Frequently
Asked
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
ASK AN AFRICAN SAFARI EXPERT
GENERAL
The best time to go to Africa depends on the type of wildlife you want to see on safari, the tourist attractions you want to visit and the activities you’d like to enjoy.
For instance, if you want to follow the wildebeest migration on safari in either Tanzania or Kenya, May to October is popular, but you can actually witness it in different places at different times of year. The mass zebra migration in Botswana actually happens twice, once during the rainy season and is less popular with tourists, meaning you’d likely get better rates.
If you are looking to combine your African safari tour with a beach vacation, the winter in Southern Africa coincides with the northern hemisphere’s summer and often has the best game viewing, but you might want to visit an African country closer to the equator for your beach holiday for warmer temperatures.
Peak seasons for safari tend to be popular due to concentrations of game and ease of viewing due to vegetation density, but if you travel in off-peak or shoulder season you’ll pay less, and this is often a better time for birds on safari, and you will get to see the baby animals born in spring.
Wondering where to go in Africa? East Africa and Southern Africa are the most popular vacation spots in Africa due to their developed travel industries, safety and infrastructure. The best African countries to visit in these regions are Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Mozambique.
We send travellers who want to see gorillas and chimpanzees to Uganda and Rwanda.
The Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius, the Seychelles and Zanzibar are also popular choices as they make it easy to combine a beach holiday with an African safari tour.
Less popular but potentially more affordable spots worth visiting are Malawi and Zimbabwe.
The most popular tourist attractions in Africa are the game reserves, with the most popular being Kruger National Park in South Africa, the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya, the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, Chobe National Park in Botswana, Kafue National Park in Zambia and Etosha National Park in Namibia.
Each of these countries also offers many more national parks worth visiting that might offer a more exclusive private African safari experience.
One of the most popular tourist routes is the iconic triangle of Cape Town, Kruger National Park and Victoria Falls, which you can visit from either the Zimbabwe or Zambia sides.
Cape Town in South Africa offers indulgent experiences for food and wine lovers, with excellent restaurants and wine tours. It is even possible to view whales at certain times of the year and come face to face with adorable penguins at Boulders Beach not far from Cape Town.
The Okavango Delta in Botswana provides opportunities for viewing African animals on safari from a mokoro – an African canoe.
Another popular African tourist destination is Mount Kilimanjaro which attracts droves of active travelers, although those wanting a more pristine mountain experience might prefer the less crowded slopes of Mount Kenya.
The age of your children will impact where we recommend you travel though.
Some resorts cater to adults only, with a minimum age of 12 or even 14.
Others accept children of all ages but don’t have any specific activities aimed at children. In many cases, there will be a minimum age of children allowed on game-drive vehicles unless you take a private vehicle.
Other resorts are so family-focused that they have “little explorer” type activities where trained minders will entertain and educate your little ones, leaving the adults free to kick back and enjoy some time alone for a little while while their children have the time of their lives.
At New African Safaris, our consultants have in-depth experience in travelling with young children.
As with many questions, the answer is “it depends”. If you travel with us, then yes, it is safe to travel.
As with anywhere else in the world, there are certain precautions to follow. This includes avoiding isolated areas, especially at night, observing water safety and resort/guide rules.
While there are some African countries which are less safe, we send our travellers to the safest destinations in East and Southern Africa only.
If we organise transfers and other domestic transport for you, you will automatically avoid dangerous areas as your drivers will know not to go through them. If you plan to self-drive, we give recommendations on risks to avoid, if necessary.
This is the main reason why tourists visit Africa!
Depending on the country and region, travellers will be able to view different types of large mammals, including zebra, wildebeest, cheetah, wild dogs, hippo, giraffe, dolphins, whales, crocodiles, birds and a variety of antelope.
Africa is well-known for the Big 5 – lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalo. This group is named the “Big Five” as early hunters from Europe found these the most dangerous to hunt.
South Africa is a great place to go whale watching, depending on the time of year.
Africa is an excellent destination for bird watchers, and we can organise specialised guides and itineraries if there are particular types of birds you would like to see.
We recommend travel insurance in any instance when you are travelling abroad.
