African safari holidays

[OneNiftyHare]

Hello! I've been lurking and was previously here under a different name and MN always has the best advice.

We'd love to do a once in a life time Safari and beach trip, but have max 12k for myself and DH. Is it even doable on our budget? If not where would you recommend for wildlife (aside from Asia we did most of it cheaply in our youth and on honeymoon).

We're looking to go away for 2 weeks, Safari and then beach. Priorities are proper Safari vehicles that arent overcrowded (have read horror stories about people getting put in overcrowded vehicles with windows) , accommodation not too basic, and the beach location should be a bit more upmarket and have safe water for swimming in and hopefully good diving/snorkeling.

I am drawn to the Serengeti but I don't know if that's best? I am open to suggestions but we want to see as many animals as possible. We are not really drawn to South Africa.

Can anyone also recommend tour operators? Would rather book it all as one package for the financial protection.

Thanks :)

For tour operators, have a look at Africa Odyssey.

Hope you have a wonderful holiday.

We went to Kenya - Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru followed by Diani beach. It was fab and within your budget.

Well it was 2004 but I did safari itself for about £300. I was living in the country at the time so we booked individually, but essentially went to Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater, then back to Dar and got an internal flight (8 people plane!) to Zanzibar, where we did Stone Town, red colobus monkeys, white sandy beaches, scuba diving.

Best to look into timing of migration- wildebeest, flamingoes are pretty amazing to see. The photos I have almost don't look real, so surreal.

We used a Kenyan company called Natural world. Many of the Kenyan and other African companies will offer a private driver and vehicle for similar money to a group tour with one of the big companies.
Pick your route and hotels and off you go.
We've done it a few times now and it's wonderful.

I have no advice, but I just want to say I'm jealous. An African safari is my dream vacation. 😍

We used Trailfinders and went to Masai Mara and then the beach. The best holiday ever.

We used trailfinders and went to botswana and zimbabwe which was ace. We went to mauritius afterwards which was ok but nowhere near the spectacle of a safari, i wish we had stayed in botswana longer instead!

12k will cover it but probably wont get your the okevange delta

We're just back from an amazing 3 week holiday in South Africa that included both safari and luxury beach resorts. We used Trailfinders and I can't recommend them highly enough. Trip of a lifetime

You'll get the best value and see great game in South Africa but have the experience you're after in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, etc. these places are generally more expensive.

Bonamy travel. Would do a personal itinerary for that amount easily. Best holiday I’ve ever done.

Cannot for the life of me remember who we went with as was 15 years ago and did Masai Mara with beach, 12 days. All I can say is it was the holiday of a lifetime! I think any package in east Africa (Kenya/Tanzania) will be amazing as I know friends who have done both. Go go go! You'll love it :))

Wow so many great responses! Thank you everyone. I'm going to start digesting them and looking up companies.

Those of you who did SA, how was it safety wise?

It's so lovely seeing everyone talk about their trips so fondly.

We went a few years ago to Tanzania and Zanzibar. We used Yellow Zebra who were fantastic. Can’t remember the cost tbh but they were very good at checking budgets and offering different options. DS and wife have just been to Kenya for honeymoon and again used Yellow Zebra, they went to Kenya as slightly cheaper and had a fantastic time, I’d highly recommend them. I’m pretty sure they have won safari provider of the year a few times.

Oh and to add, the only bit I found a little disappointing in Tanzania was the Ngorogoro crater, because of the terrain all the vehicles were in a relatively small area and it felt much more like a safari park than when we were out in the bush seeing wildlife really wild.

We went to Tanzania in 2017. Tiny company called African Eden. Our own lorry and guide for 2 weeks, staying in a mix of tented camps and luxury lodges. I actually slept better in the tented camps with stone hot water bottles and furs on the bed.

Bought flights with KLM and flew to Arusha from Amsterdam. I think we paid about 9k.

