> Riding around in an open jeep taking pictures like these should be on everyone’s list

That does not scale. It's much better to buy a magnifying glass and go on safari in your yard or park.

How about a microscope, and then in a swab from your mouth.

Silly hackers ;)

HN doesn't understand irony.

I looked into doing an African safari a couple of years back, but for the places I really wanted to visit I was surprised at just how damn expensive they are. It's not uncommon to be spending over $1,000 per night at some of the established camps in places like the Okavango.

Not sure what places you are referring to but I did a self-driven safari early this year in Kruger (South Africa) and even though it was definitely an expensive experience compared to the rest of my trip, it was well below that amount. These are approximate amounts, but I think that including the car rental, the daily entrance fee to the park and staying overnight, all together was around 50-60euros per day. Guided tours that span over multiple days tend to get quite expensive, I agree. And there's plenty of high-end accommodation and travel packages. But there are also ways to experiencing it without spending a fortune.

Safaris are a great experience, but if everyone starts doing them, there are certainly some ecological problems. It needs to remain the fun for the few rich and privileged.

Yes, I changed what I said. I didn't actually think everyone on the planet should head over. I was simply trying to convey my enthusiasm. Should have known I was going to get nailed by that nerd response: "Well, ya know if everyone ..."

The fact that it's $1000/night per person sort of limits the problem.

From my experience visiting Kruger earlier this year, the overcrowding problem is fixed by simply closing the gate after a certain quota is reached. I was there during a local holiday and they closed the gate at around 11am as enough people entered already by that time.

I'm not sure if I'm confusing what you mean with 'Safari' with something else, but entering the park and driving around to spot and see wildlife, is not that expensive. Entrance to Kruger is under 5euros for South Africans for instance, definitely not for the rich and privileged only.

You are right of course, a safari is not that expensive once you have traveled to the place. I myself was 3 weeks ago on a one-day trip from Johannesburg to Pilanesberg. The cost was USD 250 for a trip for two people, with pick-up from hotel, transport, entrance to park, game rides, lunch and drop back to hotel. Anyone who can afford to travel to Johannesburg from Europe, Asia or America can afford that.

The ride around the park is not that bad for nature (it's on roads built around the area, no-go outside vehicles) but if the number of visitors increases a lot, I can see the pressure definitely is a problem (more and more people want to come, so maybe the gate needs to be open for a few more people? And so on.)

I saw many of the impressive big animals there, elephants, giraffes, zebras, GNUs, etc, and to top it all, a leopard waited behind a bend on the road, and walked right next to our jeep so that we could just observe it. It was not bothered by our jeep at all. Even cell phone camera pictures are very good.

It was great to see it. But somehow I felt not comfortable about it. Why's that great animal not afraid of people that drive this ugly jeep right next to her hunting grounds?

In 5 days I found only one leopard, and it was fairly distant, I'm glad you could see one up close!

I understand the pressure factor you mention, but at the same time I don't think that making it an exclusive expensive experience only for a few is really a solution (as parent was hinting to). One possible solution that comes to mind is Machu Picchu: you want to go there? You need to buy a ticket months in advance.

About your last comment, on why are animals not afraid of us: I've been talking with a Park Guard, and he mentioned that people in cars are not seen as humans but as a big harmless object moving. When in a car we are just like other animals. Once you are out of the car the scenario completely changes as you are identified as human and animals either move away or charge you. It kind of all made sense once I took a walking tour in the park, and I could clearly see that animals were moving away as we were approaching, keeping a very large distance between them and us. Not sure what's the percentage of truth in this but it makes quite some sense.

Yes, that "they think cars are just big harmless animals" is of course what everyone says. But still I somehow felt it wasn't right.