TRAVEL INSIDER | AFRICA
How to plan an African wildlife safari
Cull the right journey for you from the herd of safari trips. Luxury lodges or spartan tents? Gorilla tracking or lion watching? Tailor yours to your interests.
FOR many travelers, an African wildlife safari is a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Making it happen takes planning; like the leopard, you must stalk your prey. But look before you pounce; it's a jungle out there.
Choices abound. Nearly a dozen countries, with scores of parks and private reserves. Top-tier lodges, spartan tents and encampments that rival luxury hotels. Minibuses, four-wheel-drives, walking and canoeing.
FOR THE RECORD:
Serengeti National Park: A reference to the Serengeti in the July 16 Travel Insider column said the park was located in Kenya and Tanzania. Serengeti National Park is in Tanzania. —
Did I mention animals? Not just the so-called "big five" — elephants, leopards, lions, rhinos and Cape buffalo — but birds, cheetahs, gorillas and more.
Or so I'm told. I've never been to Africa, but I recently spent a few days prowling around the world of safari travel, talking to experts who book and organize the trips.
I came away convinced that arranging a safari is best left to professionals. But it all begins with you.
"What is your dream of Africa?" That's what planners at Abercrombie & Kent ask wanna-be adventurers, said Pamela Lassers, a spokeswoman for the luxury travel company in Oak Brook, Ill.
If the movie "Out of Africa," with its sweeping grasslands, big game and vistas of Mt. Kilimanjaro, feeds your fantasies, go to Kenya or Tanzania, Lassers said. If you envision a remote getaway, consider the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
"People have very different expectations," Lassers said.
For some travelers, it's not just about the animals.
"All of your senses are going to be opened in a brand-new way," said Anastasia Mann, president of the Corniche Group in West Hollywood.
Mann, who has been going to Africa for 26 years and recently opened an Africa travel division, spoke of "the grand scale of the bush. It's pure, pristine, natural."
But not if you're in a Jeep traffic jam at an over-touristed game park.
Expectations are vital because you'll be going far away, staying awhile (at least two weeks, several experts advised) and spending considerable cash (although not as much as you may fear).
Once you decide what you want, you can work with a travel agent or tour operator to home in on a place, time and travel style.
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