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The first thing most people think of when they hear ‘safari’ is travelling through an open plain or savannah on the lookout for majestic, wild animals in their natural habitats. However, that is just one of the things that make a great safari! Here at Safari Club, we want to share our love of all things safari, and help people to realise just how amazing an experience it can truly be.

Animal magic

The main attraction of going on safari is, obviously, the animals! Being able to see amazing animals like lion, leopard, elephant, giraffe, zebra and more in their natural habitat is a truly memorable experience. Visiting a zoo and seeing these beautiful creatures in cages cannot compare to seeing them in the wild, where they can behave naturally, without constraints. There is no guarantee to whether you might see the animals either, which can be seen as a downside, but in reality, it gives you a drive to try and see them with your own eyes, getting you out into the reserve every day.

Almost 1.5 million animals, including 250,000 zebras, start their migration journey from Tanzania to Kenya every year. This vast exodus of animals is truly jaw-dropping to behold, and you can even go up in a hot air balloon to see it!

Excitement and surprise

The wild animals in safari reserves are just that; wild! You might see them or you might not, but guides will often let each other know where a certain animal is, allowing you to locate them. This unpredictability makes it exhilarating, especially if your tracking results in a sighting. It also makes a safari the perfect thing to do again and again, as you never know what you are going to see.

Experience African culture

African culture is incredibly rich and diverse, and can vary by region. A lot of people buy acyclovir online cheap around the world hold the opinion that the culture is static and similar, but it isn’t! There is a wide host of different beliefs, gods and ancient traditions held by different tribes, and it’s amazing to experience just some of what African culture has to offer.

Breath-taking landscapes

Africa is a truly beautiful continent. From sprawling, natural plains, to mountains, Africa has it all. Boasting some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes, it’s hard not to gasp at the sight of the sun setting behind plains stretching as far as the eye can see. A lot of the land has been untouched by modern civilisation, allowing an interrupted connection with nature and the world around us.

Ecological advantages and disadvantages

Travelling to Africa itself has an impact on the environment. For most people in the world, it’s a long journey by plane to get to the continent, to begin with. Add in the huge distances between different places in Africa and there’s a lot of travelling involved. There are also consequences to travelling around the nature reserves themselves. Vehicle exhaust fumes and trampled vegetation are often left in the wake of safari trips, causing damage to the reserves themselves.

However, visiting Africa for a safari trip can give you a much more enlightened view of the continent. There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding it, and people don’t realise how diverse the continent and inhabitants living there are. Another advantage is that by paying to go on a safari trip, you are helping fund the nature reserves themselves and supporting the local people, and allowing them to continue maintaining and protecting the wildlife and environment of Africa.

At Safari Club, we offer trips to many different destinations, such as Botswana, Tanzania, Namibia and many more. More information can be found on our website.

There are various things that you could be eager to take with you on a safari. However, in the event, you might have to leave many of them at home, while packing other items that you hadn’t previously considered. You need to think very carefully about what to pack, not least because of weight restrictions that aircraft place on luggage, plus other implications that would not apply when preparing for a typical overseas stay. Below are some items that you should prioritise packing.

The right clothes… but not too many of them

In Africa, laundry service is available at many lodges and luxury mobile fly camps, which can helpfully relieve you of the need to pack lots of clothes. Nonetheless, you should meticulously select which clothes you do bring. By way of example, Susan Hack, a writer for Condé Nast Traveller, has revealed that, for a ten-day safari, she will take “two pairs of convertible hiking pants, three short sleeve T-shirts, two long-sleeved shirts, a fleece, bicycle arm warmers (for chilly mornings), three pairs of socks, four pairs of underwear, and a cashmere sweater and pair of black yoga pants for evening.”

However, there remain other factors to consider. Hack adds that, for the wet season, she also brings a waterproof windbreaker and rain pants, each of which can be folded into a small pouch. Furthermore, as you will be spending so much time on foot, make sure you have footwear that is comfortable for walking many miles in. Meanwhile, for coping with the potentially buy acyclovir cheap harsh African sun, bring polarising sunglasses and a hat that covers your face, ears and neck. For riding in a speedy Jeep over bumpy roads, choose a hat with a cord, while women should consider packing a sports bra.

What you might need for looking after your health

For keeping your health in good check during your safari stay, it could prove invaluable to bring a small first-aid kit including bandages, hand sanitiser and both over-the-counter and prescription medications. You could also take ibuprofen, Imodium and Dramamine. Sunscreen could obviously be useful for dealing with the African sun we mention above; however, you should opt for clear gel sunscreen that includes insect repellent. Now, having provided all of this advice, we caution you not to take any medication before talking about it with your healthcare provider.

