Our African Safari Vehicles, Types, Price & Destinations
After landing at your safari destinations, you’ll move from the plane to the safari vehicles for wildlife drives and road transfers. Features like pop-up roofs and extra-large windows are a direct result of the designers’ goals of making these cars more conducive to observing games. Things like sandbags or cushioned bars to prop up your camera are hallmarks of a professional photography trip.
Depending on the safari and the area you’re visiting, the safari vehicles could be open-air or have the option to close the roof for more comfortable travel over longer distances.
Enjoy game drives in specially fitted cars on self-drive or fly-in safaris at resorts or camps. Tough and rugged, these 4x4s typically have open sides and can accommodate six to eight people on tiers of bench seats, ensuring that everyone gets a good view. Warning: sitting in the back row is the most uncomfortable position in the car.
Safari Vehicles
Exciting and enjoyable days spent tracking animals are part of a luxury safari, but there may be long days spent traveling between destinations as well. There is a maximum of six passengers per luxurious nine-seater safari vehicle operated by The Bespoke African Safari Co. in East Africa. Every passenger has a window seat and can use the roof hatch. In addition, every vehicle is equipped with a set of Nikon binoculars for each passenger, a cooler with soft drinks, mineral water, chips, and other snacks, beanbags to support long camera lenses, and a collection of field guides to plants, animals, and birds. Every vehicle of The Bespoke African Safari Co. is outfitted with Wi-Fi for the convenience of our guests. Additionally, our Driver Guides and Safari Directors are armed with cell phones, and we have long-range VHF radios for communication between all of our safari vehicles and our headquarters.
Our East African safari vans have three rows of seats, and we require that guests rotate between them during each park transfer and game drive. Every seat offers the same perspective, but it’s still good that everyone gets a shot at being up front with the Driver Guide.
The safari vehicles in Southern Africa is selected according to the number of passengers and the locations being explored; all of the safari vehicles are state-of-the-art, opulent, and equipped with all the conveniences found in East Africa. In urban regions and other less rural locations, your automobiles are ideal for leisurely driving on flatter ground. The Bespoke African Safari Co. prioritizes your comfort above all else, thus we take measures to ensure that every passenger has plenty of room.
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Game Drive Safari Vehicles in Southern Africa
In Southern Africa, safari vehicles are predominantly open unless utilized for road transfers or off-road game viewing. Open-sided 4×4 Land Cruisers and Land Rovers, typically featuring tiered seating, are commonly employed. Despite the fully open sides of these safari vehicles, many are equipped with permanent sunshades (roofs) that provide protection from rain during occasional showers.
Countries: South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Namibia
In Southern Africa, cars are often more open unless utilized for road transfers or off-road game watching. Open-sided 4×4 Land Cruisers and Land Rovers predominantly have tiered seats. Despite the fully open sides of these safari vehicles, many are equipped with permanent sunshades (roofs) that also provide protection from occasional rain showers.
Open safari vehicles provide better view, unhindered photo opportunities, and a sense of being “closer” to the wildlife because sounds and smells are easier to detect.
The tracker, who watches the road for tracks and spoor and relays this information to your driver-guide, may have a bucket seat fixed on the front of some game drive vehicles in South Africa (don’t settle into his chair!).
Driving on Safari
Traveling between camps and airstrips, which double as game drives, is a great way to see rural life and scenic vistas. You should know that getting to some places could take a long time, and that the roads there might be rough and dirty.
Game Drive Safari Vehicles in East Africa
Compared to Southern Africa, safari vehicles in East Africa are typically less exposed to the weather. The main reason for this is that in East Africa, open cars are not allowed in some places, such as on the highways that connect national parks to specific park regions (such the Ngorongoro Crater). It all comes down to safety: in parks where cheetah numbers are flourishing, these astute hunters like to climb aboard a safari vehicle in order to search the horizon for prey, and an open-sided game viewing vehicle is not appropriate for regular roads. The best way to enjoy this exhilarating experience is behind a real automobile door.
Countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda
In comparison to Southern Africa, East African countries tend to keep their vehicles covered from the elements. For the most part, this is due to the fact that many regions in East Africa—including the Ngorongoro Crater—do not accept open cars. One example is the highways that connect national parks. For reasons of safety, you shouldn’t drive an open-sided game viewing vehicle on regular roads. Additionally, cheetahs, who are cunning hunters, often board safari vehicles to survey their surroundings for potential food in parks where their numbers are abundant. Enjoy the exhilarating experience to the fullest when seated behind a real automobile door.
Due to the large road networks in most East African safari sites, closed vehicles are typically used for long-distance transports between airstrips, camps, and lodges. In order to better observe and photograph wildlife, closed game drive vehicles often have three rows of seats and a roof hatch that can be raised.
Vehicles with more open layouts, such as canvas roofs and retractable window covering flaps, are typical in private wilderness areas where they are driven only off-road.
Other Types of Safari Vehicles
Safari Minibuses:
Scheduled safari trips in Kenya are led in customized minibuses, with a driver-guide, in contrast to the regular minibuses or SUVs used for airport transfers, day tours, and scheduled safaris in South Africa and Namibia.
These safari cars have nine seats, but only seven can be used at once so that everyone has a window seat. In most cases, a big pop-up roof is included to guarantee clear vistas and excellent photo ops.
Mobile Safari Vehicles:
Vehicles equipped with all-terrain capabilities are necessary for safaris in countries like Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, and Tanzania. You can get these with open sides or pop-up roofs; they come with engine snorkels and elevated suspension for river crossings; and they include shelves or pouches for all your safari essentials, like sunblock and a camera.
These safari vehicles are utilized in our camping safaris and mobile expeditions. They can accommodate eight or nine people, have room for luggage (on the top or in a trailer), and are tough enough to reach wild and off-the-beaten-path locations with easy.
Get in contact with one of our Africa Safari Experts if you require any clarification regarding the vehicles used on a certain safari…
Bush Flights:
In addition to saving you many hours of travel time, The Bespoke Africa Safari Co. offers you the luxury, comfort, and convenience of internal flights between some game parks. Like the bush pilots of old, you will soar above the mountains, rivers, and valleys, taking in the exhilarating views of the terrain below. Depending on when and where you are flying, there may be connections through other airstrips. The majority of bush flight routes are served by single- or double-engine turboprop aircraft because jets cannot land on the small airstrips.