Dace’s Journal | Why Is a Safari Not the Same as an Excursion?
I sometimes think about how differently people understand the word safari. For some, it is simply a trip to a national park to see animals. You get into a vehicle, drive around, look, take photographs and move on.
But a safari in Tanzania is not quite the same as an excursion. And the difference, in my opinion, begins with how much of the experience can be controlled.
When visiting a city or a particular attraction, we usually know in advance where it is and what we can see there. We can decide whether we need a guide to learn more or whether the information available online will be enough. If the attraction is outdoors, weather conditions are, of course, important. However, they usually do not change the existence of the attraction itself — they mainly affect the comfort of the visit.
Observing animals is a different matter. As living creatures, they behave differently from one day to the next.
Imagine a zoo or a private wildlife park. Usually, we know where the animals we want to see are located. Lions on the right, elephants on the left. Feeding may take place at a particular time. In zoos, keepers sometimes feed animals in full view of visitors. In some private parks, feeding may also be an activity in which tourists can participate, while elsewhere it may be organised to give visitors the impression of a natural wildlife process, such as hunting.
Of course, even there, not everything always happens exactly on schedule. However, the environment is designed to make the animals easier to see and the visitor experience more predictable.
A safari in Tanzania is different.
In national parks, lions do not wait for tourists to arrive. Elephants do not stay in one place just to make it easier for people to photograph them. Animals move about freely, search for food, rest, hide or go elsewhere. Their movements are influenced by the weather, the time of day and countless other factors that cannot be changed. Sometimes, animals are found quickly. At other times, you have to drive for a long time, search and wait.
Does that mean that on safari, we simply have to rely on luck?
No. And this is where the most important part of safari organisation begins.
An experienced safari operator does more than book a vehicle, accommodation and park entry tickets. There is much more to consider. What time is best to set off? How long will it take to get from the accommodation not just to the park gate, but to the areas where there is a greater chance of encountering animals? What are the conditions on that particular day? Is it worth changing the route or staying longer in one place?
Some of these questions need to be answered during the planning stage. Others can only be answered once the safari is underway.
When planning a safari, it is important to calculate travel times accurately, think through the park logistics and leave enough room in the itinerary for what cannot be predicted in advance.
Once out in the wild, the driver-guide plays an important role. Their experience, knowledge of the park and ability to read the situation all matter. They cannot order a lion to come out of the bushes, but they may know where it is worth looking, when to do so and how to respond if conditions change.
That is why a carefully planned safari does not mean that every minute of the day and every animal encounter can be predicted in advance.
It means that decisions are not made at random and the journey is not left to chance.
In my opinion, this is the main difference. We usually plan an excursion knowing what we will visit and how the visit itself will unfold. We plan a safari in an environment where conditions are constantly changing and where we must adapt.
When we venture into the wild, we have to accept that we cannot predict everything. But we can choose people who know how to work in this environment and who can make considered decisions even when the original plan needs to change.
Perhaps that is precisely why a safari is about more than simply seeing animals.
It is also about learning to accept that the wild has its own rules — and that a good safari begins long before the moment we see ananimal for the first time.
More about safaris in Tanzania:
Safari or Game Drive: What’s the Difference?
What Do a Tanzanian Safari and a Zoo Have in Common?
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About the Author:
Dace Zandfelde is a Northern European entrepreneur living in Tanzania. Together with her Tanzanian husband, Roman Shirima, she co-founded Tanzania Safari Experts – ROM & DACE SAFARIS. Through Dace's Journal, she reflects on the ideas, people and unexpected connections she discovers while living between Europe and East Africa.