Safari holidays

Safari holidays are an increasingly popular holiday activity. They involve the primary goal of watching wild animals in their natural habitat. Kenya claims to have had the first commercial safari holidays, which grew out of big game hunting at the turn of the century. As animal stocks diminished and hunting became less fashionable, people turned to viewing the animals instead.

Safari now generates important revenue for several African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia.

Types of safari vary, from small tented, seasonal camps that are removed during the rainy seasons; to large permanent structures with over 100 rooms. Game-viewing can be done on foot, horseback, in vehicles, or even by elephant back or boat, depending on the terrain and the animals being viewed.[1]

The goal of safari is to see the Big Five, a term borrowed from the days of hunting, which refers to elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion and rhino.[2]