What Happens on Safari?

Every safari lodge prides itself on the experience that they offer their visitors, and will strive to give you a unique stay, whether it is a special welcome gift, a walking safari or a surprise bush dinner instead of the traditional boma dinner.

This is a typical stay on safari, but be open to changes, as this will enhance your safari experience:

05h00 – 05h30
In the summer months, you will be woken up very early to begin your day of adventure! Gathering at the main lodge area will be around hot chocolate, coffee, tea and a little something to line your stomach before getting onto your game drive vehicle.
It is very chilly at this time of the morning, and often still dark, so dress up warmly, preferably in layers, so that once the sun appears and it starts warming up, you are prepared! The vehicles are equipped with blankets and usually hot water bottles in the winter to keep you comfortable, as the vehicle is open-sided, which gives you the best game viewing experience.

06h00 – 09h30
Your game drives can last up to 4 hours, so you will stop off at a clearing in the bush for a drinks stop, and usually something to nibble on too.
Your ranger and tracker are both highly knowledgeable, and this is often a great time to listen to their further explanations of your morning sightings, or just to get to know them better.

10h00 – 15h00
Generally you are returning back to the lodge for breakfast, or brunch, at some of the lodges. You will then have the opportunity to go on escorted game walks into the bush with an armed ranger, giving you the chance to get up close and personal with the smaller wildlife and great birding opportunities.
Alternatively enjoy your morning at the lodge pool or in the privacy of your safari suite. Many of them have private decks or tsalas, which look out over water holes or rivers, where animals frequently visit, giving you some of the best game viewing from the comfort of your bedroom.

15h30
You will all gather again at the main lodge for high tea before departing on your evening game drive.

16h00 – 19h30
Evening game drives are a good time to see the nocturnal animals coming out to hunt. Game Drives aren’t rushed, as this can be a very exciting time to see many of the predators in action. Sunset is usually the time for a stop to stretch your legs and welcoming G&T before getting back onto the game-viewing vehicle to find the nightly action. Your tracker will now have a hand-held spotlight, which he will use to find its reflection in the animal eyes as he moves it across the dark horizon from side to side.

20h00
You will return to your lodge to freshen up if you wish before dinner. Meal venues will change depending on the time of year, but it is traditional to enjoy a boma (open air area) dinner around a roaring fire, where all the guests can talk about their stories of their day’s sightings, and listen to the tales that the rangers have to share. Alternatively dining is also often taken up in the formal dinning rooms, where your meals are plated, on fine china and crystal, a nice contrast when you are located on remote bush lands! And who knows? You might return from your game drive to a surprise bush dinner, where you will be eating in out the open, accompanied only by the light of the stars, the candle lanterns and strategically placed fire baskets, which also serve to keep you warm. This is an experience you will never forget!

Although the gourmet cuisine, awesome stargazing and endless conversation turn dinner into a very social, relishable event, one you enjoy so much you forget about all sense of time, you must remember that if you want to enjoy another riveting game drive the next morning, you will need to be up early again to start another similar day in the bush!