, along with travel logistics and non safari activities, would be really helpful.

I’d book it after you know an invasion of Greenland has been ruled out. No way will any countries but maybe Russia, Hungary and El Salvador let us in if we invade Greenland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most safaris aren't luxury at all - fly to JNB, rent a car, drive to Kruger, and stay at a family campground for about $50 a night is the vast majority of safari experiences.

This is what we just did (though we live in Africa). Kruger park does not feel like a zoo in the slightest. We did a sunrise drive and a night drive. It's a very cool and exciting experience (and no where near the cost of all the private experiences - I actually checked the price twice. It costs more to pay the fees to get into the park! We were recommended to do the Aquina Private reserve on a recent trip to Cape Town because it was only 2 hours away and yeah that is a less hard core experience - but it was nice with kids and we saw all the big 5. I have done safaris in Kruger and Etosha Park in Namibia and they were both awesome experiences -light years away from a zoo experience. I didn't find either to feel super crowded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking into both options and would love advice from anyone who has done an East African safari, a South African safari, or both.

One big factor is the flight. South Africa has a direct flight, which is very appealing. The downside is that the direct option would be United business rather than Qatar or Emirates. If we choose a better business class carrier, it adds a stop and turns the travel time from about 15 hours into roughly 26 hours.

We are also a little concerned that a South Africa safari might feel like going to a zoo or one of those artificial drive through wildlife parks. For those who have been, did it feel genuinely wild, or more managed and park like compared with East Africa?

On the other hand, South Africa seems to offer a lot more outside the safari itself. Things like cage diving, a possible side trip to the falls, and generally nicer amenities are appealing. The lodges look much more comfortable compared with the more tent style camps in East Africa. We understand that is part of the classic safari experience, but we suspect our teens might find that less charming and more gross.

We are also thinking about how easy it is to break up the trip with other activities and whether internet access is generally better in South Africa so the teens could do their own things on certain days.

Any insight into how the safari experience compares, along with travel logistics and non safari activities, would be really helpful.

I’d book it after you know an invasion of Greenland has been ruled out. No way will any countries but maybe Russia, Hungary and El Salvador let us in if we invade Greenland.

TDS as its finest.