Mobile safaris: The traditional safari way

Imagine laying in bed at the end of a thrilling day’s safari – not in a lodge but in a private canvas tent in the middle of the great wilderness. Imagine wild animals roaming your camp under the burning night sky, alive with millions of stars.

If this isn’t adventure, we don’t know what is.

The essence of a safari

  • There are many ways to do a safari, and none of them can be considered the right or wrong way to do it, but there is the most traditional way.
  • A mobile safari gets you in the thick of things, allowing you to experience Africa and its many animals much more intimately than sleeping in a hotel or lodge.
  • This is how people in the area have lived and travelled for thousands of years. If you want to go to the heart of what a safari is, then a mobile safari might be precisely what you’re looking for.

What is a mobile safari?

Mobile safaris involve groups travelling to different locations daily and staying in tented camps erected specifically for the group. If you’re looking for a wonderfully old-fashioned way of travelling, this is it.

Key features of a mobile safari:

Tented Camps: The temporary canvas tented camps can be quickly assembled and dismantled, allowing for a flexible and dynamic safari experience.

Explore multiple locations: Over just a few days, you can explore various locations utilising the same mobile camp and crew, making the most of your time in the wild.

Multi-day itineraries: These multi-day itineraries, where the camp is moved to new locations every day or every few days, highlight the essence of a mobile safari.

A journey within the landscape: It’s a journey through the landscape. The word’ safari’, translated from Swahili to English, means ‘journey’ – emphasising that a mobile safari is the purest form of a safari.

The original safari experience: Mobiles are the origin of the incredible safari experience, offering a traditional and authentic way to explore the wilderness.

The camping safari experience

Delve into the authentic essence of an safari with our camping safari experiences. As you spend your days amid unspoiled nature, expect accommodations that blend comfort with the raw beauty of the  wilderness. Your daily life on a camping safari includes:

  • Large, walk-in-sized canvas tents with ‘bush bathrooms’ and proper Air beds.
  • Enjoy essential comforts that ensure a relaxing and rejuvenating stay despite the remote locations.
  • Engage in thrilling drives, nature walks, and evenings under the stars, immersing yourself in the safari atmosphere.
  • The camp staff carries out all the work of setting up and dismantling the camp, preparing food, and general camp chores.

How are mobile safaris different from other safaris?

The significant difference between mobile safaris and other safari we offer is that mobile safaris are constantly moving. Camps might stay up for two or three days at most. Still, they are usually assembled and disassembled daily to accompany a location change.

On most other safaris, you will sleep in lodges or hotels that may be remote but are still much closer in style and dynamics to what people are generally used to.

How do I know if a mobile safari is for me ?

If the idea of a mobile safari piques your interest, but you still have reservations, that’s perfectly natural. Sleeping in a tent in the middle of the jungle might sound like heaven to some, but it can be a scary prospect for others.

Embracing the adventure of mobility

On the other hand, a mobile safari is perfect for you if you love the idea of constantly moving, throwing everything into the backpack each morning, and looking forward with excited anticipation to where the next camp might be.

You can’t go wrong if you love a good journey, uncertainty.

Affordability and authenticity

Price-wise, it can also be more affordable to experience an extended ‘serviced’ safari as you are not paying for all those extra luxuries and infinity swimming pools. Instead, you are paying just enough for the excellent service, the comfort, and the access to these incredible locations.

Mid-range vs. Luxury mobile safaris

Mid-range mobile safaris focus on the safari experience while catering to your basic comfort needs. luxury mobile safaris can become more expensive as the logistical cost of moving such an elaborate camp can include a large team and heavy-duty trucks. 

A continuous safari experience

Essentially, the main advantage of a mobile safari is that when you return to camp from an activity, your safari doesn’t stop – the camp itself, the tents, and the wilderness setting are all part of the excitement of your safari.

Alternatively, with a lodge-based safari, it can be easy to step off the vehicle, connect to the lodge’s Wi-Fi, and retreat to your air-conditioned room – disconnecting you from the wilderness you travelled so far to experience.