How To Plan Your 1st Safari In South Africa
After 5 years as a tour operator and 100’s of safaris planned for happy guests, we have noticed a trend in how overwhelming guests can feel when starting out trying to plan a safari in South Africa. With the almost limitless lodge options available, countless game reserves with varying wildlife, and a range of prices to suit or confuse all budgets, you may find this guide very helpful in making sure you plan correctly and evade any tourist traps and disappointments.
This guide will help you get the most out of your safari in South Africa and make the planning process simple, convenient and effective in getting the most value for your money.
We have broken down the planning process into 7 considerations:
LOCATION
BUDGET
SEASON
DURATION
WILDLIFE
HOSPITALITY
HOW TO GET VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY
Location
Greater Kruger National Park
Too many choices can really overwhelm and confuse, so let’s keep this really simple. If it is your first time on safari in South Africa then we highly recommend heading to the Greater Kruger National Park area. This is undoubtedly South Africa’s premier safari destination where the wildlife exists in an extremely vast wilderness area (over 20 000 square kilometres) making it an authentic and wild experience. The lodges in this area also take the experience to the next level with their high ethical conservation practices, expert guiding and world class hospitality standards.
The top private reserves in this area are: The Sabi Sands, Timbavati, Klaserie, Thornybush, Manyeleti, and Balule game reserves. With no fences between these reserves and the Kruger National Park, this is as authentic as the safari experience can get in South Africa and the abundance of wildlife in these reserves is truly astounding!
Getting there:
Sabi Sands – Fly into Skukuza Airport.
Timbavati, Klaserie, Thornybush, Manyeleti, Balule – Fly into Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport.
Sabi Sands Website: https://sabisand.co.za/
Timbavati Website: https://timbavati.co.za/
Klaserie Website: https://www.klaseriereserve.co.za/
Manyeleti Website: https://www.manyeleti.com/
Thornybush Website: https://thornybushnaturereserve.com/
Now this isn’t to say you can’t have a wonderful and fulfilling safari experience elsewhere in South Africa. There are a number of other good options:
Phinda Private Game Reserve (KwaZulu Natal Province)
With 7 distinct ecosystems Phinda is located in a 30 000-hectare reserve where cheetah and rhino are particularly prolific. The entire safari experience is of a very high standard and its proximity to the beautiful coastline of KZN is a benefit for those wanting to explore a bit further afield. KZN is also easily accessible by King Shaka International Airport with Phinda being a 3 hour drive from there.
View their website here: https://www.andbeyond.com/destinations/africa/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/phinda-private-game-reserve/
Manyoni Private Game Reserve (KwaZulu Natal Province)
Manyoni is located close to Phinda and is a good option for those who are a bit more budget conscious with their more affordable, although world class, lodge options. The wildlife viewing is also fantastic with cheetah and rhino also being prolific here in particular. The reserve is 23 000 hectares in size.
View their website here: https://www.manyoni.co.za/
Check out our KZN safari information here: https://www.nalaafrica.com/all-safaris/kwazulunatalsafari
Rhino Sands Safari Camp
Madikwe Private Game Reserve (North West Province)
Madikwe is a huge reserve at 75 000 hectares with lodge options for most budgets. One thing you can be assured with though is the brilliant wildlife viewing (look out for the elusive Brown Hyena here) and impressive and expansive wilderness. Sunrise and sunsets here are magnificent and the reserve is located on the Botswana border, a 4 ½ hour drive from Johannesburg.
View their website here: https://www.madikwegamereserve.co.za/
More on Madikwe here: https://www.nalaafrica.com/all-safaris/madikwesafari
Welgevonden Private Game Reserve (Limpopo Province)
A good option close to Johannesburg (a 3-hour drive) and a good size too at 36 000 hectares. As with Madikwe, there are lodge options for most budgets here and one can find good value for their experience. Some more interesting and unique landscape and vegetation types here.
