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Safari Circuits - Safari Index |
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Camping
Camping conjures up many different images
for different people – memories of scout and
guide camps as a youth or perhaps family
camping trips – but for the purposes of the
safaris offered by TATO members, there are
four categories:
1. Budget Camping
2. Fly Camping
3. Luxury Camping
4. Lightweight Luxury Camping
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Luxury camping
Imagine feather pillows, soft towels, gin
and tonic on the rocks and four course
gourmet meals in a candlelit dining tent as
far from civilisation as you can get. This
is what luxury camping is all about. The
tents are roomy and comfortable, with a
veranda in front and a bathroom with
hot-water shower, washbasin and toilet
directly behind the tent. The luxury tents
have a bedside table, gas or solar lamps,
chairs and a wardrobe for your clothing. A
deep freeze will supply your drinks with ice
and keep specialty food items fresh. Laundry
is done daily. A large staff will ensure
that your meals are gourmet and all your
needs in camp are met. Luxury camps are
often situated so that you can enjoy the
same area for several days.
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Horse safaris
Tanzania has a few operators that offer
horseback safaris unlike nothing else in
Africa. Galloping alongside a herd of zebra
or wildebeest as they race across the open
plains is a lifelong dream for many riders
the world over. Tanzania’s horse safaris
offer the chance to make the dream a reality
with well-bred, well-schooled mounts,
professional equipment and the luxury of
miles and miles of countryside in which to
ride. The wild animals are not afraid of
horses in the same way that they are of cars
or pedestrians, allowing you to get much
closer than usual. You must be an
accomplished rider if you wish to go on a
horse safari as these expeditions will take
you into the wilderness, riding in the same
terrain as the wild animals. You will ride
daily, your ‘game drives’ on horseback. The
camp can be in situ for several days or can
move daily by truck. The types of camps that
accompany these safaris vary, from
lightweight luxury to luxury. |
Budget Safaris
Budget camping involves travelling with all
your camp equipment, your guide and possibly
a cook in your vehicle with you. Once you
get to camp everyone helps cook and set up.
This is economical and fun, but does mean
that you spend valuable time in the evening
organising your camp and food when you could
be out on game drives. These services
typically use the less expensive shared or
public campsites, but exclusive camps, or
campsites with shower and toilet facilities
outside the parks, can also be booked and
used. Beds are usually mattresses on the
floor of a small tent.
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Lightweight luxury camping
Like the luxury camps, tents will have metal
or wood-frame beds, standing headroom, a
veranda and small en-suite toilets and hot
showers. However, the tents will be smaller
and may be the traditional 'A' shape with a
central ridge pole. The camps are fully
staffed and meals will be three course
affairs served by a waiter in a lantern lit
mess tent, or on a table under the stars.
Pick-up trucks, rather than lorries often
move these camps, so they don’t have
luxuries such as a deep freeze. There will
usually be wine, beer and soda on ice in
camp. Lightweight camps like this can be
moved overnight and offer an amazing degree
of comfort while maintaining the flexibility
of a lighter camp.
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Cultural safaris
A cultural safari consists of several days
staying in local guesthouses, eating local
ethnic food and absorbing the culture of the
people who have lived in the area for years.
Each day is usually spent trekking and
visiting farms, houses and local projects.
All meals will be in small restaurants and
your nights spent in clean but simple local
guesthouses.
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Fly camping
Fly camping involves setting up small,
temporary camps for a night under the stars,
more often than not in a remote part of the
bush. Fly camps are the ideal end to a day’s
walking safari or game drive, with many
unexpected comforts – a canvas washbasin
with hot water, fresh towels, hurricane
lamps and delicious food cooked on the fire.
At night, the sensation of sleeping in a
light tent or just under a mosquito net, as
the moon shines down and the noises of the
African night begin, is the highlight of any
safari holiday.
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Walking safaris
To walk through the African bush is to
experience Africa close-up. Smells are
suddenly subtle and varied and every sound
has significance. Birds and butterflies are
individuals, noticed and studied, not simply
rushed past in the race for the bigger game.
And when the larger animals appear, they are
met at eye level, standing on the same
earth. Safety is not an issue – armed,
experienced guides and game rangers
accompany all walks. Your camp is packed up
and transported to the next location by
different methods: pick-up truck, porters or
donkeys. The camping style tends to be
lightweight and extremely mobile. You will
walk for several days, travelling like
nomads across the African bush often miles
from any roads or tracks.
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Wedding safaris
Begin your big day with a game drive or
walking safari, arrive at the altar on
horseback and get married with Mt
Kilimanjaro in the background and local
Maasai as witnesses. The choices are endless
and there are many companies who are happy
to work through the plentiful African red
tape to ensure you have an unforgettable
wedding day – and legally binding marriage.
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