what I wish I had known before my first safari

Dung beetle doing its thing

Imagine the anticipation before your first game drive. You’re excited about seeing lions, elephants and leopards. But then the guide stops and spends what feels like an eternity, talking to you about the dung beetle. And then, to compound it, despite you being in an area known as Valley of the Leopard, which has one of the highest densities of leopards in Africa, you spend a few days there not seeing a single one. And when you finally do, it’s from afar and at night. And this was after the guide had told you, as you arrived, “one thing I can guarantee you is that you’ll definitely see lots of leopards.”

Driving through South Luangwa searching for the leopards

That was my first safari and that feeling of panic and worry that I wasn’t seeing the wildlife I had imagined has remained with me and informs how I help clients. So if you’re planning your first African safari, you’ve come to the right place.

Finally a leopard… in South Africa

I had no idea where really to begin and certainly no real understanding of how complex the safari world was. I saw safaris as being pretty much the same thing, regardless of where they happened in Africa or when. Most first-time safari-goers see Africa as one big safari destination, when in reality every destination offers a very different experience.

Perhaps worse than that, I didn’t know the questions to ask because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. This meant being at the right places at the wrong times and then sometimes places better suited to experienced safari-goers. Across the various safari destinations, there are different seasons which impact your viewing. For example, the green season is beautiful, but sometimes the thicker vegetation and longer grass can interfere with how much you can see as many of the animals are hidden from view.

Zebras and ostrich in Botswana

This is my ‘why’. Many safari professionals grew up in Africa or were fortunate enough to go on safari from a young age, meaning that perhaps they don’t have the same insight as to how it feels going out on your first safari as someone who was a total beginner. The anxiety of spending hours driving around not seeing very much. The constant refrain of ‘it’s not a zoo’ when you know that, but equally have spent a lot of money in the hope and expectation of seeing at least a few lions.

Lion in Zimbabwe

It’s only now, having spent years travelling across Africa, meeting suppliers, speaking to expert guides and visiting every type of camp and lodge imaginable,  that I know all the things I should have asked. For example, whether the lodge was in a national park or private reserve, which determines whether off-roading is permitted, or how many people share a vehicle on the game drives.

So whilst I would consider myself now something of a safari specialist, I still remember my first safaris, the mistakes I made and know exactly how you feel right now. And more importantly, the one thing which has always informed the way we design trips for Diamond Skies Travel and Diamond Skies Safaris clients, is the focus on you.

Young and very playful elephant in Zambia

My job isn’t simply to book a safari, it’s to ask the questions you don’t yet know to ask.

And most importantly I’m here to remind you that there is no such thing as the best safari destination. There is only the best safari destination for you.