The Guide's Tale Blog.

Safari greetings!

This month we ran a Western Cape Voyager tour for two clients from Washington, USA, as part of an almost month-long sojourn in South Africa. And what a great place to start! The Western Cape is about as un-African as it gets without leaving the continent. Indeed, the scenery and landscapes are definitely not what one thinks of when thinking about Africa! But it's an incredibly beautiful part of the world, particularly at this time of the year, the austral spring, when wild flower displays make the vistas truly spectacular in some places. Indeed, this action-packed tour is also one of the most cost-effective, offering a whole lot of bang for your buck!

Safari tour packing: a guide’s guide to packing for your safari:

Who knows more about packing for a safari tour than a safari guide? Exactly. Check out our article by Leon Marais about packing for your upcoming safari trip.

On the average Kruger safari, Spotted Hyenas are seen more often than any other large predator. Yet they are often ignored, or given passing interest at most. A Lion's foot sticking out of the long grass will draw massive attention from visitors (in case it lifts its head), yet down the road a clan of Spotted Hyenas lying ON the road will maybe have a vehicle or two in attendance. Yet Hyenas are actually very cool animals, exhibiting some very interesting behavior! And they can be rather grim as well...

The Kruger National Park is South Africa's prime safari tour destination. At over 20 000 square kilometers it offers one of Africa's classic safari experiences. From the hilly country in the south-west to the vast Mopani scrub plains of the north, there's a remarkable array of landscapes and habitat types, making it essential to book a trip that covers multiple camps. But, with 12 main camps to choose from, which one is our favorite?

An African safari is mostly about seeing incredible mammals. And, if you’re thinking about a safari, your first decision is which park to visit. The Masai Mara, the Serengeti, South Luangwa, Etosha, Moremi, Hwange, or Kruger National Park? All have an exceptional array of large mammals.

Well, there are lots of factors that play a role in deciding which one suits you – cost, ease of access, time of year, length of stay, etc. And all of Africa’s parks have relative strengths and weaknesses. Some are fantastically wild but very hard to get to - and hard to get to usually means expensive as well – while some are easier to get to and much more affordable.

The Kruger National Park in South Africa falls into the latter group, as it’s easily accessible and also one of the more affordable of Africa’s great parks. But there’s another ace in Kruger’s hand, and that is its diversity.