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Game Drives
The conventional way to see Africa’s greatest landscapes and wildlife is on a vehicle based game drive. This has a number of advantages. The vehicle disguises your human shape and scent, and animals will let you get much closer than they would if you were on foot or horseback in safety; and it is easy to track game. Vehicles make light work of climbing to viewpoints and there’s plenty of space to store photographic equipment and the ‘cooler box’ for sundowners. Usually there are two game drives a day, with one starting at dawn, returning for a late breakfast, and another in the afternoon, returning at nightfall. Some private reserves stretch the experience by also providing night game-drives, meeting a very different range of species, picking out nocturnal animals such as leopard and hyena with a high-power spotlight.
The vehicles used are all specially adapted four wheel drive vehicles but the design and type varies from camp to camp. In Southern Africa the vehicles are generally open, with tiered seats, giving clear views on every side. Sometimes there will also be a tracker’s seat at the front of the vehicle. There may or may not be a canvas ‘shade’ roof, but it’s always a wise precaution to bring a hat against the sun and, even though blankets are provided when necessary, a scarf and warm clothing against the chill of dawn and dusk.
Traditionally in East Africa the safari vehicles have closed sides, but open roofs so you safely get a clear view for photographs. Even now park regulations often insist on these vehicles, especially where predator concentrations are high. Many of East Africa’s private reserves have started to adopt the open-sided, tiered safari vehicles used in Southern Africa.
An important factor is how many visitors share each vehicle. Too many and the experience suffers: your views are obstructed and conflicts can arise between those who want to spend hours watching lion panting by a kill and others who would rather see smaller wonders or search for birds. We tend to use lodges where passenger numbers are limited, though we can always arrange for you to have a vehicle to yourself.
The vehicles used are all specially adapted four wheel drive vehicles but the design and type varies from camp to camp. In Southern Africa the vehicles are generally open, with tiered seats, giving clear views on every side. Sometimes there will also be a tracker’s seat at the front of the vehicle. There may or may not be a canvas ‘shade’ roof, but it’s always a wise precaution to bring a hat against the sun and, even though blankets are provided when necessary, a scarf and warm clothing against the chill of dawn and dusk.
Traditionally in East Africa the safari vehicles have closed sides, but open roofs so you safely get a clear view for photographs. Even now park regulations often insist on these vehicles, especially where predator concentrations are high. Many of East Africa’s private reserves have started to adopt the open-sided, tiered safari vehicles used in Southern Africa.
An important factor is how many visitors share each vehicle. Too many and the experience suffers: your views are obstructed and conflicts can arise between those who want to spend hours watching lion panting by a kill and others who would rather see smaller wonders or search for birds. We tend to use lodges where passenger numbers are limited, though we can always arrange for you to have a vehicle to yourself.