Self-Drive vs.
Private Game Reserve

You’re coming all the way to Africa for what you hope will be the adventure of a lifetime.  You’ve dreamed of seeing the Big 5 and all of the other amazing wildlife that call the African bush home.  You’re beyond excited!  But wait…one of the most important factors affecting the quality of your safari experience is this subject, right here: Self-Drive in the National Park or Stay in a Private Game Reserve?  Which will you choose? 

First of all, at a private game reserve, you ride along with an experienced safari guide and tracker team.  They are experts at tracking animals and are always communicating with other guides in the area to be sure guests get to see as much wildlife as possible.  On a self-drive, you’re on your own.  Your chance of finding a lot of the larger animals, especially all of the Big 5, is pretty low unless you get really, really lucky.  In that case, buy a lottery ticket!  When there is an animal sighting along one of the roads in the national park you are sure to see a long line of cars waiting to get a glimpse.  You don’t like to wait in traffic when you’re at home, do you?  So why would you want to wait in traffic on vacation?  You might not even get the chance to see that lion because he’s moved off into the bush by the time your turn comes, and you are not allowed to follow him.  It’s the luck of the draw and your position in line.  On a self-drive safari in the national park, you are limited to staying on the main, paved roads within the park.  Off-roading is not allowed in the national parks but is allowed for safari guides in the private game reserves.  Off-roading gets you up close and personal with the animals so you don’t have to look at them through your binoculars from the main road.  Only people staying at lodges within private game reserves get to traverse on those private lands.  What does this mean?  No crowds!  People visiting or staying in the national park can’t drive into the private game reserve areas.  Also, animal sightings are limited to 3 safari vehicles at a time, ensuring intimate encounters for guests without putting pressure on the animals. 

Let’s pause and check-in.  Which way are you leaning? 

Lodges within private game reserves use open safari vehicles with elevated seats, allowing you to get a higher, wider and unobstructed view of the area around you.  On the other hand, if you elect self-driving at the national park you will be confined to your compact rental car.  That means leaning every which way and twisting your body to see past the car frame and mirrors to try to get a view of that rhino strolling by, not to mention trying to get a decent photograph.  Being in a safari vehicle enables you to get clear photographs of the animals and not have to worry about dirty windshields or parts of your car or other cars getting in the way. 

Self-drive vehicles may only drive in the park during park hours.  Park gates close between 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm depending on the season, which means night drives aren’t really possible.  At a private game reserve, your guide takes you on both morning and evening game drives (they are allowed to drive after hours). Night game drives give you the opportunity to see nocturnal animals but also let you experience the bush in a whole different light, literally.  I’ll never forget one of my most memorable night drives when our vehicle was parked down in a dry river bed.  By the light of the ivory moon, we could just see the silhouette of a herd of elephants at the top of the river bed against a row of trees, and we listened as the crunching of leaves and snapping of twigs broke the silence of the night as they fed.  We sat there quietly in amazement.  It was purely magical.   

Ever thought about walking on foot in the bush?  Many private game reserve safari lodges offer guided bush walks.  It’s an opportunity to see and learn about the plants and smaller creatures of the bush, and if you’re lucky, you just might come across some of the larger animals of Africa. 

In case you still need more convincing… 

Safari guides have extensive knowledge and experience in the bush, and that is extremely valuable, especially when it comes to reading animal behavior.  Guides will survey the situation and position you and the vehicle in the safest possible place with the best view.  They won’t put you in a danger.  Animals, however, including lions and elephants, might be curious and come right up to the vehicle.  They may be calm or they may be agitated.  If the animal is agitated, your guide will assess the situation and take action accordingly to keep you and the animals safe.  Now let’s look at it from the self-drive position.  Most visitors are not trained to read animal behavior or the warning signs to look for.  Also, they often get their cars too close to animals, encroaching on their personal space.  This can be a potentially dangerous situation.  If animals are upset enough, they have no hesitation in letting you know.  You don’t want to accidentally put yourself in a spot where a tusk comes through your window or a hippo crashes into your car or an elephant tips your car over.  It’s happened! 

 The choice is yours, but it should be pretty clear by now!  You’re going to come all the way to Africa.  What do you want your safari experience to be?    

Click here for what you need to know before going on safari.