south africa kapama

[flowerboy]

For those who went to South Africa and Kapama, did it feel like a real safari or was it to disneyish, if you know what I mean. Does it feel authentic or more like fenced in park.

 

[NoraG]

My mother and I went in June and it was absolutely a real safari. Kapama is a compound and SBD uses just one of the many "hotels" that are on the Kapama Reserve. The accomodations are very modern, but are out in the open. You'll likely see animals just walking around from your room to activities.

As for the safari, you are in a open vehicle, but it does not follow a track. There are well-marked paths that the jeeps follow, but they don't interfere with the animals except in special circumstances. So, they know of places where animals typically are and can radio to one another about a particular sighting, but none of the viewings are "staged." I found it to be a great mix of "real" safari outings and comfortable accomodations. I'm not one for camping, so staying out in the open with the animals, elements, and nature is not for me.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask. While you may see some some of the animals from the Kilimanjaro safaris at AK while in S. Africa, they do not "ship" animals in and it is nothing like a theme park attraction. It's so real that the rangers still get excited about seeing the animals and often pull out their own camera or video cameras to capture footage right along with you. I think that says it all! You'll have a blast. We did!

 

[NoraG]

I should add that the accomodations are hotel rooms, that are well appointed, but are on the actual reserve, so you'll see animals from your room and around it, but of course, the room itself is enclosed.

The reserve is huge, but is fenced in, for safety and to prevent poaching. Still an authentic experience.

 

[beachbunny]

I've been to Kapama, Tanzania, and will soon be going to Botswana. Kapama is a relatively small (in Africa terms) fenced in area. So you will go over the same roads over and over. But on the plus side, the roads are in far better condition than say, the Serengeti. On the negative, you'll see fewer animals because it's a fenced in area. On the plus side, you get to go on night safaris at Kapama which we weren't able to do in Tanzania (for safety reasons). My conclusion is that yes, Kapama is an authentic safari. It's just on a smaller scale. If you get hooked on the safari experience, I highly recommend visiting the Serengeti (either the Kenya or Tanzania side) during the Great Migration - you'll see MILLIONS of zebra and wildebeest on the move.

 

[disneyphx]

We chose the Disney South Africa trip because it let us 'test out' safaris - it has 3 days of safari, whereas many other Africa 'family' trips had a week of safari. So I did not quite process beforehand that Kapama is a private game reserve, as opposed to being in a park.
But it did not feel 'Disney-ish' - each vehicle had a tracker to spot animals, and they were needed - not for giraffes say, but for leopards and tigers. Finding a lion eating its dinner in the dark is no easy feat.
We loved it - and it whetted our appetite for more trips to Africa!