Self Drive Safari Tips

Self drive safaris is a very popular way for travelers to see the wildlife in Africa. And personally I think it is the most fun way too. But I am inclined to attribute that to my still fairly young age. I have the impression that younger travelers prefer the adventurous spirit of self drives, while the more mature and settled traveler will lean towards a guided safari with a driver that knows what he’s doing. Though, I do apologize to all of my senior readers who were offended by my stereotyped categorizing.

So let’s forget about the stereotypes and rather start discussing some advice and essential questions about self drive safaris;

What to bring on a self drive safari?
What to know before I go on a self drive safari?

What to bring on a self drive safari?

When you are exploring Africa’s huge national parks on your own, it is very important that you bring the right stuff! On a guided tour with professional drivers, you can usually rely on them to bring the essentials (like food and drinks!), but when you’re on your own it is a good idea to do a little research! So here is what I would recommend to bring on a self drive safari:

What You Need for a Self Drive Safari:

• Car: What car to choose for a self drive safari? Contrary to the norm in Africa’s national parks, you don’t really need a huge 4×4 Land Rover to get around. A cheaper alternative like the smaller 4×4 Subarus or Toyotas are perfectly fine. In most parks you won’t even need a 4×4 at all, especially during dry season you should be all right with a regular 2WD sedan. You are not allowed do drive off the roads anyways, so a 4WD will just make that temptation even harder to resist! Personally I drove through all of Etosha in a tiny Toyota Yaris and never had any issues with that!
• Tent:If you’re going on a self drive safari you should definitely try to at least spend one night in a tent. Of course you have to stay at specified camps, you are not allowed to camp out in the wilderness! But don’t worry, you will feel “wild” enough in the camps. There are several camps that are not fenced off, so animals will wander through. And chances are that you might wake up with elephant or lion tracks right outside your tent. A popular way to make the night safer is to have a car with a roof-top tent.
• Torch or Flashlight: Now I’m getting down to the details. But this is a good advice. It get’s really dark out in the African wilderness, so with no street lights around it is a good idea to have some way of illuminating your tent at night!
• Food: A lot of camp sites will have a restaurant that serves food, but it is always a good idea to bring enough food for all meals. Especially for Breakfast and lunch. Also remember to bring charcoal for your barbecues!
• Binoculars and camera: This is self explanatory.
• Map or GPS: Some of Africa’s national parks are enormous and not properly signed. This means that navigating can be a challenge, so if you want to get home before your food supply runs out, it is a good idea to bring a good map of the park. A GPS is of course also very helpful.

Anything else you think is essential that I have not mentioned in the list? Please scroll down and leave a comment while you still remember. I don’t want anyone lost out on a safari missing a crucial item that I should have thought of!

Advice and Information About Self Drive Safaris

There are certain things you should be aware of before you head into the jungle to look at the lions. Your personal security as well as the quality of your safari, both depends on some crucial factors to be in place:

What to Know Before You Go:

• Stay on the roads; it is the law. Remember what I said about those Land Rovers? Those huge 4×4s are mostly an image booster rather than a necessity. This is of course very hard to admit when you are standing at the rental company looking at cars. But the fact is that you don’t really need a Land Rover to get around in the reserves. You are not allowed to start drive off the roads anyways. Pretty much all parks in Africa has this rule for self drivers. Professional guides, on the other hand, can often go wherever they like to. And that, I think, is one of the big draw backs with self driving vs guided tours.
• Sleep at designated camps and book ahead. The last part is naturally not as important during low season as in high season.
• Remember that the animals are wild. You may feel invincible inside your car. But if an elephant or rhino decides to attack, you will regret that you drove that close up to them. So, unless you really know what you are doing, always keep a safe distance! And do some research on the animals behavior. It will make your trip safer and richer.
  
  Did you for example know that an elephant usually “mock” charges before a real attack? And that you can tell the difference by the trunk’s position? A trunk tucked back between the legs of a running elephant is a safe sign of danger! I would actually highly recommend the book called Whatever You Do, Don’t Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide. It is a very entertaining and funny book that will teach you all you need to know about animals and their behavior!
• Be quiet and see more animals. Be loud and scare them away
• Stay in your car!! This is important. Whatever happens, even if your car breaks down, stay inside and wait for help. You know as well as I do that you won’t outrun a lion if it attacks. And you probably also know that those big cats are masters at sneaking up on their prey unnoticed. So even though you keep peeking over your shoulder, don’t expect to spot the lion that is hiding in the tall grass right behind you.

This was what I think is the most important things to know before you go on a self drive safari in Africa! Did you think of anything that was not mentioned on the list? Leave a comment below and share your information with all of us!