East vs. West African Safaris

If you’re going on safari, you’re probably thinking Africa. The first question is, which region? In terms of the big picture, you’re looking at the east coast, from Kenya down to South Africa at the bottom tip of the continent. The east has a well-established commercial infrastructure, while the south is a much more recent arrival to the safari scene. While this would seem to mean that East Africa is the better choice, for a number of reasons, such isn’t necessarily the case.

Historically, East Africa—Kenya and Tanzania in particular—were the go-to areas for safaris. Commercial safari tours began in those countries in the early 1900s, and for that reason the infrastructure is now well-established. At one level this may seem to be a plus for travelers looking for an established (thus safer) experience. But for those looking for an experience that is less “touristy,” the plus can be seen as a minus. Operating a tour that starts and finishes at a hotel isn’t the same adventure that a tent in the bush can provide.

In addition, because tours in East Africa are so well-established, they tend to attract more travelers. The very features in the upper eastern portion of the continent that attract higher numbers of visitors, such as the Ngorogoro crater and Lake Victoria, commercialize the experience more than tours in areas to the south such as the Hwange and the Kruger National Parks.

Kenya and Tanzania have been politically stable for much longer than the countries to the south, a major selling point for travelers. We’re going to Africa for the thrill of seeing the wildlife, we’re not looking for war zones or to maneuver through politically charged environments. With the fall of the Apartheid government in the mid-1990s, however, South Africa began a process that has now resulted in a government that is stable and visitor friendly.

In a very real sense, the relative lateness of the political stabilization can be seen as the cause of the excellent safari experience to be had in the south. Rather than focusing on luxury hotel accommodations and a seemingly “safer” safari experience that comes from closed vehicles, South African tours boast tents in the bush and open-air vehicles, and with it, the sense that you’re actually in the wild, rather than just looking at the wild from a distance. At this point, East African countries are now following the south’s lead, setting up camps in the wild and providing walking tours through the bush in order to compete with the South African safari experience. If any final statement on the merits of one region over the other can be made, it’s that the East is more established, thus more comfortable but more conventional, while the newcomers to the safari scene in the South provide a wilder ride. As always, it’s up to the traveler to decide which flavor is more to their liking.