Is There Such a Thing as Too Many Game Drives?
 

We are going on a Sept safari and will be there for 14 days. My son-in-law, who went to Kenya on 2 missionary trips and went on a few game drives, said we would get tired of 2 game drives a day for that long. Just wondering what other people thought who have experienced this. Do you just get worn out and want to skip drives, especially later in the trip?

If you are on a private safari, you should be able to arrange a schedule of game drives that works for you. If you don't want to go out at 6am, rather have breakfast and then go out at 8 or 9am, then plan this. And, for that matter, if you wish to skip a game drive, you can. Or if you choose a full day, your guide will see to it that picnic meals are provided.

The only time you have to keep to schedule is when you are moving from one area to another or if you have to make internal flight connections. Believe me, you are under no obligation to go out on any game drives if you wish otherwise.

Everyone knows, I'm the Queen of "no morning game drives" - for no other reason than I prefer not. I'm certainly awake at 6am, but I simply prefer not to go out. Besides, it's also vacation. 3:30pm will arrive eventually and I'll go out then, or not.

But, if this is your first safari, you may, as do many, not want to possibly miss anything.

If you're with a group, however, schedules may not be as liberal. Not that you can't pass on a game drive, but if the schedule has the group out all day, you may have to pass on all activities for the day. As Scarlett said, "tomorrow is another day."

Or as I say every morning I awaken in Africa "just another bloody day in Paradise" (from movie White Mischief).

It's all very personal. Not knowing when your SIL visited or where, can't comment on his experience. Yet, you're traveling in September, during the migration period, and there are few who would defer game drives... even I might be tempted to drag myself out for one of those early mornings. Note, "one of" - not every!

You're an adult, set your own schedule.

Thanks, Sandi. It never crossed my mind about not wanting to take all the drives until my son in law made that comment! I figure I can rest at night so probably wont' be missing any unless absolutely necessary!! I was just wondering about other people's experiences after they got there.

I do have another question. We are booked into Tarangire Treetops and read that, even tho it is a great camp, it is not as near the animals as others and that it takes a good hour just to get into the reserve. I just dont' want to think we are making a mistake by staying there. I know people seem to like Treetops a lot but if you had a choice, is that where you would stay?

I've never wanted to skip a game drive, except when I was quite unwell on one occasion. I could take three drives a day or stay out all day.

As Sandi says, it's very personal. And dare I say it, it also depends on your interest in nature and associated activities (eg photography) and your attention span. You can make each game drive different, not necessarily by covering a different area but by spending the whole time with a particular animal or group of animals.

It helps to have a guide who is an expert all-rounder, not just somebody who knows how to drive from bush to bush and does exactly the same routine every time.

John

Yes, the camp is outside the park. Drive time is about 45/min. But there were elephants walking right thru the camp. How much closer would you like? The day before a pride of lions were at their waterhole. How many animals in/near camp or on the drive to/from, no one can say. I loved the camp and driving to/from never phases me... it's part of the experience.

Game is game and there is never any guarantee where they will be from day to day or hour to hour. Granted during the dry season they seem to concentrate closer to water sources inside the park, but still... one never knows.

You can arrange with your guide for a full day game drive. Have breakfast at 7 or 8, then take your lunch and do the drive to/from the park once each way (of course)... stay at long as you wish and return when you want.

The other lux camps here, Oliver's and Swala, are both at least 2/hrs drives from the entrance thru to the farthest southern areas of the park.

I should add that in places where there's navigable water, boat excursions count as game drives for me. But there are never too many drives in any area.

John

I agree with John, there are never too many game drives. If you are at all interested in photography, the first hours and the last hours of daylight are the very best. Also, some of the best sightings (not all) but quite often, are made in the early morning. Kills made the night before are still active and can provide facinating glimpses of animal interaction. Keep in mind that while on safari it is common to turn in early so you can still get a good 8 hours of sleep. Let your own level of enthusiasm guide how many drives or how long you want those drives to be. I can't imagine anything worse then going to breakfast and hearing about some fantastic sighting missed because I slept in. But, as they like to say on forums, your mileage may vary.
Regards-Chuck

Most of us know ahead what type of travelers we are. For instance, I know that I'm not one to sit still for long periods or have other interests besides wildlife viewing.

On my first and upcoming African trip I will be canoeing, hiking, visiting locals as well as taking safari drives.

Please don't get me wrong, the drives are spectacular and not to be missed but if you have other interests, Africa has it all. Tailor your trip to suit your dream.
p.s. I never was bored with any safari drive - the wildlife, the landscape, fresh air and interesting info. and chatting with the guide - it's all good.
Enjoy!

Hi cmtravels,

In my opinion, no!

Kind regards

Kaye

Thanks for everyone's input! My husband and I both are the type that we don't like to sit around; we want to be doing things all the time. So it sounds like this will be perfect for us! I am getting so excited! We leave in just one month, 2 days.

We are flying Air France to Paris and have a 7 hour layover (arrive 11am, leave for Nairobi 7:30pm). I have found a hotel right by the airport (with a free shuttle) where we are going to go for a quick nap. I am hoping this works out and assume that even if we have a delayed flight we can cancel the room as they have a generous cancellation policy. I could not find any "day room" rates at Charles DeGalle. Does this sound like a good plan?

Did you try emailing or calling the hotels directly? Many hotels have day room rates but this isn't something that's usually bookable online and may require contacting the hotel directly. You could also try asking about day room rates on the Europe forum.

I must admit, I never tire of game drives. We've been on safari for 4-5 weeks straight and I've happily gone on every drive available - actually I missed one single one because my back was sore and I regretted it even though I needed the rest.

