Page 16 - The Best African Safari

 What does the itinerary include and not include? I have seen some
safaris advertised that seem ridiculously cheap until you read that
you are responsible for all park and entrance fees which can total
$1-2000 dollars or that you are responsible for the flight to transfer
you back to your point of departure. Make sure when you are
comparing that you know specifically what is included and what is
not.

 Finally what kind of safari are you on and what do you want to go
on? Some safaris are completely self-contained. The means that
you are traveling with everything and setting up luxury camps with
your own staff, chefs, food and supplies. This harkens back to the
way Hemingway traveled when he went on safari. These types of
safari are very expensive and are rare these days.

 At the other end of the spectrum are safaris with set itineraries and
set departure dates. These safaris tend to be quite economical.
Their disadvantage is that you have no choice as to where you go
and where you stay and which are not always the best) and, in my
opinion, have one other strong disadvantage. While it is fun to meet
and travel with new people unlike other tours where you have a
chance to escape, there is no escaping when you are spending the
entire day in a vehicle with someone who drives you crazy. It can
ruin the whole trip for you. When I was a client one of my safaris
had a young single woman who joined our safari at the last moment.
She simply did not fit in and complained about EVERYTHING. If we
could have fed her to the lions we would have. I still loved going on
safari but it certainly diminished the experience. Like to meet new
people? You can do it after a game drive at the lodge while you are
having sundowners around the fire before dinner. Here the balance
is between budget and flexibility. If you have a group traveling

16