challenges

menahelen

I am considering South Africa- An Elegant Adventure for my next rip. I have no concerns about walking and hiking , however I have some difficulty with very high steps. I understand that getting in to a jeep on safari is difficult. Can anyone out there tell me if this is the case? How high a step is it into the jeeps? Are there stepstools on hand to assist people who may have this problem? Am I worrying for no reason? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

British

I seem to remember that there were platforms you go on to get into the vehicles which are quite high. In fact, because of this they are easier to cope with than the vehicles in East Africa. There are no walking or hiking opportunities on the safari part of this tour.

rsj

At Sabi Sabi they have platforms with ramps that make it easy to get in and out of all 3 levels of seats.

At Lion Sands they did not have these. The first row of seats are a few inches above the drivers seat and aren't too hard to get into. (You can always ask the guide for assistance) The second and third row of seats are higher up and do require a bigger step up. There are steps on the side of the vehicle that you use to get up to all 3 rows.

You typically stop for a break on the drives. You will need to get in/out of the vehicle without the platform on the break.

British

Good memory raj, it's a while since I did the tour. On the stops you could remain in the vehicle though, so they would help.

Stephen Vanourny

For those of you who have been, are the bathrooms on the safari stops real bathrooms, or should the women wear skirts for ease of "going?' When I was in SE Asia a few years ago, wearing slacks made life difficult for "Happy House" stops! Would have been much easier with a skirt!

(I'm not Stephen - I'm his wife! :-))

British

No real bathrooms, you go behind a bush. Maybe entering some of the parks there might be bathrooms there you can use before you go in. In the bush, you can take turns. If you need to go at an unscheduled stop, you may find there is only your vehicle and you may be the only one going. You would be better not wearing a skirt, it’s best to keep as much of your skin covered as possible on these safaris. You also have to remember that climbing in and out of the high vehicles could cause the people climbing up into the vehicle to see more of you than they’d may wish. Your skirt could also get caught up on the gruc kid it is windy. If you are shy, the better option is to wear a slightly longer top that might cover your lower regions a little more. To be honest, no one looks at each other, they are too busy being as quick as possible in case there are any bugs that might bite your bum! Do not let this aspect of a safari concern you, it really is no big deal.

DawnC28

We did this tour in Feb, 2018.

I am short, and have trouble climbing. At both Lion Sands and Sabi Sabi, I was able to get in and out of the vehicles with very little problem.

They do provide a "step stool" during stops on the game drive, and the ranger & tracker are very happy to help you down/up.

At Sabi Sabi, there is a platform to enter your jeep, at Lion Sands, the first step is just behind the driver door and the highest one, which isn't that bad - a hand up might be needed.

The steps, as someone else mentioned, go up the side of the vehicle so if you happen to be in the back (the cycle people around each trip), you can climb some short steps up to it. You may sometimes have to wait for everyone else to get out first if you need help.

Regarding pit stops, we only had to do that once, during a coffee stop. The rangers told us where to go, and two girls went - one to hold up a poncho so no one could see, and the other to "go". Easy peasy! Everyone was so busy listening to the tracker tell stories that we didn't even notice where they went!

So please, Enjoy!