# Well hell, I won a trip to a South Africa game/safari park. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 26, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285 "2019-08-26T22:08:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/1 "2019-08-26T22:08:01Z")
6 nights. I won a charity auction. Some of the people at the event had previously won it & recommended it highly. It’s been my dream forever. I may annoy everyone with questions, but for now, anyone done it? ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/2 "2019-08-26T23:11:17Z")
No, but if you need a traveling companion…🙂 It’s on my bucket list, & I already have all of my shots, which are probably not included & expensive. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/3 "2019-08-26T23:24:27Z")
Do these involve shooting large game animals anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/4 "2019-08-26T23:28:05Z")
You lucky dog. Have fun. Take lots of pictures. Bring me a gift. A tee-shirt would be nice. Red sz medium. ---
**Author:** ![Smudge777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@Smudge777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smudge777)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/5 "2019-08-26T23:46:29Z")
I was born in South Africa, so went on safari a couple of times when I was young. There’s nothing like it, at least in my experience. I’d strongly recommend taking this opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/6 "2019-08-27T00:24:45Z")
Couple of things: Does it include airfare? (not cheap for a 14 Hour Atlanta-Johannesburg trip. It’ll be hot there (S. Hemisphere and all). Check the internet and be prepared. Guided all the way (airport to airport)? Check on your shot records. May need some more, and not every Doctor’s office is equipped to administer vaccinations for, say, Malaria. Otherwise, it is a lot of fun, you will see animals up close and enjoy it a lot. (At least I did). ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/7 "2019-08-27T00:32:36Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#): > > 6 nights. I won a charity auction. Some of the people at the event had previously won it & recommended it highly. It’s been my dream forever. I may annoy everyone with questions, but for now, anyone done it? I did, years ago, in the 90s. It was fantastic one of the best trips I’ve taken in my life. Go, enjoy, I expect you’ll have an unforgettable time (in a good way). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/8 "2019-08-27T00:40:05Z")
Hm. I wonder how that ties in with [this](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=881053) thread. Think you can outrun an elephant? How do you feel about being [torn apart and devoured by lions](http://machineofdeath.net/pod-lions)? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/9 "2019-08-27T01:56:58Z")
We did a Tanzanian safari last year. Amazing. Bring a good camera ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/10 "2019-08-27T02:32:47Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Hm. I wonder how that ties in with [this](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=881053) thread. Think you can outrun an elephant? How do you feel about being [torn apart and devoured by lions](http://machineofdeath.net/pod-lions)? Nope. Maybe should. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/11 "2019-08-27T04:45:32Z")
Lucky bugger. I would kill anything to get on that trip. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/12 "2019-08-27T07:26:12Z")
My sister and I went to a South African safari park. We had a marvellous time - here’s some stuff about the trip. 1. Check if you need any shots. Our doctor said we needed two (iirc one was typhoid.) 2. Make sure of your travel arrangements. Ours went smoothly until the taxi company failed to show at the African airport for the final leg of the journey. There was literally no public transport - but happily the airport staff recommended a reliable substitute. 3. Have loose, comfortable clothing, decent footware (e.g. sturdy boots), bottled water and sun cream. 4. Our park offered elephant rides. Accept! Afterwards our safari guides said we could feed the elephants. We stood on a platform and scooped dry food from a storage bin. The elephants were obviously used to this (they are creatures of habit) and used their trunks to feed from our hands. 🆒 I enjoyed it so much that I was worried I was overfeeding one animal. I mentioned this to the guide. “Mr. Glee” he said “Look at the elephant. Now look at your hand!” 😃 5. Take a good camera, but DON’T use flash unless your guide says so. Our safari truck parked in a good spot and a rhino wandered over within 10’ to feed. We could **quietly** take pictures. 6. It’s a matter of chance what you see in the wild. We clocked lions, hippos, buffalo and elephant. No sign of leopard (the guide explained their camouflage and stealth is excellent.) Another tourist asked about seeing tigers! :o 7. Our park had a crocodile farm. Seeing them from a safe distance made me even more determined to listen to the guides and NOT wander off. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/13 "2019-08-27T07:30:54Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > It’ll be hot there (S. Hemisphere and all). While I’m sure that by Hudson Bay standards, any time of year is hot in South Africa, just being in the southern hemisphere doesn’t mean a place will be hot. Safari areas tend to be on the hot side, but not necessarily and some are the “bring a jacket for when the sun sets” type. Check specific weather information for the area you’ll be visiting. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/14 "2019-08-27T07:51:32Z")
