Has anyone gone on a safari? Just starting to think about it. Share your experiences and give me all or your advice. We’re starting from scratch. My biggest concerns are the travel to get to Africa (I’d probably be much further ahead in planning if I wasn’t so reluctant to spend that amount of time flying) and food (gluten free and allergic to dairy , can’t even do cross-contamination so it’s not like I can eat around things or pick them off).
Where in Africa?
I know for my country it’s hell to fly to. The destination can make things vary.
You’d also have to dress differently depending on the local culture to respect it.
I know there’s a huge soy milk prescence in at least my country so milk wouldn’t be as awful
While there are safaris in Africa a lot of Africa is like the US and a lot of middle class Africans live better than some americans, so I also wouldn’t go in thinking it’ll be 90% safari. I’m not suggesting that you think so but just as a heads up
Note: look into ethical safaris
I went on a safari to Tanzania about 20 years ago and used Thompson safaris. It’s the only group trip I’ve ever taken. It was an outstanding experience-one of my all time favorite trips. We spent a few days in Amsterdam at the front end as that was the departure point (people flew into Amsterdam from various cities in the US) - a great decision as it cut down in the time spent on the plane plus we were over jet lag. We organized that part purse and met up with the red of the group at the airport.
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It was a long time ago, but we went to Kenya with our young children and used a UK travel agency to help plan the trip. We were flying from the west coast and wanted to reduce the jet lag on arrival so we stayed two days in nyc, a couple in Amsterdam, then on to Kenya. We didn’t want to have the kids sleep through an expensive vacation.
We visited the Laikipia Plateau and stayed in a luxury tent camp on the Ol Pejeeta Preserve. We did day and night safaris and got to track a lion with a radio collar. We also went on a walking safari, and visited the chimp and rhino sanctuaries on the Plateau.
Then on to Acacia House just outside Masaai Mara NP. Really incredible. It can be booked through many travel agencies, but here’s a link with a description. https://www.scottdunn.com/us/kenya/hotels/acacia-house
Finally, we spent a couple of days at the beach near Malindi. Our girls loved the warm water, and enjoyed visiting the Bio-Ken snake farm which produces anti-venin from their snakes. We saw many of the country’s most venomous snakes safely behind glass. My husband stayed behind on this excursion.
I can’t speak to the food issue except to say that the staff members everywhere we went were extremely accommodating and gracious, so I feel they could meet your needs.
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We went to Kenya with our kids a number of years ago and had a fabulous experience with Micato Tours. We flew British Airlines with a stop in London (went economy plus or something like that) and it was long but worked out fine. One family on our trip did spend a few days in London before going on to Kenya.
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Do you ride horses? I ask because Equitours offers several horseback safaris in Africa: Horseback riding safaris in Africa since 1979 by Equitours
We did a 8 day safari a few years ago in Kenya and it was AMAZING!. It included a mix of traditional jeep safari and boat, bike, and air balloon safari. We are going on safari again next year in Uganda and Rwanda. The flight was not nearly as long as some other trips we’ve taken. If you get the chance, do it! I’ve never met anyone that regretted going on safari. Quite the opposite. It’s addictive. The food may be tricky. My vegetarian DD had no issue, but we contacted the companies we used ahead of time.
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Look into South Africa.
For one, there are a handful of nonstop flights from the US to Johannesburg and I think some to Cape Town too. While it’s a long flight no matter what, other African destinations require a stop in Europe or Middle East.
Also SA has a more year-round safari calendar, the seasons there don’t matter quite as much as East Africa.
There is very good infrastructure in SA and many safari companies at all price points- I think you would have no problem finding a safari outfit that would be fastidious with your dietary requirements.
I traveled there a few years ago with teens and grandparents, it was a great multi-gen trip. We stayed at two andBeyond lodges (www.andbeyond.com) in Kruger National Park, and a few days in Cape Town which was an amazing city to explore.
I also have done a safari in Kenya in the Maasai Mara, it was much more rustic but that was 20 years ago so probably that’s changed now. It was called Little Governor’s Camp. The landscape there is absolutely stunning.
Those two trips are the favorite I’ve ever taken. I would also love to visit Rwanda or Uganda to see gorillas. You really can’t go wrong with any safari IMO.
These guys are amazing.
Went to SA, Zimbabwe and Botswana last fall. Amazing trip, but not something I will do again in the next few years because the travel is hard. There are not that many cities you can fly there non-stop from the US. We went business class through London and it was still brutal because of lengthy layovers. Maybe you can find better flights.
Cape Town was beautiful. Took a gondola to the top of Table Mountain, drove the coast to Cape of Good Hope and did some other touristy things. Stayed at a beautiful resort hotel, although it did have a “White Lotus” vibe.
Next stop Zimbabwe where we stayed at a grand old hotel by Victoria Falls. You could see the mist from the Falls from the hotel. Falls were spectacular even though it was the end of the dry season. Took a boat safari trip on the Zambezi River. Saw a bunch of hippos, water buffalo and crocs.
