Where you sleep
The single biggest lever, by a distance. Across our own itineraries the luxury tier runs about 2.4× the budget tier for the same route and the same days. The animals are identical.
Know before you ask
What a safari actually costs
Not a guess. These rates are computed from the 44 safaris we publish — so the number here is the number we'd quote you.
What we actually sell at this length
Your estimate should land near these. If it doesn't, the estimate is wrong — not the safaris.
The honest version
What actually moves the price
Group size
A vehicle and a guide cost roughly the same whether two people or six are in it. Small parties pay more per head — that is arithmetic, not a surcharge.
Season
Peak months cost more. We do not publish a multiplier for this, because ours varies by camp and we would be guessing at a number you would then plan around.
Park fees
Set by the government, charged per person per day, and identical whether you sleep in a tent or a suite. They are already inside every figure here.
How this is calculated
We take every safari we publish, divide each tier price by its length, and use the median — the middle value, not the average, so one unusually expensive trip can't drag the estimate upward. The range is the 25th to 75th percentile: half of our real safaris fall inside it.
- Budget median $331/day pp · half fall between $276–$411 · full spread $213–$800 · from 34 safaris
- Mid-range median $469/day pp · half fall between $380–$579 · full spread $300–$1033 · from 42 safaris
- Luxury median $795/day pp · half fall between $642–$965 · full spread $475–$1533 · from 44 safaris
Covers park fees, accommodation, guide, vehicle and meals on safari. Does not cover international flights, visas, tips, or extras like a balloon flight. It is an estimate, not a quote.