Michi Photostory: Africa

Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts

April 04, 2018

5 Tips for Traveling to a Safari on a Budget

People have different goals when it comes to traveling. Some visit countries with stunning architecture while others prefer palm trees and white beaches. Others love being in nature and around wild animals. If this is your type, then going to a safari is likely on top of your priority list. Safaris are great because they provide a unique experience by observing wild animals in their environment. However, traveling to a safari can really hurt your savings. Plus, you need to do a lot of research to make sure that you make the most out of this experience.

Here are five tips that you can follow to travel to a safari on a budget

1. Look up Travel Deals

A lot of travel agencies offer travel deals, especially during the off-season. Sometimes, airlines will also give you some suggestions on how you can get an affordable deal. You can either book in advance when the prices are not yet escalated and when there are fewer people looking at the dates. If you are booking online and you noticed that the dates are not available, you can contact the company to inquire. It may just be that they haven’t opened those dates. Local hotels also partner with tour companies so they might offer discounts for every confirmed booking.

2. Avoid Peak Season

It will always be more expensive to travel in-season. The demand for tourists is higher so sometimes, tour prices are increased to make up for the would-be profits during the off-season. When you choose to travel for instance in December or January to Africa, there are more tickets available and you might even negotiate an affordable rate.

3. Book Group Tours

Group tours are another way to experience safari without spending too much money. The tours are usually in a group unless you specifically book for a solo tour. Some safari tours in less popular areas like Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park are not as crowded or expensive as the safaris in Tanzania. You might even be able to afford a solo tour and really have your time spent with wild animals. There are several tours and activities that you can find at Leopard Tours to get a well-rounded experience at an affordable price.

4. Stay at Budget-Friendly Hotels

When traveling to a different place, you should always remember to never sacrifice safety and comfort. However, there is a misconception that you can only be truly safe and relaxed when you stay at deluxe hotels and private villas. There are so many affordable accommodations that you can find online. Besides, you will be spending more of your time outside so you need a fancy suite.

5. Use Local Transportation

Unless the hotel that you are staying in covers your transportation to and from safari sites, you can save more money by using the local transportation. Make sure that you research on the best routes around the area and how long each ride takes so that you can maximize your time. If you’re lucky, you might even meet other travelers or get valuable tips from locals.

September 18, 2016

6 Must-Pack Items for Your Family Safari Trip

A family safari is a once in a lifetime experience and careful packing can ensure that it's a positive and memorable one. What you haul with you is of extreme importance, especially if traveling with children. For adventurers traveling to distant, exotic lands, here are five items a safari tripper can't do without.

Outerwear

A lightweight down jacket is ideal for the extreme weather shifts one is likely to encounter in the African bush. Though the days can be sweltering, the nights are often chilly. A lightweight jacket that is amply warm and compressible will keep you warm in the evening and early morning but will shed easily and can be compacted down enough to fit into your day-pack.

A Hat

A sturdy, wide-brimmed hat is essential for long days in the sun. A simple baseball cap will not suffice in these conditions. You will need something that provides coverage for your neck and ears, as well as eyes, so an actual canvas safari hat is best. The material allows it to be crushed and stuffed into a bag or back pocket when it's not needed, the brim extends over the ears providing optimal shade and many safari hats come with a cord that you can secure under your chin in windy climates to ensure it stays atop your head. After all, it's not called a safari hat for no reason.

Socks

There is no substitute for wool socks on safari. Tromping through foreign terrain can wear on your extremities, but wool provides both the padding and warmth required to keep those tootsies in working order. Be sure that your socks and the rest of your clothing items are beige and nude colors. Not only do you want to blend into the environment while trying to spy the wildlife, but bright colors may attract unwanted attention. Blue, in particular, will garner the attention of tsetse flies that are wont to nibbling on tourists.

