safari cost

[dAZ]

I know safaris vary greatly in price depending on accommodations and how many people, etc. We are planning a safari for next summer (likely Tanzania). If you have been on safari would you mind sharing where you were, cost per person, would you recommend what you did and/or the agency you used? We would like to do safari but the length of vacation will be 2 weeks so we'd like to include other activities and sites. Any help or advice? 

[goldengirlz]

Good topic! I’d like to know this too.

My coworker said her five-day safari cost $5k/pp in South Africa, everything included, for something higher-end but not top of the line.

But actual first-hand experiences will be good to hear.

[chicago]

I can’t find my exact figures, but we did 16 nights in South Africa back in 2013: 5 nights in a Cape Town, a week in Seychelles, and 4 nights on safari in Sabi Sands (Kruger). Rhino Africa did our planning and we loved them. I am ballparking a bit, but we probably spent about $25k.

[dAZ]

Sept 19, 2019 20:58:11 GMT -5 chicago said:

we probably spent about $25k.

for how many people?

[gigem]

I’ve been on a few safaris as I was living in Africa for nearly 7yrs... the point of this is that I won’t count air fare in my costs because I didn’t have to travel that far, but I will include in-country flight costs. My general answer is 1k$ for 2 adults per day for all food, lodging, in-country flights, taxis/transport sometimes includes laundry but obvs not tips, shopping, and sometimes lunch (safari lodge will pretty much always include lunch but a beach resort is usually half board and a hotel in a big city like Cape Town or Nairobi or Windhoek would offer breakfast)

Tanzania + Zanzibar: we did this before kids but with my sis, so 3 adults 15 nights and in-country air to Zanzibar, $11.5k. It was multi park: Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti (2 diff camps) Ngorongoro and then the beach in Zanzibar then Stone Town.

Kenya: this was the fanciest trip we went on, the kids were a little older so one paid at 50% the other “free”. We stayed two nights in Nairobi then split Maasai Mara and Diani Beach. $11.5k 10 nights

Namibia (did not go to Etosha): 9 nights plus rental van. 7k$ (we had a van because we were traveling with two young kids and my in-laws). They went to Etosha before meeting with us and their trip was 11 nights with a small car for the portion they did without us: 6k$ Their airfare from Paris to Windhoek was 900e for two

Zambia: my favorite trip- we stayed in South Luangwa because the kids were really young so I didn’t want to move around. I regret skipping Vic Falls. 7 nights 8k$, only cost for kids was airfare in country

Cape Town/Western Cape/Franschhoek (no park visits): 10 nights 3 adults and 2 non paying kids but a van rental, $4500

Cape Town plus Garden Route (no park visits) 3 adults 11 nights $5500

My sis did a trip with her best friend to Zambia, South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi plus walking safari: 2 adults 9 nights not including 2 nights in Johannesburg $12.5k. She said it was the most amazing trip she ever did, not because it was glossy clean, magazine type stuff but because of the access to nature on the walking safari and then a few amazing lodges (meaning great food great guides etc)

She also did an elephant safari for 4 nights outside Kruger (single rate) $2500

We mostly use Africa t.ravel re.source they have never failed us- they always find some hidden gems and we have never had one single issue and always felt like if anything were to go wrong they would solve it. They are very accessible by phone and email even from the US- we love them they know us so well now and never forget any details. For our Tanzania trip we had gotten advice to go with a country specific agency so we did Ac.cess 2 Tan.zania who was also amazing.

Yay happy planning!

Eta changed $1k per adult per night to 2 adults per night!
Eta2: obvs there is a huge range on luxury to basics in lodging. We tried to fall somewhere in the middle, our Tanzania trip was not luxury but was clean comfortable amazing guides and great food. We usually fall somewhere in middle to mid high in price range from what I could tell, I’m sure there’s a level of luxury that is not google-able for rack rates or review
Eta3: regarding stuff to do, I think for Tanzania seeing multiple parks is important and staying in different sections of Serengeti. Don’t skip Ngorongoro. If you go to Zanzibar don’t skip Stone Town and defi do a tour. The beach in Zanzibar is pretty isolated for tourists so Stone Town gets you out a bit. Stay in Arusha or Dar for a night to see a different life than the safari camps and tourists. I highly recommend doing a forest hike/walk and a village visit if you go to Lake Manyara or at the Crater- safari is a lot of sitting (but strangely tiring) and it felt good to walk for a few days.

