Feature: Every safari is a new experience
If you’re planning on taking in some African wildlife on your gap year or extended career break, then it’s important to know what to expect and what you can get for your money. Pre-packaged safaris don’t offer much choice or flexibility, but a new trend of unpackaged safaris is changing all that.
Africa Select is a bespoke safari company that builds an itinerary around each traveller’s needs, budget and expectations. Map the Gap caught up with founder Philip Gregory at last week’s Luxury Travel Fair in Kensington, London to find out more about taking a new kind of safari.
Totally addicted to Africa
Philip first visited Africa 20 years ago and was bitten by the travel bug, so founding his own safari company was the logical way to ensure he could spend as much time out there as possible. “I fell in love with the place straight away – I felt like I’d come home,” said Philip, who is half South African on his mother’s side.
He came up with the idea of unpackaged safaris to reflect the diversity and variety of Africa, as he believes that there is an almost infinite number of ways to explore this fascinating continent.
“Whatever you go for in Africa, it’s always unusual,” he said. “Once people have been and they’ve got the bug they want to go back again and we’re always trying to give them a different experience.
“For instance if you’ve already watched elephants in the moonlight over the Okavango delta, then I’d say ‘Have you thought about going to Namibia to see the desert elephants?’
“If you’ve watched Chimpanzees in Tanzania, then why not think about going to Rwanda and seeing the Gorillas? We’re always try to think of all-new experiences.”
Meeting the locals
For many people meeting the natives is just as important as seeing a lion up close, but Philip insists that his tours don’t include stagey meetings with tribes-people just for the sake of it.
“I try to incorporate seeing the locals and going to an African village on every tour, but it’s always linked with villages where we have helped to build a school or we have helped to build a medical centre. So there are authentic reasons for visiting all these places.”
Regardless of the type of tour, Philip always makes sure not to overinflate expectations. The more touristy areas of Africa will usually be pretty crowded and it’s important to warn travellers about this before they decide if that’s where they really want to go.
The more remote, quieter parks will invariably cost you more and be more difficult to reach, but Philip believes it’s more than worth it. “Go to Botswana and I can guarantee you’ll have that lion all to yourself,” he says, “But you have to realise that you will have to pay for that exclusivity.”
Planes, plains and automobiles
There are many ways of getting around a National Park, each with its own appeal and charm. It’s important to bear in mind the impact you’re leaving behind, however. Responsible tour guides are advised to avoid off-road driving unless they absolutely have to, as Philip explains.
“We are always very carefully about where we drive and we’re only allowed to head off-road when we’re avoiding a big cat or one of the Big Five. The guides are really good and understand the fragility of the landscape that they’re in.”
However, for a truly authentic experience, Philip believes you can’t beat a Mokoro for getting around the wetlands. These are hollowed out tree trunks that the locals convert into simple canoes.
Many travellers will hope to get a bird’s-eye view of the park, and this is often possible, but normally only when you arrive or depart. Air transfers by helicopter and light aircraft can be laid on, allowing you to see the great herds of game as they migrate across the plains.
Everything in its right place
Talking with Philip, it’s clear to see his enthusiasm for all the animals that make up the African eco-system, but he is keen to stress that every animal plays its own important part, however small.
Whilst there are rare and spectacular creatures to be seen, such as the Ethiopian Wolf, of which there are only 700 left in the world, Philip gets just as excited about the role played by tiny insects.
“What I try and do is show how everything is interconnected – the termite is needed to recycle everything; it makes the bush grow for the elephants to eat.
“Everything is linked, and I think when you come away, you realise that we are a very, very small cog in a very big wheel and it’s quite a humbling experience, but it does put your life into perspective."
