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Safari
Vehicles
Wildlife Safaris
uses a combination of open safari vehicles and
7-seater VW microbuses with opening windows for
game drives on guided tours to Greater Kruger
National Park.
- Passengers
visiting any of the private safari lodges
such as Mohlabetsi, Moholoholo or Kapama Karula
will have game drives in a 10-seater 4x4
safari vehicle . These vehicles such as the
Landrover, have always been used in the
smaller private reserves, but only permitted
in Kruger Park during recent years.
- Passengers
staying 2 nights in Kruger Park will have an
evening game drive arranged by National
Parks and conducted in a larger 20-seater
open vehicle. Private cars, private open
vehicles and microbuses are not permitted to
travel in Kruger Park after sunset, so we
are obliged to use this larger vehicle.
- Our guides
conduct daytime game drives in Kruger Park
in the microbus, which has been the
traditional game viewing vehicle for many
decades. However, we have now introduced
optional open vehicles, usually on the main
game viewing day in Kruger Park.
Advantages of
an open safari vehicle
- The standard
10-seater open safari vehicle offers an
elevated, unobstructed seating position for
watching and photographing the animals.
- It
introduces a spirit of adventure for
overseas guests and will certainly be a
memorable experience.
- We recommend
that clients have a warm jacket, sun block,
lip ice, sunglasses and a cap to add to
their comfort during open vehicle drives. In
Kruger Park, most open vehicles have a
canvas top and roll-down sides for
protection in wet weather. Drivers generally
carry mineral water, blankets and light rain
jackets.
Disadvantages
of an open safari vehicle
- Guests are
exposed to the elements and are likely to be
on game drives for 3-6 hours before
returning to camp. In Kruger Park the
temperatures vary from approx. 5°C on a
winter morning to 45°C during the day in
summer. Mostly it can be very pleasant in an
open safari vehicle, but please remember at
certain times of the year, it can also be
extremely hot, cold, windy, dusty or
raining.
- Usually open
safari vehicles travel a bit slower than
guides in microbuses because of the wind
factor & comfort of passengers. Consequently
they do not cover the distance we do by
microbus so passengers may not see as much
of Kruger Park.
- When looking
at potentially wild animals, there is always
an element of danger & this may not suit
parents with children. In fact children
under 6 years are generally not permitted on
open vehicles in Kruger Park.
Proposal
Wildlife Safaris
is offering the option of a full morning game
drive (duration approximately 6 hours) in a
10-seater open safari vehicle to passengers
booked on our tours in southern Kruger Park for
2 nights. This is instead of the microbus on
that day and will be at additional cost. Please
discuss this with your sales consultant when
planning the safari.
Note
These notes have
been compiled by safari guides who have
experienced both open vehicles and microbuses
under many different conditions.
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