10 Wildlife Safari Holiday essentials before your perfect trip !!!

As summers are approaching, this makes an ideal time frame to plan a safari holiday with your family and loved ones. The Wildlife is out and about as they are also looking forward to welcoming humans in their domains so get ready to plan a Safari themed holiday this season. But hold on !!! Before you plan please read this handy guide and be well aware so that your planning doesn’t go wrong.

1. Book In Advance

Safari holidays should be booked well in advance to avoid any last minute hustles and glitches which may land you up in spending more than required and unnecessarily increase your overall budget. It is convenient to book the safari’s well in advance through the recognised government website’s for each national park’s or reserves per se and you can also book through government recognised agents. These agencies and government websites make the booking process transparent and seamless and will ensure that your slots are confirmed. If you are a group of 6 or more then going for a private safari is feasible and economical and if your group members are lesser than 6 then you also have a choice of sharing your vehicle with other families are well. Opt

as per your preferences.

2. Carry and Submit the required documents

It is a mandatory requirement to submit photo identity proofs of every individual whether a child or an adult who is going for the safari while you make the bookings. Make sure that the documents you have submitted while booking online or through agents are the same documents that you will be carrying during your admission in the park premises.

3. Start your day early

Usually the tourist safari’s have two time slots one being the early morning slot and the second being the afternoon. We recommend you to start your day early so that you can experience both the time slots in a single day. You can plan your day starting with an early morning safari, come back to the hotel and freshen up, have your lunch and then hop on to the afternoon safari. The probability of spotting the wildlife is usually more in the afternoons as per our personal experience but that doesn’t mean that the morning slots wouldn’t be enjoyable as both the slots have their own uniqueness.

4. Packing Essentials

– Wear breathable fabrics preferably lightweight pants/ shorts, cotton t’s

– Sunglasses

– Comfortable shoes or sneakers

– Sunscreen with a higher spa preferable spa 50 +

– Insect repellants

– Binoculars

– Electronics like you camera with different lenses, tripod, memory cards

– Caps and Hats

– Dry snacks ( If allowed ) and Water to stay hydrated

5. No guarantee, less expectations

The mindset while you make your safari booking should not be with the rigid thought process that you will get to see the wildlife in their natural habitat. The wildlife encounters depends on a lot of factors and reasons which are not under human control. The spotting also depends upon the wildlife reserve or park that you have chosen for your visit, your timings of the visit, the season that you go and the route that you pursue inside the park. Hence it is always better to go with no expectations so that you will not get disappointed but you can enjoy the beauty of the surroundings. The positive part about not having any expectations is that in an event of a wildlife encounter it will be a very memorable experience.

6. Every National Park is Unique

Every national park or reserve have their own distinctive geographical terrains that may be vast grasslands , dense forests, dry or humid weather, hilly or mountain terrains, rocky roads, streams, the flora, fauna and the wildlife. So having visited one national park does not justify that the other national parks will be similar. Therefore you can have Safari holidays planned for more than one National park at a time.

7. During Wildlife Encounters

The most exciting and awaited moment of a wildlife safari is when you spot the wildlife in their own habitat so there are a few points that we should follow strictly during a wildlife encounter :-

Do not get over excited and enthusiastic which may disturb the animals around

Maintain silence because with the slightest of noises the animals tend to escape from the spot

Be very calm and patient while you click the pictures

Don’t tease the wild animals as they might not like it and may counter attack you

Don’t feed the wild animals by throwing litter of left over food or any snacks that you carry

Do not hamper the experience for other families who have joined you in other vehicles. Let the forest officials manage the vehicles as per them.

8. Trust your Rangers

Having faith on your Safari gypsy driver and the guide accompanying you all is of utmost importance. Let them decide the route that have to be taken because they are well experienced and mature in this field. They are aware of the whereabouts of the wildlife and in our experience they will make sure that they put all the efforts for their guests to have maximum wildlife encounters. Be patient, good and respectful towards them even if you don’t have any encounters because it is not under their control.

9. Your stay matters

Where you stay is of a critical importance. There are a few wildlife resorts that have their own gypsys and issue permits to their in-house guests so if you are getting a good deal of a safari-stay combo then it is wise to grab it because it will save your time taken for booking hassles. How close is your stay from the core areas of the national park or the reserves is also an important factor in decision making. This will ease your traveling time before and after the safari.

10. General rules to follow

Be punctual and follow the timings because the more punctual you are the better it is for you to get the most of the timings allowed

Do not step down from your vehicle throughout your safari for your own safety

Do not try to disturb the flora and maintain silence throughout

It is better to keep your phones on flight mode or silent mode so that it doesn’t disturb the surroundings

Some National Parks or Reserves allow you to take packed food or snacks and if you are taking along something to eat please make sure to not litter around

Travel light and carry only what will be essential. Don’t carry heavy handbags or back packs because heavier luggage will be inconvenient to you and others in your jeep

Do not use flash and turn off your camera sounds while taking pictures. Be co-operative to others as well and let them take their chances at photographing the wildlife.

Do not play loud music in the gypsy

If you are travelling with small kids make sure they have a good nap time because if they are uncomfortable or being cranky then your whole safari experience and other peoples experiences will go for a big toss.

Ki