Bucket list influencers desperate to tick off ‘Seeing the Big Five’ are turning Africa’s tranquil wilderness into a hotspot for over-tourism – with 4×4 traffic jams, drones flying over wildlife and over-priced accommodation putting off genuine nature enthusiasts.
Once considered a ‘once in a lifetime’ holiday that was firmly the preserve of the middle and upper classes – the royal family are particularly fond of them, a trip to a game reserve has become increasingly mass market in recent years.
Just as British beauty spots, including Cotswolds villages and Cornish beaches, have been besieged by selfie stick-wielding crowds on the hunt for ‘content’, it seems the TikTok tourist is now equally at home on Africa’s remote plains.
Destinations such as Kenya’s Masai Mara – home to almost 90 species of mammals, Tanzania’s Serengeti and South Africa‘s Kruger National Park have all seen a spike in tourism in recent years.
Fed-up wildlife fans who’ve spent their hard-earned cash to see Mother Nature’s most majestic animals – including giraffes, elephants and wildebeest – say they now often have to do battle with Instagrammers posing up a storm as they all try to catch a glimpse of what they’ve paid thousands to see.
On social media, there are glimpses into just how saturated the safari market has become, with images and videos showing 4x4s sat bumper-to-bumper on dirt track roads at dawn in a bid to catch the best light of the day.
Pumping out petrol fumes, inside, they’re crammed with tourists who’ll apparently stop at nothing to get the perfect shot or footage of the Big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, in their natural habitat.
One particularly disturbing clip shows a lion walking along a rust-coloured road, with vehicles – full of tourists – surrounding the animal.
Elephant in the room: Africa’s most popular tourist destinations, including Kenya’s Masai Mara, Tanzania’s Serengeti and South Africa’s Kruger National Park have seen tourist numbers swell – with 4×4 traffic jams on savannas now a regular sight
Safaris have gone mainstream…with tourists, including travel-loving social media stars, putting the Big Five on their bucket list (Pictured: Italian Instagrammer Alice Muzza striking a pose in Kenya)
Alongside sophisticated camera and smartphone equipment, the arrival of drones as as an amateur videographer’s best friend has ensured that whirring black dots in the arching blue skies above rolling savanna grasslands are now also occasionally seen.
While many safari destinations have introduced strict regulations on using the radio controlled flying recording devices, permission can be sought in advance to use them in certain circumstances.
Those who go rogue face fines, confiscation and legal action – but in some destinations, including the Serengeti, tourists have spotted them being used by visitors.
One British traveller, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Daily Mail her trip to the famous Tanzanian reserve had been marred by visitors who’d set off small drone devices from the vehicles they were in, and would then ask their guide to go and retrieve them.
Other pitfalls? Four-wheel drive vehicles are often connected by radio, so when there’s a sight to be seen, many of them flock to the same place, with big jams common as tourists scramble to get the best view.
One TikTok user, @zozovdw, posted footage of dozens of Land Rovers lined up watching a hunt between lions and buffaloes – which didn’t look dissimilar to the M25 at rush hour.
Another suggested that going on a modern safari holiday was mostly about sitting in a 4WD vehicle being bumped over rough roads.
British travel blogger, Charlie Hill, warned about the realities of a animal-watching trip, telling his 18,500 followers on TikTok: ‘They don’t tell you this before you go on safari…20% “Wow, is that a lion?!”, 80% “My spine just did a somersault on this bumpy track.”‘
A video posted on TikTok showed a lion being tracked by multiple 4×4 vehicles filled with tourists
Selfie flex: Posing with the Big Five in their natural habitat has seen some tourists attempting to take drones – largely banned in most safari destinations – on to the plains (Pictured: A tourist takes a photo with an elephant)
He added: ‘Here’s the honest truth about safari life: yes, the wildlife moments are unreal, but in between? You’ll be bouncing around in a 4×4 for hours, dust in your teeth and a zebra-shaped bruise forming on your backside.’
He did add that it was ‘still 100% worth it’.
A United Nations Tourism (UNWTO) report earlier this year found that visitor numbers to African destinations were up by 13.5 per cent year-on-year, with many of the country’s safari destinations contributing to rising tourism figures.
Africa is, behind the Middle East, the second fastest-growing tourist region globally, with safari destinations including Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda and Botswana amongst the destinations welcoming more tourists.
The bucket list element has also swelled numbers, with tourists seeing the idea of a safari as a ‘final frontier’ if they’ve already explored many of the world’s most famous sights.
Chinese tourists are signing up for wildlife spotting trips in their droves. According to the Global Times, visitors to Africa from China during the summer of 2024 were up 40 per cent on 2023.
Many African destinations have also relaxed visa rules in recent years, making it easier for tourists to plan a trip.
For example, Kenya scrapped tourist visas in January 2023, instead asking potential visitors to apply online for more acccessible travel permits.
Many tourists who’ve taken a recent safari holiday have been frank about what to expect, with TikToker @charlieonhistravels warning of long, bumpy rides waiting to spot animals
Jam-packed: Vehicles, often leaking petrol into game reserves, will radio each other if there’s a sighting, leading to congestion
This TikTok image shows dozens of 4x4s queueing up in the same destination in a bid to catch a glimpse of majestic safari animals in their natural habitat
Scramble: For many a safari has become the ‘final frontier’ of travel experiences
And the country’s spectacular migrations bring in thousands of visitors, because there’s more chance of spotting wildlife as animals – including wildebeest, zebras and hippos – rest en route to their seasonal destinations.
How to sidestep the crowds and book a safari that doesn’t come with a side portion of frustration?
Calvin Cottar, is co-owner of Cottar’s Safaris, which operates in the private Olderkesi Conservancy, bordering the Maasai Mara… but crucially with no other camps within its boundaries.
He tells the Daily Mail that there’s still plenty of ways to find a safari destination with plenty of solitude.
He said: ‘The antidote is choosing lodges with access to controlled conservation areas – whether national parks, community conservancies or private reserves.’
‘Strict rules limit vehicle density (for example, no more than one vehicle per 750 acres), cap numbers at sightings (often no more than five vehicles) and, in busier areas, set time limits at sightings.’
Ensuring the company you book with has ‘well-trained and fairly paid guides – so they do not rely on tips for sightings’ will also enhance your experience, the company co-owner, whose family have been running safaris for more than a 100 years, adds.
‘Be careful of companies or guides promising to show you every iconic megafauna in two hours, a safari should be slow and reflective; if you give Africa your patience, it will reward you with moments you will never forget – often when you least expect them.’
Finding solitude is possible, says safari expert Calvin Cottar, who co-owns British company Cottar’s Safaris
Migration season can be one of the busiest times for tourism, but choose an off peak period and you’ll find rich rewards…with less tourists
‘There are still places far removed from mass tourism, particularly private conservancies and less-visited parks, and the best time to visit depends on your priorities.’
Avoiding peak season too, which falls typically between June to September in East African destinations, will ensure lesser crowds.
When should you go?
Says Cottar: ‘There is much more to Kenya than the Great Migration: visit in the green season for lush landscapes and fewer visitors, or in the dry season for easier game viewing – both falling outside the peak migration months.’
