In the Pokemon game series, "Safari Zones" are special unique areas of each game where you can catch rare Pokemon that you can't find anywhere else in the game. Safari Zones always have different rules than the rest of the game world - instead of fighting wild Pokemon as you normally would, you'll need to carefully use lures and deterrents to get the Pokemon off guard and be able to catch them. Doing so can be difficult, so mastering the mechanics of the Safari Zone is critical to success.
Steps
Method 1 of 6: Getting around the Safari Zone
Fighting and Catching Pokemon
Step 1. Consider the special combat mechanics of the Safari Zone
In the Safari Zone, you will have four options during battle, other than the four "normal" options. These options are: "use bait", "use a rock", "use a Safari ball" and "run away". In some games, the "bait" is called "food" and the "rock" is called "mud" - in both cases, their function is identical. In this subsection, you will find a brief overview of these new combat mechanics.
Note that the "escape" feature retains the original mechanics, so it will not be described
Step 2. Use a lure to entice the Pokemon not to run away
In the Safari Zone, you cannot attack the Pokemon you encounter, so the element that determines whether you can catch them or not is whether they will escape. The Safari Zone Pokemon are more shy than normal ones and in some cases they will escape after a few moves. Throwing lures reduces the chances of the Pokemon escaping, giving you more time to catch them.
However, using bait will reduce the likelihood of catching a Pokemon with a safari ball. Finding the right balance is therefore difficult - the longer the Pokemon stays in battle, the harder it will be to catch it
Step 3. Use stones to increase the chance of catching
Rocks are the opposite of lures - they increase the odds of catching a Pokemon. Since the safari balls assigned to you in the Safari Zone are quite weak, "softening" your target with a stone or two can go a long way in capturing it.
But consider the important downside: using rocks will also increase the chances of a Pokemon escaping. In fact, after receiving a few rocks, a Pokemon will almost certainly run away - some even sooner. So to use rocks effectively you need to find the right balance
Step 4. Use safari balls to try to catch Pokemon
As mentioned earlier, you cannot use "normal" poké balls inside the Safari Zone. Instead, you will be forced to use safari balls, which are quite weak, especially when dealing with high-level Pokemon that would be difficult to catch even with the most powerful poké balls. Unfortunately there is no way to get more out of safari balls, so your best bet is to simply throw a rock or two before a safari ball and hope.
Note that you have a limited supply of safari balls (varies by game, usually 30), so save them for Pokemon to catch. It is generally best to spend safari balls on Pokemon that you can only find in the Safari Zone
Step 5. In general, try to catch a Pokemon after throwing a rock or two
Unless you're willing to study the algorithm math used in Pokemon games to determine the catch (more on this later), Safari Zone battles can be a frustrating inexact science. As a very general rule of thumb, you have the best chance of catching a Pokemon after hitting it with a rock or two. Prepare for failure However, because succeeding in the Safari Zone can be difficult even if you maximize your odds.
Note that safari balls are weak compared to the rest of the balls you can use in the game. In addition, the particularly rare Pokemon of the Safari Zone are extremely difficult to catch. This can lead to very frustrating situations - for example, it may take 20 or more attempts to catch a very rare Pokemon like Clefairy
Method 2 of 6: General Tips
Step 1. Use your limited steps carefully
It is important to understand that you are not allowed to stay in the Safari Zone forever.
Instead, you will have a limited number of steps within the zone (even if you are cycling). When you have finished the steps, you will be transported outside the zone. This means that you will need to plan your route in the area carefully. Head straight to the area that contains the Pokemon you want to try to catch and use the steps you have left just to search for them. It will be useful to consult a map of the Safari Zone before entering, to decide the path to follow.
- Bulbapedia, an online Pokemon encyclopedia created by the user community, offers a lot of information about each game's Safari Zones, including maps and guides explaining where to look for Pokemon in each zone. Read Bulbapedia's Safari Zone article to get started.
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Note that there is no step limit in the Safari Zones of the HeartGold and SoulSilver versions.
