So you’ve booked your first safari. Congratulations! Going on an African safari is hands down the most unforgettable trip you will take in your lifetime. There’s just something so magical about seeing wild animals like cheetah and lion in the bush for the first time. Heck, even a giraffe and zebra are exciting to see! But if this is your first time on safari, you might be wondering what a typical day on safari looks like. Other than seeing animals, what will you be doing the entire time? Well, this guide will tell you exactly what you have to look forward to!
A Typical Day on Safari
We’ll let you in on a little secret early on: no two days are ever the same on safari. While there is a structure and organisation to the way each day operates, there is also a great deal of flexibility to allow for the unexpected. We’re talking about days where elephants wander into camp, a herd of lions nearby or a latenight search for the elusive wild dogs. And while no two days are the same (which means you will always be running on adrenaline), there is a rough outline each typical day on safari will follow.
Early morning
An early morning game drive means an early morning wake up call. But this isn’t any ordinary wake up call. In the morning around 6:00am you will be woken up with early morning coffee, tea and biscuits. Sometimes this will be delivered to your room and sometimes it will be available at the main camp (after all, some of us need a little more convincing to get out of bed at this hour!)
And if you’re apprehensive about the early morning start, just remember you didn’t come all this way to watch the grass grow. This is the time of day when the animals are most active, so you won’t want to miss it. This time of day is when the animals are the most active given the cooler temperatures. Plus, you will often come across the big cats who have busied themselves all evening hunting their prey.
Late morning
After a few hours out on game drive (hopefully with some great wildlife activity), you will return back to camp for a hearty breakfast. Often you will enjoy a coffee stop out on morning drive with a biscuit or the now famous South African “crunchie”, but a cooked breakfast to sustain you throughout the day awaits you back at camp. After breakfast, there will be a few hours to relax in camp while you wait out the heat of the day.
Lunch and the Afternoon
Safari days are structured around the heat of the day. Because the animals are most active at the start of the day and the last few hours of daylight, you won’t be missing out on much by staying at camp during the day. This can be a great opportunity to catch up on some sleep, read a book, relax by the pool or scroll back through your photos from the morning game drive!
Lunch will be served somewhere around 1:00 pm and is no less impressive than dinner. You can expect delicious salads, cooked meals and plenty of alternative options if you have dietary requirements.
Evening & Dinner
Somewhere around 4:00 pm you will be getting ready to venture out again for an exciting evening game drive. This is when the animals are becoming active again for the evening, plus there is a lot of excitement in driving around the bush in the dark! Evening game drives will also include a “sundowner” stop, which is a bush term reserved to describe the all-important drink at sunset. Afterwards you will make your way back to camp for an evening meal before making your way to bed to get some rest. After all, there is another exciting day ahead when you wake in the morning!
Contact us today to book your once in a lifetime trip. We create custom itineraries to suit your needs.