A typical day on safari in Africa

A typical day on safari in Africa – What an average day is like on safari in Africa?

A typical day on safari in Africa – If you have never been on an African safari before and it is your first time to visit, you should be very curious on how your day will look like while on safari in Africa, although every tour operator is different from the other, there are some general themes that are consistent, so in this blog post we give you a rough idea of what your day on safari in Africa would entails

Imagine you are out on a game drive, when slowly your guide stops the jeep, picks up his or her binoculars scans the dense thicket, after a while he reverse and points on the right! There, from behind a large shrub, you can spot a family of elephant coming through the vegetation. Amazingly quiet for such large creature, you watch and witness as one by one come through, the little ones in the middle of the group, the rear brought up by a huge tusker that keep an eye on everything as you listen to an informative talk from your guide of the day.

The experience is part of your day on safari in Africa and such remarkable sightings are all day round and gives you memories to carry home or tall about during the night camp fire or dinner. So that is how thrilling an African safari is in any country of your choice, you will find a different and fascinating experience.

What you will get up to on a typical day on safari in Africa?

5; 30am your morning wakeup call/ alarm to get ready for breakfast.

Depending on what you discuss with your guide the previous night, you can set an alarm or request for a morning call from one of the lodge staff, usually a knock at the door, and you start organizing yourself to be ready for breakfast and set off for the game drives. They normally confirm the time and your breakfast order the night before at dinner, sometimes you eat with your guide or meet with your guide after breakfast and you start off the drive to see wildlife. It will be chilly, so dress in layers; it helps to lay out your clothes the night before so you do not waste a lot of time getting dressed in the morning.

6am – 11am Morning game drives depending on your interests of the day

The duration of morning game drives depends mostly on your interests of the day as you may take packed lunch and you spend the whole day or return to the lodge for lunch and take a nap. Although you may set of before the first light, there is something magical about being out in nature as the moon sets and the sun rises. The dawn songs from birds is wonderful in Africa and this is the best time to see nocturnal hunters and early grazers like lions and leopard bedding down for the day or in case of lion, finishing off their last of the kill.

Animals like elephants, buffalos, gazelle, antelopes, kobs and giraffe will all start moving to waterholes to quench their thirst. Their reflection in the morning in the soft morning sun light makes beautiful photos. The wild dogs will start making kill now before it is too hot and exhausting to chase down prey in the heat.

If you have an option of doing hot air balloon ride, mostly in Namibia, Tanzania and Kenya, you will also to get up very early around 5am as dawn provides the best weather conditions as winds are usually at their lowest in the morning.

By mid-morning, it will be hot to be out, especially in South Africa and Namibia where game drive jeeps usually do not have roof, and the animals will be retreating to shades, so it is heard to see and photograph in the dappled light.

You will return to the lodge for lunch, depending on how late it is and it will be followed by a short nap at the lodge or camp, enjoy your lodge after all you are on a holiday.

11am – 4pm Leisure time, lunch read, nap, swim and others

Around mid-morning, you can take a book down to the pool or you can opt to do anything else as part of your leisure because it is hot, what you do will depend on the lodge facilities, so Great Adventure Safaris will help you choose a lodge or camp with many elements to help you enjoy leisure.

Since you had an early morning breakfast, midday is the time for lunch. After lunch, a nap is hard to beat as are a few laps in the pool or catching up with editing your photos; you can take this time to read up on the habits and behaviors of the animals you saw on the morning game drive.

3; 30 pm – 7pm Afternoon game drive

At about 3; 30pm. Start to get ready for your afternoon game drive – gather your binoculars, refill your water bottle, put your drinks order for the sundowner and if it is chilly, be sure to take your scarf, gloves and beanie

At about 4; 30, it is already cool enough for the animals to become active again. Slowly they emerge to drink at the water holes and lions that strayed away from the pride will start contact calling to find each other again for another night of hunting. Those in the national park have to be out by dusk, when the gates close for the night

Remember mosquitos are most active at night, so wear long trouser and sleeves and use an eco-friendly repellant. They are attractive to black and blue so avoid these clours in the evening.

7; 30 Dinner time

You may think you are not hungry but there is something about being out in fresh air that stokes the appetite. Depending on your accommodation, dinner may be buffet, plated or a la carte but is generally a multi-course affair accompanied by a drink, if the night is clear, it is normally served in a restaurant or designated area like a boma or campfire where usually you enjoy songs and dance from the locals – when they call you up for a dance, just go with it! When next will you be singing in Africa?

9pm Bed time

With such an early wake – up call, you can head to bed after dinner or some lodges and camps may offer a lecture by a specialist guide or ranger or researcher but usually they just leave you to enjoy the peace and quiet African night

In-conclusion

For many travelers, one of the best things about African safari is that you do not need to make many decisions, unlike in the city when you have to decide on when to eat, where to eat, where to go and what to do. African safari has a built-in rhythm that is very relaxing and a thrilling addiction because of the combination of early mornings, nice food, fresh air, wildlife and good nights. To book one the best East African safari holiday, contact Great Adventure Safaris and talk to one of our safari experts.