Safari Game Viewing

Game Viewing is the essence of a typical safari, the focus of the most activity time, and the primary reason for most travelers choosing to go on a safari. A focus on game drives by vehicle is typically the best way to find and observe big game, while mixing in walking and boating opportunities can reveal a world of smaller creatures and allow you to experience the environment in a very different manner.

If your wildlife sightings are an important factor you should give great consideration on where to go based on what you hope to see. Nearly every brochure and website give the impression that all species teem in all areas but often times that is far from the reality, sometimes species are touted that are seen occasionally or numerous at one time of year and not another. This is where my expertise as a Wildlife Biologist comes in. I study the wildlife rhythms of a species natural history, paying attention to habitat needs, seasonal movements and life events such as mating and calving. By understanding the ebb and flow of the animals we can select the locations that best provide the opportunity to view certain species. We emphasize the word opportunity. Even armed with superior knowledge the best areas are wild places and thus sightings can never be a certain thing. Population dynamics are constantly in flux and with factors like changing weather patterns, even geographic areas of use change over time so this is something we are constantly studying to stay informed allowing us to make the best plan for what you want to find. Too often we hear that sightings come down to luck, that may be the case with right place right time to witness a dramatic behavior or to find an unusual species, but with most major species I can apply the same scientific principles that I have used to locate rare species in my career as a Wildlife Biologist (clickable to Meet the Biologist), applied knowledge that can greatly increase the odds of finding what you are after.

Big Five Viewing
Diversity of Viewing
Finding a Specific Species

Big Five Viewing

Big Five sightings are the goal for many visitors. The term Big Five was originally coined by hunters to identify the five most dangerous African animals to hunt (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo), and these species have since become the ultimate sightings goal for many safari goers. While this is an exciting goal, try not to become locked immediately into that frame of mind. There are some very good areas where Big Five species are virtually guaranteed but some of the most impressive safari areas may be lacking one of the Big Five species. Throughout most of Botswana and Zambia you will not find rhino yet these non-Big Five areas are considered amongst the absolute best places for safari. Other reserves may contain the Big Five but one, typically leopard, is very rarely seen. In this case there may be much better safari destinations but because of a mind lock on the Big Five and heavy advertising of having the Big Five, people will travel into an otherwise inferior experience. Often times Big Five viewing may occur in heavily managed fenced-in reserves which may not be as satisfying as going on safari in a large wilderness area despite only seeing three of the Big Five. If following reading of this Game Viewing section you find yourself obsessed with seeing the Big Five that’s great, there will be lots of excellent opportunities to do so if that is your essential goal.

Diversity of Viewing

Typically sexy-megafauna like lions and elephants are the initial draw to go on safari but there is a diverse array of mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects that may be encountered on safari. Plan to visit destinations that have differing habitats to maximize the variety of life and scenery that can be experienced. Lots of species are most active after dark so it is important to include an area that has night drives and seeing things from a different perspective, such as on foot or by boat can add to the diversity of your viewing (see Activities for full descriptions). Plan with an open mind, you may think you really don’t care about birds but once you are in the bush with an expert guide observing birds with amazing colors and interesting behaviors you may quickly expand your interests so plan to give yourself diverse exposure.

Lilac Breasted Roller Safari Photo

Finding a Specific Species

Some travelers, especially experienced safari goers, may have a certain species that they want to plan around. Fortunately, many of the famous and most desired species to view such as lion, elephant, and giraffe tend to be common in most high quality parks and reserves and thus a lot of planning may not be required to find them. However, rare species that live at low densities and/or are wide ranging such as the highly endangered African wild dog can be very difficult to find and thus strategic planning is needed if you want to increase your odds of finding some species beyond pure luck!

The highly endangered wild dog is normally difficult to locate and is considered to be an extremely fortunate sighting.

Step one to planning for any species is that I consider their natural history as well as areas that have a great reputation for sightings of that species. For some species there is a specific time of year that can significantly increase your chances. Sticking with the African wild dog example, once a year the pack will den to have their puppies. During this time the pack uses a much smaller range and will be tied daily to a known point, the den. Thus, areas where dogs have been known to den in the past can provide the best opportunity to see them in the future by traveling during their denning period in hopes that they will continue to den in the area.

Our Wild Source content area provides a capsule of the most frequently sought animals and includes areas that are known for having some of the best viewing opportunities for each species.

The next decision is how much of your trip effort do you want to go for a certain species. For example will you book every camp/lodge based on this desire, perhaps even hire a private vehicle for some or all of your stays to pursue this goal or is it just worthy of dedicating one portion of the trip while you pursue other experiences with the remainder of your trip. Often times your pursuit of one species may put you into an exceptional area for many other species. The more focused you are on your target species the better odds you have of finding it, however, there is always the danger that you still do not find it and then you may have been so narrowly pursuing the one goal that the rest of the trip is jeopardized so be sure and consider the balance of your trip and the general rule that diversity is usually the best policy in all things.