Talk to anyone who has actually gone on a safari, on a true game drive, and they’ll all pretty much say the same things. That there is no way to describe just how life changing that experience is. It really is, and I cant describe it effectively either. Just do it!
Before you go:
- Build your budget. Even a self drive safari can be expensive. And I’m not just talking money. Time as well. So, budget your time and your money. Check out our blogs about our safari experiences. Prices can vary a lot. As a rule of thumb, expect to pay for an all inclusive safari to run you at least (minimum!) $1200.00 per day. Expensive? Yep, but the experience is worth every penny. Budget and plan for the suggested number of days for game drives. We felt that 3 days at each location in South Africa worked for us. However, it will depend on where and what is involved. A Serengeti safari, for example, you would want to spend more time for the full experience than you may need for a smaller private reserve, such as Phinda in South Africa. Note what you want to see and experience. The big 5?, the great migration? All of it? That should be your starting point and edit and add from there. Discuss your options with your personal travel planner with the company you plan to go with.
- We boomers love being pampered. We have worked hard and saved in order to enjoy bucket list journeys. There are several very well regarded companies to choose from. If you choose a safari company (which we throughly recommend) the price you are given is all inclusive except for the gratuities at the conclusion of your safari. Our suggestion is to research some of the well known safari tour outfitters such as &Beyond, Micato Safaris, Go2Africa are some of the highest rated according to Travel + Leisure magazine. We can personally and highly recommend &Beyond. They offer the ultimate in safari experiences in many different locations.
- Note: Africa is on the other side of the world. It takes over 20 hours, west coast USA time to get there. Plan your travel days as such and not part of your days on your adventure. The flight is a journey all on its own!
- Travel/medical insurance. This is a must. Get a policy and read it, including the fine print. Buy the most coverage you feel comfortable with. The most important part of these policies provide not only coverage for medical and evacuation, but also have provisions for trip delay, cancellations, lost luggage for example. We always purchase a policy anytime we are traveling outside of the USA.
3. Check your passport. Is it up to date and has at least 6 months from the time of travel left on it before expiring and 2 blank pages. (Some countries don’t care about that, but most do.) Make a copy of your passports and give them to your emergency contact person and also keep a copy in your luggage and carry on. Check whether you need a visa to the country you will be traveling to and if so you will either need to apply ahead of time. American citizens with a passport may visit nearly 186 countries and territories without a travel visa or with a visa on arrival. It’s always a good idea to check with the State Department. 
4. Make sure you are up to date with vaccinations. I suggest you meet with a travel physician to go over their suggestions on what you may need. Many pharmacies also can be quite helpful guiding you on the important vaccines (or medications) you may need. The anti malaria pills we had to take required us to start them before we left on the trip and subsequently a few days after leaving the malaria zone. Also, discuss with your doctor about gastrointestinal issues. You may not have any problems, like… ever, but you don’t want to get there and find the change in diet makes you feel bad. We personally take probiotics daily and bring along Pepto Bismo or Imodium for just in case. Any questions about anything regarding your health talk to your doctor first. Our physician prescribes an anti diarrheal if we really were to get sick and an antibiotic. We have never had to use either!
(This is what works for us and what we carry or take with us. (Note: Always check with your doctor first. We are not doctors, and only you and your doctor can determine what is appropriate for you)
5. Arrange for pet care, mail delivery, and organize your itinerary for all your travel. Check out our blog on planning and packing.
6. Renting a car in South Africa is very easy. You will need a valid drivers license. The optional insurance can be waived if you are fully covered under your credit card. Be aware that whatever credit card you reserve it with you will need to have a large available credit balance. If you choose to use a credit card that has a low credit limit you may encounter a problem. The deposit required in South Africa is surprisingly high! They require the deposit in addition to the entire amount of the rental available on the credit card. We made that mistake once. The thinking was that if our card is being held as collateral for anything, let’s take one that has a small credit limit. We unfortunately found out that the credit limit was not sufficient. I’ll blame that on Tom, it was his idea!