Safari in swahili means something like 'walkabout' so going on safari is what people have always been going on in Africa.
So okay, the days of Hemmingway shooting animals in search of manhood are long gone but is there any way for the conscious traveler to go and watch wild animals without feeling like a total idiot surrounded by fawning local staff hoping for tips?
Hello Tom!
great to read you're back! I hope you're doing well.
The safari industry is a big business and it represents one of the biggest sources of revenue for countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana.
This industry created a completely fake "traditional environment for the Wazungu (white faces) who want to trek the big five, yet with a high degree of comfort and safety. Luxury lodges are scattered within all parks and protected areas charging inclredible rates which can reach more than 1000 bucks per day. Most of the money goes directly to Jo'burg or to UK where the safari companies are based and the local communities get nothing more than peanuts. The fake, cheesy atmosphere of these places is unstandable, with maasai warriors paid to dance around the fireplace at sunset and welcoming, smiling staff ready to greet you every time they see you and to ask "so sir, what did you see today?". The craziest thing is that they really believe they're experiencing real Africa, just like the fat farangs packed in the gogo bars believe they've found a girlfirend in patpong!
These parks tend to look like drive-through zoos with the big game so used to be surrounded by Toyota Landcruisers that they can even have a shag in front of 5 vehicles. All drivers have radio so that they can call each others once they spot something interesting...
Yes, there's a way to do it wild: I'm not talking of doing it the cheap way within the same parks where the lodges are located, camping in the so called campsites packed with German and South African overlanders who end up peeing on each other tent for lack of space: I'm talking about wild camping out of protected area, just out in the bush where there is game, yet it is more difficult to find. Of Course, you'll need to hire your own vehicle, be used at driving in the bush, to replace an air filter or an absorber, but it is lot of fun. Go to Southern Angola or Northern Mozambique for something like that. Anyway such a trip will cost you nearly the same as a safari package. The great thing about Africa is that lack of roads, public transportation and accommodation prevented herds of backpackers to turn it in what Thailand is today. This thing has, on the other hand, a bad impact on costs.
There's also the tough way, i.e. camping with the Hazdabe bushmen in central Tanzania, who rely on hunting and gathering. I'm going at the end of the month, hoping to catch a baboon (Hazdabe's favourite meat) and grill it on the open fire!
Cheers,
Rocco