While many African travel agents require you to organise this separately, New African Safaris is proud to offer travel insurance options that can be included in your overall travel package price.
Depending on where you are travelling from, your nationality and how long your stay is, your passport and visa requirements may vary.
People holding passports from countries that typically enjoy visa-less entry into many countries – e.g. the UK, Canada – may require visas to visit Africa.
If your trip includes multiple African countries, you will likely need separate visas for each. New African Safaris can advise you of the requirements of your chosen destinations.
It’s important to check with your medical practitioner before travelling.
You may require medications, boosters or vaccines for the following: Malaria, yellow fever, typhoid, cholera and diphtheria.
We will never send you to an area with any acute health risks, such as ebola, and avoid sending people to these countries/regions entirely.
This depends on what you want to do on your trip!
On safari, we recommend packing neutral-coloured clothing (white, beige, green) if you are going on safari to avoid being easily sighted by wild animals, especially on walking safaris.
Avoid wearing dark-coloured camouflage or dark colours as these absorb more heat.
The sun can be quite merciless, so we recommend sun hats and sunglasses to protect your head and eyes from the sun, and sunblock for your skin, especially for island and beach travels.
If you are travelling during colder months (Jun-Aug), especially in South Africa, consider packing jackets, long pants and long tops as temperatures can be surprisingly cold and catch some guests off guard.
If you are visiting Cape Town or any other African city, you might want to bring some smart-casual clothing if you want to take in some of the nightlife or high-end restaurants.
Aside from clothing and sunscreen, we recommend binoculars (if you have any) and big enough suitcases and bags to take home your souvenir purchases!
BOTSWANA
The time of year you choose to travel will play a huge role in terms of what you can do and where you can go when visiting Botswana.
Every traveller is in one of two situations:
- You are still in the early planning stages and are happy to take recommendations on the best time to go based on what you want to do and see.
- You are limited in terms of when you can travel – perhaps only during school vacations, for example, or you might want to honeymoon immediately after you get married.
We can help you plan based on whether you are flexible with travel dates and budget, or less so.
Here is what to expect in the two major phases of Botswana’s tourist year.
High season
Months: May, June, July (busiest), August, September, October
Pros
- The dry vegetation means that animals are easier to spot as they aren’t hidden by thick green grasses and leaves.
- Animals cluster around areas with permanent water as the dry season progresses, meaning you don’t have to go far or look in many places for safari action in the parks.
- This is the ideal time for water-based safaris, such as mokoro canoe safaris on the Okavango Delta, or boat cruises on the Chobe River. This is an experience unique to Botswana that you shouldn’t miss, given the choice.
- The Makgadikgadi Pans dry out, meaning you can walk, ride horses or quad bikes, and sleep out on them under the stars.
- The dry weather also means the right conditions for sleeping in a sky suite, such as those at Tuludi Camp. You can sleep on a canopy bed on an elevated platform out in the bush, with animals passing just beneath you in the night.
- While you can still see the big 5 and other star attraction safari animals further north in the Delta and Chobe areas, as well as the Boteti River to the north of Makgadikgadi, the salt pans and Central Kalahari will offer the chance to view desert animals and landscapes.
- This time period is often easier for people to get time off to travel, as it coincides with the northern hemisphere’s summer holidays.
Cons
- While one might argue that thinner vegetation means less in the way of a shot, photographers sometimes complain that brown sticks/grasses are not only visually uninteresting but also mess up the depth of field shots.
- While there are still hundreds of endemic species to view, there are fewer migrant bird species visiting Botswana in winter and the dry season.
- The lodges fill up really fast, some more than a year in advance and rates are significantly higher. We strongly recommend that you don’t wait too long to book if you’re planning on travelling in the high season. The busiest month is July, and in some cases, the same trip might cost another $1,000 per person if this is the only month you can travel.
- Busy lodges mean busier parks and roads. We can make recommendations of how to best avoid the biggest crowds, by choosing the western side of Chobe versus the east, for example.
Weather
- Nights and early mornings can be surprisingly cold in winter, dropping as low as 6°C/43°F at night in June and July. The temperature rises quickly during the day though and can go as high as 26°C/79°F.
