Tony's Travel Tips - safaris for all budgets

Welcome to a brand new section of my website - Tony's Travel Tips. Catchy, isn't it?

Whenever I speak in public about my books many of the people who attend (sometimes most of the people who attend) are as (or perhaps more) interested in my experiences travelling in Africa than they are in my books.

Here, I'm giving you my take on the how, when and where of going on safari. I've broken it down by the most frequently asked questions (or FAQs as we say in the world of cyber-nerds).

This section of my website is free and fair and is not sponsored by any organisation or venue - although I hope that in time it will become a blatant showcase for free holidays I have received.

Where should I go?

As with most things in life, this comes down to two key sub questions. how much money do you have, and do you want to return from holiday alive or in a box?

South Africa is a pretty safe bet (as long as you stay out of Johannesburg , which is not terribly safe and you may be shot for your car or mobile phone).

Johannesburg 's Oliver R. Tambo Airport (the airport formerly known as Jan Smuts) is on the eastern side of the city - the same side as the Kruger National Park. Kruger is my favourite national park in Africa, so you might just bump into me there. It's about a four-hour drive from the airport.

Kruger's got it all - the big five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino) as well as African Wild Dog, cheetah, and all the major grass eaters. You can camp (if you have a tent) or stay in a selection of roofed accommodation ranging from tiny huts with shared ablutions, through to fully-equipped, self-contained houses.

Check out www.sanparks.org

Cape Town is as beautiful as everyone says. Beaches, wine, seafood, a big flat mountain. what more could you ask for?

Namibia , with its flagship game reserve, Etosha National Park , is a very safe bet (they don't even have malaria, unlike Kruger).

The capital, Windhoek is a pleasant little piece of Teutonic orderliness in a continent of chaos. Etosha's wide open plains are very different to the thick bushveld of the Kruger Park , so it's well worth a visit.

If you like sand, check out the huge dunes at Sossusvlei in Namibia , and if you get off on damp foggy nights, windswept days, and seals, then the Skeleton Coast is for you.

To sum up the rest of Africa (at least the bits I'm familiar with): Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Botswana are expensive; Mozambique has nice beaches and big prawns; Uganda and Rwanda are worth visiting for their gorillas; and Lake Malawi is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Tony's take: South Africa and Namibia both have excellent beer, and credit cards are accepted readily (need I say more?).

When should I go?

The text book answer to this question - for southern Africa at least - is the end of the dry season (September-ish) when the vegetation has thinned out and animals are congregating around the last remaining waterholes, making game viewing easier.

Other factors to consider are school children and pensioners. Kruger, Etosha and other major national parks and touristy areas become very busy during the South African school holidays (in particular in September), and June-July, when grey nomads colonise large chunks of the region in their caravans.

My favourite time to visit is the last two weeks in October (after the school holidays and before the rains begin in earnest, though it is hot).

Tony's take: it's all good, whenever you go, but avoid kids and caravans.

How should I go?

This is the $64,000 question, and if you're not careful (or if you are careful, but extremely rich) your safari could cost you this much.

It comes down to one of three basic choices, which are, in order of expensiveness, self drive, tour group, or private reserve.

Self drive

This is how I discovered Africa, in a rented two-wheel drive Corolla. It's cheap, easy, fun and as safe as your driving skills make it.

Packing a tent is the cheapest way to go on safari. Campsites in South Africa and Namibia are surrounded by electric fences, so there is very little risk of being eaten by lions. You can buy food, drinks, pots, pans etc at shops in the major parks.

All of the major car hire firms have offices in all major cities in southern Africa and rates are cheap by world standards. Rental four-by-fours, equipped with roof-top tents and all manner gadgets look cool, but they're comparatively expensive and there are actually few places in southern Africa where you'll actually need all four wheels turning at the same time.

Camper vans are another option, but check the costs carefully - it might be cheaper to rent a car and stay in national parks rondavels (Afrikaans for round house, a small hut) than parking your camper in a camp ground.

Tony's take: self drive is a good way to go - unless you're a chicken or a bad driver.

Tour groups

There are hobos (Shona for lots) of tour companies of all sizes and prices operating throughout Africa . Some involve guests camping and pitching in with chores, while others have small armies of people to do these mundane chores for you.

Readers of my first book, Far Horizon, will know that overland tours (usually involving a large truck and a large number of backpackers) involve drinking, coarse language, medium level violence and occasional gun battles with poachers. Just joking - there's rarely violence.

Cost wise, I reckon that if you are in a group of two or more it may be cheaper to rent a car and do your own thing. If you're a lone backpacker looking for adventure (and/or romance), then a big garishly painted overland truck may be for you.

Tony's take: you're either into group action, or you're not.

Private game lodges (and reserves)

There are a number of privately owned game reserves bordering the major parks in southern Africa. Within the national parks themselves there are privately-run concessions, which usually comprise a luxury lodge and a patch of land dedicated to that lodge.

If you've only got a short time on holiday, have a healthy credit card balance, and you're not keen on driving yourself or sharing a truck with people with beads in their hair, then a private safari may be for you.

In the private reserves and concessions the rangers who take you for (usually two) game drives per day on sexy open-top Land Rovers or Land Cruisers generally have a pretty good handle on where the interesting animals are hanging out. They're in contact with each other by radio (allowing them to share sightings) and sometimes send out spotter vehicles to track down the good stuff.

You pays for what you gets. In top end luxury lodges, such as Tinga Private Game Lodge (www.tinga.co.za) in the Kruger Park (where my latest book, Silent Predator is set) each suite comes with aircon, spa bath, widescreen TV, DVD, and a private deck with your own personal heated swimming pool.

Other private reserves and lodges are more rustic, with guests staying in nice (though fairly basic) bungalows with no telly or mini bar.

The rolling equivalent of a luxury game lodge is Rovos Rail (www.rovosrail.co.za). This privately-run railway company operates five-star rail services in lavishly renovated old rolling stock. It makes the Orient Express look like a suburban commuter train.

 

Tony's take: if you're going to pay for a private safari, then save up and go the whole hog. If you want rustic, then hire a car and take your tent.

Special Sealed Section - Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is one of the most beautiful places in the world, populated by lovely, peaceful people and all the major animal species.

Unfortunately, one of its residents has done a very good job at destroying the country's economy, infrastructure and tourism industry. For this reason, Tony can't, hand-on-heart, recommend it as a tourist destination these days.

When things change, Tony will be pushing Zimbabwe big time.