Wheelchair Accessibility on an African Safari

Nov 5

Nov 5 Wheelchair Accessibility on an African Safari

Accessible? Yes BUT—
1. You must be able to transfer into a 4x4 Land Cruiser
2. Your wheelchair needs to be able to fit in the trunk of the Land Cruiser

At the start of every blog post I will identify if the trip or the city is wheelchair accessible. I hate it when I’m reading a blog and you have to scroll and scroll to find what you’re searching for. This way it will be right at the top of the page easy to find.

Ok sooo… African Safari. I went to Africa for a 17 day safari to Kenya and Tanzania with my college roomie Jennie and her mom. We used the tour company Go Ahead Tours. Usually I do not use a tour company to travel, but we felt like since it was Africa and there are so many national parks that it would be easier to travel with a tour company.

You may be wondering, like I did, and think, “how in the world is a safari trip to Africa accessible?” And the answer may shock you because IT IS accessible! You mostly sit for the trip! Not trying to be funny (and trust me there is A LOT of sitting during this trip) but most of the trip is spent sitting in an 8 passenger 4x4 Land Cruiser.

our land cruiser with our tiny step ladder

There are a few caveats:

One you must be able to climb into the Land Cruiser. It is high off of the ground so the step to get into the vehicle could be difficult for some. Our Land Cruiser did have a removable step ladder which made it easier for me. But others on our trip told us that their Land Cruiser did not have a ladder which made it difficult for them.

Two if you are traveling with a wheelchair it has to be able to fit in the back of the Land Cruiser. I have a foldable pediatric wheelchair that I travel with (Jymni 9000) and it is pretty small. It was in the back with everyone else’s luggage and duffel bags, so you have to be willing for your wheelchair to be smushed.

I actually never used my wheelchair during the entire 17 days. It just sat in the back of the Land Cruiser or in the hotel room. I didn’t know that I wouldn’t need it for this trip, but it was nice to have it with me just in case.

I know what you’re thinking, “This is a blog post about wheelchair accessibility and you’re telling me you didn’t even use your wheelchair!” And I’ll answer that with a yes. I am not a full time wheelchair user. I only need a wheelchair for really long distances. Since there was minimal walking per day on flat surfaces I did not need to use it.

This trip will be a part of many, many blog posts. I have over 4,000 photos from this trip (YIKES) and cannot wait to share some of the memories with you like our 6:00am hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara, or the story of how I got attacked by a monkey at the hotel (the little guy just wanted food on my plate but it was still traumatizing), or hearing a baby elephant trumpet in the wild — SO MANY STORIES! SO MANY!!