Itineraries - What to look for?
On paper it can be difficult to distinguish one Africa safari overland company from another. Itineraries, costs, trucks, service and equipment can all appear the same in brochures and on websites. There are however some small subtle differences between safaris which separate the companies from good to excellent.
Everyone has different priorities for their African safari so the importance you place on each of these issues is up to you. Things you may like to consider are:
The number of passengers
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Smaller groups are better for wildlife viewing, cultural experiences and border crossings. However some people may like to travel in a larger group for more social interaction.
The staff
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Most trips have at least a driver and guide. The quality of guide varies, some companies only expect the guide to ensure the trip runs according to plan, other trips have local or experienced guides who know about the country, it people and culture. Kumuka and Dragoman offer quality guides, local when possible. A designated cook can make a big difference to a trip, trips without a cook mean that you are at the mercy of the passengers on the trip to cook, you may get lucky… or not.
Itineraries
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In the summary or highlights description of the trip there may be no difference between companies. Look at the detailed trip notes as it is the time spent in national parks and on game drives that make a trip more expensive for operators and more enjoyable for you. Always check how many nights are spent in national parks? How many game drives do you do and are they all day or only morning or afternoon? Are game drives on smaller 4wd safari vehicles or are they all on the overland truck? Going to fewer places may be more rewarding as you may need to spend more time enjoying the places and less time on the road getting to places. That being said, most African safaris entail long drives.
Trucks
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Some have seats facing forward like on a bus while others have seats lining the wall facing inward like on military vehicles. If the seats face in everyone has plenty of leg room and a window, they just have to turn backwards and kneel on their seat. Bus like seats mean windows are shared, as long as they are only 2 abreast that’s generally ok. The windows on these trucks are often individual glass windows as opposed to the sideway seat trucks which usually have a wind up plastic side as a window so it’s all or nothing. Bus like seats tend to make passengers sit in the same place all the time, sideways seats seem to make people shift around and sit next to different people, take turns being at the bumpy back. Most have CD players, books, lights, lockers, a safe etc. Some have a fridge that you can put your own drinks in, a big bonus if you like a cold beer at the end of the day although most campsites now have bars.