Been very lucky and done Kruger, South Africa and Kenya 3 times. I'd recommend looking at which parks have which animals and then weather around the time you want to go. For example one may have more elephants but no rhino. Some may have all big 5. Best lodge I stayed in was Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge , absolutely stunning. Another tip is try staying near a watering hole where you'll have a higher chance of seeing more game. Of all the beaches, my favourite was Zanzibar. If you pick a decent reputable safari organiser then you can't go wrong. It's out of this world! Not sure if you can with your budget but my safari dream is Okavango Delta. Watch the National Geographic documentary!

I went to South Africa earlier this year. It was amazing -we saw so much, stayed at a fabulous, small, wonderful lodge. Incredibly reasonable for what we got. Most times we were in vehicles with only 2 or 4 other people. (I think they held up to 10 max). There were 2 of us. So they were never overloaded. I felt totally safe the entire time. I will go back.

edit - didn’t do a beach bit

We used a company called African Travel Resources. Really good and knowledgable but expensive. We went to Tanzania (Selou Reserve) and then Zanzibar. Amazing experience. Happy to share more info on hotels etc if needed.

I’d recommend thinking again about South Africa. It’s incredible value. You could do a mix of National Parks (cheap but decent accommodation, self-drive and guided drives and walks available) and luxury private safari. For safari-beach combo either Kruger and Durban coast (which has advantage of being Indian Ocean so warm sea) or Addo Elephant Park (not just elephants!) and Cape Town - stay in Camps Bay or Clifton.

With those sorts of itineraries you’ll be safe. You’d be driving on major highways, and those roads are very good. You will be staying in nice areas. You might feel bad about that but at the end of the day you’re on holiday, and anyway I think Township tours are gross poverty gawking.

I’ve been to Tanzania too. You have to spend A LOT more money to have a comparable experience to South Africa.

We’re at the tail end of a safari holiday in Tanzania which has been truly wonderful and the trip of a lifetime. We used a small specialist company called Safari Republic and they have been amazing. They created a personalised itinerary based on our interests and budget and we’ve had our own Land Cruiser with dedicated driver/ guide for the whole trip- he is so knowledgeable and we’ve learnt so much from him about the wildlife and local culture. Did all the big parks (Serengeti, Ngora Ngora Crater, Lake Manyara) and some smaller ones like Arusha National Park where you can do a walking safari. Also got to meet local tribes and learn about their customs and traditions which was so interesting. We’ve stayed in amazing tented lodges and hotels and all meals have been included. We also added on a trip Zanzibar so we could enjoy a relaxing time on the beaches (this does make the trip pricier but it’s such a treat after doing safari).

If you were living there and paid residents rate for park fees that would be cheaper than tourist rates.

Why are you put off South Africa? I’d say it’s definitely the place to go for first timers, you can get some really nice safari lodges for within your budget at about 1k per night, you want 3 or 4 nights really, more than that and it gets a bit samey.

We were in a large vehicle with 2/4 other people max and had a whole row to ourselves. We were also usually the only vehicle looking at whatever animal we had found, it was superb.

Cape Town is also an absolutely fantastic city, the best city we’ve been to and we have travelled a lot. The winelands nearby are truly stunning. Most people I know who’ve been to South Africa return again and again (we certainly will). The food and wine is incredible.

ETA: Cape Town was fine safety wise, you can walk freely round loads of areas such as camps bay, V&A waterfront etc. just don’t go wandering off into areas you don’t know but it’s usually pretty obvious. We used Uber to get around which was cheap and very safe. Just do the usual tourist safety stuff like not wearing flashy jewellery (leave it in the safe) and not waving large sums of cash about. Johannesburg I believe is worse but I would t suggest you go there.

I went to SA, one week safari then one week beach/nice hotel. We used a company called 2by2 travel. They were great.
We were near Durban. Stayed in a lodge called rhino ridge which was gorgeous. Drives twice a day and included between 2-6 other people maximum, some days it was just us!
After that we stayed in a hotel called the oyster box in Umshalga Durban. Honestly the most gorgeous hotel I have ever been to. From the hotel grounds we saw whales and dolphin, just amazing.

We did Kenya and Tanzania. It was amazing! As pp have said, plan it around the migration.