Safari and Beach Advice

How to join the bush and the coast so that both halves work.

Safari and Beach travel advice

For health questions, a travel clinic has the final word. For visas, check the embassy of each country on the route.

1.Safari first, beach second
Early mornings and dust first, then a week of doing nothing. Doing it the other way round means leaving the beach for 5 a.m. starts. Nearly every itinerary here is ordered bush then coast for that reason.
2.Match the seasons
Zanzibar is wettest in April and May; the Mozambique coast is cyclone-prone from January to March; the Seychelles are good most of the year; Mauritius is driest from May to October. Line the coast up with the safari months before you fix dates.
Travel by month
3.The transfer
Kruger to Mozambique, the Mara to the Kenyan coast and the Serengeti to Zanzibar are each a short flight. The quote confirms the fare and the connection.
4.Meals change at the coast
Safari camps are usually full board or fully inclusive; beach hotels are often half board or bed and breakfast. Read the meals line on each stay so the budget for the second week is realistic.
5.Water activities
Snorkelling from the beach is often free; boat trips, dhows and diving are usually extra unless the stay says they are included. The quote can add them.

Bush days first, then the coast. Kenya with the Indian Ocean, Tanzania with Zanzibar, Mozambique, the Cape, or an island week after the parks.

The split is written in the stays
Count the safari nights and the beach nights on the page. That split is the sample. The quote can lengthen either side.
Beach meals follow the stay
A lodge on half board is breakfast and dinner. A safari camp on full board is the meals that stay lists. They are not the same.
Water activities are often optional
Snorkelling, dhows, and extra boat days stay in the day text until the quote says they are included.
The transfer is part of the plan
The flight or drive from the park to the beach is described. The quote confirms the fare when it is a domestic flight.

Published rates are per person sharing, in US dollars, shown in the currency you choose while browsing.
Nights, meals and the activities named on each stay are inside the rate. International flights, visas, insurance, tips and unlisted drinks are not.
No single-room supplement is charged, and children pay the same per-person rate as adults.
Wildlife sightings are never promised. Guides, parks and seasons are chosen to give the best chance; the animals decide the rest.
Gorilla itineraries include one permit per person per trek unless the page says two.
A written quote comes first. Nothing is booked and nothing is paid until you accept it.

Planning
The New Luxury Index Africas Best Beach Dupes
The New Luxury Index Africas Best Beach Dupes is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for the parks and coasts already on this site. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.
Planning
African Island Right Compare African Island Beach Holidays
African Island Right Compare African Island Beach Holidays is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for the parks and coasts already on this site. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.
Family
Incredible Family Beach Villas
Incredible Family Beach Villas is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for the parks and coasts already on this site. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.
Places
South Africa Safari Beach Holidays
South Africa Safari Beach Holidays is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for South Africa. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.