Safari Styles

The Swahili word ‘safari’ literally means to travel, usually a great distance that includes some form of nightly rest spent on route. This section includes information on the different sorts of safaris available, methods of travel and accommodation that is commonly offered.

CAMPING

Camping conjures up many different images for different people – memories of scout and guide camps as a youth or perhaps family camping trips – but for the purposes of describing the safaris offered by TATO members, we have divided camping into four categories:

BUDGET CAMPING

Budget camping involves travelling with all your camp equipment, your guide and possibly a cook in your vehicle with you. Once you get to camp everyone helps to cook and set up. This is economical and fun, but does mean that you spend valuable time in the evening organising your camp and food when you could be out on game drives. These services typically use the less expensive shared or public campsites, but exclusive camps, or campsites with shower and toilet facilities outside the parks can also be booked and used. Beds are usually mattresses on the floor of a small tent.

FLY CAMPING

Fly camping involves setting up small, temporary camps for a night under the stars, more often than not in a remote part of the bush. Fly camps are the ideal end to a day’s walking safari or game drive, with many unexpected comforts – a canvas washbasin with hot water, fresh towels, hurricane lamps and delicious food cooked on the fire. At night, the sensation of sleeping in a light tent or just under a mosquito net, as the moon shines down and the noises of the African night begin, is the highlight of any safari holiday.

LUXURY CAMPING

Imagine feather pillows, soft towels, gin and tonic and four course gourmet meals in a candlelit dining tent as far from the hustle-bustle of modern life as you can get. This is what luxury camping is all about. The tents are roomy and comfortable, with a veranda in front and a bathroom with hot-water shower, washbasin and toilet directly behind the tent. The luxury tents have a bedside table, gas or solar lamps, chairs and a wardrobe for your clothing. A deep freeze will supply your drinks with ice and keep specialty food items fresh. Laundry is done daily. A large staff will ensure that your meals are gourmet and all your needs in camp are met. Luxury camps are often situated so that you can enjoy the same area for several days.

LIGHTWEIGHT LUXURY CAMPING

Like the luxury camps, tents will have metal or wood-frame beds, standing headroom, a veranda and small en-suite toilets and hot showers. However, the tents will be smaller and may be the traditional ‘A’ shape with a central ridge pole. The camps are fully staffed and meals will be three course affairs served by a waiter in a lantern lit mess tent, or on a table under the stars. Pick-up trucks, rather than lorries, often move these camps, so they don’t have luxuries such as a deep freeze. There will usually be wine, beer and soda on ice in camp. Lightweight camps like this can be moved overnight and offer an amazing degree of comfort.

EQUESTRIAN SAFARIS (HORSE SAFARIS)

Tanzania has a few operators that offer horseback safaris unlike anything else in Africa. Galloping alongside a herd of zebra or wildebeest as they race across the open plains is a lifelong dream for many riders the world over. Tanzania’s horse safaris offer the chance to make the dream a reality with well-bred, well-schooled mounts, professional equipment and the luxury of miles and miles of countryside in which to ride. The wild animals are not afraid of horses in the same way that they are of cars or pedestrians, allowing you to get much closer than usual.
You must be an accomplished rider if you wish to go on a horse safari as these expeditions will take you into the wilderness, riding in the same terrain as the wild animals. You will ride daily, your ‘game drives’ on horseback. The camp can be in situ for several days or can move daily by truck. The types of camps that accompany these safaris vary, from lightweight luxury to luxury.

CULTURAL SAFARIS

A cultural safari consists of several days staying in local guesthouses, eating local ethnic food and absorbing the culture of the people who have lived in the area for years. Each day is usually spent trekking and visiting farms, houses and local projects. All meals will be in small restaurants and your nights spent in clean but simple local guesthouses.

WEDDING SAFARIS

Begin your big day with a game drive or walking safari, arrive at the altar on horseback and get married with Mt Kilimanjaro in the background and local Maasai as witnesses. The choices are endless and there are many companies who are happy to work through the plentiful African red tape to ensure you have an unforgettable wedding day – and legally binding marriage.

BLUE SAFARIS

The blue safari, a safari on water, is by no means a new concept, but it is one that has blossomed all over Tanzania in recent years. From the rivers and lakes of Tanzania biggest reserves, to the turquoise waters of Zanzibar’s island systems, visitors can relax while viewing both land and marine life, from elephants to whales, buffalo to dolphins. A blue safari can offer the most relaxing game viewing possible.

WALKING SAFARIS

To walk through the African bush is to experience Africa close-up. Smells are suddenly subtle and varied and every sound has significance. Birds and butterflies are individuals, noticed and studied, not simply rushed past in the race for the bigger game. And when the larger animals appear, they are met at eye level, standing on the same earth. Safety is not an issue – armed, experienced guides and game rangers accompany all walks. Your camp is packed up and transported to the next location by different methods: pickup truck, porters or donkeys. The camping style tends to be lightweight and extremely mobile. You will walk for several days, travelling like nomads across the African bush often miles from any roads or tracks.