A journey in a motorized vehicle, typically undertaken in a national park or game reserve on a safari, with the specific aim of finding and watching wildlife. The term 'game' was originally used to describe the animals that were targeted on a hunting expedition in Africa.

Two types of game drives are possible, one where the vehicle is driven by a professional guide (guided) and the other where the driver is a non-professional (self drive or DIY).

• Guided - The kinds of vehicles used differ according to the region the safari takes place in, but what they all have in common is that they need to be rugged and capable of handling all kinds of driving terrain.

  In Eastern Africa the safari vehicles tend to be enclosed with a pop-top to allow standing photography.

  In Southern Africa the vehicles mostly have open sides and some are even completely open with no roof to provide all around visibility.

• Self Drive - In Southern Africa there are numerous national parks and game reserve with good tar and gravel road networks that allow tourists to drive normal sedan vehicles on safari. Many locals use their own vehicles to go on a self or DIY game drive, and foreign tourists can rent a normal sedan vehicle to guide their own safari.

  Of course the more rugged, 4x4 vehicles are also available for self drive safari destinations where off-roading or challenging road conditions exist.

Game drives normally commence early in the morning, just before sunrise, to have an opportunity to spot some nocturnal species returning to their burrows and see the animals that are active in the cool morning climate.

Then once the heat of the day has passed, an afternoon drive takes place which may finish after sunset. The night drive often happens after supper and may finish late to see all the species active at night.

As a general rule, drives have set starting times but the end time is dependant on what has been seen, so it's flexible and will finish within a certain time-frame and not exactly on time. Self drive safaris are completely flexible and the time and duration is wholly dependant on the driver.

The price is dependant on the location, who the game drive operator is and the time and length of the drive. If it's a guided safari company, then the cost is included in the overall safari package price. If it's an extra activity in a national park or game reserve, then the cost differs according to whether it's a morning, afternoon or night drive.

Costs can vary widely, so it's best to confirm the price beforehand with the relevant operator.

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