Having been on numerous safaris I have learnt a thing or two about how to plan an amazing safari. I see people making the same mistakes over and over again when they are trying to plan their own safari. Read on to learn the top 3 mistakes people make when planning a safari.
Click play to watch the video or if you prefer reading you will find the blog below:
Mistake number 1
Trying to fit in too many countries into a short space of time
The number one mistake people make when planning their first safar is trying to fit in too many countries in a short space of time. If you have 2 weeks or more then you can consider two countries under that stick to one country and do that one country properly.
Sample 2-week itinerary for Tanzania
Below is a sample itinerary of what a two-week itinerary can look like in Tanzania:
Day 1 – Arrival, transfer from Kilimanjaro to Arusha, overnight in Arusha
Day 2 – Drive to Tarangire National Park, afternoon safari in Tarangire, overnight in Tarangire
Day 3 – Full-day game drive in Tarangire National Park – overnight Tarangire
Day 4 – Lake Manyara National Park – overnight Lake Eyasi
Day 5 – Get up bright and early to spend the morning with the Hadzabe Tribe, go on a hunt with the men, spend time weaving with the ladies and learn how to shoot a bow and arrow, visit the blacksmiths, go to Gibbs farm for lunch, then continue onto Karatu to relax for the evening
Day 6 – Descend into the Ngorongoro crater and continue onto a Maasai Boma to learn about the Maasai Tribe. Overnight central Serengeti
Day 7 – Drive into the world-famous Serengeti, game drive in the Serengeti
Day 8 – Full day to explore the Serengeti
Day 9 – fly from the Serengeti to Zanzibar – overnight in Stone Town
Day 10 – Spend the morning doing a Stone Town tour, then head to a spice tour on the way to the beach
Day 11 – Spend the day at Lesuire at the beach – try out some watersports, go snorkelling, eat delicious seafood, swim with dolphins or visit the monkeys at Jozani forest
day 12 – Spend the day at Lesuire at the beach – try out some watersports, go snorkelling, eat delicious seafood, swim with dolphins or visit the monkeys at Jozani forest
Day 13 – Spend the day at Lesuire at the beach – try out some watersports, go snorkelling, eat delicious seafood, swim with dolphins or visit the monkeys at Jozani forest
Day 14 – Head back to Stone Town and onto the airport for your flight home
Try not to fit in too much you can’t do Uganda Tanzania and Kenya all in two weeks. Yes they are just across the border but it’s not as close as you think it’s not as logistically possible as you think and it means that you’re rushing your entire safari.
Mistake number 2
Trying to do everything in that one country in a short space of time
Mistake number two, trying to fit in everything in that one country in a short space of time. So again you’re trying to fit too much in you’re trying to rush from one place to the next the next the next the next the next.
Try and have two or three nights in one place or a couple of places. The nature of some of the safaris in Kenya in East Africa in Kenya and Tanzania is that they do tend to try and take you to a few places particularly the northern circuit in in Tanzania.
There is like there is this circuit that you can do that means you get to see Taranire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro crater and the Serengeti which is great yes you get a variety but you don’t want to be moving every single night. Iy you moved every night it kind of just feels like you’re on the road too much it feels too rushed. With one night in each accommodation you can’t unpack anything in any of the rooms because you’re literally there at night you’re up at 5:30 the next day, pack off you go again.
So try and have two or three nights in a couple of places and then you can relax a little bit you can even skip a safari if you feel like it, have a bit of a lie in you can um take advantage of the pool the spa if you’ve got those facilities in your accommodation. You can relax a little bit and just not feel like you’re on the go constantly.
Mistake number 3
Mistake number three – not going to the coast to relax after your safari
Mistake number three is not giving yourself some time at the beach at the end.
I mean the beach isn’t for everyone so it’s not a must but why not visit the beach.
The beaches are beautiful, there is crystal clear, turquoise, warm waters, golden sands and delicious seafood.
It’s not expensive, yes you can do it luxury and expensive or you can do it fairly cheap and still have an amazing time. You can go snorkeling you can swim with dolphins you can see um monkeys in Jozani Forest for example if you’re in Zanzibar.
You can visit Stone Town, you can go to Lamu if you’re in Kenya um you can have a look at the cultural side of things.
One thing to bear in mind if you are on the beaches um or if you do go to the beaches or coastal areas is that you need to be a bit more conservative in certain places and make sure you’re covered up and then of course when you’re on the actual beach you can be in a bikini no problem.
But why not add in some time at the end. Safari can actually be quite tiring, you’re up early you’re on the road a lot so it’s really nice to have a bit of time at the end to relax on the beach maybe do a few water sports a few beach activities before you fly on home afterwards .
Conclusion
So yeah, that’s the top three mistakes that people tend to make when they’re thinking of planning their safaris so if you need more advice about planning safaris in East Africa or you want to get going with planning your Safari use the link below to fill out a form with your safari preferences and I will create a custom itinerary for you. Or you can schdule a safari planning call and we can get started with planning your dream safari.
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