I found a website again this morning (listed on the first
page of a Google search no less) boasting “Amazing African safaris at great
prices”. As far as standard packages go they looked decent enough and pricing
was average but after going to the “about us” section it read “This
is an example of a WordPress page…” Great!
This really irks me as it seems to be indicative of a larger
problem facing the safari industry lately. The African safari is one of the
fastest growing segments of the travel market but this unfortunately means
you’ll find an increasing amount of unscrupulous “sausage train” travel portals and tour operators wanting to make the quick buck, at the expense of not only your
pocket but your experience as well.
As with any other business, operators need to make money but
it’s been my experience, that for the good ones at least, it is (more
importantly) about the way of life as well. There is after all much easier ways
to make money if that’s all you’re interested in…
Some of the bad apples to watch out for;
Hours on end driving in
uncomfortable mini-busses.
Crowded drives, hotels, lodges, and
tented camps
Unprofessional, untrained safari
guides and drivers
Reckless Off-road driving and
wildlife harassment
Sub-standard facilities
Luckily it’s by no means not all bad! There are still many
great operators out there that are ready and able to provide you with the
experience of a lifetime.
So how do you find that great African Safari experience? To
get you started, here’s my advice. With a little research you’ll find many more
guides like this as well.