We then crossed the border to Botswana and stayed at a hotel where the Clintons (when he was President) had stayed. We did both boat safaris and land safaris in Chobe National Park. Elephants, hippo’s, water buffalo, giraffes, crocs, all sorts of antelopes/impalas and birds.
Last safari stop was in the Okavango Delta in Botswana where we flew into a camp on a bush plane. The landing strip was packed earth with a wind sock and some guys in a safari truck at the ready to chase away elephants and water buffalo from the landing strip. BTW, only 1 pilot so was glad that he looked young and fit. Stayed in a nice tent with running water but no AC in 90 degree plus heat. There was a stream 100 ft from our tent where there were hippo’s and water buffalo. We saw a lioness with a week or 2 week cubs in a bush, a leopard that used our truck for shade, as well as the “usual” wildlife. There was also a canoe safari where we could view the crocs and hippos at eye level, although the guides kept a good distance away.
Then back to Cape Town for the flight back.
Ate some interesting game meat, but was more of a novelty than a culinary treat. Fresh seafood in Cape Town was good. Other food was fine, but you are not going on safari for fine dining.
Heard some horror stories of tourists getting scammed by fly by night tour agencies. If you are going to spend the time and money on this, definitely go with an established agency. We were lucky that one person in our group who arranged the trip grew up in Zimbabwe.
Make sure you get appropriate clothing. You’ll want light but tough pants and shirts/pullovers as well as good hats. The sun is not your friend. Good hiking shoes also a must.
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We are doing a Kenya and Tanzania with Micato this summer!
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Enjoy!!
We had originally picked the Kenya & Tanzania safari – but at some point Micato let us know that trip we chose was all couples while the Kenya trip the same time was families so we switched (which worked out great). Guessing both trips would be equally fabulous but it was nice to be with such a compatible group.
Would love to hear how your trip goes since we went with Micato a while ago (I expect it will be amazing).
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I actually did during my younger years eons ago. I went to Krueger National Park in South Africa. Yes, there are prides of lions, Zebras, Rhinos, hyenas, and I got some pictures of a dung beetle. I was in a bus, which did a great job of keeping the lions from eating us. If you visit that region, and you love the outdoors, you should visit Swaziland. It’s absolutely gorgeous!
I confess that we didn’t want a families trip. Found out there is one kid (8 yo) on our trip
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I’d feel that way today LOL. But we went with our kids when they were in middle/high school and we were glad to not be the only family in our small group. (Seems like a big trip for an 8 year old though.)
It’s considered the longest flight you can take without going around the other side of the equator. Bring books. There will be layovers. The best part of the flight back was London to LA. I was flying across 8 time zones in reverse, so it was like one big day, so I stayed awake the whole time. No jet lag.
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You mean eSwatini?
We took our 8 and 10 year old daughters with us. They were the best travelers! We went from Boise-NYC-Amsterdam-Nairobi by air, drove to Lake Nakuru, drove to Laikipia, flew to Masaai Mara, flew to the coast, can’t remember how we got back to Nairobi.
They had a blast and I can’t remember any meltdowns except for when it rained one night and big flying termites started flying around in our dining tent, and when one chimp targeted my oldest for some reason and started hurling fruit at her through the fence. We had to run to a vehicle to keep her from being hit. The chimps are known to be ill behaved in their sanctuary on the Laikipia Plateau (they aren’t even native to Kenya), but my girls were very into nature back then and they chose to go. Luckily they got over their traumas and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. One of their favorite things in the Maasai Mara was that there was a staff member who always greeted us when we returned to the house after a drive and offered them cold sodas right when they walked in the door. They were in heaven.
My youngest got to be the one who held the radio antenna when we were lion tracking and she loved that. She also provided me with the funniest part of the trip. When we went to the beach, there were these little sand crabs that came out at dusk and skittered around sideways. We knew it was time to head in when they came out. One evening my girls and I were showering and my youngest said “Mom, I think there’s a crab in my private feminine parts!” (Our funny term for their…private feminine parts). I yelled “What!” Haha, just kidding mom! 
I was the one who had a meltdown when we finally landed back in the US. I had had enough flying for a lifetime and told my husband I was taking the train back to Boise even if it took three days! I ended up taking the girls with me and we just had a little extension to our adventure traveling in the sleeper car.
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I’ve been on five safaris in South Africa. Simbambili was my favorite lodge: https://www.thornybush.com/lodge/simbambili-game-lodge/ You are treated like royalty and will have an excellent guide and tracker. It’s in the Sabi Sands Reserve, which has the highest concentration of leopards in the world.
Kruger National Park is also amazing. It’s kind of apples and oranges to the private reserves. You will see bigger herds of animals but you can’t go off road to get as close up.
My main advice is wherever you go, get a guide. People think they see a lot self-driving, but I can guarantee you that you’ll see more with a guide. They know the animals (the lion coalitions have names!) and can track them like you wouldn’t believe.
My other advice is to go on every safari drive offered. A lot of them leave very early in the morning. Some days you’ll be tempted to sleep in, but don’t!
I would move to South Africa for a couple of years if I could afford it. And yes, Cape Town is a special, beautiful place.
I’ve taken thousands of photos but here are four I just grabbed quickly:
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Yes…it’s been a very long time