- Sun-chasers will likely still have the odd day by the pool, while people who struggle with the heat will have an easier time of it than in summer.
- By contrast and still in high season, temperatures rise sharply in September and October, with October being the hottest month of the year. Daytime temperatures can rise to around 35°C/95°F.
Green season (low season/off-peak)
Months: November, December, January, February, March, April
Pros
- This is a fantastic time to visit the Central Kalahari, when this semi-arid region comes alive with lush grasses, providing plentiful food for grazing and browsing animals, attracting the ever-favourite predators.
- The usually dry Makgadikgadi Pans also fill with water, attracting grazing herds and huge flocks of flamingos, making this an excellent time for game-viewing in this area, compared to drier seasons, when non-desert game tends to stick to wetter areas.
- The afternoon thunderstorms are dramatic and beautiful, and enormous clouds and flashing lightning can be admired from the comfort of your lodge deck.
- Photographers love both the dramatic skies as well as the lush backgrounds created by lush plant life.
- This is low season, meaning better availability lower lodge prices, and a better chance of travel deals.
- This is the birthing season in parks around the country. The baby animals are adorable…but in addition, their presence attracts predators hoping for an easy meal.
- Botswana has hundreds of endemic species of birds that live there all year round, but the summer also attracts a large number of migrant species, making it an ideal time for a birding safari.
- From the start of the summer rains in November or December, huge herds of zebra migrate south from the Chobe and Okavango Delta towards the Kalahari Desert in just a few weeks, stopping at the Nxai and Makgadikgadi Pans to enjoy the new summer grasses.
- From March, the zebras start to form large herds again for their journey back north as the Kalahari water sources dry up. Green season Botswana safaris offer the unique opportunity to witness this large-scale migration.
Cons
- It’s not possible to sleep out on the Makgadikgadi Pans or in the sky suites of lodges that offer them, due to wet conditions.
- In spite of all the rains, the water levels in Okavango Delta/Moremi regions are often too low for mokoro trips, and some lodges close entirely as they become virtually inaccessible.
- Self-driving becomes significantly more difficult, with many of the roads turning to mud.
- The summer heat can be intense meaning even the most adventurous might prefer the comfort of air-conditioning and swimming pools of permanent lodges, compared to camping out in the wild.
- Thick green foliage makes it harder to spot animals, although high-clearance safari vehicles and sharp-eyed guides make this significantly easier. A greater issue is that the abundance of groundwater means that animals don’t have to cluster around rivers and larger bodies of water to drink, meaning you have to go in search of them, rather than parking off by a river and waiting for them to appear
Weather
- October – which is still high season – is actually the hottest month of the year in Botswana, with daily averages all the way up to 35°C/95°F.
- From November to April over the green season, temperatures drop gradually to around 29°C/84°F.
- Nights seldom drop below 15°C/59°F, even in the semi-desert of the Central Kalahari. In non-desert regions, expect nighttime averages of around 19°C/66°F.
- Probably the most significant detail about Botswana in the rainy season is – you guessed it – the rain! The rains typically start at the end of November, sometimes in early December.
- December, January, and to a lesser extent February, are the wettest months of the year in Botswana. Expect dramatic thundershowers every afternoon. These are often heavy, but not particularly long, leaving clear skies until the next evening’s showers.
How much your Botswana tour costs depends entirely on the level of luxury and the types of activity you’d like to do.
For those with the budget for a bit of luxury, you’ll find no shortage of excellent luxury safari lodges. You might want to add high-end activities like helicopter and hot air balloon rides to your travel plans.
Budget travellers might want to rent a 4×4 and drive themselves to save on costs.
While a trip like this will certainly allow you to enjoy much of Botswana’s extremely varied landscapes, you are unlikely to have as rich an experience as if you’d been accompanied by a guide and been able to drive on private roads.
Also, in many cases in Botswana and other parts of Africa such as Zambia, self-drive is not, in fact, a cheaper option than flying, and in some cases, you can only fly in. This means self-drive is more for those who truly want the experience of self-drive – not necessarily those who simply plan to save on costs.
