Hi there. We are a healthy active 60+ year old couple and are trying to plan a safari. We live in Edmonton Canada and it seems that SA or Tanzania would be the best choices due to cost of travel and time in the air.
We will only do this once and are boggled by the amount of companies and information. Ideally we would like to safari for about 3 to 4 days but realise we need to have a day or two somewhere before and after as it such a long flight for us unless we break it up with a layover in Amsterdam on the way and Paris on the way back.. again, we haven't really delved deep yet.
So far we are torn between both and any insight would be great. The ideal for us would be private tours and mid priced accommodations in lodges, but I don't want to be driving for hours and hours every day to see animals, even though the focus is on the animals and not the accommodation. Hopefully someone can offer some help. It's not a bad problem for us to have but it is certainly hard to choose.

Welcome to Fodors. Your thread was moved from Technical Support to the Africa/Middle East forum and add country tags.

We flew from Cape Town (after a few days exploring that wonderful area) to Kruger (beautiful small airport), hired a car and spent a few days in Khandizwe, a stunning house overlooking the NP and river with some great animal sightings.However, the real safari began (after one day's self drive in Kruger) when we headed for Arathusa, a lodge complex within the Sabi Sands Reserve.Absolutely outstanding Big 5 viewing, reckoned to be the finest anywhere.Two years later we returned and stayed in Inyati, another superb safari set up.
Our 'mistake' was to drive to both of these places - the roads in were a complete nightmare so next time, we'll fly in!

I had a Tanzania safari costed a few years back but we pulled out of it.

Have also done a camping safari of 11 days in the Okavango, Moremi , Savuti and Chobe NP's in Botswana.The issue with being in a NP rather than a private game reserve is, the vehicles cannot follow animals as they roam through the bush. Vehicles must stay on the roads.This limited our sightings in Botswana though they were still good.But nothing beats being able to slowly track an animal/a pride (they are completely unfazed by safari vehicles) as it/they are on the hunt.
Some NPs do offer off road drives but you will have to check that with the operator.

I have been to each of South Africa and Tanzania twice (plus Botswana which you don't mention). They are different, but safari in Tanzania has bigger herds and more classic safari landscape (plus it is truly more wild). South Africa (mostly talking about Kruger or the reserves near there) offer close encounters with animals, more rhino (at least in Sabi Sands when I was there 10+ years ago not sure what poaching has done to numbers now) and more "on the grid" luxury accomodations. Personally, I would choose East Africa for a once in a lifetime time safari. But, three or four days is really too short for seeing much there. Typically, one does a "northern circuit" that takes at least 8 days (10+ is better). I suppose you could do a fly-in safari to one camp in the Seregenti, but then you miss some of the other areas (e.g. Ngorongoro, Manyara, Tarangire). Now, if you don't want to spend "hours and hours" on safari, then I think South Africa might suit you better (typically a morning and an afternoon game drive with much free time in between), as long as you understand the limitations. For example, in Sabi Sands, depending on the lodge, you may drive along fence lines, see power lines, and see lights from the surrounding areas at night. If you don't mind that, the benefit is you get 24 hour electricity, better food, better internet.

Best of luck.

I haven't been to South Africa so am not the best person to answer your question but we loved our time in Tanzania. We have traveled quite a bit and Tanzania is at the top of our favorite trips list. We did stop for a couple of days in Amsterdam on the way over and on the way back (although your idea of Paris is a good one) and were happy to break up the trip that way as flight times out of San Francisco were lengthy.

I would encourage you to add a few more days to your safari, if you can. A private tour is great as you can always decide to return to your lodge for lunch or a rest. My husband was worried about long drives as he gets restless but found he was enjoying himself so much we ended up taking box lunches with us and spending whole days out on game drives. I believe our trip was 5 nights on safari (and a night in Arusha) which worked well for us as it allowed us to stay in three different areas (Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.)

Have a great trip!

Welcome!

Some additional information from you would help.

What time of year would you be traveling? It can make quite a difference.

How many days would you have available, all in?

Talk generally about budget constraints. Costs can vary hugely.

Thanks!

I think you can't go wrong with either location. We have gone on Safari in South Africa twice - once was a self drive in Hluhluwe north of Durban while our last trip was to Kruger. We stayed at the Lion Sands Kruger National Park - Narina. This is a private concession within Kruger with 5000 hectares of wild bush. It was amazing. Staying in a private concession avoided the crowds of cars in Kruger (not to sound discouraging). Our game trackers took us into the Park and it was definitely a different experience. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed our stay at Narina. As another post mentioned - we went on morning and evening drives - our accommodation was amazing - each unit with a private pool overlooking the river. You could game view from your room.

We included a quick 4 days to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls. Once you've gone that far you might consider seeing this - it's one of the wonders of the world. There are easy walks along the falls and depending on time of year - amounts of water vary. Boat trips on the Zambezi put you close to hippos and other animals in the wild. We flew from Jo'burg to Victoria Falls and avoided the rest of Zimbabwe.

A couple of notes: we were flying from California so we did an overnight in Washington DC on every trip to SA. It broke up the trip but there is no way around the fact SA is a long way away!! Well worth it. I would definitely stay as long as you can afford - make sure to consider the exchange rate which makes Africa more affordable once you get there. We flew into Jo'burg and then flew to the small airport near Kruger. Don't drive in SA.

Just to clarify,, you only want three to four days in the bush for game watching? That's really short, considering the time it takes to get to most game areas.
How long is the entire trip?

I am just reading all the responses to my post. Thank you all for your advice. To answer a couple of questions asked of me. We intend to go last week of September /first week of October for about 8 days to 10 days, but only want to actually Safari for about 4. I am also wondering if it's better to just stay at one lodge for the 4 nights, or is it better to travel to different lodges where there might be more to see. As to budget, ideally we would prefer to keep the accommodation under $1000 a day per person if this is possible. THANK YOU ALL

Thanks for your response, do you remember where you stayed in Tanzania?

