South African Safari vs. East African Safari

African safaris are my all-time favorite travel experience. I love every minute of being out in the wild surrounded by nature and animals in their natural habitats. Any time I get a chance to go on safari, I am there.

So far, Chad and I have been on two safaris: one in South Africa and one in East Africa. And, I am here to tell you that not all the safaris are created equally. Indeed, they are each very unique and different experiences. In South Africa we stayed at Lion Sands and visited the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, which is adjacent to Kruger National Park.  In East Africa (Kenya) we stayed at &Beyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp, and visited the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

So which safari is right for you? Well, that depends on what you are looking for. Don’t get me wrong, both are amazing, so there is no wrong choice. But…

If You Want Luxury

If you are looking for a five-star luxury experience, then I would recommend South Africa. Both safari experiences offer luxurious accommodations with all of your meals included and an assigned “butler” for the duration of your stay.  However, in South Africa, all of our beverages, including alcohol both on property and during the game drives were included as well.  While in East Africa, we had to pay extra for alcohol and some non-alcoholic beverages.

Also, in my opinion, the food at Lion Sands was better than at Kichwa Tembo.  Lion Sands offered table service for every meal, whereas all meals at Kichwa Tembo were buffet style.  Also, menus and selections were more inventive at Lion Sands.  The food at Lion Sands was cooked perfectly every time and was always delicious.  The food at Kichwa Tembo was also good, but it did not compare to Lion Sands. However, Kichwa Tembo delivered tea, hot chocolate, coffee, and biscuits directly to your room every day before breakfast via the butler hatch.  At Lion Sands, everyone met in the common area for tea and coffee before the first game drive. It was self service, and there were several different selections of biscuits and cakes that were also self-served.

Another difference between the two was that the lodge we stayed at in South Africa was an adults only camp.  The lodge in Kenya was family friendly, so there were children there.  We did not know this when we booked.  Had we known, we would have probably requested an adults only camp.

The reason I say this is because your game drives are usually shared with other guests in both South Africa and East Africa. Specifically, the lodge assigns you to a group, and that is your group for the duration of the stay.  So, if you are on a game drive with children, your schedule is dictated by them.

As you will see below, that really only becomes an issue on East African safari because of the format.  But, I will say that the lodge does do a good job of putting similarly situated groups together so that a couple without children doesn’t get stuck with a family with small children.

At Lion Sands, we were a group of 8 adults.  At Kichwa Tembo, we were only 5: Chad and I and, thankfully, a British woman with two very well behaved pre-teens who were troopers and wanted to be out as much as we did. They were a delight.  We got very lucky because there were some other guests with children that I literally prayed weren’t in our group! The only other time you notice this distinction is at meal times when the dining area is filled with obnoxiously loud kids and/or teenagers.

If You Want Flexibility

One of the key differences between South African and East African safaris is the flexibility. While the South African safari camps have scheduled game drives, in East Africa, you can free style safari.  There are no rules in East Africa!

Let me explain.  In South Africa, you are limited to two game drives per day.  The first happens in the very early morning before sunrise.  You are woken up by your butler at around 5:00 a.m. After tea and coffee, you load into the jeeps and begin your drive.  Each drive lasts about three to four hours. As the sun rises, they stop the jeeps and set up tables out in the bush and serve you more tea, coffee, juices, and snacks. After refueling, you continue on your drive. When you get back to the camp, a delicious breakfast is waiting for you.  Then, your afternoons are free.  During this time you can lay by the pool, take a guided nature walk, get a massage, and have lunch. At around 5:00 p.m., you load up for your next game drive.  This time, as the sun sets, they break out the tables, a full bar with wine, spirits, and snacks, and you enjoy the sunset before finishing your game drive.  When you return to the lodge, a fantastic dinner under the stars awaits you. Everyone follows the same schedule; like it or not.

They do not find their love-live thrilling, enjoying and pleasurable pharmacy viagra any more. Precautions Vardenafil contains a number of side-effects and can lead to many other health problems about which it’s specified in the instruction label of discount generic viagra it. I accuse the food wholesale viagra online establishment (and those it is undoubtedly in cahoots with) of: Lies, deception, misinformation, cover-ups, shoddy science and confusion, in order to profiteer. It is really embarrassing and frustrating when you viagra sildenafil canada navigate here constantly struggle to erect your penile organ. In East Africa, you call the shots.  You coordinate with your guide and your group members and set the plan. That means, you can go on as many game drives for as long as you want or even an all day game drive. The lodge will pack your meals and send you on your way.  You can even go on a midnight drive after dinner or, at an extra cost, schedule a private bush dinner and eat out in the Mara!

But What About The Animals

Because of the freestyle format, and also because the Mara is smaller than Kruger Park, you get to see A LOT more animals with a lot less effort in East Africa. Kruger Park is 7,523 square miles, whereas Maasai Mara is only 583 square miles.  So, in South Africa, the animals have a lot of land to travel over, whereas in East Africa, they are more condensed. Also, because you can stay out all day in East Africa, you increase your chances of animal viewing. And, since all the jeeps are not out at the same time, there are times in East Africa where you feel like the only ones around for miles.

As far as animal viewing, in South Africa, we saw more black rhino and more leopard.

In East Africa, we saw cheetah and more lions.

Both were pretty even when it came to giraffe, buffalo, elephants, and zebra.

Finally, if it is the Great Migration you are after, then you only have one choice: East Africa. This phenomena is specific to East Africa so it is the only place you can see it.