A better idea for the more budget-focused traveller to Botswana would be to join a mobile safari, where the level of accommodation is basic, but you are accompanied by an expert guide throughout your trip.
If you’d like the best available options for your budget, we recommend asking an expert safari travel agent to help you plan your tour.
With more than 20 years of experience and 8 visits to Botswana, we can help to plan your Botswana safari at no extra cost.
You might have heard that a safari holiday package is more affordable in southern Africa than in East Africa.
In the case of South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mozambique, this is true, and it is possible to spend an action-packed week in these destinations for under $3,000 per person sharing.
However, you will find this is not the case in Botswana. The lower population density and remoteness of many of the camps mean that logistics drive up the prices.
Botswana also has a stronger currency than its neighbours, meaning dollars, euros and pounds don’t go quite as far.
The main reason why Botswana is a more expensive destination is that their government is serious about conservation, and they don’t want natural areas to be spoiled by over-trading, so have kept lodge numbers low. Fewer lodges mean more competition to get in, and the lodges can charge higher prices and still have a high occupancy.
New African Safaris generally recommends including a trip to nearby Zambia or Zimbabwe to visit Victoria Falls. Not only is this a popular attraction, but spending a night or two across the border from Botswana is a good way to stay more nights for less.
When visiting another country, it can be daunting trying to figure out how much to budget for while on your trip.
When it comes to Botswana safari lodges, some – perhaps 20% of them – offer full-board, meaning you get all meals and selected activities, usually including at least 2 game drives or walks a day.
The majority of lodges offer all-inclusive pricing, meaning local beers, wines and spirits are also included. Particular items like French champagne are often available at an additional price.
If you want a truly all-inclusive price for your Botswana safari package, New African Safaris can plan everything from in-country transfers, vehicle and equipment hire, additional activities etc, so that you aren’t surprised by additional costs, or disappointed that activities you expected are out of your budget if you went there expecting to be able to do them.
However, it is always advisable to allow a bit extra for tips.
While Botswana’s Okavango Delta and Linyati marsh areas certainly have a lot of water, Botswana is landlocked and doesn’t have any beaches.
Beach bums might consider looking at our recommended additions to your Botswana itinerary for a safari and beach combined tour.
Botswana is one of the safest countries in Africa, being one of the most stable countries in Africa, and listed as one of the top ten safest countries to visit in the world.
Tourism is highly valued by local people, and tourists are welcomed and treated with respect. This makes Botswana the perfect destination for first-time visitors to Africa.
Most crime that does happen tends to be petty and opportunistic rather than serious and concentrated around built-up areas, like Gaborone, Maun and Francistown, rather than in nature areas such as national parks. As in any city, it pays to keep an eye out for your valuables.
Those wanting to do a week-long highlights tour of Botswana shouldn’t miss Chobe National Park, Moremi, the Khwai Community Area, and somewhere in the Okavango Deta for the experience of a water-born safari.
For those with a little longer, we’d then recommend the marshy Linyanti area, the Savuti channel (May to August), and the Boteti River or Makgadikgadi Pans.
For those with a little longer still, or on their second visit to Botswana, we’d recommend a visit to the desert regions of the central Kalahari.
The Mashatu region near the Zimbabwean and South African borders is best combined with a trip to either of these countries.
Those wanting to visit South Africa as well as Botswana will enjoy the stark, dry beauty of the Kgalagadi National Park in the southwest part of Botswana, although either this or Mashatu might also be added onto a longer trip to Botswana.
You can certainly self-drive when travelling to Botswana, and New African Safaris can arrange vehicle rental for you.
We can hire you a fully-kitted vehicle with camping equipment, and pre-book your campsites, or else you can choose to stay in lodges along the way.
The easiest self-drive route would be from Kasane town to the east of Chobe, down to the Makgadikgadi Pans, and south to Maun, which is a town close to the Okavango Delta, as the roads here are of high quality and manageable in most vehicles.
However, if you keep to the main roads, you risk missing a lot of the more unique experiences that you might have if you were taken down a private road by a guide.
