Think about it like this…
Imagine taking a trip to London, staying in a luxurious hotel. Now replace room service from the hotel’s basement kitchen, with breakfast ingredients that had to be counted out and travel from a regional hub. There’s no mains electricity, so the entire hotel runs on solar power. Oh, and Hyde Park is closed to everyone else so you can enjoy a peaceful walk without anyone spoiling your peace. Welcome to the world of safari logistics!
As someone who’s managed safari camps, planned safaris ranging from a few hundred, to over a hundred thousand dollars, and spent more nights in canvas tents than hotel rooms, I’ve had a front-row seat to the real costs that go into a safari. My conclusion? A safari should cost more than an equivalent city break – unless of course, you’re happy with a lower standard than you’re used to. Here’s why:
Remote Locations: No local shops
Safari camps are often a good way from the nearest tarmac road, let alone a supermarket. That fresh lime in your sundowner? It’s been brought in via supply runs that can take hours. Everything from diesel to duck breasts must be transported with care from quite far away. On more than one occasion, I’ve had to arrange specific medicines for guests who fell ill, and even that can require asking a pilot for a favour. Operating in the middle of nowhere comes at a premium.
Many camps reduce their transport footprint by growing fruit and vegetables on site, or sourcing produce from nearby communities. But balancing sustainability with comfort can sometimes be more expensive and complex than simply importing supplies. Picture recreating your favourite fine dining experience in the middle of the bush, but every ingredient has to be carefully planned, stored, and transported to get there.
Exclusivity: Hyde Park, all to Yourself
Some private conservancies operate on a model of 700 acres per tent. To put that in perspective, that’s just like booking a boutique hotel room in London and having Hyde Park and most of Kensington Gardens roped off just for you and your partner. Exclusive space and privacy don’t come cheap.
No Local Tax Here: Conservation is on You
In cities, your taxes fund rubbish collections, emergency services, streetlights, roadworks, parks and public transport. On a safari, the upkeep of the environment is funded by you. Conservation fees go towards anti-poaching efforts, local community programs, wildlife research, and land preservation. This is important to remember – you’re a key part (the main part, in fact) of the funding model for keeping these places wild.
Guides: Your Personal Wikipedia in the bush
Your guide isn’t just a driver. Good guides are a walking encyclopaedia – a bush whisperer with built-in binocular vision. Spotting animals is just part of it – but they also interpret them, explain their behaviour, and predict their movements – something that involves years of training and regular certification. Take for instance, a London cabbie, someone who’s passed the famous ‘knowledge’ exam, and knows every back street in London. Imagine someone of this calibre who can spot animals and also give you the background to every sight that you see, all while driving across terrain that would make even the most pot-holed London road look smooth. At current rates the cab would cost you $400 or so per day, and that’s without the wear and tear…
Vehicles: 4x4s That Earn Their Keep
Hiring a car in a city for the weekend? Easy. Keeping a custom safari vehicle running, with reinforced suspension, raised air intakes, easily-torn canvas roofs, multiple spare tyres, underbody and side protection, all with a custom built body optimised for game viewing? That’s a different story. They’re expensive to procure and maintain, take a daily beating, and the fuel they use has to be transported in because there are no pipelines in the bush. Unlike car rentals that will charge you for invisible scratches (Avis, I’m looking at you!), safari vehicles are expected to return from every drive with dents, dust, and the occasional puncture – it’s all part of the package.
Eco-Energy: Solar Power Costs More Than You Think
With no grid to plug into, most camps rely on solar infrastructure to power everything. That’s great for the planet, but it doesn’t come cheap for the operator. Want hot water and ice-cold G&Ts in the middle of the bush? The sunlight is free but the means of capturing it isn’t. Again, the remote nature of these places means that the install and servicing of equipment just costs more.
All-Inclusive… Really Means All-Inclusive
Unlike many city hotels, safari camps are often sold on a ‘ground package’ basis: accommodation, meals, drinks, guides, game drives, park fees – sometimes a lot more than guests are expecting. Break it down and it starts to look much more reasonable. You’re paying for an entire operation that runs like a miniature village, all while you sip a gin & tonic.
A few more things to remember:
Prices Go Up – Safari prices tend to go up every year, often by 5 -10%. So if you’re thinking, “I’ll go next year when I’ve saved a bit more,” just bear in mind that the cost may have marched ahead of you.
Specialists make it easier and shouldn’t cost more
Safari specialists like me have spent years building relationships with camps, airlines and ground teams. Thanks to these established relationships and booking volumes we handle, 95% of the time we get the same or better prices than you would going direct – and more importantly, we take care of all the moving parts – handy when your transfer involves two planes, a bumpy car journey and a boat.
Just the other day, an airstrip flooded and a flight had to land at a nearby alternative. It happens all the time, and everything was handled – the airline sent a message, the camp was informed and the pick up was changed to the right place. One guest on the flight who’d booked everything themselves had no idea that this happens. In fairness, in Europe, if plans change you can just call an Uber and book a new hotel but that’s not exactly an option here and the pilots (quite rightly) refused to leave them on their own in the middle of the bush, while arrangements were made. So an entire plane of guests had to be delayed because of one person. Don’t be that person!
There are usually two ways to pay, either you pay the agent directly, or you pay direct to the destination and your safari specialist will get a commission from them. Different organisations do it in different ways but it should always be made easy and transparent for you. If you’re not sure, ask! I for one am always happy to explain.
Avoid the cheapest possible option – just like you probably would with a city
If someone offered you a room in New York or Paris for $10 a night, you’d probably back away slowly. So why expect the same on safari, where the cost of delivering that room is five times higher? The truth is that there’s nothing wrong with a budget safari (within reason) but it’s important to get good advice on where to save money and where to spend money so that this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience can be affordable without ending up feeling cheap overall.
Final Thought: You Get What You Pay For
A safari might look like a holiday at first glance but in reality it’s a logistical ballet, a conservation contribution, and a front-row seat to the natural world at its most raw and real. When you understand all the costs that go into the show, it becomes clear that if you want cheap, you’ll probably get what you pay for. But if you want extraordinary, unforgettable, heart-thumping moments, well those are worth investing in and they do deliver real value for money.
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