dessert
South Africa Safari Tips – The First Timer’s Guide to a Safari in Africa
Last updated on January 2nd, 2025 at 04:02 am
An African safari (or “a trip to the bush” as the locals would say) is truly a one-of-a-kind experience for every first time visitor to the continent. Regardless of which country you visit, your encounters with wildlife in such close proximity will be unparalleled to any past travel experience.
While the wildlife is usually the hi-light, don’t forget to also make time for star gazing at night. After a long game drive and a hot shower – make sure to head outside and look up into the infinite night sky. With barely any city lights for miles and miles, you’ll find yourself surrounded by thousands of twinkling lights, with only the sound of crickets and hyenas in the distance.
While we only spent two nights in the bush, I am already counting down the days until our next visit.
To help you plan your visit to the bush, here are some tips on what to expect:
Keep in mind that this site contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. However, this does not impact my honest reviews and comparisons. I only make recommendations based on personal experience(s), in order to help you make the best decisions while traveling!
General Safari Accommodations
From camping to five-star luxury, there is no shortage of accommodation options in the bush. Since Kruger allows for self-guided game drives, you also have the option of booking a hotel outside of the park and driving in every day to see the animals. For budget travelers, there are plenty of rest camp and rondeval options both inside and outside of the park. For luxury travelers, there’s an endless amount of all inclusive options on the Klaserie, Timbavati, and Sabi Sand private reserves.
For a mid-range luxury experience, check out my review of Baobab Ridge in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (coming soon next week).
What should I expect on my first african safari?
1. Early Mornings
See you at 5am for our morning game drive
– our bush guide at 10pm the night before
So glad nobody told me this until I was already halfway through my third glass of wine at dinner…
Be prepared for early mornings and late nights (which is pretty typical for any safari experience). Fortunately, there isn’t much else to do during the day so you can always take a nap as soon as you get back from the morning game drive.
2. Wildlife Viewing AKA The Big 5
When you come to Africa, you’ll notice that everyone puts heavy emphasis around getting to see The Big 5 (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and buffalo). The name originally came from big-game hunters and is based off the difficulty of hunting each animal on foot. While coming to the bush and searching for The Big 5 is a top priority for most, keep in mind that there are over 147 different species of mammals in the park that are equally as beautiful and exciting to see.
Also, be prepared for hours of game drives without seeing any of The Big 5. Especially if you opt for the self-guided drives since you’re only allowed on the main road. You’ll have the highest chance of seeing The Big 5 if you have a guide that has a tracker. If you’re into photography, you’ll also want to highly consider renting a zoom lens before you. They’ll help you get awesome shots of the animals up close!
Sadly, poaching has increased heavily over the last decade and even more-so during Covid which has left us with only ~27,000 rhinos worldwide. (To put things into perspective, there are over 400,000 elephants in Africa alone). This means that catching a glimpse of all Big 5 on your safari can be quite rare.
3. Bugs
There’s a lot of them. Mosquitos, stink bugs, dungbeetles, moths, spiders, you name it. Bugs are synonymous with any African Safari trip.
Peaceful sleep bug killer will be your new best friend and try to stay away from all snakes.
Black Mambas are notorious for curling up in the South and East African savannas.
Fingers crossed you make friends with a group of hungry mongooses nearby (they are immune to snake venmon making it one of their only predators).
4. Forget About Bathrooms
Since the game drives are anywhere from 3-5 hours long, there’s about a 99% chance that you’ll be using mother nature’s restroom during your trip. It’s nothing to be ashamed about and everyone ends up doing it at some point. Just make sure to keep on high alert – you just never know when a lion might mistake you for a tasty impala.
5. No Cell Service
Get ready to disconnect and try to be present during this unforgettable experience. If unplugging completely isn’t an option, most camps and hotels these days will have wifi – but usually only in the main areas.
Ready to go on the adventure of a lifetime? Here are the links to book top-rated game drives in Kruger National Park!
Visiting other parts of South Africa?
Check out my other travel guides on Africa here.
Looking for travel inspiration to somewhere else?
