How Many Days Do you Need for an African Safari?
Africa is one the destination which should not miss on your bucket list of destinations to visit before you die, Africa is ranked among the best destinations to visit in the world consisting of many amazing safari destinations such as Kruger national park, Maasai Mara national reserve, Serengeti national park, Bwindi impenetrable national park, Etosha national park, Hwange national park, Amboseli national park and many more.
When planning a safari to Africa, the number of days to spend on the safari is really a major question most tourists wonder about, the length of time to spend on an African safari depends on many factors and these include
Factors affecting how many days you need for an African safari
The number of days you need to stay on an African safari depends on many factors and these include
Your budget for your safari
Your budget for the safari greatly influences the number of days you need on an African safari, as it knew your budget determines many factors of your safari such as the number of destinations to visit, the type of accommodation to use while on the safari, and many other aspects of your safari.
The number of parks you intended to visit on this safari depends on the budget you have for the safari as conservation fees are paid to each park upon entry, the number of parks will give you the total number of days you are to spend on an African safari.
For example, if you are visiting 2 national parks you will need fewer days on your safari than some visiting the above 2 parks.
Travel time between national parks/destinations
The distance between national parks you are to visit influences the number of days you need for an
African safari, in most incidences you may find that national parks you are intending to visit are allocated kilometers apart which require a full day of driving which adds on the number of days for the safari.
The only way to beat the factor of the distance between national parks or destinations by using domestic chartered flights between national parks which is quite very expensive and adds to the expenditure on your safari.
Jet lag
Jet lag factor solely depends on international tourists visiting Africa for a safari, tourists from various regions of the world such as the USA, Austria, Germany, England, China, and many more require long flight hours to get to African destinations for a safari.
As Africa, we experience time difference and in most cases, their day time is night time in some African regions such as East Africa that is why it is recommended to leave on the day free on your safari itinerary for arrival and rest to get over the jet lag.
The Number of Safari Activities to do on a Safari
The number of safari activities to do on a safari determines the number of days you need for a safari, when planning a safari to Africa it is better to list the number of activities to do such as game viewing, bird watching, beach safaris, mountain climbing and more.
Most safari activities such as game viewing should be allocated a full day so as to enjoy the experience and some activate take more than one day such as mountain climbing.
This is why you should do research when choosing the safari activities to do and allocate the perfect time for them depending on the number of parks you want to visit.
Time to stay in one park
The time to spend in one national park on a safari also lies on several factors that are the size of the park, the activities you want to do, the diversity of wildlife, and other attractions found in the park.
Most national parks in Africa are large in square kilometers such as Namib-Nankluff Park, Kruger national park, and have a large variety of wildlife, physical features such as lakes and mountains. Large national parks offer many safari activities and it is possible to spend more than 3 days in one park on an African safari.
However, there are some national parks that are really small which and have few activities such as Lake Nakuru national park where a 2-3 days safari is enough the explore the park’s attractions including a large concentration of flamingoes and White rhino.
Time to spend in 2 parks or more
Visiting 2 or more national parks on an African safari depends on the time factor that is the time it will take you to travel between national parks which also depends on the mode of transport to use between these parks.
Caution: roads leading to national parks in Africa most especially in East Africa are in a bad shape since the parks are located in remote sections of the park, the bad state of the road prolongs the time you need to travel between 2 or more national parks.
When visiting more than one national park you need a minimum of 4 days for 2 national parks, on these 3 days it is advisable to carefully allocate your days to the national park you want to visit. These parks are divided into the main park where you will start your safari and spend most of your time and the secondary park where you many more spend more time as the main park
The kind/type of safari you are going to
The kind/type of safari you are going to in Africa also determines the number of days to spend on a safari, when talking about the kind/type we mean either one country safari that visiting destinations in one country and multi-country safari visiting national parks in more than one country involving border crossing. Usually, one country safari takes fewer days since it only involves moving between national parks.
Visiting Africa on a multi-country at times takes more time since you will it involves border crossings and delays, it also involves the use of either road or air to reach the destination after crossing into the country of your destination.