Suitable binoculars for enjoying a closer look

Amazing animals and scenery are in abundance on safaris booked through our website. Taking a trip to Kenya, for example, gives you ready access to the Maasai Mara, where you can enjoy Africa’s most prolific game viewing. And that’s before we even mention Kenya’s other safari attractions, such as the great game viewing at lesser known parks, plus lovely scenery including the continent’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro. Therefore, for better seeing it all, you should pack some good binoculars offering at least 8 x 30 magnification – don’t even think about “opera” binoculars. They simply won’t be good enough, so save yourself the frustration of using them.

South Africa has long been regarded as one of the world’s most fascinating countries – certainly in terms of its unique history and modern cultural variety. Here at Safari Club, we also know that it’s a great place to go on safari – but all of this is only scraping the surface of the full range of attractions that the Rainbow Nation, to use its common nickname, offers. So, what else does the country offer? Below, we take the close look that it deserves.

Cultural variety in spades

It’s wonderfully apt that South Africa is commonly dubbed the Rainbow Nation when you take account of how cosmopolitan its population is. While 79.5% of these residents are Africans, whites comprise a further 9%. The next most common, making up just under 9%, are coloureds, who are descended from white settlers, slaves and Africans. The remaining 2.5% – mainly living in KwaZulu-Natal – are descendants of Indians who arrived in the country as indentured labourers at the start of the twentieth century.

However, you probably still won’t get a genuine grasp of South Africa’s cultural mix until you spend a good amount of time exploring the country. Along the way, you could easily come across an abundance of different languages, each representing a distinct culture originating in a specific area of a country which, we should point out, is geographically as large as France and Spain combined. And then there are the different styles of craftwork, architecture and dress you could encounter on travels that are unlikely to get dull!

A truly interesting history

Many of us might think that we already know about the recent history of South Africa, which saw the country transition from the racial segregation of the apartheid era to democracy in the 1990s. However, we could think again after visiting Johannesburg’s Apartheid Museum, which was put together by a team including architects, film-makers and historians, and tells the story in much greater detail. Here, scenes from South Africa before 1994 are displayed on large blown-up photographs, monitors and metal cages.

Lots of exciting animals to spot

We have tailored our South Africa safari packages to ensure that our customers can enjoy a broad range of the amazing animals which populate this part of the continent. So, there are opportunities for spotting leopard and rhino, watching whales from land, diving with Great White Sharks and a lot more besides. And that’s before we mention the beautiful rural scenery, including mountains and beaches, that can serve as a pleasant backdrop.

Excellent infrastructure for easy touring

You don’t need to fret about how to get around in South Africa. The country’s infrastructure is actually very good, comparing favourably to that of the UK. You can expect especially good air links, bus networks and roads – which means that, if you want a hugely diverse stay without having to spend lots of your time simply trekking between destinations, South Africa is your oyster! Our website includes much more information about what you can enjoy on a holiday in the Rainbow Nation.

If you’re eager to see a range of African animals amongst a wilderness that has not been damaged by human intervention, a safari trip to Botswana is definitely for you.  Hippos, elephants and crocodiles are all in abundance in this country, while there’s also a chance of spotting all of the big cats. You could also find that your money goes surprisingly far during a lengthy stay in Botswana. Below, we go into further detail about various attractions of this southern African country and what you can do and see there.

Chobe Game Reserve

Safari experiences don’t get much more organic than those you can enjoy at Chobe Game Reserve. This National Park has little permanent development, which means that you can enjoy the area much like locals of several centuries ago would have done. The rich riverine forest of the Chobe River front is the setting for one of southern Africa’s best short safaris. Chobe Game Reserve is also home to Africa’s highest concentration of elephants.

Tsodilo Hills

There’s obviously a long history of artistic activity in Botswana; for evidence of that, you just have to head to Tsodilo hills, which provide something of an outdoor art gallery. There are over 4,000 ancient San Bushmen rock paintings to admire here – and some of this area’s rock art is known to be over 20,000 years old. It’s a strong sign of the area’s appeal to modern tourists that it is, today, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mokolodi Game Reserve

This reserve is great for a day trip, order acyclovir online being only a short drive away from Gaborone, the country’s capital. Mokolodi Game Reserve is dedicated to educating about conservation – and, as a result, is often visited by excited children on school field trips. You could find yourself just as excited as them when you see the white rhinos here; thanks largely to a successful breeding program, the white rhino has been kept from extinction in this country.

