Why the best safari isn’t always about seeing the most animals
A list of species tells you what you saw. It does not tell you what happened. The best sightings are often one animal, watched for a long time.
The checklist trap
Racing from sighting to sighting to tick off the Big Five leaves little time to watch. Many visitors see lions for five minutes and leave.
Behaviour over numbers
An hour with a lioness teaching cubs to stalk, or elephants at a waterhole, stays with you longer than ten brief sightings.
Small things
Dung beetles, hornbills, termite mounds and mongoose families are part of the ecosystem too, and often more surprising.
Landscape
Light, weather and space are part of the experience. Sunrise over the Serengeti matters as much as the animals in it.
How to do it
- Tell your guide you want to spend longer at sightings.
- Switch off the engine and wait.
- Ask questions.
- Put the camera down sometimes.
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