View their website here: https://www.welgevonden.org/
Clifftop Exclusive Safari Hideaway
Shamwari Private Game Reserve (Eastern Cape Province)
A great option to end off a Garden Route trip in style! Its location is only 45 minutes from PE Airport and the end of the Garden Route which is becoming a more and more popular experience from Cape Town. It is 25 000 hectares in size and has always had a strong focus on conservation and sustainability. The reserve and number of lodges are breathtaking and offer a high standard of hospitality.
View their website here: https://www.shamwari.com/
Shamwari Game Reserve
Kwandwe Private Game Reserve (Eastern Cape Province)
Another offering in the Eastern Cape with sensational wildlife viewing. The reserve is 30 000 hectares in size and offers luxury 5-star accommodation in a breathtaking setting. The elusive black rhino can be found here after their success in rhino conservation in the area.
View their website here: https://www.kwandwe.com/
2. Budget
All-inclusive lodges offer accommodation, all meals, selected drinks and 2 game drives per day as a standard package. Lodges may differ slightly on what drinks are offered with the luxury lodges almost always including all local beverages.
Across the country as a whole, rates start at around $250 pp/pn and can go all the way up to $3000 pp/pn.
Prices are influenced by the area and location of the lodges with the Greater Kruger being on the high end, although still with outstanding value for money in terms of safari experience.
In the Greater Kruger we categorise lodges into 3 accommodation types namely: bush camps, mid-range lodges, and luxury (5 star) lodges.
- Bush Camps - $300 pp/pn starting
- Mid-Range - $550 pp/pn starting
- Luxury Lodges - $ 1050 pp/pn starting
If you’d like to see an example itinerary and up to date rates for a week long safari in the Greater Kruger then please head to our website here: https://www.nalaafrica.com/all-safaris/greater-kruger-tour
The trick with your budget is to figure out where a lodge has its value. For example, MalaMala Sable Camp suites don’t come with private plunge pools which is certainly expected at their $1400 pp/pn price point. But their focus is much towards the exceptional wildlife viewing experience they offer on their exclusive private reserve in the top location in the Sabi Sands. In this case if you’re a wildlife fanatic and can give up a few bells and whistles then this would suit you.
On the other hand, there are lodges in smaller, lesser-known reserves where a private plunge pool and luxurious suite comes at a third of that price. This would come at the expense of having a lower standard of wildlife viewing.
As you can imagine it is almost impossible to determine all of this online without hours and hours of deep research. And that’s where we believe we can add value in helping suit lodges to our guests’ specific needs and budgets. This is our forte, and contrary to popular belief, doesn’t come with an added cost for this invaluable service.
So please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for some helpful information and recommendations: info@nalaafrica.com
Saseka Tented Camp
3. Season
There is no wrong season or time to go on a safari in South Africa, but it is good to know what to expect.
Summer can be ferociously hot and rainy but is beautiful with all the greenery around and migratory birds. The bush is really “alive” in Summer. Choose a lodge with air conditioning in the rooms and a swimming pool.
Winter is considered the best time of year for wildlife viewing as the grass and bush thins out making it easier to find and view wildlife. The temperature is also very comfortable although expect the mornings and evenings to be chilly especially when on drive.
Rainy Season: October – March
Dry Season: April – September
4. Duration
How long is a piece of string? Some guests stay for months on end and others only have a short gap between business or other travel plans. All we know though is once the safari bug bites guests always want to return for longer time and time again.
We recommend at least 4 nights minimum for a safari experience but if you only have 2 nights then it is still worth it.
We also recommend staying at one particular lodge for at least 3 nights to avoid feeling rushed and having to travel between lodges ultimately missing out on the down time between game drives where guests are able to relax and use the lodge’s facilities.
Ideally a 10 day stay at 2 or 3 lodges (perhaps in different areas) would be a very fulfilling safari experience.
Madikwe Hills
5. Wildlife
As a rule of thumb, we like to stick to reserves that offer the Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino) as well as cheetah, wild dog, hyena and a variety of other animals. Diversity and variety of species reflects a healthy and more natural environment.
The size of the reserve, as mentioned before, is also important to ensure that the experience is an authentic one and the wildlife have the ability to live as natural an existence as possible with their movements over great distances. Ideally a reserve larger than 15 000 – 20 000 hectares should suffice but, in this instance, bigger is better and this is why the private reserves along the Western border of the Kruger National Park and without fences between them and Kruger itself, are undoubtedly the top reserves in the country.