A Smartphone

A smartphone with a good camera should be at the top of your list (or at least immediately under "passports"). Lugging around an additional item like a camera is unnecessary if you find a phone that comes equipped with a good one. The LG G5 has a 16MP dual camera with both normal and ultra wide-angle lens ideal for capturing the wild game and picturesque landscapes you'll find on safari.

Sanitation

For on the spot sanitary needs, antibacterial baby wipes reign supreme. Germ-fighting and disposable, you will find 101 uses for these while on the trail and a whole host of things that you never realized would need cleaning. Saline solution is another multipurpose item you may overlook as you pack. Not only is it good for rinsing your hands and eyes, it's perfect for flushing your nasal passages after a long and dusty tour of the bush. You would be surprised what can get stuck in there, and be trying to keep up with clogged sinuses can be miserable.

Though a family safari is the chance of a lifetime, if you don't pack smart, it can also be a disaster. Pack for comfort, sanitation and mobility and you and your family are sure to make the most of your trip.

November 29, 2013

My Favorite Things to Do in Africa

There’s just something about Africa that hooked you as soon as you set foot on the continent. It’s a place of such vastness, intensity, and diversity that you can’t just visit once. Katie, a travel addicted blogger from the UK shares just a few of her favorite experiences in Africa so far.

Camping and camels

One of the most unique tours I’ve ever been on, traveling by camel in Morocco is an unforgettable experience. It’s part of a two-day trip, which was fairly pricey at 130 euros, but it was all worth it. Setting off from Diabat, which sits between Casablanca and Essouira, we ride through eucalyptus and mimosa forests, before camping overlooking the sea. One of the camels wanders over when we’re finished and we give him some leftover bread. The next morning, we head to Essaouira for a ride across the sands. The infamous winds here pick up as we ride, keeping us cool and providing perfect conditions for the kitesurfers we can see whizzing across the waves.

Snorkeling in Sharm el Sheikh

I’m a bit of a water baby so I’m in heaven during a trip to Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh. Most of the hotels here have their own private beach, but so long as you pay for your sun lounger and have a drink there, you can usually use them. The Red Sea is as warm as bath water and less than 20 yards from the shore, I spot an amazing array of marine life, including a stingray which swims right beneath me, spiky lionfish and strange looking parrot fish.

Up in the clouds

In Cape Town, I head to the city’s most iconic landmark, Table Mountain. It takes around four hours to get to the top on foot, but I take the cable car, soaring across the city. From the top, you can see the whole of Cape Town, including Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean below. There are walking trails and viewing points at the top, along with a café. I’m lucky enough to see lizards basking in the sun and a dassie, which looks a bit like a giant guinea pig, darting into the undergrowth. After I get back down, I see the famous cloud, known as the tablecloth, descend onto the mountain.

A picnic with penguins

Boulders beach must be the only place in the world where you can sit in the sunshine eating your picnic, while penguins stand within touching distance. Boulder’s Beach near Simon’s Town in South Africa is home to thousands of little African penguins. You can see them from a wooden walkway. But, if you walk across the first beach you enter and clamber over, or under, some giant boulders, you’ll be one of just a handful of people sharing this space with the penguins. We watch captivated as they waddle their way down to the water looking clownlike, before plunging into the freezing waters and swimming like bullets under the water.

The Egyptian Museum

In Cairo, I’ve visited the world’s most famous attractions, climbing down claustrophobic staircases into the pyramids and standing with crowds staring at the Spinx. But, my favorite attraction is the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. Thankfully not there during the uprising, I gaze upon the Tutankhamun treasures, stunned to see such famous finds close up. But, it’s not just these standout pieces that make this place something special. It’s the myriad of smaller artifacts, the crowds, the dust, the handwritten signs. It’s just as a museum should be. I spend around three hours there but must have only seen a quarter of what was there.

It’s an analogy for Africa really. No matter how much time you spend here, there will always be more to discover. It’s no wonder that Africa becomes something of an addiction.