South Africa is very well known for its safari holidays and thousands of people flock there very year to get a glimpse of the wildlife but did you know that South Africa is also a very popular beach holiday destination? In South Africa you will find a large number of beautiful 5 star resorts that are literally minutes away from the golden sandy beaches that many of us crave. It takes about 10 to 11 hours to get from the UK to South Africa so it is by no means a quick trip but definitely worth the travel time.

You should definitely try the local food in South Africa which is often truly amazing. You will find that the majority of the locals are very friendly and happy to show you some of their local traditions. As with any holiday you should always be cautious when in a foreign country and ensure that you are safe at all time.  

You don’t have to choose between a safari and beach holiday, why not do both? You can spend a week on safari and then a week relaxing with a cocktail by the pool. Safari holidays are often described as once in a life time holiday experience, so it would be a shame to miss out if you are already going for a beach holiday.

If you are looking for a safari holiday but do not fancy travelling around in a Jeep for hours on end then you may consider a safari holiday by air. These types of safari trips are becoming increasingly popular and offer an all new experience for people that want to try something new.

Scenic flights are available as specific activities in limited regions, though most safaris will include light aircraft transfers which will give you wonderful views of the local landscapes. Helicopter flights can be booked for game viewing as well as for scenic viewing over the Victoria Falls.

Hot-air balloon safaris are available in a number of spots, most famously operating over the rolling plains of Kenya’s Masai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti. If you do your research and book to go at the right time of the year you may even be lucky enough to see the Wildebeest migration from above. This is a scene not to be missed and even if you have seen this from the ground, seeing it from above is a whole new experience.

Do your research and find out what air safari trips are on offer before you go. You may want to try and book a flight in advance to make sure you get to go at the right time.

Holidays in general can be a perfect way for people to get away from their day to day lives and enjoy some much needed down time. Not everyone like to go on a holiday and just relax on the beach or by the pool all the time, for some, a holiday is a chance to explore new surroundings and try new activities that they may not of had the opportunity to previously.

Safari holidays have grown in popularity over the past few years, and this is mainly due to holidays becoming more affordable to those that previous maybe would have struggled to afford it.

There are a number of locations to go for a safari holiday and a number of activities to do, but South Africa is by far the leader in offering these once in a lifetime trips.

Have you ever considered going on a Gorilla trekking safari? These specially designed safari holidays really will take your breath away. You can get up close with these amazing mammals and see how they live in their own habitat.

The Gorillas are a massive part of South Africa and are the reason for many people choosing to take a safari holiday there. Instead of the usual Jeep driving safari trip, you can chose to go on a Gorilla trek.

If you are looking to book a safari holiday then you will want to find the best location and resort possible for your money. Places like Trip advisor as perfect for getting honest and non-biased reviews on places that can help you make your decision.

When reading reviews you need to decide what is important to you. It may be that you want to find somewhere where the food is outstanding or that you may want to make sure that cleanliness is a top priority. Obviously each person has different expectations and you need to be aware of this when reading any reviews. It may be what one person regards as clean another person thinks is not acceptable.

With regards to safari holiday reviews, you cannot always rely too much on the reviews of the actually safari experience as each time you go out on a safari it will be different. One person may go out and hardly see any wildlife and leave a bad review and the following day the trip goes out again and they have an amazing time. Research the best times of year to go to see the animals that you expect to see as often they congregate at different times of the year.

Hunting has always been a bit of a controversial subject with many people against the sport. Believe it or not you can actually book to go on a safari hunting holiday in Africa. These holidays allow people to go to South Africa and hunt lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, white rhino and many more animals in a safe environment. The cost for this experience varies depending on what and where you wish to hunt.

The companies that offer this type of hunting experience state that they actually contribute a lot to wildlife conservations from the money they make therefore they are putting more money in to looking after the animals within the designated areas and helping to stop illegal poaching.  Some people think that if they banned hunting altogether then there wouldn’t be such a need for conservation areas though. A few years back there was a rather controversial story about an American Dentist who was pictured with a lion that he and his team lured out of a conservation area so he could shoot it. He then had to leave it until the following day to go back and kill the animal which must have been suffering over night.

Tanzania is a fantastic choice of location for a safari holiday. The climate is often ideal for a safari and you are likely to see a wide selection of animals in their natural habitat.

When booking a safari you may be unsure of which resort is the best for you and it may be that you are dubious about replying on information from a local tour operator who has in fact never been to any of the resorts themselves.

If you are looking for honest, unbiased reviews then I would strongly recommend doing a bit of your own research. There are some companies who actually send their advisors out to the resorts to allow them to experience them first hand. This allows them to give an accurate description and honest view on what the resort is like, allowing you to make an informed decision as to if it is the right place for you.

When booking a safari holiday, there are a number of different choices you have, for example, you may want to go on a self drive safari, a guided safari or a walking safari. Each type offers a totally unique experience and one which will create fond memories for years to come.

Experiencing a safari on foot allows you to experience the natural environment and animals on their terms, rather than just spectating from a distance, you often become part of their world. Walks typically last two to four hours and they are not done at a marching pace, so you needed worry if you’re not particularly an avid walker. You will be accompanied by one or often two guides, one of which will certainly be armed if you are likely to encounter dangerous big game.

Often the guide makes a massive difference to the type of walking safari you will experience, so it is worth while doing a bit of research to make sure you book with one of the best ones.

Serengeti Nation Park in Tanzania, East Africa is a popular place for tourists to go on a safari holiday.  The park is famous for its migration of some two hundred and fifty thousand Zebras and over one and a half million wildebeest.

Most safaris to the Serengeti start from the town of Arusha. The airport of Kilimanjaro is situated about twenty nine miles away from Arusha, and is the best airport to fly in to, to get to the national park. The other option is to fly in to Julius Nyerere International airport which is situated just outside Dar es Salaam, but you would then need to get a domestic flight to the airport In Arusha itself.

If you don’t mind spending a bit longer travelling in order to save money then you could go to the African travel hub in Nairobi, Kenya and opt for a shuttle but to take you to Arusha.

A safari holiday is often a special type of vacation for many families and therefore the job of a tour guide is a very important. Each day is different, as the guests that you will be showing round, the climate, the wildlife and the challenges are often not the same as the previous days before.

The job does involve long hours and the rate of pay is not great, but the opportunities that the job offers can be enough to tempt many people. If you like working with people and animals, are able to travel and relocate or spend long periods of time away from home, then a safari tour guide could be an ideal job for you. You will also need to be good at time keeping, very organised and have an eye for detail as well as having great customer service skills.

There are currently many safari tour guide jobs available in South Africa as more and more people are opting for a safari holiday.

When writing a review for a safari holiday, you should consider what will be useful to other people reading it. Consider what you would have liked to have known about the safari trip and make sure that you are always truthful but fair.

If the holiday was a package holiday that included a safari trip and accommodation then you may want to split your review in to two sections. When reviewing the accommodation, be sure to talk about how helpful the staff were, cleanliness, food and overall value for money.

Reviewing the safari trip may be a little more difficult. If for example, you experienced really bad weather, then this is not in the hands of the safari tour guides and therefore you should not leave a bad review because of this. You should talk about the guides, the wildlife you had the opportunity to see, safety and also the organisation aspects of the trip.