The term safari was first used in the later part of the 19th century in the Swahili language and it meant a journey. The word originally comes from the Arabic word ‘Safara’ which again means travel. Nowadays the word safari is mainly associated with an adventurous journey into the wilds. Such a trip into the wood is now referred to as a wildlife safari. As time passed by a wildlife safari came to be known as a trip that is made by the tourists into the jungles of Africa mainly. Earlier the safari into the wilds was mainly for the purpose of a hunt. Hunters and adventure seeking people from a particular area would come together to form a group and would then tour the woods in search of a big game.
As time passed by however the meaning of a wild life safari gradually changed to an adventure and thrill seeking journey more than a hunting expedition. Tourists and wild life enthusiasts with the objective of watching and taking pictures of the woods became the people who went on wildlife safaris. These journeys are made in large groups and would usually span a time frame of almost two to three weeks. The tourists who come for the safaris are usually accompanied by the native guides of the people who are well acquainted with the terrain of the region. Such guides are usually trained to understand the behavior of the animals of the region as well as the general atmosphere of the wild.
The people who go for the safaris usually follow a particular outfit when they go into the wild. Khaki colored clothing, slouch hats or pith helmets and belted bush jackets are some of the common things almost every person who goes on the safari is equipped with. Another thing that some other people used to carry is the skins of various animals to show how good they are in the field. The most common skin that one gets to see with the people going on a wildlife safari is the leopard skin as it used to be the ultimate game in the earlier periods.
Although the term safari initially was used for an overland journey for the purpose of hunting, the word now is used to denote any sort of a trip that is adventurous as well as thrill seeking. Some of the fields in which the term is used now are whale-watching safari, photography safaris, ecology-watching safaris etc.
Nowadays the safaris into the wild have become a business for attracting tourists into the countries which are abundant in jungles and wildlife. Countries like India, the African countries and the South American countries where there are huge jungles which are filled with thrills and risks are some of the favorites for the people seeking to go for a wildlife safari. But sadly though, as most of the forests are disappearing, the thrill factor associated with a safari is coming down ever so slowly.
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