If you have been watching documentaries shot in the savannas of Africa for years without getting bored, the safari tour will probably be one of the most unforgettable experiences in your life, for me it is.. I say “I wish I went on safari every year…” but of course, such a thing is not possible due to the safari prices reaching the Himalayas.. However, there is a more affordable option compared to safari tours in Turkey or individual tours in Africa: Overland Safari Tour.
What is Overland Safari Tour?
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Overland Safari Tour is a full-fledged tour in which you travel with an average of 20 people, accompanied by a truck-like bus within the route you choose, depending on the package you choose, and at the same time you make a safari.. When you join the tour, do not think that you are on vacation; you cook, do the dishes and laundry and mostly stay in the tent. You can find more detailed information about the “budget safari”, which the British call “poor safari”, where you stay in a tent full-time, in my article titled Affordable Safari Guide. nothing to do with bus tours. The aim here is not to see the most countries in a short time, but to travel through the countries on the route you have chosen and get to know the country in every sense.. Let me also point out that the overland safari tour, which lasts for days, sometimes for weeks, is not the only safari.. There are alternative tour programs full of adventures such as visiting native tribes, gorilla safari, city center tours, visiting natural beauties, and crossing the delta by canoe.
The Advantages of Overland Safari Tour
* You get the opportunity to meet and socialize with people and you get a completely different experience outside of safari.. Just as our drinking of tea at breakfast in the morning surprised those coming from other countries, we were also surprised that they could walk around in shorts even when the weather was 5°C, and there are countless examples like this… or children are hard to see. There is an age limit in some packages, the environment is like a youth camp on those trips.. Too many come alone. I think it is an ideal option, especially for women traveling alone to explore Africa.
* There is a guide with you almost 24/7. Having someone you can ask questions about and get information about anything that comes to your mind allows you to return with maximum information from the places you’ve been to.
* One of the things I dislike the most about the tour is tipping the guide.. At the end of the tour, a price per person is determined and the guide is given as a tip.. Of course, this situation also exists in the overland safari tour, but very small numbers. As we said, the price is determined accordingly, and it does not exceed $3 per person per day. to be. You don’t have to do something wrong to have to bribe someone.. As it happened to me in Daressalam; While taking a photo on the road, two policemen may turn you around and tell you that it is forbidden to take photos, and scare you and threaten you.. At this point, traveling with a tour is the most comfortable and safest way.
* When traveling individually, you are likely to get ripped off in Africa.. Taxi drivers, markets and local tour companies are crashing on you like a vulture.. There is no problem of insecurity as almost all of the Overland safari tours are run by the British.
* When traveling by bus between cities, you get to know the country as well.. There are things you don’t see on safari, such as termite nests that exceed 2 meters in length.
* If you like to stay in a tent, camping in the wild is a very different experience.. “I wonder if anything will happen to us tonight?” When we woke up in the morning, we found it quite amusing to see elephant droppings.
* In most of the tent camps, there is no Internet, no telephone. Of course, this may be seen as a disadvantage for some, but I think it feels so good not to read news for 3-5 days, not to communicate with anyone on the phone, not to get lost in social media…
Overland Safari Tour Disadvantages
* You have a busy schedule where you set up and pack a tent almost every day. No matter how pleasant it is, after a while you go in search of a hotel room, a comfortable bed.. At some points, you have the chance to spend the night at the hotel by paying an extra fee, but not everywhere.
* You’re walking around like a mess, at least I was. Hot water may not be available at every point where you set up a tent.. There were times when I couldn’t take a shower after being covered in dust in the safari vehicle all day.. Also, frankly, I was a little embarrassed to take a full bath every evening in a geography with water scarcity.
* Overland safari tour is actually an extremely tiring activity.. In some tours, there is an intense tempo where you get up every morning (in most of them before daylight), pack up tents, go on safari, travel all day with a concussion on dirt roads, set up a tent again in the new area in the evening, and deal with food and dishes as if it were not enough.
* May be troublesome for bodies that are not suitable to act with a group. You need to be prone to teamwork to enjoy this tour.. We did not have any problems, on the contrary, we enjoyed it very much, but we also sought the freedom to act individually from time to time. “Okay, we took 50 pictures of this zebra.. Can we go now? Hmmm, has Kevin not found the frame he was looking for yet? Alright! Let’s wait…”
* We’ve never met – luckily – but you may encounter poisonous creatures such as scorpions, snakes and spiders in the tent.. Our New Zealander brother picks it up and plays with it when he sees an insect, but I can’t give similar reactions yet
Despite all this, the taste of our first 15-day experience in Kenya and Tanzania remained in our palate. For this reason, we promised ourselves that we would repeat it at the first opportunity, and this year we organized an overland safari tour in a different region for 30 days. -You can find more detailed information on topics such as drinking, accommodation, transportation, How to Organize an Overland Safari Tour in Africa? In my article titled, you can see the step-by-step planning.
