Safari Vehicles

We started out with a Toyota Camry...

We then bought a Land Rover Freelander...

Our next vehicle was a Jeep Cherokee...

We then traded in the Jeep gas guzzler for a Toyota Landcruiser Prado...

The Prado has dual fuel tanks so we can travel over 1000 kms before having to fill up - very convenient!

When choosing a safari vehicle height is very important as the following pictures will show.

The grass in African game reserves and national parks such as the Kruger Park, and Pilanesberg can grow very high and if you have a low vehicle you will struggle to see the animals...

But if you are photographing down from a high vehicle then the background tends to be closer to the animal so you end up with a background that is in focus - not good!

The best compromise then is a 4X4 or Microbus.

It is not critical to have a 4X4 because many of the roads in the Kruger and Pilanesberg are tarred. The Kruger tar roads in particular are in better condition than most of the national roads outside of the park!

In the summer months the rains start and then the dirt roads can get muddy and this is where you will most appreciate the 4X4.

The grass in the Kgalagadi and Etosha does not grow as high as it does in the Kruger and Pilanesberg so the extra height of a 4X4 or Microbus is not as important.

We like our 4X4 in the Kgalagadi because the roads can get very corrugated so a stronger vehicle like a 4X4 will take the punishment better than a sedan

If you do decide to go for the guided safari instead of self drive or if you want to go on a night drive or dawn drive then you should firstly try and choose the smaller vehicle and you will need to decide on where in the vehicle to sit in order to have the opportunity of getting good photographs.

There are different types of game viewing vehicles.

Well, in our opinion the best spots in the safari vehicles will be the seats that are closest to the animal!

Some drivers will park with the left of the vehicle facing the animals or the right side or even park head-on. So it depends where you are sitting whether you can see the animal never mind get a photograph.

Our suggestion is to sit either next to the driver or directly behind him so you can talk to him and tell him where to stop and how to park in order for you to get a decent photograph.

In this photograph the lions are to the left of the picture and the vehicle is parked with the right side facing the lions...

With self drive YOU decide where and how to park in order to get the best possible view and photographs...

You will have noticed that some of these safari vehicles have staggered rows meaning that the last row is higher than the middle row which in turn is higher than the first row. This is to ensure that people can see over the heads of the people in front of them.

Some safari vehicles, however, are not as 'stepped' so you end up looking at the head of the person in front of you...

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