Friends of Africa Family Safaris Ltd offers a large variety of holiday itineraries; the pricing depends upon your requirements.
Our field staff will give you a prices quote for your personalized safari itinerary as soon as the finer details have been settled. Payment will be made by bank transfer. Your money may be paid direct to our Company Bank Account.
There are 6 main factors that will make a big difference to the price of your safari or tour.
Accommodation – Safari camps and lodges can range from US$ 250 to US$ 1,000 plus per person sharing, per night, not including transfers from one region/camp to another. This cost normally includes all your meals, game drives and most other game viewing activities on offer. Sometimes drinks and laundry are also included in the rate. So when you consider the additional cost of these other components, relative to the average price for a 4 to 5 star hotel (room only), the safari rate is not too bad.
Length of your itinerary – The per-day-per-person-budget is a good rule of thumb for determining how long you can travel. Simply shortening a trip by a few days can sometimes cut the cost by hundreds of dollars. Moving around less often also usually saves on costly transfers or regional flights and can also make for a more relaxed, focused experience. With most camps and lodges, three nights will afford you a good opportunity to see what characterizes the area, and to partake in all the activities on offer at a relaxed pace. Moving around more can often result in seeing less of what you travelled to Africa for in the first place. On the other hand, the time and expense in getting to Africa is significant, so we would encourage you to spend as much time as you possibly can in this amazing part of the world. Rushing your trip to save money is rarely worthwhile, and while many guests find themselves going back time and again, Africa is still a distant and a remote destination – and this might be one of few, if not your only opportunity to go on safari!
Season – High season rates can vary quite dramatically from the low season rates for the same safari camps and lodges. Rates for high season are applicable for a reason, as often the game viewing is at its best during these times of year and space is at a premium. However, if peak game viewing is not critical and you are flexible with your travel dates, you can still have a wonderful safari experience at a considerably lower price when travelling in low or “green” seasons. The bonus is that you will find the areas less crowded and have less difficulty confirming space.
Number of people travelling? A customised safari or tour for 4 guests will be more affordable than for 2 guests, simply because the cost of some logistics, such as transfers and vehicle, is costed across more people. Small group set departure safaris and tours are typically more affordable than customised safaris and tours, simply because the itinerary is costed on a minimum group size, and promoted to many agents.
Small group scheduled safari or tailor-made safari? Most of our guests are well travelled and enjoy a combination of small group travel and independent travel. Small group safaris and tours are generally no larger than 6 – 16 participants, depending on the itinerary. Tailor-made safaris an tours are obviously much more flexible, allowing you to depart at any time, travel for as long as you wish, to the camps of your choice. Whilst it is tailor-made/customised, it is important to note we ensure there is always a representative to meet you at the airport and transfer you to your safari camp or hotel, so even solo travellers can feel comfortable knowing that they will be well-looked after on the ground.
Road safari or fly-in safari? Travel by road or air is an important question to consider in selecting a safari or tour. Sometimes options are not available – so the decision is essentially made for you. Travel by air, while generally more expensive, is the most efficient means of transportation, transferring you between safari camps easily and with plenty of time to enjoy activities at both camps, which is why you are on safari after all. Generally, the planes are small (4 to 12 seater light aircraft), so those with difficulties with small aircraft should plan their trips accordingly. Travel by road can be exhausting, covering considerable distances on dusty roads in safari vehicles and it is definitely time-consuming. Nevertheless, overland travel affords you the opportunity to see some of the countryside and local villages between destinations, perhaps giving you a more realistic glimpse into a day in the life of the people whose country you are visiting. For some travellers, this is the only way to go.
NOTE: If you find a cheaper safari that looks the same, send us the itinerary and quote, and we’ll either match it, or explain why it’s not the best value for money for you.
