There are few things that will connect you to the world more closely then getting out into nature and seeing the creatures that live there. You can leave behind the cars and concrete of the downtown jungle for an afternoon and hit the trails along the Niagara Escarpment, for example, to get back to nature or you could head halfway around the world and go on a real adventure. Going on a safari tour in the heart of Africa will likely be an inspiring experience that you will never forget in your lifetime and there are all kinds of different tours to choose from.

The words Africa and safari seem to go hand in hand but this is a big continent and there are many different places to choose from with various things to offer. You likely won't get to see the same animals all over the place and should know a little bit about what sort of experience you want to have. Some people might dream of leaving behind your home for a week to mingle with elephants while others might want to go on a canoeing safari that focuses on seeing crocodiles and hippos.

Before choosing which safari trip is right for you, you might want to start by making a list of the animals that you want to see. The five most common choices are lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, and leopards. But, there are also safaris where you can see gorillas and chimpanzees or a variety of different kinds of birds. If you spend most of your time working in an office and dreaming about the plains of Africa and scenes out of the Lion King then you should be headed to somewhere different than someone who is fascinated by the work of Jane Goodall. (Who is Jane Goodall?)

After you have researched where your favorite animals are likely to be found you should start to think about what mode of transportation you would like to take to see them. You will find ones where you take a jeep, mountain bike, hot air balloon, and even those where you ride a camel or elephant. Most of these trips require a little more skills than just sitting by an oceanfront cottage would so you should make sure you're up for the challenge before you decide on which tour might be best.

The last thing to consider is how long you would like the tour to last. There are those that leave popular hotels every day and can just take you a little into the wilderness for a few hours and those that are weeks long. If you're more the sort to stay in a bed & breakfast over going camping then the best choice might be a guided tour that just takes one or two days.