What is the best vehicle for safari in Kenya?
What is the best vehicle for safari in Kenya? Your entire kenya safari experience is greatly impacted by the type of safari vehicle you choose. Kenya Safari Travel Agencies use three primary types of Kenya safari vehicles: 4×4 safari land cruisers, safari vans, and overland safari trucks (campervans and motorhomes). Smaller safari cars are also used for short safari tours, particularly within Nairobi, and for airport and hotel transfers. The type of safari vehicle you choose depends on a number of factors, including your budget, the destinations you wish to visit, the experience you are looking for, and the size of your group.
Your budget and the places you wish to visit are two of the many criteria that affect which safari vehicle is best for you. It also depends on how many people are in your group and what kind of experience you are seeking. If money is tight, the safari van is your best bet. The finest option for a traditional African safari is a 4 x 4 land cruiser safari. Keep in mind that both the 4×4 safari land cruiser and the safari van can fit six people. This guarantees that each passenger has a window seat and may take use of the open roof for optional game viewing. Nevertheless, two more passengers (a total of eight passengers) can fit in the safari cars, but they won’t have a window seat.
Types of Safari tour in kenya vehicles
A 4×4 safari land cruiser or safari van is used by many tourists visiting Kenya’s national reserves and parks. These safari cars are available in several categories and fit a range of budgets, as you will discover.
Open and Closed 4WD Safari Land cruisers
The most luxurious safari vehicle available in Africa is the Toyota Land Cruiser. Fuel and other expenses raise the cost of your Kenya safari from $250 to $350 each day. You can get a lesser land cruiser safari fare in Kenya, but normally, these would be older vehicles during the off-peak seasons.
The land cruiser is more comfortable than the safari van and safari trucks, and it’s a 4×4—a vital feature for difficult road conditions that you may face in some parks. Additionally, it has access to areas of the park that other vehicles are unable to reach. The ideal rough-road vehicle is the Toyota Land Cruiser, after all.
But compared to regular land cruisers on the road, safari land cruisers are significantly different. This is because they are specifically tailored for game viewing, and since various tour companies or camps have made modifications to them, they are not all the same. It takes a lot of balancing to switch out the safari vehicles in Kenya, particularly the land cruiser.
The vehicle must be open enough to allow for excellent photography and animal watching, and it must be safe for road trips, such as those between Nairobi and Masai Mara. As a necessary safety precaution, the land cruiser will have glass windows if it is being utilised for road travel from Nairobi, for example, to the Masai Mara. It will be a 4WD Safari Land Cruiser with a closed side. Only game drives within the park are conducted in open-side 4WD safari land cruisers or Jeeps. These cars don’t transport passengers from one place to another; instead, they are exclusively used within the park. Other kinds of land cruisers are used by professional photographers.
Three seats are in the rear, two in the middle, two in the front, and one next to the driver or guide in an eight-seater. To enhance game viewing and photography, the safari land cruiser also features a pop-up roof. The windows glide open to provide good views and the window seats can accommodate six passengers on the majority of 4×4 safari land cruisers. Under the seats, there is plenty room in the back for additional large bags and compact daypacks. Additional luggage can be carried in the seat adjacent to the driver.
The car is equipped with UHF radio call to facilitate communication between the guide and other drivers during the game drive. This makes it possible for them to exchange information such as a hunt. Most of the 4×4 safari land cruisers come equipped with a music system, a cooler box to keep drinks cold, gateway Wi-Fi, and outlets for charging phones and other devices. To lessen the infamous “African massage” (bumpy ride on terrible roads), some may use specially designed shock absorbers. The majority of land cruisers have two spare tires to reduce the likelihood of a flat tire in the wilderness and two fuel tanks to guarantee continuity during game drives.
The majority of land cruisers have two spare tires to reduce the likelihood of a flat tire in the wilderness and two fuel tanks to guarantee continuity during game drives.
4WD and 2WD Tourists Safari vans in Kenya
The safari vans are usually produced by Toyota or Nissan, like the Toyota HiAce van. Its pop-up roof, which maximises game viewing, is its most noticeable feature and is tailored for Kenya safari vacations. Usually, six cosy seats that provide more legroom are added to a safari van.
Additionally, the windows can be slid open to view games and take pictures. In general, land cruiser tour vans in Kenya are less expensive than 4*4 land cruisers, although this is still not a huge deal. The cost of the safari car here could range from USD 160 to USD 200 per day.
The 4WD kenya safari vans can easily access most remote areas accessed by the land cruiser, while the land cruiser can navigate some tricky road situations, especially if it is a 2WD model. If you are visiting regular national parks and not going on an expedition on dangerous roads, which safari vehicle to choose largely depends on your preferences and budget. The safari car has a cooler, a port for charging phones and increasingly Wi-Fi, which is only useful when there is good network connectivity.
Kenya Safari tours overland trucks
These safari trucks are used for longer journeys, like those between nations and carries a sizable usually 12 to 30 people. In light of these factors, overland safari trucks must be properly equipped with enough room to transport passengers and necessary gear while navigating various terrains. Overland trucks are customised to various specifications, just like other safari cars. An overland truck’s seating varies. Some trucks have rows of seats facing inward on both sides.
Some trucks have seats that face forward, while others have a combination of seats that face both forward and backward. The chairs are raised for optimal wildlife watching experiences and well-padded for additional comfort. Great photo opportunities are made possible by the overland safari truck’s wide windows, which can be rolled up or slid open. In order to enhance the viewing experience, some overland vehicles could have a pop-up roof.
Since an overland safari truck is used for extended periods of time, it is fully equipped with a “kitchen section.” Sometimes a groups going for longer lengths of time may assist by taking turns in the kitchen, a cook is one of the crew members who will prepare meals during the safari’s scheduled stops.