Catch Pokemon in Safari Zone Step 7 Step 2. Prepare to pay the entrance fee
Getting into the Safari Zone comes with a cash cost of playing the game - it's not much, but it's worth mentioning. You will have to pay every time you want to enter the Zone. In other words, if your visit to the area ends for any reason, you will have to pay again to return.
- In all the games in the series, the entry price has always remained the same: 500 P. This also applies to the Great Swamp in Pokemon Diamond / Pearl / Platinum, which is technically not a Safari Zone, but has very similar mechanics.
- A smart strategy is to save the game before entering the Safari Zone. This way, if you don't catch any Pokemon you want, you can load up to avoid having to pay again.
Step 3. Consider studying the capture mechanics
In Pokemon, the likelihood of catching a certain Pokemon when you throw a Poké Ball is determined by a mathematical equation that takes into account many variables, such as remaining HP, negative effects affecting the Pokemon, and more. The most passionate Pokemon players have analyzed these equations for each game, to determine the best ways to catch Pokemon. While the specific equations for each game are too complex to cover here, a great place to start is Bulbapedia's Probability Catch article, which contains the catch equations for all games and a section on how the mechanics. Safari Zone affect capture.
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As an example of the type of equation used in the game to determine the capture of a Pokemon, consider the equation used by the second generation games (Gold and Silver):
a = max ((3 × PSmax - 2 × PScurrent) × probabilitymodified / (3 × PSmax), 1) + bonusstatus
where PSmax are the maximum HP of the Pokemon, HPcurrent are the current HP of the Pokemon, probabilitymodified is the Pokemon's capture probability modified by the sphere used (each Pokemon and each sphere modifies this value in a certain way, and bonusstatus is the modifier for negative states (sleep and freezing are worth 10, the others 0). When you throw a ball, a random number between 0 and 255 is generated. If this number is less than or equal to A, the Pokemon is caught.
Method 3 of 6: Catching Pokemon in the Kanto Safari Zone
In the following section, we will talk about the rare Pokemon of all Safari zones and give specific advice if possible. To keep these tables reasonably sized, we've only included the rarest Pokemon from each area - for more information, check out the Safari Zone guides on Serebii.net and Bulbapedia.
Generation 1 (Red / Blue) Safari Zone Pokemon Guide
Area Indications Pokémon Rare / Occurrence Frequency Note Area 1 The area with the entrance to the Safari Zone. Chansey 1%, Scyther (Red only) 4%, Pinsir 4% (Blue only), Parasect 5%, Area 2 Northeast of Area 1. Kangaskhan 4%, Scyther (Red only) 1%, Pinsir (Blue only) 1%, Parasect 5% Area 3 Northwest of the house where you can rest in Area 2. Tauros 1%, Chansey 4%, Rhyhorn 15%, Dratini 25% To catch Dratini and other valuable aquatic Pokemon in this area, use a Super Hook. Area 4 South in the northwestern area of Area 3. Doduo 15%, Exeggcute 20%, Tauros 4%, Kangaskhan 1%, Dratini 25% Generation 3 (FireRed / LeafGreen) Safari Zone Pokemon Guide
Area Indications Pokémon Rare / Occurrence Frequency Note Area 1 The area with the entrance to the Safari Zone. Chansey 1%, Scyther (Red only) 4%, Pinsir 4% (Blue only), Parasect 5%, Dratini 15%, Dragonair 1% To catch Dratini and other valuable aquatic Pokemon, use a Super Hook. Area 2 Northeast of Area 1. Kangaskhan 4%, Scyther (RossoFuoco only) 1%, Pinsir (VerdeFoglia only) 1%, Parasect 5%, Dratini 15%, Dragonair 1% Area 3 Northwest of the house where you can rest in Area 2. Tauros 1%, Chansey 4%, Rhyhorn 20%, Venemoth 5%, Paras 15%, Dratini 15%, Dragonair 1% Area 4 South in the northwestern area of Area 3. Doduo 20%, Exeggcute 20%, Tauros 4%, Kangaskhan 1%, Venemoth 5%, Dratini 15%, Dragonair 1% Read the previous advice on aquatic Pokemon. Method 4 of 6: Catching Pokemon in the Hoenn Safari Zone
Note that the Hoenn Safari Zone in Generation 6 (Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire) will not be described in this article, as the player is allowed to battle Pokemon in that zone normally.