This is big cat territory too with leopards and lions being particularly prolific. The Sabi Sands is known as the best place on earth to view leopards in the wild and the Timbavati has the highest concentration of lions and is sometimes frequented by the exceptionally rare white lions too.
In the Greater Kruger private game reserves guests will usually see the Big 5 within a 2-night stay. Of course, nothing is guaranteed in the bush and you never know what you may see which makes it that much more exciting!
KwaZulu Natal Province has good populations of both black and white rhinos as well as high concentrations of cheetah. Leopard, however, can be much shyer and more elusive here.
6. Hospitality
Something that is hard to discern from afar aside from perhaps reading reviews and articles on each particular lodge which we highly recommend.
Websites can be deceiving in both presenting a lodge in a much better light but so too in not doing a lodge justice at all. This is where we believe our expertise are once again invaluable in suiting lodges to our guests needs. We meticulously visit, experience and analyse every lodge on our growing portfolio to be able to give our guests real expectations and information about each lodge. The best news is that, at this stage, this doesn’t come at an extra cost to you as we don’t take agent fees and work with the lodges to offer our guests the best possible rates.
We feel hospitality starts with the lodge staff who can ultimately turn a humble and rustic bush lodge, or ultra-lux lodge into a warm, welcoming and atmospheric retreat.
It is quite astounding how the staff’s attitude and service can differ from lodge to lodge and is honestly something that can make or break a safari experience.
Tanda Tula Safari Camp
7. How To Get Value For Your Money
Book In Advance
The best lodges (by reputation) tend to book up very quickly. And since these lodges usually offer the best value for money, guests may need to try and book up to a year in advance to avoid disappointment. The longer you wait the smaller your list of lodge options gets. Keep that in mind when planning your trip!
Look Out for Specials
Specials to look out for are seasonal specials, “pay 3 nights stay 4 nights” or similar specials, South African or South African Development Community (SADC) specials, return guest specials, and last minute (booking within a month or less of travel time) specials.
Gauge where the lodge’s value lies
As mentioned before your personal preference, whether it’s the wildlife or being pampered in camp, should correspond with where the lodge places it’s value. We are wildlife fanatics who love tented camps, don’t mind rustic accommodation, and don’t need many facilities. To be honest sleeping fireside under the stars would suffice. In this way we are able to find good value in the best game reserves in rustic bush camps.
If it’s luxury and pampering you’re after, and the wildlife is more of an afterthought then a smaller, more affordable reserve could suit you to ensure your budget can allow for 5-star luxury accommodation and hospitality.
Of course, there are many lodges who strike a good balance and offer an outstanding all-round safari experience in every department.
It is totally dependent on your specific requirements and preferences and we love nothing more than finding the perfect lodge/lodges for our guests.
Travel In Low Season
November – April is generally considered low season in South Africa, meaning rates will usually be lower although this is not standard throughout the industry. It can differ from lodge to lodge with some keeping the same rates throughout the year and others offering high, mid, and low seasons for rates. Most lodges will have their rates sheet on their website and it is always worth checking out.
Low season is also called “green season” as Summer is lush, hot and rainy but is still a fantastic time of year for a safari. The birdlife is exceptional, many animals give birth during this period of abundance, and it doesn’t tend to rain for days on end with spectacular afternoon storms being a more standard occurrence. A midday, refreshing dip in your lodges’ pool whilst sipping on a cocktail just feels that much better on a Summers day after all.
MalaMala Main Camp
We’re here to help
We honestly can’t stress enough how reaching out to a tour operator like us can benefit you in every way whilst planning your safari in South Africa. This is what we are passionate about and what our forte is, and we love putting these unforgettable safari experiences together for our guests. We’re happy to take the time to explain how everything works (we find a video call is sometimes a good option) and to guide you through the whole process.
Get hold of us here:
Email info@nalaafrica.com
Phone/WhatsApp +27716358491
Website: https://www.nalaafrica.com/
