First time safari tips, what you need to know!

If you are planning your first time safari, these are the tips you need to know! There is a lot of confusing information out there but it is a lot simpler that it seems. This blog will help you plan for your first safari trip.

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Best time of year to go on a Serengeti safari

We visited the Serengeti during July and it was awesome, the weather was great and there weren’t any huge crowds. The high season runs from June to October with the Great Migration between July and September. This period is also when the highest amounts of predators can be seen. High season is usually the best weather conditions in any location and the Serengeti is no different. You can do a safari during the other months you just may experience more rainfall and less clear skies. There is another period between mid December to February that has some ok weather also if those months are more suitable.

Is a private Serengeti safari worth it?

Yes! If you can afford a private safari I highly recommend it. Ours wasn’t that much more expensive that a shared one (with the same company) but it made a huge difference. We had a whole jeep to ourselves, moving around and sharing the space between us as we wanted. This made photo vantage spots easy to share and we didn’t feel crushed at all.

We saw a lot of the jeeps that were full with up to 8 people in them and they looked so crowded. You really couldn’t move around and where ever you were sitting was pretty much it, if the best view was on the otherside of the jeep you wouldn’t really get there or you may miss the moment!

I had thought what if a private safari was too much, as in less people to interact with and too much awkward silence with the guide. This was not an issue at all. The guides are friendly but also really understand the guests. They can sense when you need a rest and when you are ready for information. Our guide was exceptional and we highly recommend him and the company we went with!

The company you book through really does matter!

We researched long and hard to find the right safari company for us. We really wanted to book with a Tanzanian owned company. It was important to us that we were supporting the locals in as many ways as possible. We also wanted a company that cared about its guests and their experience, could handle allergies and had comfortable and clean accommodations included. We finally found Safari Soles and honestly wouldn’t go with anyone else!

Our experience with this company from start to finish was excellent. They had a great array of itineraries and when we asked about adding or removing some of the activities it wasn’t a problem. We were put into the most comfortable and memorable lodges and tented camps that really did make the trip that little bit more special. The food was excellent and they really cared about their guests satisfaction.

They were easy to communicate with and every guide we had was on time and personable. We also met guides who had other guests at picnic spots and they were all so friendly and greeted us warmly as though we were all part of the same family. It was truly a lovely experience and we were so happy with our choice. I also loved that our guides were aware of and followed the rules of the national parks respectfully.

Your guide matters

It is hard to know what you are going to get in a guide, everyone is so different. I am pretty confident that the guides with Safari Soles are all great but I highly highly recommend Freddy. He was our guide and he perfect for us! His professional nature combined with his passion for the Serengeti and his years of experience made our trip the incredible experience it was. It was a lucky dip for us, we didn’t know anyone to request and hoped for the best….and we got it! We loved that Freddy knew when to let us rest quietly yet when we peppered him with questions he was happy to chat and could answer everything easily. We really loved having him as our guide.

How dusty does it get?

There is a lot of dust but honestly not as much as I thought! I was worried I would feel terribly grimy all the time but during July I found the most dust was when we were driving on the main roads and cars passed us (we made sure to put up our windows). The actual game drives weren’t that dusty. I took a dust neck gator with me to use as well.

Clothing

Layers are key on a safari, one minute it is hot and dusty but by evening it could be chilly. I have a blog written up on our ideal safari packing list so check it out, you can adapt it for different seasons such as the wet season where you may need to add gumboots or a more sturdy rain jacket. You can defeintely rewear clothes and need less than you think. Wear neutral clothing so you blend into the landscape better and avoid black and blue that attracts the Tsetse fly.

Sunscreen and sunglasses

Bring it! You will want it in the jeep, there is a roof but the sun gets through, we saw some people kinda burnt but luckily we took enough and didn’t get red. Likewise, sunglasses! You will absolutely want these.