[dAZ]

gigem, thanks,very helpful. Any tips for traveling with kids? They will be 13 and 11.

[gigem]

Sept 20, 2019 9:51:50 GMT -5 dAZ said:

gigem, thanks,very helpful. Any tips for traveling with kids? They will be 13 and 11.

Mine were really young at the time, the last trip to Kenya they were 4 and 3. But What comes to my head is maybe some kid sized binoculars (the jeeps always have them but they are big and heavy). A park specific flora/fauna guide and a cultural/country guide. I’ve only encountered super awesome guides and they connected so well with kids (that goes for all the camp staff), I thought it would be fun to have a polaroid type camera to share some pics with them as keepsakes. Digital camera for your kids’ documentation. A journal and coloring pencils. Maybe snacks too because even if the meals are plentiful, for some reason jeep sitting makes everyone hungry. We were always offered a second breakfast stop or sundowner time but I’m would think kids that get hungry more often. I’ll see if I think of anything else. Travel-wise the little planes at tiny airports can often run “late” so whatever it takes to entertain kids without WiFi haha.

[mich1]

We did a trip to South Africa, which included a 7 day safari. Our total costs (including air) were about $13k for 2 adults. However, we bid on and ‘won’ the safari at an auction. I call it ‘safari light’ and would like to go back and do it again, but the way my friends did it. We were gone 5 weeks, and it included 10 days in the Maldives and 4 in Dubai. I also stumbled onto an Emirates sale where I got phenomenal rates (about half off the prices I had been seeing).

Friends of mine were returning home as we were leaving. Their trip was more of an official safari. They were gone 2 weeks and I believe they paid nearly $12k per person, including air out of NYC.

This was in 2016.

[mich1]

Sept 20, 2019 9:51:50 GMT -5 dAZ said:

gigem , thanks,very helpful. Any tips for traveling with kids? They will be 13 and 11.

The friends I was with on their safari had some kids on the safari they were on.  Internet was REALLY sketchy, and this was the biggest complaint that the kids had, and they were apparently really vocal about it.  It was for us on our trip too.

Also note that some of the safaris have strict weight limits on luggage.

[gigem]

Sept 20, 2019 11:36:24 GMT -5 mich1 said:

Sept 20, 2019 9:51:50 GMT -5 dAZ said:

gigem , thanks,very helpful. Any tips for traveling with kids? They will be 13 and 11.

The friends I was with on their safari had some kids on the safari they were on.  Internet was REALLY sketchy, and this was the biggest complaint that the kids had, and they were apparently really vocal about it.  It was for us on our trip too.

Also note that some of the safaris have strict weight limits on luggage.

I was just reading a safari publication about WiFi being brought to more and more camps and pro/cons. I buy a SIM card with a lot of data at the airport and there always seems to be a cell signal at the camps. I remember in Zambia there was WiFi around the bar area but the cost per time increment was high enough that it seemed mostly for a quick email check (plus slow speed).

[GilliC]

We did the extreme budget end of the spectrum and spent a little over $100 per person per day*. We rented a car in Johannesburg, and drove ourselves to Kruger. I was wary of a “self-drive” safari, but we did one sunrise drive in a park truck (you can’t be out of the rest camps alone between sunset and sunrise), and we actually saw a lot more amazing stuff on our own. For food and accommodations we self-catered and tent camped (if I go back, I'd probably look at staying in cabins/lodges at the rest camp just so we don't have to haul our camping gear on the flight).

*I wrote a blog post years ago and calculated how much it would have cost for two of us. In reality it was slightly cheaper, because we went with friends so there were four of us sharing the cost of the car and the campsite.

[scout8]

We also are going with a more budget friendly option. We booked a place in a private reserve near Kruger. It's around $1000 for both of us for three nights (including drives the day we get there and the day we leave). The price includes all meals and the drives. We haven't been yet, but the place has excellent reviews.

[chicago]

Sept 19, 2019 22:15:42 GMT -5 dAZ said:

Sept 19, 2019 20:58:11 GMT -5 chicago said:

we probably spent about $25k.

for how many people?

Two of us. The safari portion was four nights at Londolozi, which fell on the pricier end of the spectrum but really felt worth it for us. The flights to the Seychelles and our stay there was also a large portion of the budget.