Last updated on January 2nd, 2025 at 04:02 am
An African safari (or “a trip to the bush” as the locals would say) is truly a one-of-a-kind experience for every first time visitor to the continent. Regardless of which country you visit, your encounters with wildlife in such close proximity will be unparalleled to any past travel experience.
While the wildlife is usually the hi-light, don’t forget to also make time for star gazing at night. After a long game drive and a hot shower – make sure to head outside and look up into the infinite night sky. With barely any city lights for miles and miles, you’ll find yourself surrounded by thousands of twinkling lights, with only the sound of crickets and hyenas in the distance.
While we only spent two nights in the bush, I am already counting down the days until our next visit.
To help you plan your visit to the bush, here are some tips on what to expect:
Keep in mind that this site contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. However, this does not impact my honest reviews and comparisons. I only make recommendations based on personal experience(s), in order to help you make the best decisions while traveling!
General Safari Accommodations
From camping to five-star luxury, there is no shortage of accommodation options in the bush. Since Kruger allows for self-guided game drives, you also have the option of booking a hotel outside of the park and driving in every day to see the animals. For budget travelers, there are plenty of rest camp and rondeval options both inside and outside of the park. For luxury travelers, there’s an endless amount of all inclusive options on the Klaserie, Timbavati, and Sabi Sand private reserves.
For a mid-range luxury experience, check out my review of Baobab Ridge in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (coming soon next week).
What should I expect on my first african safari?
1. Early Mornings
See you at 5am for our morning game drive
– our bush guide at 10pm the night before
So glad nobody told me this until I was already halfway through my third glass of wine at dinner…
Be prepared for early mornings and late nights (which is pretty typical for any safari experience). Fortunately, there isn’t much else to do during the day so you can always take a nap as soon as you get back from the morning game drive.
2. Wildlife Viewing AKA The Big 5
When you come to Africa, you’ll notice that everyone puts heavy emphasis around getting to see The Big 5 (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and buffalo). The name originally came from big-game hunters and is based off the difficulty of hunting each animal on foot. While coming to the bush and searching for The Big 5 is a top priority for most, keep in mind that there are over 147 different species of mammals in the park that are equally as beautiful and exciting to see.
Also, be prepared for hours of game drives without seeing any of The Big 5. Especially if you opt for the self-guided drives since you’re only allowed on the main road. You’ll have the highest chance of seeing The Big 5 if you have a guide that has a tracker. If you’re into photography, you’ll also want to highly consider renting a zoom lens before you. They’ll help you get awesome shots of the animals up close!
Sadly, poaching has increased heavily over the last decade and even more-so during Covid which has left us with only ~27,000 rhinos worldwide. (To put things into perspective, there are over 400,000 elephants in Africa alone). This means that catching a glimpse of all Big 5 on your safari can be quite rare.
3. Bugs
There’s a lot of them. Mosquitos, stink bugs, dungbeetles, moths, spiders, you name it. Bugs are synonymous with any African Safari trip.
Peaceful sleep bug killer will be your new best friend and try to stay away from all snakes.
Black Mambas are notorious for curling up in the South and East African savannas.
Fingers crossed you make friends with a group of hungry mongooses nearby (they are immune to snake venmon making it one of their only predators).
4. Forget About Bathrooms
Since the game drives are anywhere from 3-5 hours long, there’s about a 99% chance that you’ll be using mother nature’s restroom during your trip. It’s nothing to be ashamed about and everyone ends up doing it at some point. Just make sure to keep on high alert – you just never know when a lion might mistake you for a tasty impala.
5. No Cell Service
Get ready to disconnect and try to be present during this unforgettable experience. If unplugging completely isn’t an option, most camps and hotels these days will have wifi – but usually only in the main areas.
Ready to go on the adventure of a lifetime? Here are the links to book top-rated game drives in Kruger National Park!
Visiting other parts of South Africa?
Check out my other travel guides on Africa here.
Looking for travel inspiration to somewhere else?
[…] due to the sheer amount of lodges and guides in that area. As mentioned before in my post about what to expect on an African safari, it’s important to have a guide and a tracker to know where the animals will be. Sabi Sands […]