Safari Holidays: A History Part Two

In this post we’ll consider how the Safari Holiday slowly evolved from an opportunity for rich Englishmen and Americans to exterminate as many species as they could see into something that began to take conservation seriously and finally what makes a Safari Holiday today.  Why some of the most important features of the Safari Holiday have remained constant – the stunning scenery, the wonderful wildlife and above all the African people themselves…

The Hunting Safari gradually began to change as the hunters saw themselves as naturalists and experts in bush craft.   Selous was central to this process of change. His book “A Hunter’s Wanderings In Africa” began to encourage a profound respect for natural Africa. Despite his reputation as a hunter, Cornwallis was also helped create a new sense of awareness and appreciation for the wildlife of Africa. Ironic though it may be, it’s because of men like Seleous and Harris that the conservation movement got started.

That didn’t immediately stop the shooting parties of course.  East Africa became the home of the Safari in the early 20th century and an entire industry grew up to cater for the every need of American and European clients keen to bag a trophy under the guidance of skilled hunters like R J Cuninghame and Will Judd.  The concept of the Guided Safari was born and probably reached its peak in 1909 with Theodore Roosevelt’s Great Safari, which cost a whopping £15,000.00 (several millions by today’s money!).  The Safari also attracted adventurous women, although they were less likely to be seen shooting lions.  Mary French Sheldon organised and led her own 150-porter Safari to Kilimanjaro in 1891 and at 50 years old Mary Hall became the first woman to complete the great trek from Cape Town to Cairo, in 1907.

Every European Safari, whether undertaken by a hunter, naturalist, explorer, conqueror or colonial administrator, needed headmen to keep order in the ranks, trusted gun-bearers, and a succession of interpreters, guides and cooks as well as porters by the hundred.   Some of the Africans who made exploration possible were almost as well known to the European public as the white explorers themselves: Sidi Bombay, gun-bearer to Speke, Burton and Stanley, or Chuma and Susi, the men who carried Livingstone’s body from the interior to Zanzibar, for example.

By the middle of the last century portered safaris became less common as automobiles took over.   Camping Safaris grew in popularity and so too did Photographic Safaris.  The Safari Holiday has come a long way from the days of slave trading and over-zealous hunting. However, some elements of the Safari Holiday remain timelessly intact: Africa’s staggering natural beauty, the sense of freedom and adventure and the crucial involvement of Africa’s people.  A Safari Holiday also remains a highly personal experience. No matter how long, whether it’s in a 4×4 vehicle or in a canoe, or by light aircraft a Safari Holiday is different for every safari-goer!

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