How Much Does an African Safari Cost?

‘What does a typical African safari cost?’ ‘How much an African safari these days?’ ‘What price should I look at per night on safari?’ 

Or some variation on this theme must be one of our most frequently asked questions.

The short answer: more than you’d like… and worth every cent. The longer answer: safari pricing varies hugely by country, season, camp quality, and travel style.

But – for many of our clients –  their first African safari was their best holiday ever. And the start of many trips to Africa.

Jump To

1. Quick Prices by country (table)

2. What most travellers spend

3. Big Picture Takeaways

4. Why prices vary

5. Effortless ways to save (without making it sad)

Pricing by region

6. South Africa & Namibia

7. Botswana / Zambia / Zimbabwe / Malawi

8. Kenya & Tanzania

9. Frequently Asked Questions

1. Quick Prices By Country

Quick guide: average safari costs per person per night

As a very rough guide to an all-in average per person, per night (shoulder or mid-season; includes internal flights/transfers/park fees where typical):

• South Africa & Namibia: from ~$200 – $675 if you mix self-drive and safari; $350 – $900 if privately guided (Namibia fly-ins can reach ~$1,500 per day)
• Malawi: ~$425 – $650 (higher if combined with Zambia)
• Zimbabwe & Zambia: starting around $500 up to ~$1,350
• Kenya: ~$600 – $2,200 • Tanzania: ~$550 – $2,400
• Botswana: ~$600 – $2,800 (little in a true “modest” tier)

Important: All figures exclude international flights and assume mid-season availability.

Table: Quick price ranges by country (shoulder season)

Typical shoulder-season averages, per person per night (pppn)
These are realistic “planning numbers” for safari budgeting. The ranges below reflect the fact that “moderate / premier / luxury” can mean different things in different countries, and that travel style matters (self-drive vs guided vs fly-in).

By Country Assuming SHOULDER season	Moderate / Mid-Range	Premier	Luxury
Typical price per person per night
SA/Namibia* – Self-drive & Safari	$200-$250	$250-$350	$375-$675
SA/Namibia* – Guided tour & Safari	$350-$425	$425-$550	$550-$900***
Malawi – Bush & Beach	$425-$525	$525-$650	$650-$1,050 (Safari in Zambia)
Zimbabwe	$500-$650	$700-$950	$975-$1,350
Zambia	$675-775	$800-$950	$1,000-$1,250
Kenya	$600-$800 (lower are scheduled)	$825-$1,300	$1,200-$2,200***
Tanzania	$550-$850 (lower are scheduled)	$950-$1,500	$1,200-$2,400***
Botswana	$700-$1050	$1,050-$1,325	$1,350-$2,500***

*** The top end of Luxury indicates the most expensive lodges…

2. What most travellers spend (trip totals)

To make this easier, here are ballpark totals that match how most people actually travel:

• South Africa: US $5k – $8k pp
  (Typically 10 – 12 nights: Cape Town/Winelands & 3 – 4 safari nights. Exceptional value in Rand and easy routing.)

• Elsewhere (Botswana/Zambia/Zimbabwe/Kenya/Tanzania): US $9k – $12k+ pp
  (More nights on safari, higher park/charter costs.)

• Ultra-premium / peak months: US $13k – $20k+ pp
  (Iconic camps, private concessions, migration hotspots, Okavango peak.)

All figures exclude international flights and assume mid-season availability.

3. Big picture takeaways: Read this before you panic

So why do prices vary so much? This is a typical average night spend. So the average is lower in countries like South Africa where only some nights on ‘on safari’

• What will you spend? Multiply the nightly band by your trip length to get your rough trip total. If your wish list and budget clash, we’ll show you smart trade-offs (season, routing, camp mix).

• Best value? South Africa (then Namibia) thanks to Rand pricing, more travel modes, and typically fewer nights on safari in an 11-13 night trip.

• Malawi follows next but it’s more if you combine Lake Malawi with Zambia. Zimbabwe and Zambia are similar in price.

• Most expensive: Botswana, and the top tier of Kenya/Tanzania – peak season (July to October) can be more than 2 x green season

• East Africa reality: park/concession fees can be a big slice (especially in Tanzania). Big savings often come from travelling as four for a private tour. (Or using a good scheduled departure if you’re on a tight budget.)

• Why Big Differences within one Accom Category? there are several dimensions: season, long stay lower camp rates, and for South Africa & Namibia: mode of travel. So,  read on later. OR check out the individual country articles for more detail.

• SA/Namibia lower starting prices – due to the possibility of self-drive as a mode of travel. Self-drive is NOT an option elsewhere.