Our trip was in 2012 so places may have changed but I found our old itinerary. We stayed at the River Camp in Tarangire, the Sopa Lodge at Ngorongoro Crater, the Serena lodge in the Central Serengeti and the Mbalageti Lodge in the Western Serengeti. We had a travel agent assist us with choosing our locations and asked for "mid-range" accommodations. I remember that we chose the Sopa Lodge (it was OK but not our favorite) based on its location by one of the entrance gates of the Ngorongoro Crater.

Since you only have 4 nights, I would highly suggest a full day at the Ngorongoro Crater and perhaps spending the rest of your time in the Serengeti. I would contact several Safari planners and then choose one you feel comfortable with to plan your ideal trip. You can search for trip reports here to see which safari planners and places to stay travelers here have recently been happy with.

The safari planner we used for Tanzania is no longer in business but we used The Wild Source for a recent trip to Kenya and we were very happy dealing with them and delighted with the trip they helped us plan. They also handle trips to Tanzania. I have also read here that posters have been pleased with Access2Tanzania and Warrior Trails as well as others.

We have taken safaris in both Tanzania and South Africa. Both were amazing but very different.

In Tanzania on separate trips, one to the Serengeti and Ngorongongo and another to a private reserve in Selous. The former involved a lot of driving so may not suit (though I suppose you could just fly into Ngorongongo for 4 nights. We also spent some R&R time on Mafia Island after which was nice. Selous was a truly amazing experience. The accommodation was in "tents" , luxurious in the extreme. A wide variety of game viewing by jeep and boat in a quite diverse landscapes. One of the most memorable experiences was fly camping in the bush . Amazing to turn up in the middle of nowhere to find a table set up for silver service, iced champagne and great food and then to get sleep under the stars.

South Africa, for us at least was very different. We chose not to go to any of the luxury camps (though I am sure they are great) . instead we rented a car and visited numerous "Sanparks" the government run camps.The game is the same but the viewing is very different in that you self drive through the parks (you can hire a guide if you so choose) it really is a lot of fun driving yourself around an parking next to lions, rhinos, elephants etc. The lodges are not luxurious but comfortable and spacious . We self catered much of the time but most camps have restaurants and the food is pretty good.We spent three months there but I only got around to posting about a handful of places in our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/categor.../south-africa/. On of the best camps was at Addo which is not too far from Cape Town which is a wonderful city and worth a few days.

Thank you so much for taking the time to look for your old itinerary. I'm going to take a look at The Wild Source and the places you stayed at in Tanzania. I had no idea there were so many Safari companies, it's overwhelming. Thank you again

With only four nights, I would stay at one camp if you go to South Africa.

But I know nothing about the SanParks options; I've stayed in lodges in nearby Saba Sands on those SA trips.

Desirability of changing lodges/camps would depend on the time required to get from one to the other.

We have decided on Tanzania.. have been doing a lot of research and I think I can handle the drives. Thank you for your help

We have decided (well, I have as this is my bucket list thing.. that we are going to Tanzania) Yes, we are going to add a few more days for sure. Looks like where you went is exactly where we think we need to go. Did you go private? which tour operator did you choose if you remember? Thank you

Hi again, we went with a company which has, unfortunately, closed due to the death of its owner.

I am glad you are thinking of adding more days. Some locations are better than others at certain times of the year but your safari planner can give you good advice about which areas are likely to have more animals and better sightings depending on your dates. If possible, viewing the Great Migration is really thrilling.

Thank you for your reply. We are thinking late September so we may be able to see the migration. I'm already excited and I've done nothing yet!

Visiting the safari parks in Tanzania usually requires taking a vehicle. There is a certain distance from your accommodation to the visiting area. Wild animals are very close to you, even carnivores such as lions. There may also be services for traveling at night. In late September, the maximum temperature is just over 30 degrees Celsius, the humidity is very low, and the weather is relatively dry. Try to avoid going near water areas, as there may be mosquitoes, and some of them bite fiercely.

We have done safaris in both, South Africa and Tanzania. Each is quite distinct so the answer to your question would also depend on what picture you have in mind of a safari.
We enjoyed both immensely. We did Tanzania in Sept/Oct of 2023 - saw the river crossings (part of Great Migration) which was stunning. Went with Access2Tanzania - they do only private custom tours. We did a 12 day safari - Northern Serengeti, Central Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire. We stayed in Mara River Camp, Tortilis camp, Serena lodge and Ndovu camp, respectively. Tanzania is lion king country - vast plains and tons of animals. If you decide on Tanzania, I would pick Serengeti and Ngorongoro only to meet your tighter timeline. If you can extend it to 5-6 days, you will get more out of it and it will be less rushed. Fly to each place and spend about 2 nights, only 1 night needed for Ngorongoro. Northern Serengeti for the river crossing and Central Serengeti for the big cats and cheetah.
South Africa - we did this in 2018. Went to Timbavati private game reserve, stayed in Motswari lodge. The game drives here are twice a day and one shares the vehicle with other people. If you're doing SA, you must do a private game reserve like Sabi Sands or Timbavati. Kruger will give you a Yellowstone park experience - driving on paved roads and no off-roading. Utterly pointless, in my opinion. The private game reserves border Kruger and there are no fences between. A more intimate experience, so to speak. Moving from lodge to lodge over a 3-4 day time period makes no sense. You'll spend time packing and traveling between them and will lose a game drive opportunity.
But if this is your bucket list, my suggestion would be to extend by a few days and do Tanzania. Good luck!