How much does an African Safari Cost?

African safari costs for Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa & Botswana

We categorise safaris into three types: value, classic, and luxury. The starting point would be a best-value-for-money safari. Our classic safaris are our most popular standard luxury trips. Our luxury bracket is the most expensive category, but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy a luxury experience on a value or classic safari!

As we are a luxury, tailor-made safari company, all of our safaris would be classified as a luxury experience, whether that is an authentic yet luxurious adventure to Zambia and Zimbabwe, or the über-luxury of Botswana and South Africa.

Value

Value safaris are some of the most interesting adventures we design. Affordable and great value for money, these trips include authentic bush stays and experiences that have been cherry-picked to give our clients an experience that is reflective of our brand.

£4,000–5,000 per person, depending on the season.

• Authentic tented accommodation or 4-star camps and lodges
• Focus on adventure versus luxury, getting right back to nature 
• High standards of guiding and game viewing.

Classic

Classic safaris are the most popular trips we design. These trips include luxurious camps and lodges with high levels of comfort and hospitality. Look forward to premium guiding and activities in Africa’s top safari destinations.

£5,000–6,000 per person, depending on the season.

• Superb, 5-star camps and lodges
• Ideal balance of safari adventure and luxury stays
• High standards of guiding, food, and service

Luxury

The most exquisite safaris that we offer. These trips take place within exclusive private concessions in premier safari regions. Itineraries feature the most expensive high-end properties in our portfolio, where the attention to detail is meticulous and the levels of service, guiding, and game viewing are unparalleled.

£10,000+ per person, depending on the season.

• Ultra-luxurious 5-star camps and lodges 
• Sumptuous features like private plunge pools and butler service
• First-class guiding and exclusive game viewing

Typically, African safari prices are given as ‘cost per person’, but this can be misleading as these figures are based on two people sharing a room. So if you’re a solo traveller or you want your own room as part of your family or group trip, it’s likely you’ll pay a single supplement cost. However, if you’re a large family with an odd number of people, Yellow Zebra can aim to have this fee waived, depending on availability and season – another advantage of booking with a respected operator.

Do you want to focus on photography and birdlife? Or perhaps you’d like to spend a week horse riding across the Maasai Mara? How about gorilla trekking? Niche activities and excursions can increase the price of a safari, as you’ll need to factor in additional costs, such as permits, private guides, equipment, and so on. We can explain and break down all these costs for you.

With safari property prices ranging from £500 to £2,700+ per person per night, the answer to this question really depends on what type of safari you’re after. Is this a safari of a lifetime? Or perhaps you are a regular visitor to Africa? Since we’re primarily a luxury travel company, all of our itineraries are high end. However, accommodation options within this high-end region can range from authentic, to extremely comfortable, to uber-glamorous! For ease, we have divided our trips into three corresponding categories – Value, Classic, and Luxury – all discussed in more detail below.

Do you want to visit a famous location like the Kruger, the Serengeti, or the Okavango Delta? Or maybe you’d prefer something more wild and remote, such as Ruaha, Nyerere, Phinda, or the Lower Zambezi? Usually, the more remote the destination, the more expensive it is to get to because of longer internal flights. However, there are exceptions to this, and your safari specialist can discuss options with you.

Our classic Africa safaris are seriously good safaris. The price you pay at this level ensures terrific trips and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. The properties themselves are more than comfortable, featuring large beds, excellent en-suite facilities, and a real focus on the hospitality experience as much as the quality of the safari itself! The price bracket guarantees a significant increase in luxury levels over our value safaris, while the guiding standards are better too. High standards of accommodation and guiding combine to create a product that is backed up by our use of Africa’s most-experienced and best-run safari companies.

Of course the majority of camps, lodges, and hotels at this price tag are all 5 star and are some of the best properties in Africa. The experiences these properties offer, from the food and service to the sheer quality of your accommodation, is as good as you will find anywhere on the continent! Unless you are staying at an adventurous tented camp, you will find that the properties we use tend to have swimming pools, various locations for meals, and accommodation standards to rival any boutique hotel in London or New York.

One of the biggest differences between our classic and luxury categories is the space that you have in your own room! Many classic properties, albeit superb, have rooms that are little more than places for sleeping. At the luxury level, balconies, terraces, and private plunge pools come as standard, allowing guests to relax privately in the heat of the day.

The guiding standards in properties like this deserve their own special mention. The companies running properties at this price level are sending their guides on extensive training courses – for the guides themselves, this is a big plus point. The resulting levels of guiding are obviously some of the very best!

The value camps we use for these safaris are often more adventurous than they are luxurious. The focus is the adventure of the experience rather than the luxury on offer within our classic and luxury safari categories, which are more expensive. However, it is worth mentioning that we also use a number of 3- and 4-star lodges. The aim, after all, is to offer an adventurous style of trip to those who want it, and a more ‘secure’ version to those who prefer a higher level of comfort on safari!

