Going on a safari to Africa – and again while in Africa. You are having sensations you’ve never felt in-person before. The days are already filled with preparations leading up to what’s to come. The safari has already begun and you haven’t boarded the plane yet. Africa is occupying your every thought.
You decide to make it a trip of the lifetime and go high end. Catered meals, cushy beds, completely appointed tents. Screeeechh . . . Tents? What about that Hilton you heard about out on the Serengeti? What you’ve also heard about is, luxury tent camping in the Wilds of Africa. You found it completely intriguing and the brochures along with YouTube videos have accelerated your wanderlust. There’s only one thing to do Go For It.
If you have a spouse that thinks the Marriot is roughing it, be sure to book with an established Tour Operator. Like all things tried and true, you’ll find 5 star reviews with insights that help you establish your many choices. Two top name companies are Go2Africa, and Abercrombie and Kent. While these names lead a long list of trained and expert tour operators, they are a sure fire fit for the perfect, luxury camping safari on the continent.
You can arrange for a one time “home base” and trek into the local countryside always returning to the same campsite or go on a mobile safari. Mobile safaris are a lavish affair with the advantage of being on the move and taking in more sightseeing. The attractive component is exploring the bush and doing it with a campsite that moves along with you. Botswana, in the Southern part of the country has been touted as an ideal choice to take a mobile safari. The itinerary includes the world renowned elephant watering holes of Chobe, along with some of the best parks and reserves available for taking in the deepest sense of a trip into the wild. If you have always wanted to visit the Masai Mara check out the mobile safaris into Kenya then moving onto the Serengeti of Tanzania and back again all in one.
Porters take care of your every need. They have gone ahead and started the process of welcoming you with ice cold drinks, food and showers. The staff has put your tent up and fully furnish your digs with comfortable and practical conveniences. It is luxurious and yet resembles actual camping. Probably not as appealing to the more sterile traveler, but certainly an experience of a lifetime for many others.
The stationary lodge-like option also set in a magical environment and draped in canvas is the home-base tent safari. These exquisite tent dwellings are placed in stunning surroundings, with access to wild game by four wheel drive. These camps give a sense of daily familiarity along with the unending adventure that only a well run and highly organized tour company can deliver.
Choosing to stay in one spot and branch out from there never needs to mean lacking any of the true feel of an African Safari. It may be like staying in an opulent open air suite at the Monte Carlo, but the other main reason you are there is to see wild game. With stationary tent camping you are more subject to Nature’s timing. Migratory grazing and seasonal events like rainfall, dictate the best viewing times. So a little more planning might be required.
Get this on your bucket list NOW. If it’s the last $10k you spend, spend it on Safari in a tent on the African terrain and when the time comes you’ll die a happy camper.