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Tours – Gabarone

Gaborone, Botswana’s capital, has become better known since it was chosen as a major setting in Alexander McCall-Smith’s popular books in the detective series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. It’s now possible to join a tour where you can see not only Precious Ramotswe’s home town, but also locations used for shooting the HBO TV series adapted from the books. You can choose either a half-day or two-day tour; both take in Gabarone and its surroundings, but the longer tour also includes Mokolodi and Machudi further afield.

Khama Rhino Sanctuary

Originally set up in 1992, the Khama Rhino Sanctuary is, unsurprisingly, a good place to see rhinos. However, you can embark on game drives and walks to see many other animals, while the pleasant scenery includes a major, grass-covered depression dotted with natural water holes. The sanctuary is particularly commonly visited by school children from nearby settlements and Francistown, which is considered Botswana’s second city. You can enjoy all of this with one of our Botswana safari packages!

At Safari Club, we regularly send consultants to Africa to seek even further beautiful rural areas for our customers to check out. It’s a seemingly never-ending job, as Africa is probably the best continent in which to uncover ever-greater numbers of visually awe-inspiring animals. Whether you go north, south, east or west, there is natural beauty in abundance. However, we know that you have limited time and money to spend exploring Africa, so we’ve decided to single out 5 of the continent’s most visually pleasing national parks.

Amboseli National Park, Kenya

Though Africa’s highest mountain, Mt Kilimanjaro, is technically just within Tanzania, you can enjoy the most awesome views of its peak from Amboseli National Park, which is in Kenya. Once you’ve took plenty of pictures of that glorious mountain, you might as well stay in the park to check out the flat topped acacia trees and big herds of elephants, for which Amboseli is especially renowned. Click through to learn more about what you can see when you use our safari package for Amboseli National Park.

Kruger National Park, South Africa

South Africa certainly has no shortage of exciting national parks, and among the best of those is Kruger National Park. It’s got a broader range of wildlife than any other of the country’s national parks; you can check out, to reel off just a few examples, crocodiles, cheetahs, hippos, giraffes and gorillas. You can also see the so-called Big Five!

Chobe Game Reserve, Botswana

If one of your biggest reasons to consider a safari is the opportunity of seeing a herd of elephants, you should buy acyclovir online australia make an especially large priority of booking a trip to this national park. It’s located in Botswana’s Okavango Delta and home to over 120,000 elephants. Unsurprisingly given this number, it’d be pretty difficult for you to avoid seeing an elephant here! Overall, the park has four distinct ecosystems, Savuti Marsh being the most popular.

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

If you like cats, a great place to see big cats, including Cheetah, is Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. They are certainly bigger than the cute little bundles of fluff you probably have back home – and, when you turn to our company to book a trip to this park, you can also benefit from world class accommodation that, depending on your preferences, can be suited to a romantic getaway or family holiday. The name “Serengeti” actually translates into “endless plains”, and you should soon see why when you go on safari here.

South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

Returning to the earlier mentioned subject of big cats, it’s easy for you to catch sight of large lion prides at Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park. These prides can have up to 30 lions, but they are far from the only mane – ha! – attraction. There’s also, for example, lots of hippos, who are among the over 40 animal species that call this wonderful place home. There are also as many as 400 wild bird species. Now, we’ll leave you to have fun sightseeing!

There’s a pretty staggering variety of animals that can be seen on an African safari – but, of course, you are unlikely to have the time and resources to see all of them. Below are what About.com Africa Travel Expert Anouk Zijlma considers the top ten of these animals.

Lion

As, unlike other cats, lions live in prides, you should find them easier to spot than, for example, leopards or cheetahs. Parks where you are especially likely to see them include Kruger and Serengeti, both of which you can enjoy when you book through us.

Elephant

Time to address an elephant in the room: yes, you can see elephants in Africa. Furthermore, the African elephant is the world’s largest land mammal – so, provided you visit the right places, you can easily see an elephant even out of the room.

Giraffe

Hardly surprisingly considering its neck, the giraffe is the planet’s tallest mammal. This wouldn’t make giraffes good at playing hide and seek, as they can be readily visible even among thick bush and tall grass. They remain, however, very quiet creatures.