[wanderingback]

When I lived in S Africa I did all the planning on my own. I didn’t have money to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars. I’ve been on safari in S Africa, Botswana and Namibia and spent a few hundred dollars for myself. This was staying in cabins and basics. I personally would never spend that much money on safari as people quoted in this post, but everyone has different priorities. I’d personally spend that type of money to travel to different countries in the region since being on safari for 2-3 days is enough for me.

[RockNVoll]

You're going to LOVE this vacation!  Our safari trips are definitely amongst our absolute favorite travel experiences, and I can't wait to do more.

We definitely go with higher-end accommodations for safari than we normally do otherwise.  We didn't stay in the top tier of places, but I'd say we were on the upper end of the middle tier.  In other words, you can do these trips for less than we paid but I'm glad we splurged for beautiful camps and excellent service.

It was just DH and I on these trips and these prices don't include r/t airfare or tips but does include all in-Africa flights, accommodations, and meals:

• Tanzania & Zanzibar - 2012, 17 days, including optional hot air balloon experience, $19k
  
• Kenya & Rwanda - 2016, 11 days, including gorilla permits for two treks, $17.5k
  

We've gone with Africa Adventure Consultants both times (https://adventuresinafrica.com).  We obviously like them since we used them twice, plus they offer discounts to returning customers.  They're based in Denver whereas we're on the east coast, but it really doesn't matter that they're remote.  I will say that there seem to be a ton of great safari travel agents out there; I stressed a lot about picking the right one the first time we went but it seems like everyone is happy with whatever agency they choose since I generally don't see complaints after reading lots of reviews.

As for other activities, we never get sick of going to see the animals so spending the majority of time on game drives is just fine with us. That said, adding beach time to the end of a Tanzania trip is super common and your two main options are either Zanzibar or the Seychelles.  We opted for the former because it's significantly cheaper and still lovely.  My only regret there is not spending a second day exploring Stone Town before moving on to the beach.

[wise_rita]

I'm writing this from a SUPER secluded lodge between Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater.

I'll report back in a few days (heading to northern Serengeti near the Kenya border tomorrow for the migration) but my #1 piece of advice: get thyself to Taringiere NP.

It's got everything (save for rhino) and it's up close with the animals. You could condense your days there and do it affordably!

[RockNVoll]

Sept 25, 2019 11:17:17 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

I'm writing this from a SUPER secluded lodge between Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater.

I'll report back in a few days (heading to northern Serengeti near the Kenya border tomorrow for the migration) but my #1 piece of advice: get thyself to Taringiere NP.

It's got everything (save for rhino) and it's up close with the animals. You could condense your days there and do it affordably!

Tarangire was absolutely one of my favorites!  Everyone raves about the Crater but we unfortunately had a really boring experience there.  On the other hand, we got to see the Grumeti river crossing in full force (i.e., the wildebeest literally ran around our vehicle as they got to the opposite bank) so on the whole I'd say we won   Hope you're having a great time!

[gigem]

Sept 25, 2019 11:17:17 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

I'm writing this from a SUPER secluded lodge between Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater.

I'll report back in a few days (heading to northern Serengeti near the Kenya border tomorrow for the migration) but my #1 piece of advice: get thyself to Taringiere NP.

It's got everything (save for rhino) and it's up close with the animals. You could condense your days there and do it affordably!

Would you be okay pm’ing me the lodge name when you have a chance? Thanks!!!
PS I am so glad to hear of other ppl loving Tarangire it was the first park on our first safari, special memories for us and doesn’t seem to get enough love- I did notice that there was quite a lot of self drive at that time which would reduce the cost.

[RockNVoll]

Sept 26, 2019 1:50:52 GMT -5 gigem said:

Sept 25, 2019 11:17:17 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

I'm writing this from a SUPER secluded lodge between Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater.

I'll report back in a few days (heading to northern Serengeti near the Kenya border tomorrow for the migration) but my #1 piece of advice: get thyself to Taringiere NP.

It's got everything (save for rhino) and it's up close with the animals. You could condense your days there and do it affordably!

Would you be okay pm’ing me the lodge name when you have a chance? Thanks!!!
PS I am so glad to hear of other ppl loving Tarangire it was the first park on our first safari, special memories for us and doesn’t seem to get enough love- I did notice that there was quite a lot of self drive at that time which would reduce the cost.

Same   It's also special to me because it's where I spotted a leopard climbing a tree that no one else saw and we parked right under it--I was kind of afraid it would jump down and land in our vehicle!  Spotting him was a moment of pride, and I think I scored points with our tour guide, LOL.

