Here’s A “Day In The Life” Of A Safari…
As some of you know all too well, I have been sharing stories of our many wild safari adventures from last year…19 days in 5 different lodges, across 3 countries in Africa…filled with memorable moments like this:
Whether this Hippo was bored or not, we were fascinated by all of the incredible wildlife encounters we had in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe….perhaps our favorite was this little fellow:
A Hilarious Baby Elephant…
I shared this story about a very loud and excited baby Elephant chasing after her Mom one day in the Okavango Delta of Botswana…here’s what happened when the little fellow saw that Mom was leaving her behind:
That was just one of the many incredible safari adventures we experienced – and I have been sharing them with. you, which led to this!
I’ve had a ton of questions about what “life on safari” is like – the nuts and bolts of every day – and so here you go, what an average “day in the life” of a safari is…
An Early Rise And Shine!
Every morning at 5:30a, a Guide came to our room to wake us – you CANNOT leave your room alone after dark or before sunrise…30 minutes later, we are retrieved and taken into the lodge for a quick snack before heading out for the first safari adventure of the day…
This morning, our expert Guide George and Tracker Louis drove us across the Sand River at Singita Boulders lodge in South Africa – in search of a wild animal – a very much sought after sighting – which they found immediately:
Yes, we watched as this magnificent Leopard wandered past us – it truly is amazing how many wild animals are literally everywhere you turn….this was Singita Sabi Sands in South Africa.
Each morning safari lasts 3-4 hours: the Guides meet in the morning to discuss where animals have been sighted, which led us to discover this massive herd of Cape Buffaloes:
This sighting took place in South Africa as well..Singita is incredible! Once the morning sightings are done, we head back for a terrific breakfast like this:
The meals were always delicious and filling, and there are plentiful snacks in the main lodge and your room as well.
After enjoying a bite to eat, you have 2 hours to rest, relax, enjoy the view from the pool on your deck – or just discuss all of the sightings so far…then, you meet up again in the lodge at 3p and head back out for your afternoon adventure.
I didn’t realize how many wild Pelicans there were in Botswana’s Okavango Delta until we happened upon this feeding frenzy one afternoon:
On another afternoon safari, it took a wild turn when our Guide heard that a pack of wild dogs were heading for Botswana’s Linyanti River crossing…and our chase was on!
Our Guide told us to hold tight – he wanted to catch up to the animals, who are a rare sight in the wilds of northern Botswana….we raced across the landscape until the screeched to a halt to show us this:
Yes, a Python was crossing the road! Alex got a quick video and off we raced again – and we ended up meeting up with the dogs here:
We were staying at the Duma Tau Lodge in northern Botswana, where we also found this guy – not in the mood to run at all:
Warthogs are so adorable! Every 3+ hours of an afternoon safari allowed us to see so much: from warthogs to zebra, impala, giraffes and of course Lions – like this one who took a moment to smell us before losing interest:
Every day ends with a “sundowner”, where the guides find a safe spot to get out of the Jeep, put up a bar and set out snacks, and enjoy sunsets like this:
So that’s your “day in the life of a safari”, but one last very important point – how you get around out there in the wilderness!
We stayed in five different lodges, so we flew between them on small private planes, like this one that was so small Alex could do this:
Yep, that was a very tiny plane – but at least we had a cement landing strip…all of the rest were dirt, and if you want to know just how small they were, check out the “terminal” at Dinka International Airport in Botswana’s Kalahari Desert!
No TSA lines to worry about out here!
And if you wonder what other great food you can enjoy on safari, check out what we were served by clicking on my story here:
Here are more of our wild Lion encounters as well:
And if you want to see more Hippo encounters – and who doesn’t – there are more pictures and videos here:
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Categories: Africa, Exotic Travel, food blog, Memoirs, nature, safari, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir
johnrieber 
What a wonderful time you had! That leopard is magnificent, and I love that baby elephant. Have you ever watched the film ‘Out of Africa’?
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i’ve really enjoyed these looks at that amazing safarit trip- i’m guessing there were no two “days in the life” on that safari that were the same. p.s. love the mini terminal
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Your safari was such an unforgettable experience, it will be the ‘gift that keeps on giving’ for the rest of your life. I think the Warthogs were my favourite of the animals I saw in Kenya. Scared of nothing, and full of attitude. Shared on Twitter
Best wishes, Pete.
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Pete, you summed them up perfectly! And our guide told us the wild dogs fear NOTHING….
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