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PRICES
There are two things we can guarantee about your trip:
- It will not be cheap
- It will be worth every penny.
The short primer below will give you an idea of what to expect. Also, take a look at our SAMPLE ITINERARIES to get a better feel for the prices.
On the budget end, spending about $150-180 per person, per day of the safari is the right range. It's a range because the exact price depends on the specific parks, group size, time of visit, and so on. If someone offers you a safari for substantially less than $100, they will either have to sponsor your trip themselves (rather unlikely), or they will just disappear with your money. This is because a park like Serengeti charges $50/person/day just for entry, and another $30 for basic camping. That's $80/person/day, with no car, cooking, guide, or any other costs. And if you want to visit Ngorngoro, the fees just rose to $50/person and $200 per vehicle.
The grey area are the operators who offer $100/day, or so. Your safari will happen, but this price will often mean that the company is cutting costs. The cars may be unreliable, instead of three days inside a national park, you might get two and another day of just driving around; the driver and cook may get paid so little that they will be extorting tips from you the whole time. This type of economizing may save you some money but ruin your trip. If you spent a day on the side of the road because the car broke down and the company didn't supply a new one, was the saving really worth it?
Of course, on the more expensive side, there is really no limit to how much you can spend. There are plenty of posh lodges that will gladly allow you to part with $600 per day. But, if you don't have that kind of cash, you can easily do a non-camping safari with lodges at about $250-$330/person/day.
For the exact breakdown of park fees, take a look at Tanzania National Parks, Kenya Wildlife Service, Uganda Wildlife Authority sites.
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