I know you probably have already heard all the juicy travel tips there are in the industry including the best hotspots to watch the BIG FIVE from and, of course, the best camping spots and lodges to visit.

I bet you even know what the perfect SUV for a game drive is! So I will not bore you with those details – at least not today.

What I will instead focus my attention on are these 6 rarely talked-about facts you probably never knew about a Kenyan safari or you just heard being mentioned in passing but never got the details.

Read on as I take you on a journey you will find very helpful for your next trip.

1. Safari Prices are Exclusive of Drinks

Most safari operator price quotes include park entrance fees, full room and board, transport costs from the starting base to the various parks and the costs of fuel plus a guide for wildlife drives. Drinks (whether alcoholic or not) are generally excluded.

2. Game Drives are Best Done Early or Late in the Day

Game drives are the backbone of most safaris, with the idea being to spend as many hours as possible in the bush searching for animals. A game drive can be done at any time of day, but early morning, mid-morning and late afternoon, with a break early on for breakfast, and another in the middle of the day for lunch, is the usual plan. Night drives are also an excellent way to view nocturnal animals, although they are not permitted everywhere.

3. Usually, Kenyan Safaris Are More Affordable

Usually when taken item by item, a safari to Kenya will end up being much more affordable than a similar trip to South Africa, Namibia or Botswana.

4. A Kenyan Safari is Just a Day’s Trip Away

Most of the safari hotspots in Kenya are a day trip away from the city and therefore can be easily accessed by road relatively cheaply. In other parts of Africa, safaris are not possible without the use of air travel because of the generally poor road network to these spots that make them almost inaccessible.

5. An Option of 2 Seasons to Choose from

Kenya enjoys 2 tourist seasons shaped by the prevailing weather pattern. Mid-June to October and mid-December to February are periods of dry weather and hence high tourism (high season). The rainy times, March to mid-June and November to mid-December, are periods of low tourism (low season).

Depending on your budget and preferences, you can either go for a high season safari which is pricier (and that includes air travel, accommodation and sometimes even food). This is the season when the great wildebeest migration takes place as more than 2 million wildebeests cross the Mara with only one thought in mind – pasture.

Alternatively, you may choose to settle for the cheaper low season option when tourist numbers are lower. This means more privacy for you if that is your kind of thing. But unfortunately, it is also the season when most coastal properties and tented safari camps close down for maintenance during the monsoon weather.

6. Khaki Still Reigns

Since Sir Harry Lumsden in India invented khaki as an alternative to the traditional British uniform in 1846, khaki has become synonymous with an African safari.

The Hollywood image of early Victorian explorers, naturalists and hunters coming to Africa clad in the famous rugged, practical, multi-pocket khaki wear still reigns to date. It also still comes in light browns, beige to olive green and has not stopped stirring up nostalgia among the tourist community.

Combine that with an original safari boot and you have a comprehensive picture of what safari couture looks like. Did you know the word ‘khaki’ actually comes from the Hindi-Urdu word meaning ‘dusty’ or ‘earth-coloured’?

Next time you are on a Kenyan safari, probably visiting one of our world-famous national parks, check out our 6 facts before setting out and let us know if they came in handy.