Safari
A safari is an overland expedition or journey, especially in eastern Africa, undertaken to hunt or observe wildlife.[1] The term originates from the Swahili word safari, denoting "journey" or "expedition," borrowed from the Arabic safar, meaning "to travel" or "a journey."[2] First recorded in English around 1860 in accounts of East African travels, safaris initially involved extended hunts for large game, often lasting weeks and employing local porters and guides.[3] In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, safaris attracted European colonial administrators, American presidents like Theodore Roosevelt, and writers such as Ernest Hemingway, who documented pursuits of Africa's "Big Five" species—lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, and Cape buffalo—highlighting both the thrill of the chase and the vastness of the continent's landscapes.[4] These expeditions, reliant on rifles, tents, and caravans, spurred early wildlife regulations as overhunting depleted populations, laying groundwork for protected reserves.[5] By the mid-20th century, photographic safaris supplanted lethal ones, driven by global conservation awareness and tourism economics, though challenges persist from poaching and land encroachment.[6] Modern safaris typically feature guided game drives in vehicles, emphasizing non-invasive viewing in national parks across Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Botswana.[7]