If you’d like to go a bit more off the beaten track, you can drive through the Moremi, Linyanti and Khwai Concession areas, although you will need to know how to handle a 4×4, and you’ll need a proper GPS/satellite navigation system, which we can arrange for you.
Our advice is that self-drive is a great option for the truly adventurous who want to get up to their elbows in navigating their way through Botswana.
If you were considering self-drive purely from a budget perspective, we can recommend a number of other more affordable Botswana safari options that don’t involve advanced driving abilities.
You might hear the term “fly-in safari” when researching a trip to Botswana.
While it might be expected that you’ve flown into the country, the term “fly-in safari” refers to the use of small aircraft flown between airstrips, often located adjacent to safari lodges or just outside national parks, in order to spend as little time on the road as possible and more time actually on safari.
In some cases, while touring Africa, fly-in might be the only practical option when it comes to more remote locations. In South Africa, for example, driving might prove to be the cheaper option, with Cape Town to the Garden Route being a popular scenic drive.
However, in Botswana, driving between lodges often requires 4×4 vehicles and involves great distances through undeveloped land, making fly-in both more affordable and less taxing in terms of difficulty of navigation.
The term “mobile safari” is one you’ll likely hear when planning a trip to Botswana.
A mobile safari usually involves a dedicated private guide who will take you on a tour within a national park or by road between a number of regions.
The most basic experience involves dome tents and bedrolls in private bush campsites with basic shower and toilet cubicles. A chef will prepare your meals and your guide will take you out into nature during the day, either on walks or in a safari vehicle. In some cases, weather-dependent, you’ll get the opportunity to sleep under the stars and experience all the sounds and smells of the African night.
In other cases, your guide may take you to luxury-tented facilities.
You may do this as part of a small group, or a private group.
Luxury level and group size will usually depend on your budget.
You might choose to spend all of your time touring Botswana on a mobile safari, or you might choose to add 3-4 nights of bush camps and mobile safari onto a package that includes fly-in transport and lodge accommodation.
The main reason you’d choose to go on mobile safari is the quality of the guiding, which is truly top class in Botswana and takes you right up close to nature, and shows you details you wouldn’t normally experience otherwise.
Fly-in is the way to go if you want to cover as much of Botswana as possible in the time you have available.
While some might argue that you miss out on the scenery that you might see on an overland trip, in some cases, your light aircraft might fly quite low and offer fantastic views.
In a few cases, helicopter transfers are possible, and can take you in low over game reserve areas.
The downside of air transfers for safari in Botswana is that they come with a higher price tag than overland options.
They are the best option for those who want to spend 2-3 nights in each of the best areas, with luxury lodgings, 5-star decor and service, and fine dining.
For those that have a slightly lower budget, or want to get as much bang for their buck as possible and perhaps stretch to a 7-12 day safari for less, a mobile safari is a good option.
That isn’t to say that all mobile safaris are more affordable, as there are some very luxurious options available, but on the whole, they are the more budget-friendly option than fly-in.
You can opt for very basically accommodated mobile safaris where you choose to set up your own tents, whereas, on the other end of the scale, you have tented structures with wooden floors and canopied beds.
Self-drive Botswana tours are for the truly adventurous. Usually, the choice to self-drive is less about budget, and more about wanting to feel like you’ve conquered the challenge of navigating Africa.
You might choose to rent a fully kitted-out 4×4 vehicle with a rooftop tent and cooking equipment, or you might simply drive between luxury lodges.
New African Safaris can plan any combination of mobile, self-drive or fly-in Botswana safaris for you – let us help you plan.
Botswana isn’t too far by air from Victoria Falls, which can be visited from either the Zambia or Zimbabwe sides of the Zambezi River.
As Botswana is landlocked, travellers who would like to add some relaxation on a pristine sandy beach, delicious fresh seafood and coral reefs to their trips might want to look into a safari and beach package including Mozambique or some Indian Ocean islands.
Botswana also shares a border with South Africa, making a visit to the winelands and beaches of Cape Town, or a trip to the scenic Garden Route another possible addition to a Southern African tour itinerary.
