Tailor-Made African Safaris

Most travellers spend between US$150 and US$400 per person per day for a mid-range African safari, including accommodation, transport, park fees and most meals.

Camping-style itineraries can come in under US$150 per day, while luxury lodges run US$600+ per day. Where your trip lands depends mainly on accommodation level, season, and how remote the parks are — Botswana’s Delta camps cost more to reach than Kruger, for example.

Because a tailor-made safari is built around your budget, we can usually show you two versions of the same route at different comfort levels so you can see exactly what the difference buys.

A realistic budget for a two-week mid-range tailor-made safari is roughly US$4,000–US$8,000 per person, depending on countries, season, accommodation — and how many of you are travelling.

Group size matters more than people expect: costs like your vehicle and guide are fixed, so they’re split between everyone. The same two-week itinerary can cost noticeably less per person for a group of six than for a couple.

Destination plays a role too — a South Africa or Namibia route generally costs less than the same duration split between Botswana and Zambia, where logistics are more remote. We’ll always show you where the money goes — park fees, transport, accommodation — so nothing is vague.

The dry season — roughly May to October in Southern Africa — is the classic game-viewing window, when animals gather at water sources and vegetation is thin.

In East Africa, the Great Migration river crossings in the Masai Mara typically peak between July and October.

That said, green season (November to April) brings lower prices, newborn animals and fewer vehicles, and for destinations like Cape Town it’s actually peak summer.

With a tailor-made itinerary, we plan the route around when you can travel rather than the other way round.

Yes, safaris in the countries we operate are safe when run by experienced operators, and tourism areas are generally far removed from any regional issues you may read about.

You’ll travel on tested routes with reputable lodges and guides, and our team monitors conditions on the ground. We’re happy to talk through safety honestly for any specific destination before you book.

Start with shorter driving days and lodges that genuinely welcome kids — that’s the backbone of most family safaris we build.

One thing many parents don’t realise: most scheduled group tours have age restrictions, often excluding children under 8, which is why we usually recommend a tailor-made or private trip for families with young children — no age limits, and the pace is set around your kids.

For an African safari with kids, South Africa is usually the best starting point. Kruger and most classic safari areas are low-risk for malaria — plenty of families visit with sensible precautions — but if you’d rather skip medication altogether with young kids, South Africa’s malaria-free reserves offer the full Big Five experience without it.

Family rooms keep costs sensible, and drive times are short. We work with many lodges and areas that are genuinely great for young ones — some lodges do set minimum ages for game drives, so tell us your children’s ages upfront and we’ll propose places that work for your family. See our malaria-free safaris for the routes we recommend most often to families.

A private tour takes one of our existing itineraries and runs it exclusively for your group, on your dates, exactly as designed.

A tailor-made safari gives you freedom to change things — you can start from a blank page, or take one of our existing routes and adapt it to suit you: add days, swap lodges, change the pace, tack on a beach.

Private tours are usually quicker to quote and slightly cheaper because the route is already set; tailor-made costs a little more planning time but fits you exactly. If you’re not sure which you need, send us your dates and wishlist and we’ll recommend the honest best option.

We arrange all ground transport, transfers and accommodation within your itinerary, and can assist with internal domestic flights if needed. We’ll advise on visa requirements for each country on your route, though arranging visas remains your responsibility. International flights to Africa are usually best booked directly, but we’ll tell you which airports make your routing cheapest and easiest.