Heading into the wilds on a guided safari is one of the most exciting and memorable experiences a traveller can have. That first sight of a giraffe emerging from the bushes or a pride of lions lying in the shade of a tree is one that will stay with you forever.
So apart from spotting a bevy of wild animals, what else can you expect on an African safari?

It can hot and dusty sometimes
When you’re packing make sure have your Comfortable shoes, a hat and sunglasses which are essential. You can probably leave the three-piece suits and pith helmets at home.

it gets chilly
Early morning and evening drives can be pretty cool, so be sure to bring a few warm layers.

You’ll be travelling in customised vehicles…
Our trucks have been custom built to give travellers the best possible safari experience. Large sliding windows allow perfect opportunities to photograph grazing rhinos and wallowing hippos. Some vehicles have front and roof window hatches for additional visibility.

With an expert guide
Most of my safaris have one guide and one driver. Your experienced guide knows exactly where the animals are hiding and will point out where they are, the best vantage points for great photographs, and how to stay safe if curious creatures get a little too close for comfort.

You’ll see some pretty incredible sights
Sweeping grassy savannas, rocky mountain ranges, incredible sunsets and… animals! Lots of them. What you’ll see depends on where in Africa you are: gorillas will be seen in Rwanda and Uganda; zebras and wildebeest make their famous migration between the Masai Mara and the Serengeti; and Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater is home to a range of wild animals, such as elephants, lions, rhinos and flamingos.

Some animals are more curious than others
So exercise caution around all animals and listen to your guide. If they tell you to stay in your seat, stay in your seat. Masai Mara National Reserve is becoming quite famous for its curious cheetahs, with many cats leaping on top of safari vehicles to get a better view of the animals around (not to mention who’s inside the truck). My responsibility as is to keep you safe while on safari, at nature stops and at the camp at night, so follow instructions at all times.

You won’t go hungry
On all-day safaris, you’ll get a packed lunch at a designated picnic area (so there’s no chance of a hungry lion snatching your sandwich). Breakfast, lunch and dinner (usually a combination of Western and traditional African meals), are served at the lodge/permanent-tented camp.

You’ll need to stock up on a couple of things before you go
Make sure you invest in a good camera, with an extra memory card and spare battery. You’ll take more photos than you ever thought possible and will probably want a camera with a bit more oomph than your smartphone. Binoculars also come in handy when a herd of elephants come lumbering across the horizon. Sunscreen, hand sanitiser and insect repellent are essential; tsetse flies are quite partial to a bit of biting – even through clothes.

A typical day
It’s an early start – around 5am – so you’ll need to set the alarm; the animals are most active as the sun comes up. After a snack at the lodge, you’ll head out across the savanna and watch as the plains come to life: giraffes plucking leaves from the highest branches, elephants trundling single file through the grasslands, and herds of gazelle gathered around the waterhole.
Once the morning warms up, return to the lodge or camp for a hearty breakfast (or lunch) and a few hours of downtime; swimming in the pool, relaxing in the shade with a good book or taking a nap.
As the day starts to cool down in the late afternoon, head out again for a sunset game drive and watch as Africa’s nocturnal creatures come out of hiding for an evening on the prowl.
On your return to camp you can enjoy dinner and drinks with your group before heading off to bed.
Safari-speak: what it all means

• Safari stems from the Swahili word for journey or travel. Originally, safaris denoted game hunts, but these days, the only shooting of wildlife is done with cameras.
• Another term originating from hunts, Big Five was coined by hunters and refers to the African animals that are trickiest to corner and kill: the African lion, African elephant, African leopard, Cape buffalo and Black/White rhinoceros. Despite its archaic etymology, the term is now commonly used among wildlife experts. The Small Five refers to Africa’s less noticed but equally pertinent critters: the Ant Lion, Elephant shrew, Leopard tortoise, Buffalo weaver and Rhino beetle.
• Not the relaxing experience you may expect, an African massage refers to the bumps and jolts you’ll feel through your body as the truck bounces over Africa’s notorious unsealed roads.
• A Sundowner is an alcoholic beverage enjoyed during a game drive as the sun goes down, sometimes with a backdrop of a few local elephants. Cheers to that!

The Experience in Africa.
As the sun sets on a day of safari, memories are imbued with surprise. Preconceptions have molded and twisted into reality, foreign concepts now understood as the safari itinerary plays out. Picturing an African safari initially comes with dozens of questions. What happens after sundown? How long is a game drive? Is there time to relax?  Safari itineraries burst with exotic reverie. Rhino tracking walking safari, lunch stops beside a waterhole, mobile camps in the forest; it all sounds exciting, but taking the snapshots and creating a firm picture of a safari vacation is difficult. So, what happens on an African safari? What does a typical day look like? Here's an overview.