Make sure to do everything. Like shoot a lion in the face, fight Muhammad Ali, and ride in a convertible with two happy zebras. ---
**Author:** ![UncaStuart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncastuart/32/404_2.png) [@UncaStuart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncaStuart)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/15 "2019-08-27T12:12:11Z")
My wife and I went to Kruger Park and Timbavati Game Reserve in South Africa last October. It was a great experience, especially as I am an avid amateur photographer. Partial list of animals viewed: Lion Cheetah Leopard Civet Hyena Jackal Wild Dog Crocodile Elephant Hippopotamus Rhinoceros Warthog Buffalo Giraffe Wildebeest Impala Kudu Klipspringer Vervet Monkey Chacma Baboon Five kinds of eagles Herons, egrets, storks, ibises, guineafowl, bustards I came back with 1600 images. What month are you going? Having gone in October, we were in the tag end of the dry season, when malaria risk is lower. My wife and I did not do malaria pills before the trip, relying on heavy-duty repellant and infused bandanas. YMMV depending on time of year. In Kruger Park, one has to stay within a vehicle while outside of the camps (except on marked bridges). One morning, however, we took a game walk with two armed rangers (a condition for being on foot), tromping around the Letaba River. That was fun. The organizers suggested bringing the following: Light casual clothing preferably in neutral colors so as to be as inconspicuous as possible in the bush Sweater for evenings Windbreaker or light jacket, scarf and cap for early mornings (5:30am in our case) Sun hat Once again, this was in October. We did get rained on one morning, but the vehicle came equipped with ponchos. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/16 "2019-08-27T13:59:45Z")
I’ve done this in South Africa & Botswana - highly recommended. A couple of suggestions: Get a quality set of binoculars; practice until you’re comfortable with them. Pay attention not only to the four-legged animals (as everyone does, because they’re great) but also the birds. Southern Africa’s bird life is beyond extraordinary; to visit there without paying close attention to this would be like passing time at the rim of the Grand Canyon in your hotel room. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/17 "2019-08-27T14:35:58Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Another tourist asked about seeing tigers! I was in [India](https://www.dropbox.com/s/8c5zj7x0xkvu8ra/750_3504.JPG) last week. > [@UncaStuart](#): > > My wife and I did not do malaria pills before the trip, relying on heavy-duty repellant and infused bandanas. I read that fast as banana instead of bandana. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/18 "2019-08-27T14:37:27Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Bring a good camera This is absolutely critical. Do NOT rely on your cell phone or on a cheap point/shoot camera. You need an SLR with a decent telephoto zoom lens that will punch out to 200-300mm, and that preferably has video capability. This will likely be the vacation of a lifetime and you don’t want to have fuzzy photos of some sort of creature off in the distance. ---
**Author:** ![UncaStuart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncastuart/32/404_2.png) [@UncaStuart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncaStuart)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/19 "2019-08-27T17:05:56Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Pay attention not only to the four-legged animals (as everyone does, because they’re great) but also the birds. Southern Africa’s bird life is beyond extraordinary;… Oh yes. We were lucky in that one of our hosts was an esteemed birder and pointed out the various birds that we came across. These included (here comes another list): Tawny eagle Steepe eagle Wahlberg’s eagle African fish eagle African hawk eagle Bataleur Hooded vulture White-backed vulture Verreaux’s eagle-owl Pels fishing-owl Melanistic goshawk Western cattle egret Great egret Goliath heron Grey heron White stork Saddle-billed stork African sacred ibis Hadedah ibis Egyptian goose Helmeted guineafowl Kori bustrd Red-crested korhaan African jacana African wattled lapwing Blacksmith lapwing Grey go-away-bird Pied kingfisher Little bee-eater Lilac-breasted roller Purple roller Red-billed hornbill Southern yellow-billed hornbill Fork-tailed drongo Dark-capped bulbul Magpie shrike Yellow-billed oxpecker Red-billed oxpecker Red-billed buffalo-weaver Red-billed quelea Cape glossy starwing [puff, puff] It was very helpful that I had a decent telephoto lens (per **Chefguy** ) that at 400mm allowed me to capture the birds, while also permitting closeups of the faces of the lions, leopards, rhino, buffalo, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285/20 "2019-08-27T17:36:40Z")
I’ve done a self-guided day trip to Pilanesberg, and spent a long weekend on a self-guided trip through Kruger, and they were both awesome, although Kruger was much, much more awesome. Neither of these are hunting reserves, and I’m certain that the government would object to hunting activity. I really want to return to Kruger with the family, and spend a week or more there. I typically detest tour bus type tours, and suspect that I’d hate a “safari” trip, unless, I suppose, it were a pricey, private one just for the three of us. I didn’t get to see lions in the field, for example, so an expert guide would probably be appreciated. Oh, I did see lions at a self-drive lion safari park near Joburg, but that was kind of like driving through the various “safaris” that we have here in the USA. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-hell-i-won-a-trip-to-a-south-africa-game-safari-park/839285.md?page=2)