What Does a Safari Cost?

Since we do all custom safaris the cost is highly dependent upon your personal choices. For most a safari is a significant investment, and that is why the planning process is critical. Our philosophy is to focus on quality of guiding and locations. These are areas most important to having an exceptional safari and cutting cost on them will compromise your experience. One of the largest cost components where you have flexibility is your accommodation. In some areas (like Northern Tanzania) we have a wide range of choices to work with, while in others like Botswana, there is often no quality budget or rustic option that meets our quality standards.

Because trip lengths vary a nightly cost is more useful. Keep in mind that almost all of our safaris are inclusive of meals, drinks, and activities so there are not extra daily costs as many holiday destinations have. Here are some general ballpark figures:

• Our safaris start around $400 to $450 per person per night. In that range it is possible to do a very high quality safari that is in the low or shoulder seasons.
• The average of all our safari guests in a year would range between $650 to $800 per person per night. In this range is a wide range of high quality possibilities.
• For luxury camps in Botswana in peak season the cost can easily average $1,000 per person per night. The same safari in the green season could average between $450 and $550 per night. For ultra-luxury camps like Abu, Mombo and Zarafa the costs can be doubled.
• Special opportunities often add large costs beyond our control. For example each gorilla trek requires a $750 per person permit cost.

We will always try to meet any budget with a high quality itinerary. If we can’t provide a high level of quality then we advise we can’t make that budget. We will not beat high volume budget operators on price because the cost of guiding, unlimited mileage on game drives and many other quality factors that we offer are not places we can cut costs. We are not willing to compromise the experience for our clients or our reputation. We do provide excellent pricing and value within the bespoke top-quality safari market segment. We are big on including deals, recommending low seasons or best value accommodation choices (more expensive is not always a better experience), and other proven secrets to provide the best pricing for your dream safari.