Of course, for all the properties in our value category, both the game viewing and character in camp are first class. We take pride in our value safaris – whether they use 3- and 4-star lodges or adventurous tented camps, they are as likely to be that holiday of a lifetime for you as any other safari we sell!

Unless otherwise specified by the property, prices include all internal flights, transfers, reserve fees, and accommodation booked by Yellow Zebra, as well as meals, soft drinks, local beverages/alcohol, and all activities that don’t incur an additional cost. An example of an extra charge activity is a hot air balloon safari.

International flights

Maybe you want to use your airline rewards points, or you can find better deals with which you’re more comfortable. We’re happy to book your international flights for you. However, we find that many clients book these flights themselves, so we don’t include international flights in our quotes unless this is requested. If you book them yourself, then we simply dovetail your flights to fit your itinerary. It is worth noting that you should almost always arrange the itinerary first before booking international flights! This is to ensure availability at the lodges and avoid disappointment.

Visa costs

At Yellow Zebra, we have a dedicated team who can help with visa applications, for which we charge a small service fee. Visa costs vary depending on the destination. Some require upfront visa applications, whilst others can be obtained on arrival in cash. Normally, a visa costs between US$30 and US$100 per person. We generally recommend getting your visas arranged beforehand for peace of mind.

Vaccinations

It’s vital to ensure you have the right vaccinations for travel to Africa before you set off on your trip. As we are not medically trained, we cannot give medical advice. A number of the destinations we sell are classed as malaria areas and we recommend that our clients speak to their doctors for the most up-to-date information regarding anti-malaria medications. There are malaria-free areas in South Africa, such as Madikwe and the reserves in the Eastern Cape, so do chat to your safari consultant about these safari destinations if this is important to you.

Many vaccinations are recommended, but not all vaccinations are a requirement to enter certain countries. Whenever travelling to Africa, it’s important to seek medical advice from a doctor or specialist travel clinic. Travel clinics can sometimes have long waiting lists, so it’s a good idea to make sure you book your vaccinations well in advance of your trip.

Tipping

Tipping is different in each destination and the amount to tip depends on the circumstances – for example, tipping your airport drivers or your private professional guide. To help, we’ve put together a rough outline of how much to tip on an African safari.

Travel Insurance

Please be aware that as part of Yellow Zebra’s Terms & Conditions, we require all clients to purchase adequate travel insurance prior to travel, making it an incredibly important extra cost to note. We’ve assembled a safari travel insurance guide, to help you decide which policy is best suited to you.

Cost and quality are closely connected when it comes to safaris. The price reflects much more than just where you stay – it’s about access, guiding, comfort and unforgettable experiences. Hard-to-find online prices and a huge range of approaches from different companies can make it difficult to understand exactly what you get for your money on safari, but essentially, your trip will be a combination of accommodations, activities, transfers, and tourism and concession fees. The real value, no matter your budget, lies in working with someone who knows how to effortlessly combine these aspects to create a seamless safari. 

When you use a trusted tour operator like Yellow Zebra, you’ll get a wealth of safari knowledge (we pride ourselves on our team’s vast experience!), impeccable logistics, and 24-hour medical and on-the-ground support should you need it. 

Some people believe that booking a safari through a tour operator always costs more. In reality, a trusted tour operator can actually save you money. We’re the first to know about last-minute offers, off-peak deals, and early-booking specials that aren’t always visible online, thanks to our established network of safari partners and suppliers. Unlike package companies with fixed pricing, we can tailor your trip around current offers and holiday deals, ensuring you maximise your budget and safari experience.

Our brand represents good safaris – these are trips that we know can deliver that wow-factor of an experience! We don’t offer the cheapest safaris on the market, and not for a moment would we wish to do this. You will find safaris online at lower prices. All we can say is that we are very good value for the trips we offer – we even give a price guarantee on any trip we sell! – and that our safaris are designed by people with experience of working in Africa, as guides or camp managers.

Africa’s cheap lodges and bargain-basement safari offers are low for a reason – you get what you pay for here! We don’t use mass-market safari hotels or design basic camping trips. As a result, our safaris are authentic, expertly designed adventures that we are proud to sell as part of our brand.

Our specialists are genuine experts, people who have guided these safaris and worked in the camps. There is no better way to start planning your trip than speaking to our specialists about how we can fine-tune your safari.

As a general rule, South Africa is the most affordable destination, offering great value for luxury. Botswana is the most expensive country, due to its sensational properties, set amidst pristine wilderness in exclusive private reserves. Destinations such as Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Tanzania can be equally suitable for travellers on stricter budgets, but any of these options can also easily tip towards a Botswana price tag depending on the property and region.

You can browse our trips to find out more about the African safaris that we offer in Tanzania, Kenya, and more. The first decision to make is choosing which country (or countries) you’d like to visit for your safari! Then, to start the process, it’s good to have a chat with one of our safari specialists, as this is the quickest way to narrow things down. Once they know a bit more about you, they can start putting together some itinerary options for you to consider – ones that fall within your budget and include the safari areas you have your heart set on.