{"id":26271,"date":"2018-03-31T06:46:47","date_gmt":"2018-03-30T19:46:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=26271"},"modified":"2025-03-19T03:49:29","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T16:49:29","slug":"southern-africa-safari","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/southern-africa-safari\/","title":{"rendered":"What it’s really like exploring Southern Africa on an Intrepid trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019d never had a group travel experience before, but it turned out to be perfect for the Southern Africa safari I\u2019d been dreaming of since childhood.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been fascinated with Africa. As a kid I was obsessed with African wildlife. Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall, and Cynthia Moss were my heroes, and I fantasized about living among the animals in Africa like they did.<\/p>\n

I expected that Africa<\/a> <\/strong>would be one of the very first places I visited, but years later my dream trip still hadn\u2019t happened.<\/p>\n

There were a couple of things that were holding me back. One was that I never had enough expendable income to go on the luxury safari tours that I saw some friends and family doing. Another was that I wasn\u2019t sure I wanted to travel like that anyway. My dream safari vision was simple: to see as many animals as I could in their natural habitat, while making as light a footprint as possible. I just wasn\u2019t sure how to make that happen…<\/p>\n

\"Southern

My Intrepid group in Nata, Botswana<\/p><\/div>\n

When Intrepid\u2019s 16-day Experience Southern Africa<\/a><\/strong> trip was suggested to me, I didn\u2019t know what to expect. I had always been a solo traveler and resistant to group travel, which brought to mind a slow-moving group of tourists in New York City trailing a guide with hoisted pink flag. But I read about the camping itinerary through South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, and I decided this was how I would finally get to Africa.<\/p>\n

The experience ended up being perfect for me, for the following reasons:<\/p>\n

The freedom to be in the moment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Prior to my safari, all of my traveling had been independent, and I love the experience of shopping for food in a new country, figuring out the public transit system, meeting people and navigating language barriers.<\/p>\n

But with only two and a half weeks in Southern Africa and my priority being wildlife, I was happy to turn over the decision-making to our team leaders. Border crossing arrangements, route navigation, meal planning and grocery shopping \u2013 it was all blissfully out of my hands. My responsibilities were limited to packing up my gear in the morning, returning from bathroom breaks on time, and choosing what bottle of Pinotage to get for dinner at camp.<\/p>\n

\"Southern

Chobe National Park in Botswana is incredible<\/p><\/div>\n

What I discovered is that not being responsible for the logistics of a trip leaves so much time and mental energy for taking in new and incredible surroundings.<\/p>\n

I have many memories of riding in the open-air vehicles on game drives \u2013 in Kruger and Chobe National Park and the Nata Salt Pans\u00a0\u2013 alert to the world around me as we spotted baby elephants, basking hippos, frolicking wildebeest, and the occasional giraffe (how can an animal that looks like that be so hard to spot?). No part of my mind was distracted by the thought of what was next on the itinerary. I was able to be fully in the moment\u00a0\u2013 a rare and amazing experience.<\/p>\n

SAFARI IN SOUTH AFRICA, BOTSWANA AND ZIMBABWE ON THIS 16-DAY ADVENTURE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Camping for the full experience <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Intrepid tour<\/a><\/strong> appealed to me, in part, because of the camping. As beautiful as safari lodges can be, I went to Africa to see the wilderness, and I wanted the immersion experience.<\/p>\n

There is nothing like camping to connect you with your environment: sitting under the stars before bed, lying in your sleeping bag and listening to the sounds of the nocturnal world outside the tent, waking up to the singing of birds. In Africa, camping put me in direct contact every night with the new world we were traveling through. The stars in the Southern sky were unfamiliar. Trips to the bathroom at night had me scanning the bush for eyes (fortunately none were encountered). And the morning birdsong was a dramatic wake-up call, one so different from my familiar alarm clock.<\/p>\n

\"Southern

My group chilling at the campsite<\/p><\/div>\n

The Okavango Delta<\/a> <\/strong>was one of my favourite parts of the trip. We traveled by traditional flat-bottomed canoes through labyrinthine reeds to an island where we pitched tents for the next two days. We went on game walks in the evening and in the morning, and we found many animals, including a herd of elephants, surprisingly close to the camp.<\/p>\n

SEE MORE: AN INCREDIBLE PHOTO ESSAY OF AN INTREPID TRIP IN SOUTHERN AFRICA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This was definitely not a place I would have gone on my own, but the guides were incredibly knowledgeable. They kept the campfire lit overnight to let the animals know not to stumble into our tents\u00a0\u2013 for which I was grateful \u2013 but it was the knowledge we were sleeping in the middle of the African wilderness that was most thrilling.<\/p>\n

\"Southern

The magical Okavango Delta in Botswana<\/p><\/div>\n

SUBSCRIBE TO INTREPID’S NEWSLETTER FOR TRAVEL TIPS, COMPETITIONS, GIVEAWAYS & MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

No exploitation of wildlife<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It can be a challenge for animal lovers to experience native wildlife when traveling, without supporting their exploitation. Especially because it can be hard to distinguish organizations that are legit from those that aren\u2019t. Since learning that some groups that market themselves as animal \u201crefuges\u201d or \u201csanctuaries\u201d are as guilty of exploitation and abuse as the more obvious culprits, I\u2019ve been concerned about making responsible travel choices.<\/p>\n

Learning about Intrepid\u2019s Animal Welfare Policy<\/a> <\/strong>was a huge relief to me. For a trip to Africa, where animals are central to the experience, I wanted to feel confident that I was in no way endangering or exploiting the wildlife for my own enjoyment.<\/p>\n

\"Southern

Happy smiles for game drives with Intrepid<\/p><\/div>\n

A highlight of the trip for me was going to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary in Botswana, where we learned about the incredible measures taken by the Botswanan government to save the white and black rhinos in the country and region.<\/p>\n

Watching a baby rhino grazing with its mother, protected in the sanctuary, and knowing that it was literally the future of the species, was an incredible experience.<\/p>\n

Want to experience the magic of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe like this traveller? Check out Intrepid’s Experience Southern Africa trip.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

(Image credits from top to bottom: Intrepid Travel, Joy Elliott, Conrad Duckett, Joy Elliott, Intrepid Travel, Conrad Duckett.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My responsibilities were limited to packing up my gear in the morning, returning from bathroom breaks on time, and choosing what bottle of Pinotage to get for dinner at camp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16058,"featured_media":26280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[455],"tags":[65,93,338,456,264,104,533,1338],"class_list":["post-26271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","tag-africa","tag-botswana","tag-intrepid-traveller","tag-intrepid-trip","tag-safari","tag-south-africa","tag-southern-africa","tag-zimbabwe","ipf_region-botswana","ipf_region-south-africa","ipf_region-zimbabwe"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSouthern Africa Safari with Intrepid: What to Expect | Intrepid Travel Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Intrepid\u2019s 16-day Southern Africa Safari was suggested to me, I didn\u2019t know what to expect. 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