You would think that a cheap safari in Africa for $70 a day would have to take place in some shady game reserve in Timbuktu that nobody visits. But not in this case. This is, and has been one of the best national parks in Africa for over 100 years and it's visited by over 1 million people every year. It's the Kruger National Park in South Africa and you can visit it for only $70 per day by using a little bit of local knowledge and some common sense. The local knowledge is provided by me as I have been on over 15 cheap safaris in the Kruger park over the last twenty years and the common sense is applied by you, using the information that I share with you. Here are the cheap safari guidelines to go on safari in the Kruger for a song... Daily Conservation Fee: Pay only for six days and get the rest of the trip Free... One of the things that drives the price of a safari up is the conservation fee that you have to pay for every day you spend in the park. It is for a good cause because the money is ploughed back into managing the reserve effectively but if you could lessen that cost it will make a big difference to the safari price. And you can. By purchasing a smartcard called the Wildcard you are allowed to pay the daily fee for only six days of your safari trip and then you don't have to pay anymore whereas if you don't have it you will continue paying for every day you spend in the Kruger national park. The card also gives you free entrance to 53 other national parks in South Africa including the Addo Elephant Park and the Kgalagadi National park. It really is worth the price. The cost and where you can get the card are in the guidelines at the African safari journals website. Food and Drink: Eat and drink cheaply but well All the main rest camps in the Kruger Park have one well stocked grocery store where you can buy your food and drink. It's very convenient, but it's also expensive because they can charge virtually what they like as there is no competition in the park. But I know a way around this where you will be able to get your food and drink for reasonable prices and it's simply this... Do all your grocery shopping outside the park where it is a lot cheaper. Before entering visit a grocery store like Pick n Pay, Spar or Shoprite in one of the towns you pass through and buy the non-perishables in bulk. So what happens when you start running low on provisions if you are staying for longer than a week? No problem. Using the Wildcard you can leave and enter the park as often as you want. Just flash it and your accommodation documents at the gate when you leave and come back in and go and purchase your food and drink at the nearest supermarket. It's amazing how much you can save by cutting down on you food and drink bill. Wildlife Spotting: The secrets to seeing more wildlife every day. It's all about being in the right place at the right time to see some amazing wildlife in the Kruger park. Luck does play a big part but there are some things you can do to tilt the balance in your favour. A very important thing to remember to improve you wildlife spotting chances remarkably is to get up early. So early in fact, that you need to join the queue at the camp gates which is formed by other people who have also picked up on this tip. It's simple but effective advice. Why does it work? Because you are one of the first out of the gates you get to see all the nocturnal animals that have been awake all night and are going back to their dens to get some rest for the day. Lions also seem to enjoy lounging around on the road in the evening or early morning. I have no idea why but they do. When the sun comes up it gets too warm and they move off so catch them while they are still there by getting up early. The Cost Breakdown: The cost breakdown for the cheap safari to bring you to a total of $70 per day includes accommodation, transport, food and drink, fuel and entrance fees. In actual fact, because you save on the daily conservation fee, your daily cost drops the longer you go. It becomes possible to go on a month long cheap safari for $1700. And that is what other safaris normally cost for five days. So now you have an idea of how to go on safari for $70 per day in the Kruger National park. It is still possible to go on a cheap safari for a reasonable price. If the high prices have put you off going on your dream African trip in the past, this will make it possible for you. |