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park spans across the South African border to Botswana to the west, and Mashatu is also close to the border further east, making both nature areas easy add-ons to a trip including both South Africa and Botswana.
If you’d like to plan a multi-country trip to Africa, we recommend you contact us and let us help you plan.
SOUTHERN AFRICA SAFARIS & TOURS
Southern African countries have climates that vary even within the borders of each. Typically, Zimbabwe is temperate, Zambia is tropical, Namibia is subtropical desert, Botswana varies from sub-tropical to semi-arid, while South Africa ranges from subtropical to Mediterranean.
Summer and winter temperatures vary with latitude, but rarely drop below freezing even in mid-winter.
The best time for game viewing in Southern Africa is May to October when it is the dry season and animals cluster around watering holes. Mid-October to mid-February is a good period to visit Cape Town and Durban for a sunny beach holiday.
Safari goers during this shoulder season can expect an abundance of birds, baby animals, and possible off-peak specials.
The most well-known and popular attractions in Southern Africa are Botswana’s Okavango Delta, South Africa’s Kruger Park, Namibia‘s Etosha National Park, Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls, and Zambia’s Kafue National Park, but there are smaller ones well worth visiting.
You can expect to see the Big 5 – lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo – as well as hyenas, cheetahs, wild dogs, giraffes, zebra, hippos and buck.
You can see more desert-adapted animals such as aardwolf, bat-eared foxes and oryx in Namibia and the Kalahari in Botswana.
Areas around Cape Town in South Africa are known for whale watching and great white shark cage diving. You can also see penguins near Cape Town.
Yes, there are plenty of activities, attractions and accommodations for children and families in Southern Africa.
If you are going on safari or at a resort, some reserves and parks have a minimum age restriction ranging from 4 to 12 years. Many resorts have activities to occupy children while adults relax, but not all.
We’re parents ourselves! Ask us to help you plan if you would like to organise a family safari tour in Southern Africa.
EAST AFRICA SAFARIS & TOURS
Kenya and Tanzania both have tropical and temperate climates with cooler highlands and warmer coasts. Tanzania experiences rainfall in April/May and November/December while Kenya receives rainfall from mid-March to June.
Expect summer highs of 31°C and lows of 14°C, with winter highs of 22 °C and lows of 10°C.
The best time to visit Kenya and Tanzania for a safari is from January to the end of March. The best time to visit for the wildebeest migration is mid-August to late October.
During the rainy season in April/May, many camps in Tanzania close but some may have special offers during the low season.
For chimpanzee and gorilla trekking in Uganda, the best time is mid-December to the end of February and mid-June to October. The best time to visit Rwanda for a gorilla trek is also mid-December to early February and June to October as this is when the trails are drier.
Kenya’s top attractions include the Maasai Mara and Amboseli National Park. Tanzania’s top attractions include Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti National Park and Tarangire National Park. Both countries are popular safari destinations as they offer close encounters with the Big 5 as well as views of the wildebeest migration.
Rwanda’s top attractions include Volcanoes National Park and the Nyungwe Forest National Park. Uganda’s top attractions are Kibale, Forest, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Murchison Falls as well as Kyambura Gorge.
You can expect to see the Big 5 – lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo – as well as wildebeest, hyenas, cheetahs, wild dogs, giraffes, zebra, hippos, gorillas, chimpanzees and buck.
Yes, there are plenty of activities, attractions and accommodations for children and families in Kenya and Tanzania. If you are going on safari, some reserves and parks have a minimum age restriction ranging from 4 to 12 years, while others accept all ages.
AFRICAN SAFARI & BEACH HOLIDAY
The beaches on the East Coast of Africa all have tropical climates which make them perfect for almost all-year travel. Cape Town is warm during the summer months (December to mid-March) but cold and rainy from June to August, which is great for the Winelands but less so for the beach.
South African east coast beaches are more likely to offer warm daytime temperatures in winter.
The pristine beaches, warm weather and crystal waters are the top attractions.
You can expect to see a colourful palette of fish as well as flying foxes, giant tortoises, seals, turtles, manta rays, dolphins, whales and penguins.
Yes, there are plenty of activities, attractions and accommodations for children and families.
