So now you have an inbox full of itineraries for your safari. You've reached out to 2 or 3 or maybe 4 different safari planners and they've come back with some proposals. What next?
If you can, print them out. You'll want to lay these out on a table and make notes all over them. Step through them day by day and literally tick through each item: where you're staying (is it accommodations you want with the creature comforts you're hoping for?), what the plan for the day is (one full-day or two half-day game drives, what's the activity during downtime). If anything at this point isn't what you want, point it out and get it changed. However, bear in mind that with numerous back and forth discussions over fine-tuning an itinerary, you're indicating that you'll continue to work with a particular safari planner. They don't (usually) charge you for these preliminary itineraries so they're used to some recalibration, but if an initial itinerary is way out of the ball park on scope, price or otherwise, just abandon it with a polite thank you and move on. If one strikes your fancy right off the top, your gut is usually good as long as you've been totally honest about your resources: time, budget and interests. It doesn't hurt at this point to read lots and lots of reviews about the proposed camps/lodges and make sure they're in line with what you're thinking. Other visitors' photographs are helpful in envisioning your stay.
As a tip, I don't stay in any accommodation less than 2 nights. What that really translates to is an afternoon on your arrival day and one full day before you leave for your next location. Three nights gives you enough chance to relax and become familiar with the camp, its staff and the location where you're game driving. There's a lot to be said for that.
Then start to ask the little detailed questions: can you leave before sunrise for game drives (that's the best part of the day in my experience!), can you do night drives, are there village visits (if you're interested), how are vehicles shared if at all and if not, is there an expense for a private vehicle? If you're concerned about such things, ask about the bush flights and planes, inquire if you want a hot air balloon ride (not available everywhere). If you want a later check-out before heading back to civilization or a day room before you board an overnight flight home, now would be time to work that in. If you want a city tour before you leave for the bush or visits to any animal orphanages, local schools or shopping that may require a driver, this would be the time to request that. Anything that may add expense to your overall cost and require planning by your safari planner, now's the time to throw that in there.
If you have dietary requirements, ask now. If you have any questions about whether a camp has electricity during certain hours or things like how good the cellular signal or wifi access is, you don't have to ask them now unless they are a deal breaker for a particular accommodation. Your safari planner is available to you up until you leave and return from your safari. They can answer questions for you about your specific camps, itinerary and other miscellaneous stuff, and they're quite good at it.
Once you've settled on an itinerary that works for you, it's time to put down a deposit and start your countdown! You're going on safari!
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