Medicine

Take all your regular prescribed medicines and then I packed these extras-simple pain relief for headaches, allergy medicine, gastro stop, throat lozenges, bandaids, a bandage, plastic gloves, dry eye drops, antiseptic wipes and malaria tablets. I usually take most of this when travelling and have used everything on at least one trip.

Money

Bring cash with you as you will definitely want it! We had preorganised a tip for our guide but I wish we had brought some extra money with us. I would have added in some extra from the standard tip range (see below section) as our guide was so incredible. It would have been great to have some extra to tip at the lodges and also to buy drinks to have with dinner or to support the bracelet sellers etc as you pass through town. Even if you don’t use it, bringing a little extra with you is a good idea.

Tipping

The company we went with does pay their staff fairly, however this is not the case with all safari companies. Tipping is greatly appreciated by the guides as they do go above and beyond to make sure you are happy. They will start their days much earlier than you expect, getting everything organised and making sure the jeep is clean and organised. Your guide will be staying on top of the weather, information with other guides and from the rangers. They will also stay up longer after dropping you at your accomodation and continue to organise. There is a lot of extra behind the scenes work that goes into having a smooth running safari.

The general guide lines we heard were between $10-$40 per person per day but you can also go above this if you are able. A little goes a long way in Tanzania and tipping in US dollars or Tanzanian Shillings is most appreciated. As Australians tipping is not part of our culture and is rarely done so we are pretty uncomfortable with it. I never know how or what to do, we ran with these guidelines and brought it in an envelope to give to our guide.

We didn’t think we would need to tip at lodges and camps but ultimately you kind of do. It doesn’t have to be much and usually there is a tip box there to just put it in before leaving. Often the manager that greets you on check in will tell you to please not tip the staff individually and just put in the tip box. This way staff who you may never meet (such as kitchen staff and back of house) but work equally hard for you get a share. We did leave money in the tip boxes but I wish we had brought a little more as the accommodation, in particular our two Serengeti tented camps, were exceptional! If you are doing any of the add on experiences such as the Masai Village visit or hot air ballooning then you would tip at these also.

Service

You might feel like the above is a lot of tipping…especially if, like us, you are from a country where tipping is not normal. However what I wish we were more prepared for was the excellent service. This will make the tipping make sense! The customer service in Tanzania is incredible. The staff are well trained and you will feel like you are in a 5 star restaurant whilst in the middle of the Serengeti in a tented camp. We were constantly amazed at how well organised, well trained and the absolute high quality of customer service we received while on safari.

Follow safari etiquette

You can ask your guide for extra details but this is what is most important. Stay in your jeep at all times unless directed by your guide to get out. This is the number one rule.

It is exciting to see the animals but stay quiet, you don’t want to scare them off or disturb them. We heard some people calling out to a sleeping lion trying to wake it up. Not only did it disturb the animal but it really just ruined the moment for all of us around them. Don’t be these people!

Don’t litter! Everything that comes in with you should go out with you. We made sure to keep our rubbish if any with us until we got to a lodge and could dispose of it.

Likewise, don’t feed the animals….this seems pretty basic but we actually saw guests feeding animals at a picnic stop and others throwing food out the window of their jeep while moving. Our guide stepped into stop them which we were so pleased about. This is a wild National Park, don’t feed the animals!

Can I bring just my phone for photos?

Yes of course! It is fine for the times when the animal is closer to you. A lot of the time the animals will be a little further away or across a field. If you aren’t worried about printing off your images or making them larger then a phone is fine. If you want higher quality images then a camera is best. We took a Sony A7Cii with a 70-200mm lens and I think this is the best all rounder set up. You could definitely have a 400mm or 600mm lens which would be great for those further away moments.

Book our safari!

We did this incredible Serengeti Safari and it was everything we dreamed of, honestly it was even better than we hoped for! We highly recommend Safari Soles and this safari, for your first experience!

If you have any questions we would love to help. Let us know in the comments or by email if you want any info we are happy to help!