I just can't get enough of the flora and fauna.

I guess the only exception would be if I were sharing a vehicle with someone I could not tolerate and that's not happened yet (though we've had some I'd happily have tossed overboard to the predators had I thought I could get away with it)!

That said, I try and choose camps where there is the option to get out of the vehicle and walk - I am not fit enough to do full day or even half day walks but love to get out for an hour or two.

I also love to do water activities but that's not really so applicable in East Africa, I think.

If you are the type, as you say, that don't like just sitting around, then I think you'll be fine. Especially if you are as excited about all wildlife as we are. We get as excited, if not more so, by the smaller critters as the large ones and if there are no critters then our guide can teach us about the local trees, flowers, geology or history!

I can answer the question in one word, no.

Actually, the more game drives the better! i wish some operators give you the option of a third drive!!!

The only time i missed a game drive was due to torrential rains one morning that didnt stop.....the rest of the day was on and off drizzle and there didn't seem to be much action!

Sometimes it is necessary :-) to spend all day out (not return for brunch or high tea) because the drive back to camp and a return trip are just too far. In those instances, we have taken a box breakfast and a box lunch. Why else am I in Africa?
Regards-Chuck

I missed a game drive once because I really wasn't feeling well. I love being out there, even when "nothing" is happening. If game walks or water activities were/are available, I would do that as well.

I like rustic/remote camps, because they feel more like camping to me. This is all very personal.

You can decide what you like when you're there. With 14 days, you have enough time to determine your own rhythm. Plenty of time to stay up late and listen to the sounds of the bush. Sit in your tent in the pre-dawn hour and listen to the birds wake up. Go out all day with a box breakfast and lunch. Spend hours watching a herd of elephants. Wait for those beautiful, lazy lions to do something. :) Hey, I'm getting jealous.

Have a great trip.

I'm thinking that the answer could be yes - only because there are walks, and mekoro & boat rides, quad bikes, and even horseback if you are so inclined. I would think that with each type of locomotion, so to speak, you would get a different view and feel for the bush, and the flora and fauna.

this, of course, only applies to southern africa, which is why we chose Botswana for our trip.

I have been on several safaris, but I have never done 14 consecutive days of game viewing -- to me, at least, it would become redundant and boring, and I have broken up all of my safaris with days at Victoria Falls (while on safari in Botswana), or at Lake Malawi (coming from Zambia), etc. Its not that I would get worn out, rather I would need some type of stimulation other than being chauffered around looking for wildlife (and this is coming from someone who has taken wildlife trips on six continents and am always planning more). But, I do strive for diversity and try to spend part of each trip visiting the capital city of the country that I'm visiting -- and I've spent wonderful days in Nairobi, Harare, Maputo, Windhoek, etc. On a 14-day trip to Kenya, I would likely add some time at Mt. Kenya or Mombassa or Nairobi or elsewhere. But, I would never miss a drive on any day I was "on safari."

on our last safari we were out for 16 days and we often went out all day so no we never got tired of the game drives!
J

We returned from our first Safari in late July. It was 8 nights and 9 days actual Safari with a few other days thrown in. In the middle of the trip we decided to take an afternoon and morning off. Did we regret it? Heck no it was a fabulous time. As someone else said, I am also on vacation and go go go isn’t how I want to spend all my time (OK, I do but my wife doesn't).

On one of the days we were at Migration Camp we went for an early morning drive with breakfast in the bush then took off the rest off the afternoon from about 2:00 p.m. on. We also didn’t go out the next morning. We stayed at camp almost 24 straight hours and had a fabulous time. We had lunch then relaxed in the tent reading and had a short nap followed by some time at the pool. I did spend a little while walking around to explore the camp and get some exercise. The next morning we slept in and had breakfast brought to the tent. Not just cookies, but a full hot breakfast. It was great sleeping in and not having to get up. Just lazing around. It was a very enjoyable time and a much needed break.

Not everyone would want to do that, but it worked for us. Here we were paying this ungodly amount of money to stay at Migration Camp which are the same owners as Treetops. Our original plans were to get up before the sun came up, leave and come back as the sun was going down. It was a beautiful place and the highlight of our accommodations (none were bad by any stretch of the imagination though). We just wanted to take advantage of it. Did we miss a game drive. Sure, but there was more to our vacation then just seeing animals.

Enjoy,
Duane

Asking us this on the Africa Forum is like asking-

An airline pilot if he has too many perfect landings.
A baker if he is baking too many donuts.
A woman if she has too many shoes.
A politician if they have too many votes.
A man if he ever tires of pizza and beer.
A bee if it is gathering too much honey.
A monkey if it has too many trees to climb.

Regards - tom

tom--your only "she" was Imelda.

oops--did not mean to suggest that I meant OnlyMeOirish Imelda

. . . . as in Marcos

bat - yeah, Imelda Marcos
and another 400,000,000 worldwide :-)
regards - tom

Hi

whenever i spend a whole day in a park
i do THREE game drives !

aby

No. That's because you are observing animals, which are never doing the same thing. Even the exact same animals are doing different things each time you see them. You get to learn their behaviors with repetition. I wouldn't want to drive around looking at the same trees and grass everyday, but birds, reptiles, and mammals offer such variety.

And I have no interest is spare shoes.

My husband and I were in Tanzania and Kenya for 17 consecutive days in July. I did miss a couple of game drives toward the end because I wanted to relax at the camp. Of course, the game drive I DIDN'T go on was the one when the group saw a rhino in the Masai Mara. The other one I DIDN'T go on was when the group saw a reticulated giraffe in Samburu. That's the thing about game drives, if you don't go you are going to miss something - and it might be something really good!