PLANNING YOUR ZAMBIAN SAFARI Author: Nick Aslin Photos: inset: Nick Aslin, background: Mukambi Safaris
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plunge-pools or grass walls and bucket-showers, all of these factors are actually just as important as how o you want to go on safari, and you’ve heard that much you want to pay. Zambia is the place to be in 2016… but what next? Careful planning and preparation can be the difference I‘ve always thought that Zambia attracts the more disbetween a waste of your valuable holiday time (not to cerning of safari-goers, we offer a very authentic prodmention your money) and an absolute trip of a lifetime. uct, and it’s fair to say that this won’t suit everyone. I assist hundreds of people every year with the planning Many of our camps are very small and some quite of their holidays and so in the paragraphs below and in a remote. As a rule - the more camps in an area, the follow-up article I hope to dispel some of the myths and more vehicles and tourists and indeed the more anidetail a few guidelines that should make the planning of mals. The trouble is that no one goes on safari to look at other people. The best designed trips will strive for your trip a whole lot easier. a balance between a remote experience and one that Let’s start at the beginning; you’re going to need some provides all the game one could wish to see. We are advice on where to go and where to stay. Believe me, lucky in Zambia that these elements will often come a quick search on the internet will produce numerous together but this does not happen by chance; the skill safari specialists around the world all promising that and knowledge of those advising you is paramount. their knowledge and their customer care is unequalled. My advice here is not to shy away but to get stuck in, So whether you’re looking for a week’s walking safari have a look at a bunch of websites and select a few that in the South Luangwa, a canoe trip on the Zambezi take your fancy, you’ll soon be able to gauge whether a or something more specialist like the bats in Kasanka company knows much about Zambia or not. Ideally you or the wildebeest in Liuwa, it is important to research should write to your favorite few and see what sort of carefully, seek plenty of advice and don’t be afraid to responses you receive, ultimately you’re looking for some- involve middlemen, you’ll get a better trip if you do one to reply quickly and enthusiastically with some sense and someone else is paying them, not you! of firsthand knowledge or experience. In the next edition of Travel & Leisure Zambia we will Many people will be tempted to try and do everything assume that you’ve chosen your destinations and look themselves rather than going directly to the websites of at what to consider before departure. safari operators here in Zambia. That would be a mistake for a first time visitor to the country. Most importantly and contrary to popular belief, it’s no cheaper, in fact you may end up paying more for a lesser experience. The safari industry is made up of many components; the agents around the world play an important role, many of the cleverer ones will then bring in my company for the ultimate in local knowledge and assistance, we then deal with local safari operators and flight companies. Each player in the game adds value to the travelling customer yet the price charged for the holiday is not increased. TL Z
The more information you can give your booking agent the more likely they are to guide you correctly. Have you been on safari before? What did you like or dislike? Do you prefer to walk or to drive? Are you into birds or animals, culture or tranquility? Do you like hair-driers and
Nick Aslin runs Zambian Ground Handlers specializing in the preparation of safari itineraries in Zambia, he has been involved in the industry for over 25 years.
