For every instance, there surely must be some guidelines to further enhance the excitement of the experience or simply to make the most out of any activity. In this article, we have prepared several African safari vacation tips that will let ensure a vacation like nothing else. Here they are: The early bird, as the saying goes, catches the worms. This adage seem to apply even for African safari vacations. Even if it implies that you wake up earlier than the rising of the sun, you would be happy that you did since many activities occur during the morning than throughout the day. This is for the reason that most animals are active in the earlier parts of the day and spend the whole light hours sleeping or resting. Nocturnal animals, on the other hand, are only about to rest while the sun rises. The safaris, though more famous for the games and wild animals, were not created solely to do just that. You might be busy collecting stones while discarding wonders such as sightings of intriguing insects, varieties of smaller animals and multitudes of panoramic sights. One of the more indispensable equipments in any African safari vacation is the binoculars as they allow you to see visions even from afar. Though travel companies normally provide binoculars, you might as well bring your own sets as you may prove them more convenient than risking your chance of sharing the tool with another person. Your exposure to mosquitoes in African safaris can cause you myriad of mosquito diseases which in most cases, deprive you from more enjoyable experiences. To ward off uninvited guests during the night, make it a point to apply mosquito repellants and expose parts of your body as little as possible. Any self-respecting African safari vacation operators knows that guests are susceptible to certain ailments due the natural elements in wild Africa. Therefore, they are well-equipped with treatments, medications and procedures that will create lesser chances of being affected by one. However, you must still bring with you personal medications such as anti-diarrhea medicine and anti-malaria pills in case you might need them. You surely would want to reserve memories of experiences that you have undergone during your African safari vacation. If you were to bring a camera, your best bet would be the digital ones. However, for types that make use of films, be careful that you have some good reserve of batteries and films. If you want sights of the nocturnal animals, your obvious choice would be to travel at night. Be wary though that you don't get to hold the lights primarily because they can attract many insects that becomes irritating overtime.
For anyone who has an adventurous spirit hiding away in the depths of their being, just the mention of the word Safari will bring it rushing to the surface, conjuring up thoughts, images and desires which cause the rush of adrenaline to course through the veins. The average persons' concept of Safari, is that of wild and rugged bush, 4 x 4 all terrain vehicles, tented camps and ferocious wild animals. All that is well and good, however, it puts a very limited box around the concept, which in actual fact is so much more unbounded, so vast, as to defy an adequate definition. The very basic meaning is from the Arabic word, safara, which simply means to travel, adopted into the Swahili word for a journey.
A Safari [a journey] then need only be limited by ones lack of imagination. You can make of it just whatever you will, be it into the wilds of Africa, India, South America; or into the vastness of the prairies of North America; the rugged majesty of the Himalayas; or, or, or... the possibilities are endless.
I will devote the rest of this brief article to try and entice you, the reader, to make your next, [or your first] Safari to the many and varied wonders of this land which is my home, South Africa.
You'll begin your Safari in the 'city of gold', Johannesburg. With gold being so much in the news these days, with its rising price, you can take a tour down a gold mine, travel more than a kilometer into the depths of the earth and see where it comes from, the stuff that has started wars, split nations apart, built cities and delighted the hearts of millions of women throughout the course of history.
From Johannesburg, climb aboard the famed Blue Train and travel down to the southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Town. This unique train is a combination of the luxury of the world's leading hotels, along with the aged charm of train travel. It rivals many 5 star hotels in terms of elegance grace, comfort and style. The suites all feature en-suite baths or showers, air conditioning and are equipped with telephones and television monitors with video channels, allowing guests to view short documentaries of the area through which they are traveling. The cuisine is enough to satisfy the taste buds of any connoisseur of fine food. You will have the opportunity to view some of South Africa's spectacular landscapes and visit interesting tourist attractions along the way.
You arrive in Cape Town. There you can take a cable car trip up the famous Table Mountain, or a ferry trip out to Robben Island, the old prison that held Nelson Mandela for so many years.
A trip to Cape Town is incomplete without visiting the famed Cape Winelands. So, once you have had your fill of the many pleasures to be found in the city, then hire a car and start a trip along Route 62, the longest wine route in the world. Route 62 links Cape Town to Port Elizabeth on the east coast, traveling through many famous wine estates in Paarl, Wellington, Tulbagh, Worcester, Robertson and the Klein Karoo wine routes. Route 62 offers the traveler a kaleidoscope of experiences, such as visits to wineries with the wine tasting opportunities, to game reserves, tribal art viewing, cultural tours, hiking trails, canoeing expeditions, horse riding, fishing and so much more.
From Port Elizabeth, fly to Durban, the capital of the 'Kingdom of the Zulu'. Relax on the beautiful beaches, before taking some of the many tours that are offered from Durban. These include: 1 day or 3 day tours to the northern game reserves of Hluhluwe-Umfolozi and the World Heritage site of the St. Lucia Wetlands; tour Shakaland and experience the A - Z of traditional Zulu life; tour the rolling green hills of the Natal Midlands, visiting the many local art and craft shops to be found there.
By now, you're probably ready to make your way back home, but if you still have a bit more time, then I suggest a visit to the majestic grandeur of the Drakensberg Mountains. Relax in the pure and crisp mountain air, enjoy fly-fishing for the delightfully tasty rainbow trout or just wander along the many hiking trails. A perfect ending to a Safari with a difference. Oh and don't forget to bring your cameras and camcorders. It will be an experience that you will want to relive time and again.
Both Katie George & Michael Russell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.