6 Ways To Experience An African Safari
6 Ways To Experience An African Safari From Outside Your Land Rover Safari Car : Safari is the word for “journey” in Kiswahili, the primary language of East Africa, which broadly refers to any kind of long journey. The word “safari” is derived from the Arabic word “safariyah,” which has the same meaning. For the majority of tourists, a “safari” is a long drive through the savanna in a 4WD while wearing binoculars and a large camera lens around your neck in search of a spectacular sight of a lion killing another animal or a herd of enormous rhinos roaming the African plains. Although the Land Rover offers a quick means of transportation and a pleasant viewing platform from the top, there are a variety of other ways to explore the wilderness. Here are a few examples:
SIX WAYS TO ENJOY AN AFRICAN SAFARI OUTSIDE OF YOUR SAFARI JEEP
- Bike safaris
There are many benefits to choosing a cycling safari over a traditional game drive, such as the fact that your legs won’t get stiff and your hearty breakfast will be properly digested. In many national parks throughout Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and the majority of other countries, there are guided bike safaris or straightforward cycling trails that are all set up in places where running into a hungry lion is not entirely possible. Mt. Longonot and Hell’s Gate National Parks in Kenya, South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, and the Livingstone area in Zambia all offer great terrain for a quad bike adventure. All of these parks are rich in wildlife and birdlife and are very easy to ride around.
- Balloon safaris
Hot-air balloon safaris are becoming more popular in locations like the Serengeti, Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, the South African savanna of Pilanesberg Game Reserve, and Namib-Naukluft National Park. However, you might not be able to take Jules Verne’s fictional “Five Weeks in a Balloon” journey and fly from Zanzibar to the West Coast of Africa.
- Rafting and boat safaris
Rafting safaris are an excellent team-building activity, even though you might not have much time to look around as you negotiate the Zambezi River’s or any other stream’s treacherous waters. On the other hand, motorboat and canoe safaris on rivers and lakes like the Okavango Delta, Lake Victoria, Baringo, Naivasha, and Kivu will give you the chance to get to know the diverse birdlife and other unusual aquatic life of Africa, including hippos and bathing elephants, to name a few. The ultimate journey into the Heart of Darkness, on the other hand, is a cruise along the Congo River.
- Mobile camping safaris
With the exception of unexpected poisoned dart attacks by rival tribes, what Henry Rider Haggard described in “King Solomon’s Mines” and other books about the African explorer Allan Quatermain can become a part of your own adventure on a mobile camping safari. Camping in the wilderness sharpens your senses, allowing you to hear and smell every movement of an impala on the grass from inside your tent at night. In the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, the Kruger National Park in South Africa, the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, and Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, mobile camping is very common.
- Horseback safaris
Everything appears better from a horse’s perspective, and your riding safari can last anywhere from a few hours to a week. On a horseback safari, you’re bound to experience a little nostalgia for the old colonial era as you cross rivers and travel across vast plains. Some of the most incredible riding experiences can be found in Victoria Falls National Park (Zimbabwe), the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (Botswana), Chyulu Hills National Park (Kenya), the Kulala Wilderness Reserve (Namibia), Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda), and the Zambezi River, Arusha National park(Tanzania).
- Aero-safaris
It’s a dream trip to take a safari in a small plane, just like Denys Hatton did in “Out of Africa.” Observing the annual wildebeest migration and other wildlife in the Kruger National Park in South Africa, the Zambezi Delta in Zambia, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and the Okavango Delta in Botswana from a full bird’s-eye view is not exactly the most affordable adventure, but it is one special experience that will leave you with magical memories for many years to come.
CONCLUSION
You owe it to yourself to take advantage of your 4×4 vehicle’s comfort as you tour the vast savanna plains. Africa has many faces, and from the air, the water, or even on the back of an imposing African elephant, one can catch a glimpse of its vibrant colors and diverse wildlife.