• Ultra–deluxe – virtually every country has its uber-deluxe options costing $2,500 to $3,000+ plus per night in peak season. Naturally, this adds to the top price you can pay.

Note: What is ‘’moderate’’ varies by country. It may be the lodge or camp. Or it may be a mode of travelling e.g. taking a scheduled tour, using road transfers, or longer stays in fewer places to cut down on flight costs.

4. Why South Africa often wins on value

• Fewer safari nights in typical itineraries (Cape Town/Winelands/Coast reduce the average per night).

• Safari “high season” = South Africa winter, when other South African hotels have winter prices, so your overall trip average drops.

• Rand-based pricing stretches USD/GBP/Euro budgets a little further.

• Easy Self-drive – for the non-safari portion – or easy road transfers, are an alternative to private guiding.

• Not a classic fly-in seat-in-charter destination. You can use lower priced scheduled flights to get between regions, then road transfers to your safari lodge.

See more later in the article

5. Easy ways to save (without making it sad)

Travelling on a tighter budget? We can still help by:

• Travel in shoulder season

• Use a safari circuit for long-stay discounts especially in Botswana

• Use road-reachable game parks (and keep fly-ins to what’s truly special)

• Mixing accommodation levels e.g. Modest & Premier, or Premier & Luxury rather than all-Luxury.

But – if your heart is set on bucket-list lodges in peak season – it’s best to plan for the higher end of the ranges above.

Setting a Reasonable Safari Budget

We have an ulterior motive for writing all these articles on African safari costs. We want you to have reasonable expectations of how much – for example – a Botswana safari is likely to cost.

And if that too much, to consider whether you want to

1. Increase your budget range
2. To be prepared to make some compromises
3. Or look at another destination

So please give us budget range at the planning stage (excluding international flights). Contrary to widespread belief, it is likely to save you money as we work hard to meet your expectations.

The rest of the article looks at pricing in South Africa, then Southern Africa, and finishes with East Africa.

We have several articles where we examine safari prices by African destination. (See the links to those detailed articles at the end of this article.)

6. African Safari Costs – South Africa & Namibia

South Africa & Namibia safari costs: why they often offer the best value

Read our in-depth article on South Africa Safari Costs. This gives more detail, but we summarise below:

What this section covers: how travel style changes totals, typical safari lodge price bands, what to expect in Namibia

Most visitors to South Africa (and Namibia) want a varied trip: Cape Town, wine estates, coast, scenery — and then on safari.

That’s why many itineraries include only 3–5 nights on safari, which keeps the overall trip total more manageable than destinations where every night is safari.

South Africa (and Namibia) often surprise people on price: you can stay at the world’s best safari lodges here, but you can also build a superb safari with a much lower starting point than most other African destinations.

Number of Nights ‘on Safari’ – due to the varied trips, you may only spend 3 to 5 nights on safari, which pulls down the overall “average per night” cost.

Mode of Travel – The other major factor is how you travel. In South Africa and Namibia, safari costs are often driven more by mode of travel than by season: self-drive (for the non-safari parts) can be far more cost-effective than having a private guide, especially if you’re a couple.

South Africa Safari Season is our Low Season – The best time for a safari in South Africa is in the dry season which is our winter. But many people visit South Africa in our summer – to escape their winter cold. So the greatest demand overall is from October/November to March.

Thus South African safari lodges usually have annual prices. And the rest of the country has lower prices in winter. So overall itinerary prices are 10% to 20% lower during the peak safari season!

Safaris are in Rands –  or Namibian dollars pegged to the Rand, which often stretches USD/GBP/EUR budgets further than dollar-priced destinations.

So yes, that does mean that an African safari costs less in South Africa than a safari in a poorer country such as Malawi or Zambia. (A common misconception!)

Rule of thumb on safari price given above

These include in-country flights, fully inclusive safaris, park fees etc. However in South Africa it’s common for non-safari days to be based on B&B prices.  Plus self-drive trips don’t typically include activities.

Note: South Africa & Namibia are priced in Rands/N$. But we show US$ prices here as a way of comparison.

Safari lodge prices also span a massive range. A South African private game lodge might START around $300 per person per night at the modest end, but the very best lodges can reach $3,000 pppn — so there’s no single “average” number that fits everyone.

As a rough guide, typical bands look like this:

• Modest $300–$400 per person per night (pppn)
• Premier $425–$700
• Luxury $750–$1,250
• Ultra $1,300–$2,750 pppn – for the likes of Singita or Royal Malewane.

So still enormous ranges, hence our inward sigh when someone asks for a single number.

Safari pricing in Namibia

Much of the above applies to Namibia as well. Except overall the prices per night are higher for privately guided tours (by around $125-$150 per person per night), as the distances to travel are greater. The big difference is that Namibia DOES have a peak safari season in terms of price (July to October.)

