A typical day on safari in Africa, every day is a magical adventure, whether you’re searching for the “Big 5” on foot.

Or in a 4×4, flying in a hot-air balloon to see the Great Wildebeest Migration, or going on a gorilla trek through the thick rainforests of Rwanda. Or gliding through the Okavango Delta in a Mokoro. Every day holds the promise of a new adventure and memories that will last a lifetime.

As, going on safari is one of my most favourite things to do. I have put a general schedule that safaris tend to follow. Even though each day can be different depending on the time of year or where you are.  As a rule, safaris have a rhythm that combines exciting game viewing with plenty of time to relax in between.  Which is everyone’s idea of the perfect vacation. As a general rule, there are two game drives a day: one early in the morning and one late in the afternoon, before and after the sun goes down. Enjoy reading a typical day on safari in Africa.

Here is a guide that goes into more detail about what you can expect on a normal day on safari in Africa. 

5.30 a.m.: It’s time to get up.

There is a chance that the staff will wake you up in time for the morning game drive. There is usually someone at the door with a dish of tea, coffee, and cookies when they come. This might help if you are not a morning person. Most of the time, they confirm the time and your order the night before. The early hours are always cool to cold, no matter where you are. Being in an open safari car for hours won’t help! To keep warm, you should wear layers. Hang up your clothes the night before so you don’t have to waste time getting ready in the morning. You don’t want to miss any of the early morning fun!

If you’re thinking why early morning game drives happen at such an odd time, it’s because that’s when there is the most action. A lot of animals, mostly hunters, feed or hunt before the sun comes up. In the grassland, it gets too hot for animals to do anything but find a cool place to rest. They look for food while it’s still cool, then. For photographers, here is where you get the dawn light. Absolutely gorgeous! This is a guideline of a typical day on safari, please remember it changes in seasons and lodge to lodge.

6 a.m. to 9 a.m.: Morning game drive or hot air balloon safari

You might get up early, but there’s something amazing about being outside when the moon goes down and the sun comes up. In Africa, the sound of birds singing at dawn is beautiful. This is also a great time to see nighttime hunters like lions and leopards resting for the day or, in the case of lions, finishing off the last of their kill (leopards hide theirs in a tree).

Elephants, gazelles, antelope, cows, and giraffes will all start to move towards waterholes to quench their thirst. The way they look in the water when the light is soft in the morning makes for beautiful pictures. Dogs in the wild will try to kill something now, before it gets too hot to hunt in the heat. Sometimes, during the drive, your guide will offer coffee, tea, and more cookies as a break. You will also need to get up early if you want to go hot-air ballooning, which you can mostly do in Namibia, Kenya, or Tanzania, because the best time is early morning when the winds are calmest.

9am – 11am: Breakfast or brunch at camp

It will be too hot to be outside by mid-morning, especially in South Africa where game-drive vehicles don’t usually have roofs. The animals will be seeking shade to quench their thirst, making them hard to see and picture in the haze. It will depend on how late it is and whether you had a cooked bush breakfast when you get back to the camp for breakfast or brunch.

11am–1pm: Time to relax, read, take a nap, swim, walk, or chill at the spa.

Do what you want after breakfast or lunch. In your free time, you can enjoy everything your lodge has to offer.  Or nap, recharge and get ready for the next wildlife experience.   You can read a book by the pool, watch the birds in the area! Or, get a massage or treatment, or just nap.  You can do different things depending on the lodge’s amenities. You are on holiday, switch off.

However, if you like being active ask the night before if you can go on a guided nature walk at this time. If it’s really hot, some guides would rather do the walk than the morning drive. If possible, please wear closed shoes and long trousers. The focus will be on the little things about Africa that are easy to miss from a car. Like how the wind ‘whistles’ through a whistling acacia tree, how dung beetles know which way to go, how termites make those huge mounds and how yellow weaver birds make such complicated nests.

Around 3 p.m., start getting ready for your afternoon game drive. Get your binoculars, fill up your water bottle, and place your drink order for sundowners. If it’s winter, don’t forget to bring your coat, gloves, and beanie because it will get cold at night.

High tea on safari is an old custom that goes back to the leisurely times of the 1800s. If you go to a different place, you might eat everything from chocolate cake and scones with cream to small sandwiches and sweets. Enjoy some snacks even if you’re not hungry. Dinner is still a long way off, and you don’t want to get hungry on the game drive. Of course, drinks will also be available at a viewpoint during the evening game drive.

Afternoon Game Drive, 4pm–7pm
Finally, it’s cool enough for the animals to get moving again. Slowly, they come out to drink at watering holes, and lions that have gotten separated from their pride will start calling to each other to get back together for another night of hunting.

“Sundowners,” which are drinks and snacks eaten at a scenic spot or lookout in the middle of the afternoon drive, are a big part of safari culture. You can stay out after dark in a private concession or conservancy. On the way back to camp, you can use a flashlight to look for animals that come out at night. People who are in national parks will have to leave by dusk, when the gates close for the night.  You see, there is alot to do on a typical day on safari in Africa!

7.30pm: It’s time for dinner
Even if you don’t feel hungry, being outside makes you want to eat. Dinner can be a spread, plated, or à la carte, depending on where you stay, but it’s usually a multi-course meal with wine. A traditional open-air place with a warm campfire is called a boma. If the night is clear, it may be served there. In the boma before dinner, the staff often sing, dance, and play drums. If they call you, just do what they say. When are you going to sing and dance under the Milky Way again in Africa?

Finally, I would always suggest a longer safari, so you can get into a good rhythm and make the absolute most of all your time and allowing for a typical day on safari.