The Great Migration happens every year.  During the migration, millions of zebra, wildebeest, and antelope migrate across East Africa from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. The migration runs in a clockwise circle and covers about 1,800 miles.  It is notoriously fraught with peril, especially when the herds cross the Mara River. Every year, an estimated 250,000 wildebeest die en route.

Just the spectacle of watching millions of animals cross the plains is worth the price of admission.  It is probably one of the largest animal gatherings on earth.  And, you can be sure that the prey (read: lions, leopards, hyenas, and wild dogs) aren’t too far behind! The best time to catch the migration is during the dry season, between July and early October. It is the ultimate in animal viewing.  You can find more details here.

If you still can’t decide between the two (and trust me, I understand your struggle and it’s a good problem to have), do them both! Three days is a perfect amount of time for each safari, and it is not unusual for travelers to combine two safari experiences in one trip. Either way, you can’t go wrong!

 

Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya: East African Safari

If you had to choose just one travel experience before you die; one trip of a lifetime; the ultimate bucket-list experience; that choice should, without a doubt, be an African safari.

Chad and I have been lucky enough to have been on safari in Africa twice.  The first time was our honeymoon when we went on safari in South Africa in the private concessions of Kruger National Park.  The second time was this past December when we visited the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.  Having done two, I can tell you that it never gets old.  And, I think that is because the experiences are so different. More on that later.

After spending a couple of days in Nairobi, which I certainly recommend if you want to have a slumber party with giraffes and spend time with baby elephants, we boarded a small, regional propeller plane and headed to the Rift Valley Province.

We landed on the private airstrip of our home for the next three days: &Beyone Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp. Our guide for the next three days was waiting to greet us with a smile, cool towels, refreshing cold drinks, and snacks!

Once we were done munching, we loaded into our safari vehicle and began the short drive through the Maasai Mara to our camp grounds. What we didn’t expect was that our safari would begin right then and there.  As we crossed the Mara, we were greeted by a pride of lions, several elephants, and a large hippo.

On arrival, we got a tour of the camp grounds and were shown to our room.

We would be spending the next few days “glamping” in a luxury tent that overlooked the Mara.

Our meals would be served outdoors, shared with the resident warthogs and monkeys.

And, if you so choose, you could spend your afternoons lounging by the pool while elephants, zebra, giraffe and the occasional lion sauntered by.

But, Chad and I were here for the wildlife viewing, so we chose to spend our days on game drives. We were glad we did, because we got to see SO MANY animals!

Of course, the goal on safari is to see the Big Five: lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffalo. We saw the Big Five on our first safari, so we were determined to see them again. And, successful we were!

Buffalo and elephants are pretty common on both South African and East African safaris.  Even though there is a lot of elephant poaching going on, you still see a fair amount of elephants. One difference we noticed in Kenya versus our experience in South Africa – due primarily to the much flatter topography of the Maasai Mara plateau – is that we saw a lot more animals and with a lot less effort.

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We also got to see cheetahs, which was a first! This was probably my most favorite viewing because they were so chill and curious of us. they were also SO stinking cute! Our guide told us that it was not unusual for them to jump right on the hood of the jeep for a closer look.

There are more cheetah in Tanzania than in Kenya, so to see these two, we had to drive to the Tanzanian border.  And, since we came all that way, we sneaked into the Serengeti National Park.

The most difficult and sought after viewings are the rhinos and cheetah. Rhinos are difficult because, tragically, they have almost been hunted into extinction. If you are lucky enough to see a rhino, it will probably be a black rhino.  While black rhinos are still critically endangered, they are more numerous than the white rhino. We were lucky to spot just one black rhino.

The white rhino is more rare. There are two subspecies of white rhinos: the southern white rhinoceros, which are found in South Africa, and the the northern white rhinoceros, which were formally found in East Africa, but which are now functionally extinct. There are only two females left in the whole world, and they are guarded by around the clock security.

Most people miss the Big Five because they never get to see the leopard. Being the fastest land animal on earth, they are so elusive! They are also excellent hiders! While we saw three in South Africa, we only saw one in East Africa.

We spent so much time out on our game drives that we got to have picnic lunches out in Mara surrounded by nature.  We also stopped in the evenings for sundowners and to enjoy the sunset with cocktails and snacks!

Back at the camp in the evenings, members of the Maasai Tribe would come and visit us to perform traditional dances and to sell their handicrafts.

I love cultural immersion, so I asked out guide to take us to the local Maasai village.  The head tribesman took us on a tour of his village and of his personal home, which was a single room mud-hut with no electricity.  We also met the women of the tribe who greeted us with a welcome song, dressed in their beautiful and colorful traditional garb.  The Maasai tribe is well-known for its traditional and colorful handmade beaded jewelry.

We knew we would be visiting the tribe, so we packed with a purpose.  We brought educational supplies, crayons, coloring books, and toys for the village children.  They were so ecstatic to receive even the smallest gifts, and proudly raised their pencils in the air.

And so ended our second African safari adventure.  It was so nice to truly disconnect and be immersed in nature and in wildlife.  The experience really gives you a new perspective and a true appreciation for wildlife and for our environment. I can’t wait to go back to my favorite continent and go on another amazing safari adventure!

Seriously, if you ever get the chance to go on safari. Just go. It is pricey, but it is well-worth the money spent.  It really is an experience of a lifetime.