And Namibia fly-in safaris are much more expensive and can top out at $1,400 per person per night.

Useful Links

South Africa Safari Costs

7. African Safari Costs – Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe & Malawi

Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe & Malawi safari costs: why these trips run higher

In Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, the “modest” starting point can look broadly similar – but Botswana jumps sharply in peak season, and its top camps can be extremely expensive.

What this section covers: what’s driving the higher baseline, and practical ways to tweak cost without compromising the experience – timing, long-stay “circuit” discounts, road connections where possible, and (in Botswana) whether mobile camping could be a good-value alternative.

The bigger difference (compared with South Africa) is why these trips cost more:

• These are “safari only” destinations – nearly every night is on safari, with the exception of Victoria Falls. (There’s no Cape Town-style interlude or coastal break to dilute the average nightly price).
• Access is another key driver: Many camps are remote, so access often requires seat-in-charter flights.
• Peak safari season is clear (June/July – September), so demand is intense and safari prices rise accordingly. In Botswana, peak rates in the Okavango can be 2× green-season pricing.
• There’s also a behind-the-scenes reality: These camps are also costly to operate because supplies often need to be flown in or transported long distances.

Having said that, Malawi is noticeably less expensive than the others.

Practical ways to tweak the price (without compromising the experience)

• Time of year. Look at May or early June instead of July.

• Safari Circuit long-stay discounts –  we recommend using camps belonging to the same safari company as they offer lower nightly prices if you stay longer.

• Access – Can you only get there by charter flight or can it be reached by road? You’ll spend less per night if you combine Victoria Falls with the Zambezi National Park or Chobe with road transfers. Similarly Malawi relies on road transfers between their game parks (though seat-in-charter flights are available).

• Mobile Camping (Botswana) – would you consider a mobile camping safari to keep the costs down?

Useful Links

Botswana Safari Cost

Malawi Safari Cost

8. African Safari Costs – East Africa

Kenya & Tanzania safari costs: the widest range

Kenya and Tanzania are broadly similar on overall costs.

Kenya and Tanzania often start from a lower entry point because scheduled small-group safaris can offer excellent value. Though we prefer opting for the private touring version.

But the top safaris – using the best safari lodges – can still reach the same sort of nightly prices as Botswana.

What this section covers: Kenya vs Tanzania price patterns, what’s really driving cost, and the smartest ways to protect value without losing the magic.

The moderate prices given in the table above are nearly always for scheduled departure tours. (We only offer the ones using reasonable lodges/safari hotels, not the very inexpensive ones. )

As with Southern Africa, most nights are safari nights. But if you add some beach time at the end (on the Kenya coast or Zanzibar), this reduces the average nightly cost.

Access matters: choosing a fly-in safari over a private road safari can swing your budget.

One misunderstanding in East Africa is that you can dramatically reduce the total just by swapping to cheaper camps. In reality, park and concession fees are a major driver (especially in Tanzania), so changing only the accommodation level doesn’t always move the final price as much as you’d expect. (Look at mode of travel as well.)

Practical ways to tweak the price (without losing the magic.)

• Time of Year – people think they want to ‘see the migration’ but peak migration season comes with peak crowds, plenty of vehicles jostling for a sighting and higher prices. Look at late May/June in the Serengeti when you’ll still see the migration but usually at shoulder season prices and with fewer vehicles.

• Mode of Travel: opt for the private road safari over a fly-in safari in Tanzania. But take a scheduled flight back to Arusha to cut out the big road distance. You get a greater appreciation of the country this way as well

• Invite another couple to travel with you – as a private road safari for 4 people is basically the same price as a scheduled safari (using like for like lodges). But you have all the extra flexibility of choosing your accommodation and how many nights to spend in each safari region. We’ll all about choice!

• Add on Beach time: this allows you to stay longer in the country without dramatically increasing the budget.

Useful Links

Kenya Safari Cost

Gorilla Trekking Cost

Tanzania Safari Cost

Frequently Asked Questions

Lets make the Numbers work for you

You bring the dream; we’ll do the math (and the magic). No hard sell – just clear options, real prices, and honest trade-offs.

From Ballpark to Booked – in 3 simple steps:

1) Tell us what matters – Share your dates, ideal budget range, and safari wish list. Prefer a call? We’ll listen and sense-check what’s realistic.

2) Get a clear safari plan with price – showing what’s included, where you can upgrade and easy save options if you need to trim.

3) Choose & relax
We fine-tune it with you then, secure space, and manage the unromantic admin. No surprises – just a beautiful trip.

Ready? Start your plan →