What to know before you go to South Africa

Kruger National Park safaris, Kruger Park day trips and Kruger Park night drives are all immensely popular among tourists visiting South Africa.

There are many guides to inform you about what you need to do when booking a safari, but there just aren’t that many that will tell you about the unexpected things you might come across when making your booking.

There has been many a traveller who thought that booking the safari would be the easy part of the holiday and that travelling to the destination would be the hard part. This is exactly where they end up bumping their heads, albeit, just a little.

Planning an adventure comes with having to wrangle with the rules and regulations of the country you are travelling to. And planning also entails finding the right place to spend your time. We’re not talking about the actual safari, but rather the accommodation, which some safari companies don’t include in their packages.

When embarking on a Kruger National Park safari, with Kurt Safari, we plan your accommodation as part of the package.

But there is more to the safari planning than the accommodation, and in this article, we’re going to give you some advice which you can use should you decide to do all of your planning on your own.

The 5 things you need to be aware of before booking a safari

Not everything can be done online Just about every decent hotel or even your basic accommodation facility in South Africa will have a website. But that doesn’t mean that every facility will offer the option of booking online. So right off the bat, if you are planning to do all your booking online, think again and be practical by checking the websites. Last minute emails and phone calls are unlikely to provide you with what you could have had if you had planned ahead. While on the topic of doing things online, keep in mind that if you can’t book online, there is also the chance that you won’t be able to pay online.
Know the difference between public and private reserves There are some big cost differences involved with this point so you might want to pay extra attention here, especially if you are working on a budget. If you are looking to enjoy a Kruger National Park safari, you will be entering a public national park. Generally, the public national park will open its gates to the surrounding private lodges which don’t have parks of their own. And these public parks allow safari companies as well as day guests enjoying a self-drive to enter. Private parks are, well, private. They are not open to just anyone and they usually have their own luxury lodge within the confines of the park. Private parks are also much smaller than the public ones. It could take you a few days to see all that a private park has to see, but many weeks to traverse the Kruger.
You will set out early The best time of the day to see all types of wildlife is either during the early morning or the late afternoon. For this reason, most safaris start early, just as the sun begins to rise. Generally, the norm for most safari companies is to embark on 2 drives a day and then, if you have booked one, a night drive. Snacks and drinks can be provided depending on the company you are going with.
All seasons in a day At least, all temperatures in a day. Mornings can start off chilly, and you might be tempted to take out your biggest, warmest jacket, but you are going to regret it come 10 am when the sun has destroyed all trace of that early morning cold. Our advice is to dress in layers which you can remove and replace through the day, as needed.
There is malaria And you should take precautions, but it is not as common as you might think. During the day, you might not have a problem with mosquitoes, but they come out at night. Luckily, most safari lodges are well aware of the uninvited guests and have mosquito nets to cover beds. Malaria is only an issue in the northeastern part of the country, it’s quite uncommon elsewhere.

5 Things To Know Before Booking A South African Safari

Kruger National Park safaris, Kruger Park day trips and Kruger Park night drives are all immensely popular among tourists visiting South Africa.

There are many guides to inform you about what you need to do when booking a safari, but there just aren’t that many that will tell you about the unexpected things you might come across when making your booking.

The 5 things you need to be aware of before booking a safari

South Africa is the dream safari destination, and with the right planning and the right knowledge, you will be well prepared for the journey ahead.

Book your safari with Kurt Safari and experience the beauty of the Kruger Park with our Kruger National Park safaris.

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