Generation 3 (Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald) Safari Zone Pokemon Guide
Area Indications Pokémon Rare / Occurrence Frequency Note Area 1 The area with the entrance to the Safari Zone. Wobuffet 10%, Doduo 10%, Girafarig 10%, Pikachu 5% Area 2 West of Area 1. Gloom 5%, Wobuffet 10%, Doduo 10%, Girafarig 10%, Pikachu 5% Area 3 North of Area 2. Pinsir 5%, Dodrio 5%, Doduo 15%, Gloom 15%, Rhyhorn 30%, Golduck 5% To find Golduck you will have to use Surf, not a hook. Area 4 North of Area 1. Heracross 5%, Natu 15%, Xatu 5%, Phanphy 30% Area 5 East of Area 1. Only available in Emerald after entering the Hall of Fame. Hoothoot 5%, Spinarak 10%, Mareep 30%, Aipom 10%, Gligar 5%, Snubbull 5%, Stantler 5%, Quagsire 1%, Octillery 1% Quagsire requires Surf, Octillery requires Super Hook. Area 6 North of Area 5. Only available in Emerald after entering the Hall of Fame. Hoothoot 5%, Ledyba 10%, Pineco 5%, Hondour 5%, Militank 5% Method 5 of 6: Catching Pokemon in the Great Sinnoh Swamp
Although Sinnoh's Pokemon reserve has a different name, it works virtually identically to Safari Zones in other regions.
Generation 4 (Diamond / Pearl) Great Swamp Pokemon Guide
Area Indications Pokémon Rare / Occurrence Frequency Note All areas Quagsire 5%, Gyarados 15%, Whiscash 40% Aquatic Pokemon in the Great Swamp have an equal chance of appearing in all areas. Quagsire requires Surf: Gyarados and Whiscash require the use of a Super Hook. Areas 1 and 2 Area 1 is located in the northwestern part of the Great Swamp. Area 2 to the northeast. Azurill 1%, Starly 10%, Budew 10% Starly and Budew do not appear at night. Areas 3 and 4 Area 3 is located in the central-west area of the Great Swamp. Area 4 is to the east. Marill 15%, Hoothoot 20%, Quagsire 15%, Wooper 20% Hoothoot only appears at night. Areas 5 and 6 Area 5 is located in the southwestern part of the Great Swamp. Area 6 is located southeast of the Great Swamp. Hoothoot 20%, Marill 15%, Starly 10%, Quagsire 15%, Wooper 20%, Budew 10% Hoothoot only appears at night. Budew does not appear at night. Method 6 of 6: Catching Pokemon in the Johto Safari Zone
Note that the Safari Zone is not available in Generation 2 (Gold / Silver) but is available in Generation IV games that visit Johto (HeartGold / SoulSilver). Also note that in this Safari Zone the player can arrange the six different areas as he prefers. Finally, for many of the areas in the Johto Safari Zone the probabilities of occurrence are unknown - only data from known areas are included. Read Bulbapedia for more information.
Generation 4 (HeartGold / SoulSilver) Safari Zone Pokemon Guide
Area Pokémon Rare / Occurrence Frequency Note Piccok Vigoroth 10%, Lairon 10%, Zangoose 10%, Spheal 10%, Bronzor 10% Desert Spinda 10%, Trapinch 10%, Vibrava 10%, Cacnea 10%, Cacturn 10%, Hippopotas 10%, Carnivine 10% Flat land Zigzagoon 10%, Lotad 10%, Surskit 10%, Manectric 10%, Zangoose 10%, Shinx 10% Warnings
- Remember - you have a limited number of "steps" within the Safari Zone, not a limited time frame. Therefore, you can take as long as you need to monitor your movements carefully.
- Again, the data in the previous tables only lists the rarest Pokemon from each area. You will encounter many other Pokemon on your visits to the Safari Zone.