Oh, here's a pic!

[gigem]

RockNVoll

That is a beautiful leopard, what an amazing shot! He really is right on top of you!

[katyintx]

Sept 26, 2019 11:43:14 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Sept 26, 2019 1:50:52 GMT -5 gigem said:

Would you be okay pm’ing me the lodge name when you have a chance? Thanks!!!
PS I am so glad to hear of other ppl loving Tarangire it was the first park on our first safari, special memories for us and doesn’t seem to get enough love- I did notice that there was quite a lot of self drive at that time which would reduce the cost.

Same   It's also special to me because it's where I spotted a leopard climbing a tree that no one else saw and we parked right under it--I was kind of afraid it would jump down and land in our vehicle!  Spotting him was a moment of pride, and I think I scored points with our tour guide, LOL.

Oh, here's a pic!

We just got back from Tanzania + Zanzibar 3 weeks ago!  It. Was. Incredible. We also went through Africa Travel Resources and I highly recommend them.  They were able to get us quotes in multiple price ranges. At the time we thought this was going to be our one and only Safari so we spent around 21k, but we certainly could’ve gone a cheaper route and had just as good of a time. Which is what we’ll do next time since it’s going to be a “thing” for us now. ☺️ 

I third Tarangire NP as a must-see!  We saw SO many animals there, every day. Serengeti was awesome because we saw river crossings every day, but other than that it was way slower than Tarangire. 

RockNVoll I had a similar experience!  We were in Grumeti Reserve, our guide said leopards were rare in that particular reserve, and I was horrible at spotting animals. And I spotted a leopard in a tree!  I was so proud...  

[katyintx]

Sept 25, 2019 11:17:17 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

I'm writing this from a SUPER secluded lodge between Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater.

I'll report back in a few days (heading to northern Serengeti near the Kenya border tomorrow for the migration) but my #1 piece of advice: get thyself to Taringiere NP.

It's got everything (save for rhino) and it's up close with the animals. You could condense your days there and do it affordably!

I’m super curious too... our lodge was secluded too so of course I’m wondering if it’s the same one!  Care to PM? 

[Vespasia]

We spent around $1,600 total for 3 nights at a private reserve in the Eastern Cape as part of a 2 week trip to South Africa. For us that was a huge splurge and we were really only able to do it because we were there in the off season and they had a pay 2 stay 3 deal. Our entire trip was around $4,000 but we covered flights and the other hotels with points. 

It was absolutely amazing but I agree with wanderingback  that 3 days on safari was enough. 

[wise_rita]

No need to PM, the "super secluded lodge" was called Mandhari by Nasikia.

The 3-day thing I personally think only applies if you're staying in one spot. If you move along to the next place, even not far away, can offer new experiences.

More to come.

[wise_rita]

Pro tip: stay at lodges with a large(r) number of guests.

2/3 lodges we've stayed at have been quite devoid of other guests, which sounds like a good deal on the surface but results in REALLY attentive service bordering on overbearing.

When internet is only available in the communal areas, and these areas positively swarming with bored employees with nothing to do but serve/chat to/wait on you, getting any alone time to decompress is difficult. My poor H is ready to flee the continent for this reason alone.

[wise_rita]

Also I will get this out while it's on my mind: if you do the Great Migration they've moved the camps way far back from the river in the past 2 years. So be mindful of the distance to drive anywhere from your camp. That goes for anywhere you visit.

Sorry I'm not answering your original question. Once I get home in 1.5 weeks I can get more specific. I really don't know since my H booked it all, including for his parents.

[tres3]

We did a safari in Kenya back in 2015. I think it was about $500/pp per night--there was a slight discount for the kids. We had our own private driver. (she was even featured on NPR a couple years ago). We stayed at two different Asilia lodges which I would highly recommend. The service was impeccable and setting beautiful.

[wise_rita]

Ok I'm back home!

To answer your original question, we paid $2700 USD per person for:

Airport pick up at Kilimanjaro airport
2 nights at a resort near airport (half board)
7 nights safari (full board) at 3 different camps with daily game drives
Return flights to northern Serengeti
Airport delivery

ETA1: This doesn't include flights and I'd add $500 per person in tips.  Also does not include booze, which we needed to have cash for (not credit cards). 

ETA2: I live overseas (but figures are in USD) so this could vary widely, but I thought it was worth mentioning: $135 travel insurance, $150 visas, and $340 in malaria meds/immunizations and insect repellent.