Realistic cost of a safari for a family of four?

[dangbongo]

I'm dreaming of amazing holidays! I'd love to take the DCs on safari but I'm assuming it's going to cost ££££ so it's likely to remain a dream

I went on amazing budget safari in my 20s in SA. Do such things still exist and if so would they be suitable for early teens?

Safari is totally suitable for teens.

The issue is that flights to Africa are very expensive. At best, you are looking at close to.£1000 per person for flight alone.

I would look at travel deals but suspect that a family of.4 would be looking at £5000-£10000 for a week.

If you can afford it, do it. Will be amazing and kids will LOVE it.

Around £10k for 10 days

I remember that there were budget safaris combined with beach stays in Kenya and Tanzania with mainstream travel companies like Thomas Cook. They don't seem to be an option now.

I think COVID is still having an impact on choice and availability. Maybe wait another year

Would that be all-in, flights etc?

It definitely wouldn't be this year anyway, we'd need to save for it!
My DCs will soon be at the same school and will have a two week Oct half term so I thought that would be a good time to go. More daydreaming to do for now, along with some belt tightening!

October half term is a fantastic time to go on Safari - good choice!

I think £10000 for four people for 10 days would be about right, but you probably could go a bit lower too. If you budgeted £10k you'll be fine but if you only have say £8k you could probably make it work. Flights are insanely expensive - I just paid £4000 for four tickets to SA without hotels or any other activities.

A lot of the hotels/resorts you'll stay in will have swimming pools and other activities. If you look at South Africa and go to the Pilanesburg there's also Sun City which is great for the whole family.

A lot of tours will also offer a variety of options - eg a few days whale watching outside cape town (october is the right time for that too) then a transfer to see the Big 5 for say 4 days on Safari. That can be a nice split if you are doing 10 days and gives you a bit of time in a city or near a city too.