A game viewing vehicle or safari vehicle is an

off-road vehicle An off-road vehicle, sometimes referred to as an overland or adventure vehicle, is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with de ...

that is converted or modified to carry many people, seated in positions in which they can view game in

game reserve A game reserve (also known as a wildlife preserve or a game park) is a large area of land where wild animals live safely or are hunted in a controlled way for sport. If hunting is prohibited, a game reserve may be considered a nature reserve; ...

s. These vehicles are usually open and do not have roofs, the reason for this is to improve visibility and keep obstructions out of the way. These vehicles are usually

four wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer cas ...

and have a load area on the back, which when converted will house the seats. There are many companies that make these modifications, they are either bought vehicles that have been taken to a conversion company or they are bought by the company, converted, then sold. Some vehicle manufacturers sell these vehicles ready-made. These vehicles are usually only in countries where there are game reserves, usually in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. Common variations of vehicles converted for game viewers are the

Land Rover Defender The Land Rover Defender (initially introduced as the Land Rover 110 / One Ten, and in 1984 joined by the Land Rover 90 / Ninety, plus the new, extra-length Land Rover 127 in 1985) is a series of British off-road cars and pick-up truck, pickup ...

Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series The 70 Series is a family of Toyota Land Cruiser models produced since 1984. It replaced the 25-year-old Toyota FJ40, 40 Series as the off-road model of the Land Cruiser lineup, while the contemporary 60 Series developed into more comfortable Lu ...

and other common off-road vehicles. These are the ideal vehicles as they are made to carry 9 passengers besides the ranger. This allows interaction and personalized attention during a game drive. The larger game lodges in the public game reserves like the Kruger National Park and

Pilanesberg National Park The Pilanesberg National Park is located north of Rustenburg in the North West Province of South Africa. The park borders on the Sun City entertainment complex. It is currently administered by the North West Parks and Tourism Board. The are ...

in South Africa operate modified trucks which can seat 25 passengers.

Electric safari vehicles

Safari companies began introducing electric safari vehicles some time in the mid 2010s. There is some discrepancy on which company and country first introduced an EV for safaris, but many high-end lodges have switched to exclusively using solar-powered vehicles, including boats. In addition to Land Rover and Toyota, Rivian manufactures EV for safaris.

References

{{Reflist Off-road vehicles