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Classic Safari or An Elegant Adventure

bllenhartbllenhart
in Botswana, South Africa & Zambia
Planning our 2016 trip which will be the first to Africa - we want to see the most animals, including the big five. Can anyone give advice about which tour would meet our needs best - the Classic Safari or the South Africa Elegant Adventure. And aside from the animals, which tour would you recommend and why? Thanks.

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    SealordSealord
    bllenhart wrote:
    Planning our 2016 trip which will be the first to Africa - we want to see the most animals, including the big five. Can anyone give advice about which tour would meet our needs best - the Classic Safari or the South Africa Elegant Adventure. And aside from the animals, which tour would you recommend and why? Thanks.

    We are doing Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia next. We did the Classic Safari, Kenya and Tanzania last year. We will never do that trip again, becauase it was so good it could never be duplicated. We are doing the South Africa itinerary because we will not have any expectations of doing anything as good or the duplicate of K & T. It is important to us to do something 'different' so we will not have to do a direct comparison. If you do K & T, I don't think you will be disappointed.
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    BritishBritish
    edited November 2015
    Classic Safari is literally just safari where you will see animals in large numbers every day. Elegant adventure is half city and culture and half safari. On the safari part of the tour you will not see animals in large numbers like in East Africa but you will get up very close and personal. The reserves there are privately owned, so the safari guides know exactly what animals are in the reserves because they are fenced, it is just a matter of finding them in the very different vegetation of South Africa. The two tours are very different and I enjoyed them both equally for different reasons.
    I will be taking the Botswana Zambia South Africa tour next year. I think it is important to note that there is only one part of the South Africa tour that involves animal seeing, the rest is also culture as in the Elegant Adventure. I expect to see animals in large numbers in Botswana. I think Sealord meant to say SOUTHERN Africa Itinerary not South Africa Itinerary, you only spend a few days in South Africa.
    The two tours you mention really are very different, you really have to decide what you want out of your experience in Africa and also book the tour as soon as you can, they usually fill up fast, although there will be cancellations as people get cold feet about terrorism and disease outbreaks, it happens every year in recent history, so you maybe lucky and get one of those spots.
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    Smiling SamSmiling Sam
    edited November 2015
    I just completed the K&T Classic Safari the first part of October. We saw all of the big 5 (and many, many other animals), but we only saw rhinos in Kenya. The leopard was the most elusive of the big 5. We only had a few sightings of them in the Serengeti. For animal sightings in general, on this trip, your wish will be fulfilled. Not sure what time of the year you're planning on going but I can recommend the mid-September trip. It might occur whenever you go, but we were able to see several newborns and several pregnant animals. We saw very young zebra, warthogs, monkeys, elephants, and lions, as well as pregnant lions and cheetahs. In addition, we saw some of the tail end of the great migration crossing of the Mara river. It's quite a sight, to see the crossers trying to pick and choose where and when to cross, especially when you see a lot of large crocodiles in the area and several floating wildebeests that weren't successful in their attempt to cross. We witnessed one small crossing of about 10 animals and then another larger crossing of about 70 animals. All crossers were successful as we watched.
    If I go back to Africa for another tour it would be the Botswana, Zambia, and South Africa tour. The biggest attraction for a return trip would be to see Victoria Falls.
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    blackmagic79blackmagic79
    I have done both the Classic Safari and the Elegant Adventure. British has nailed this one - couldn't have explained it better myself. K & T Classic Safari was my favorite - totally fabulous trip!
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    oakhilloakhill
    bllenhart wrote:
    Planning our 2016 trip which will be the first to Africa - we want to see the most animals, including the big five. Can anyone give advice about which tour would meet our needs best - the Classic Safari or the South Africa Elegant Adventure. And aside from the animals, which tour would you recommend and why? Thanks.


    I had gone on the African Safari several years ago and saw all parks in Kenya and Tanzania. Went in Sept and was fortunate to witness the Masai Migration and what a delight. All I can say, I have traveled with Tauck solo to Russia, China, Egypt-Jordan, Ireland, Costa Rica, and Cuba, The African Safari was the delight of my travelling. I am hoping this trip to Botswana and Zambia will come close to my past experience. I love nature and free animals and am 75 years old and hope this will not be my last trip. By the way, since you will be in the area, you may want to purchase a special permit and witness the Rwanda High Mountain Gorilla Trekking. I did it age 70 and believe me, it was an experience I will never forget. What a precious memory to stand back, be silent, and observe those precious giant living creatures.

    My trip is reserved for 20 August 2016 (Botswana & Zambia) and travelling solo. Hope to hear anyone going at that time.

    Also anyone that has traveled this trip, give me a few hints would be appreciated. Oakhill
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