Safari holidays generally are about getting back in touch with nature and seeing wildlife in its own habitat, however there is some technology that could really enhance your trip and may be worth taking along.

Night vision binoculars – these are occasionally provided if you are going to be doing night time safari trips but you will usually have to share with others. If you have your own you’re sure not to miss a thing.

Good quality digital camera – you really want to be able to capture the memories and the best way to do this is by using a good quality camera where you can adapt the settings to get some brilliant high grade shots for your album.

Water pack – these are great inventions that keep a bottle or sack of water in a back pack then feed a straw through to the shoulder strap so that you can keep sipping at the cool water throughout the day without searching through your bag every five minutes for a bottle.

Safety is often a concern for many people when booking a safari holiday in South Africa. On the whole, safari holidays are extremely safe with very few accidents involving animals. Often it is not the animals that should be your main concern of a safari holiday as unfortunately there has been a recent rise in crime in the country.

Like on any trip, you should make sure you are aware of your surroundings and the limitations that you should abide by. When you are on a Safari holiday you will have a guide that should go through with you the do’s and don’ts whilst out and about. You should be advised what to do in certain situations should you come in to any difficulties or find yourself in trouble. It is vital that you not only listen well to all the instructions and information you are given but ensure that you follow them closely.

Safari holidays can be one of the best experiences of your lifetime, opening your eyes to sights that you could never of imagined, but for some people the safety aspect puts them off completely and they chose to avoid these types of trips. All in all Safari holidays are actually generally quite safe and the main risks involved do not always come from the animals that you may encounter. If you book a guided safari holiday, the tour guides make it their job to familiarise themselves with the surrounds, carrying out risk assessments and constantly monitoring the safety aspects that may affect to the public. Here are a few tips to keep you safe whilst on a Safari holiday: 1) Never carry large amounts of cash around, especially in urban areas. Take travellers cheques and make a not of the numbers on each (always keep this separate to the cheques). 2) Never leave any luggage or personal belongings unattended whether this be on a safari vehicle or in the accommodation lobby area. 3) Always listen to your guide when you are game viewing. Never tease or try to scare an animal as it if feels threatened, then that is when it is most likely to attack

A safari holiday can be a once in a lifetime experience allowing you to see animals in their natural environment that previously you may have only encountered at the local zoo. The best time to go on an safari holiday is when the animals are easy to find and most dense in numbers. If you are looking to go on an African safari trip, the seasons and therefore weather changes dramatically from the east to the south so you really can go anytime of the year as long as you are flexible on your location.
Depending on what animals you wish to see and what weather you are hoping for will help you determine what time of the year to go. Also some seasons are cheaper to travel in than others, but bear in mind that you may not see all the animals you wanted to as it is the wrong time for them to be about in large numbers in that destination.
The great thing about safari holidays is that you will never go on two that are the same, even if you stay in the same location. This means that you can go time and time again and have a totally different experience to take home with you.

The different types of accommodation available when going on an African Safari holiday can vary greatly. You can opt to stay in a boutique lodge, where you will be waited on and all your meals cooked for you to getting closer to nature and staying in a 2 man pop up tent, where you can literally hear the animals breathing!
The two types of accommodation are worlds apart but both offer exceptional experiences, it just all depends on what you are looking for. If you prefer the luxuries and the mod cons then opt for the lodge but if you want something that is a little more exhilarating then the tent may be for you. If you have the opportunity, then try and experience both at some point, only this way can you get a true comparison and make your own mind up which you prefer. If you are going to try both on the same trip, then make sure you do the tent stay first! As going from a luxury lodge to a tent may seem a bit of an anti climax!