Deep in the bush, as the sun just peeks over the horizon, a guide might suddenly cut the jeep’s engine and motion you to stay quiet, as the sound of grunting lions comes carried on the breeze. But that lion doesn’t care about your presence; it has lunch to worry about. You might get a passing glance from a zebra at the watering hole, but it is on the lookout for more immediate threats, like the family of cheetahs hiding in the underbrush just a few hundred feet away.

The safari (Swahili for “journey”) has always offered an experience that can’t be replicated in a zoo or museum. It’s the opportunity to come face to face with the natural world, and the best guides know how to heighten the thrill of a search. But the classic safari as vacation—for many, a once-in-a-lifetime experience due to the cost and the remoteness of prime safari locations like Botswana’s Okavango Delta or the Tanzanian Serengeti—has changed considerably from its beginnings in the early 20th century. Today, safari camps exhibit an unwavering respect for the fragile environments they exist in: From the moment you step off your biplane and into a jeep, there’s an understanding that you are a visitor here, and need to act as such. Even the most well-appointed lodges are now built with sustainable materials, and the always-attentive staff members are recruited from local communities. There is a leave-no-trace rule at play, even when you’re being driven into the bush for a picnic under the stars—or sleeping under them, which you can actually do with the Okavango Delta’s new Skybeds.

It’s a industry-wide reaction, of course, to the fact that poaching and environmental degradation are still concerns: The death of the last remaining male northern white rhino in March 2018 is a painful reminder of the damage we’ve done and the work there is to do. White lions, of which there are only thought to be some 13 left in the wild, are still not protected.

And that’s not even factoring in the effects of climate change. Watering holes dry up as debilitating droughts take hold, animals are forced to change their migration patterns as their habitat becomes inhospitable, and as humans encroach on what was once wilderness—themselves fleeing the effects of a changing climate—there’s less and less territory in which species can coexist.

But these threats are actually all the more reason to go on safari. Not only does seeing the magnificence of the natural world up close lead to a heightened understanding of these ecosystems’ fragility, but the dollars you’re spending actually fund anti-poaching and other conservation efforts. (For example, when tourism numbers dropped in Kenya due to concerns over terrorism, poaching increased.)

All that to say, there’s never been a better time to go on safari. But unlike other trips, you can’t just throw some clothes into a carry-on bag and jump on a plane. To do it right, it takes planning, especially as the number of lodges and tour companies increase and the definition of safari expands. Sure, there’s the check-off-the-Big-Five luxury trip to Africa, but what about a safari in your own backyard, tracking giant Kodiak bears in Alaska or herds of bison in North Dakota? You could head to the Colombian Amazon to see the latest in eco-friendly tourism at work, while keeping a look-out for monkeys above you and scorpions below you; or trek to Sri Lanka to witness Asian elephants in herds 100-strong. The list, we’re excited to say, is a long one.

Nature, in all its unbridled awesomeness, can be overwhelming and all-consuming—which is exactly why it’s worth being as prepared as possible to see it up close. From what to pack to the specialists to call when you’re in the planning stages, read on. —Sebastian Modak

Don't try and plan a safari on your own—put yourself in the hands of a specialist instead

Do give yourself at least a week

Don't wear bright colors, as the animals will shy away from you

Do make eye contact with a lion—but never a leopard

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