Planning a Tailor-made Safari
How the Process Works

How the Process Works

Almost all Cedarberg Africa safaris are planned individually – with imaginative solutions to match your personal interests, travel style and budget comfort zone.

You’ll have the freedom to travel at your own pace and choose accommodation that genuinely suits you.

Why People come to us (and what we help with)

Most people who contact us are excited… but also a little apprehensive. They’re often:

  • worried they’ll make badly-informed safari decisions
  • overwhelmed by the range of options, and tired of reading websites where everything sounds “equally amazing”
  • anxious that a “once in a lifetime” trip won’t match expectations because of a bad choice

These are concerns we hear every day – and the solutions are unique to each client.

African Adventures

How the Planning Process works (step-by-step)

The process varies for each client, but the steps generally look like this:

1. Start the conversation

Complete our Enquiry Form, email us or phone us. If you want us to arrange a call-back, indicate that on our enquiry form.

From there, we’ll chat by phone, video call, or by email if that’s easier.

What we’ll ask for (simple list):

  • your budget comfort zone (even if it’s a broad range)
  • your dates (or date range)
  • who’s travelling (adults/children & their ages)
  • a few “must-haves” (and any “definitely nots”)

2. The chat: tell us what you want (even if you’re unsure)

Even if you’re still unsure about your plans, a quick call often helps point you in the right direction.

We’ll talk about: where you want to go, accommodation preferences, how active you’d like to be, special interests, how you want to travel around, and what memories you’re hoping to bring home.

And yes, we ask a lot of questions!

Pro tip: if you don’t know where to start, tell us:

  • the level of comfort you want
  • your travel month(s)
  • your top 2-3 priorities (wildlife / scenery / photography / family-friendly / romance / beaches etc.)

Start with the form (& ask for a quick call)

Don’t have all the answers? No problem — fill in what you can, then tick the option to book a 15–30 minute chat.

Request a Call Back Now

3. Your first tailor-made proposal

Once we’ve spoken (ideally) or exchanged emails, we’ll have a sense of what you’re looking for.

Then we narrow down the myriad options and present some ideas – often via a digital itinerary. In many cases, this first proposal is within 24 hours.

What you’ll receive:

  • estimated costs and perhaps options to adjust up or down
  • a suggested route and pacing (how long where)
  • recommended camps/lodges and why we like them

4. Budget alignment (“the money chat”)

In our initial chat, we start talking about how much you want to spend.

We know this can be difficult: you may not know what a safari costs.

But having even a broad comfort range helps us (and you) immensely, because it means we can design an itinerary that’s in the right ballpark.

How we handle this kindly and practically:

  • If your wish list and budget don’t match, we’ll explain why
  • Then we’ll offer “save-smart” options (changing the season, routing, mode or travel, or camp mix)
  • We can also suggest upgrade options – if we think you’d like them – if you want to dial up the wow factor

Pro Tip

A budget range also fires up our creative juices as we aim to design the best safari trip for that amount.

Want more detail?

 5. Refine until it’s perfect

Most safaris take a couple of rounds of refinement. We don’t always hit the nail right on the head the first time, but hopefully we’ve got you excited. Often it generates further ideas.  Or you realise that there’s something important which wasn’t mentioned before.

So we adjust the pacing, switch areas, swap camps, and fine-tune experiences until the trip feels exactly right.

 6. Then Book

When you are ready to book, you complete our booking form and send a deposit. We firm up the space and you are all set!

More detail…

Start your safari enquiry

Tell us what you know so far — dates, who’s travelling, and what you’re hoping for. We’ll take it from there.

Contact Us Now
Ask a question by email


Not ready for a full enquiry? Email our SA office or our UK office with your question and possible dates (or date range) and we’ll guide you from there.

Up Next: What Next?

Or Head to: Where to Go from Here

Tailor-made Safaris