Private Safari Vehicle

in Safari Planning & Tips by Araneta&Tan — July 17, 2009 at 10:01 am | 0 comments

If you have a specific interest and want to enjoy your safari holiday to its maximum potential, then hiring your own private vehicle and guide will make that all happen!!

If you are the type of traveller who plans on going on a safari holiday for a specific purpose like photography safari, bird viewing, educational research on the characteristics of a certain animal, or for a romantic honeymoon, we would highly recommend you to hire your own vehicle and ranger. This will give you full flexibility when you are out in the bush and it will certainly guarantee you more enjoyable game drives.

Private 4x4 Vehicle

A standard 4×4 vehicle when you go on a safari in Tanzania can easily fit 6 to 8 people. It is of course, absolutely fun to make new friends and share the exciting moments together. But you also have to bear in mind that everyone inside the vehicle will have different interests. There might be first timers who want to see only the Big Five, bird lovers who would stop every time they see one of East Africa’s beautiful and colourful birds and there might be a photography enthusiast who wishes to stop longer than usual to capture the moment a male lion wakes up from its long slumber. Each sighting no matter how different your interests are will be very exciting for sure.

But if you are looking for the total freedom to do whatever you want, to stop wherever you feel like or to have the privacy for you and your love one, then having your own vehicle will eliminate all the things I mentioned and you will be rest assured that your plan for the day will be just as how you want it to be. The ranger’s attention will be solely dedicated to you and your interests, and you can have the flexibility all day long. This may include starting earlier than usual to see the beautiful sunrise, or you can stop in one spot for as long as you want and patiently wait for the return of a leopard to have its fresh lunch that is visibly hanging on a tree branch. And if you are interested in photography, then having your own private vehicle will give you the total freedom to move around the vehicle so that you can position yourself well whenever you see an interesting subject to photograph. The list can go on but I am sure you know what I am trying to say here.

The only down side of hiring your own private vehicle is the cost as it can be an expensive option. Depending on the lodge you will be staying or the company you will be travelling with, the cost of a private vehicle will vary considerably and it can go up to £400.00 per day. It is a lot of money to pay on top of the total safari package costs but depending on your interests and goals, then this price might be easily justifiable and I can guarantee you that the monies spent will be worth it should you opt to take this route.

So before you go on a safari, it is best to think about what you want to do, what you want to see and think about what kind of safari holiday you want to have, and think about your goals. This will help you clarify, prioritise and decide on whether or not a private vehicle and ranger is good for your planned safari holiday.

For the photography enthusiasts out there, you can always join one of the photographic safaris we organize to be with like minded people and a professional photographer to guide you in taking your award winning safari wildlife photographs. You can contact us at info@aranetatan.com if you want to get more information.