Leopard

People who own domestic cats will know that they often like to look down on their owners. Leopards are similar in that they like to use trees as platforms from which to observe their surroundings – so, when seeking sight of the leopard, don’t forget to look up!

Rhino

Africa is home to two species of rhino: the Black rhino and the White rhino. There’s a high concentration of White rhinos in Southern buy generic acyclovir online Africa; on the other hand, Black rhinos are rare, though you can more easily see them when you head to Etosha National Park in Namibia.

Cheetah

Rare but beautiful, Cheetahs are worth looking out for. You can better your chances of seeing these cats by visiting Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, which you can book a safari trip to through our website. We don’t want you to feel – ahem – cheated.

Mountain Gorilla

You should feel a big sense of achievement if you see a Mountain Gorilla! This species is, these days, very rare. It also resides in a relatively tiny part of East Africa – but, during a traditional safari in that part of the continent, seeing them only requires an easy side trip.

Hippopotamus

If you want to see a hippo, keep an eye on lakes and rivers when on safari in sub-Saharan Africa. There are various fascinating facts about hippos, including that an adult male hippo is capable of running at up to 20mph – despite weighing up to 3.5 tonnes!

Nile Crocodile

Almost every major African river can visibly be a spot for a Nile Crocodile. Don’t be surprised to see many of these creatures with wide open mouths as they lie on river banks. An adult male Nile Crocodile can reach up to 18 feet in length.

Zebra

National parks and reserves in East and Southern Africa are highly suitable places to spot zebra. Did you know that each zebra’s stripe pattern is as unique as a human fingerprint?

If you’re planning to get wed, there are many boxes that you will be eager to tick with your honeymoon. You’ll want something that affords both privacy – for those quiet, romantic moments – and more social occasions for letting your hair down. You can enjoy all of this with (an African safari and beach honeymoon) adventure that, at Safari Club, we can prearrange design for you. Below are some examples, view our full range of exotic locations that we can help you to enjoy with your partner here.

Maasai Mara, Kenya

On our flying safari “A Week on the Wild side”, the two of you can see an amazing variety of wildlife at the Maasai Mara game reserve in Kenya. It is particularly advised that you book your stay between late July and October, when the migration crosses the Mara River into Kenya. Elephants, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, crocodiles, and big cats are among the animals that you can expect to see. You can also choose between classic or premium accommodation and extend this with a week on a stunning tropical beach.

Mauritius

The island country of Mauritius, located about 1,200 miles off the African continent’s southeast coast, is – there’s no mistake here – a tropical paradise. As part of our “Safari and Ocean” package, you can fly from the South African city of Johannesburg to the island, where you can enjoy palm-fringed beaches, a warm blue sea, and a first class hotel. Perhaps not surprisingly, water sports are among the activities that you can enjoy during your stay.

Seychelles

A good alternative island location for your romantic getaway is the Seychelles. This archipelago country, located just under 1,000 miles east of mainland East Africa, can be visited when you opt for our “Two Shades of Paradise” package. So, what can you expect to see on the archipelago? To cite buy acyclovir online just a few of the attractions: white sandy beaches, stunning coastal, inland and underwater scenery, and pristine coral reefs. Also covered for in the package is an overnight stay at the well-known “Giraffe Manor” in Nairobi.

Tanzania

Tanzania is a great choice for a honeymoon our Safari and beach Luxury Flying Safari is a wonderful safari and beach holiday visiting Selous game reserve, the largest area of protected wilderness in Africa and the little known but very exotic Pemba Island, the perfect place to relax and maybe enjoy some superb snorkelling and scuba diving.

South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

Are the two of you cat lovers? You can certainly see a lot of cats in this park, though be warned that they are a lot bigger than the cute little bundles of fluff you probably have running and playing in your house! Take advantage of our “Land of the Big Cats” honeymoon offer, and you can enjoy seeing lions, leopards, and other locally residing members of the cat family. Mind, don’t expect to hear any of those lions purring…

The skies of Namibia… yes, really

Does the prospect of spending your honeymoon in Namibia pique your interest? It’s a great idea, not least because there are so many awe-inspiring sights to enjoy there. In fact, you could find that there are too many – how can you get round to enjoying many of them in just one honeymoon? By embarking on our “Namibia Flying Adventure”! Using air transport including a hot air balloon, you can take in numerous contrasting areas, among them deserts, dunes, Atlantic Ocean, plains and wildlife habitats, of this large country. You could see big cats here, too in this incredible, awe inspiring landscape.