It can be easy to picture a European itinerary, with visits to museums, city walking tours, or dinner tables booked at a Michelin star restaurant. But even the staple safari activity, the game drive, comes as an alien concept to first time visitors. How long is a safari? How much is game and how much is driving? As much as the destination is exotic, so is a safari itinerary, filled with new concepts and unique experiences. As a starting point, the general mood is one of serenity and tranquility. For all the thrill and excitement of being on safari, most itineraries follow the rhythm of life out on the landscape; cool mornings and late afternoons are when the action is intensified, while the hot midday sun is usually for downtime and relaxing at camp. With the procession of wildlife continually wandering past, these quiet hours radiate charm.

Every itinerary is filled with an often diverse collection of safari activities, each of them flexible at heart. Guides are experts at maximizing the wildlife encounters but the experience is wildly unpredictable. For example, a game drive might last an extra hour because you've spotted vultures and hyenas fighting over a baby hippo carcass. Or it could be cut short as basecamp has radioed in a pride of lions hanging out by the camp's waterhole. Some activities are more structured, like hot air balloon rides or river boat cruises, but a vast proportion of an itinerary will be constantly tinkered dependent on the mood of both the customer and the animals. Walking safari, nighttime drives, horseback safari; new impressions are offered by the myriad of activities, each providing a compelling angle.

Safari continues at camp, where there are many more exotic concepts to consider. What are the bathroom facilities like? What do you eat? Is there even electricity? While the camps excel in blending into the environment, there is more than adequate comfort and an ongoing itinerary of surprise; cocktails at sundown, mid-afternoon snacks, detailed narratives provided by wildlife specialists, stargazing instruction, guided walks in the vicinity. And while this might be the middle of the bush, the amenities are much like the comforts of home. Using traditional methods and modern touches, safari camps provide a blueprint in ecological existence.

Moving between destinations is part of the experience, the road journeys, another game drive, and the aerial flights providing stunning impressions of scale. The wilderness excels in offering solitude and calmness, an unexpected addition to a vacation that evokes notions of drama. Even on a drive between parks there are always a dozen photo opportunities. And while safari destinations and itineraries are based on similar ideas and activities, there's a diversity and individuality that shines throughout.

DESIGNING EAST AFRICA SAFARI THAT SUITS YOUR TRAVEL NEEDS

When designing a Kenyan Safari, there are some decisions to make: The first is whether you want a private safari or a group safari. A shared safari in Tanzania is a great way to meet new people and reduce costs but (unless you are traveling alone) we usually recommend a private safari because the price difference is not very significant (sometimes none at all) and you'd be able to benefit from full itinerary customization, travel at your own rhythm and pace and have more free space in the car. In fact, we specialize in tailor made safaris.

A lodge safari can provide some of the most luxurious experiences in the world while still maintaining its traditional allure
The second decision is whether you want to camp in budget public campsites or stay in luxury tented camps/lodges.
This decision will depend on both your budget and comfort requisites. When you contact us to plan your safari, we will suggest different accommodation options for each park, recommending those we believe have the best quality for their price-range. A simple camping safari, besides helping to control the budget, can be an exciting and fun experience. On the other hand, staying in a private tented camp or lodge can provide some of the most luxury experiences in the World while still maintaining a safari's traditional allure and feeling of authenticity.

And finally, one has to decide the actual safari itinerary in terms of parks visited and total tour duration.
To help you with this planning, I set of standard tours which I believe are the best options for different durations. All my tours are tailor made so I will use the itinerary that best suits your needs and then fine tune it to make it unique and perfect for you. A private safari can have one day or one month, can be spent in public campsites or tented camps/lodges or a mixture of both, can include parks from both the East and West circuit, etc.

For every detail and information about best itineraries or for building a custom private one, please contact me. I will make a tailor-made itinerary that can include not only the safari but also transfers, accommodation in town before/after tours, internal flights, extension to the coast or Zanzibar, etc. In a few hours or minutes, I will design you a tailor made tour with fantastic value and adjusted to your wishes, preferences and budget requirements.

I prefer to make our guests wishes come true and maintain a flawless company record rather than more profit. We prefer to give you high-end binoculars that will greatly enhance your safari experience rather than cheap ones or none. We prefer to use the most experienced guides through a careful recruitment process and well maintained modern vehicles than old ones. For us, every customer is a new customer with a different set of feelings and expectations. With us, private Kenyan tours can be budget safaris with very affordable rates or they can be a luxury safari experience with balloon flights, high-end tented camps, exclusive services, etc. We will adapt to you, not the opposite.

Our guides are our real stars, the ones who can make the difference between a normal safari and a once in a lifetime experience and they are the reason why after several hundred safaris organized, we only have great feedback! In any case, you will know that the value you pay will be fair and that 5% of our profit will go out to help children in local schools.
After all, this Kenyan Safari will be, for you, the journey of a lifetime, and all the details of the itinerary and accommodation should be designed for you.