Safari - first flight in 12 years…what, where, how? Im clueless.

[Safariquery]

I think my marriage is ending. He has a ‘zero flights’ policy so DC aged 12 has never flown. I agree that we need to cut our carbon and we all have responsibility to do so from individuals up to governments. But, my policy would be to fly minimally but not never.

So freedom awaits. It’s one perk in this gut wrenching miserable situation.

A safari is on my top 5 bucket list things. But I don’t have a clue. I will need to start saving because my disposable income is going to nose dive and he’s going to take me to the cleaners.

So I’ll be travelling alone most likely, with my DC. I think it will need to be 2026 to give me time to save and I expect next year will need to be a cheap simple holiday as it will be a tumultuous year.

I want to start fantasising about it and planning it to help get me through the dark days ahead.

So please please please;

Has anyone travelled alone to do a safari? Where? How? How much is it likely to cost? Are there companies that do trips that might be a good fit? What time of year is good if you don’t want too much heat? Is there a cheaper time to go?

Any ideas to start me planning and dreaming would be much appreciated.

No. Gorillas aren’t top of the list. Just know someone who saw them somewhere in Africa. I have so much to learn!! Will enjoy figuring it all out.

Thank you so much. That made me tear up in a lovely way. 😊

I liked Botswana the best, lovely country, great animal spotting, when i next go i want to go to namibia i think .

First step is you need to decide if you are ok with malaria tablets as that will discount a few places if you dont

Going against the grain OP it can be done much cheaper but it depends how independent you are happy to be. A good while back but we hired a car in Johannesburg, drove to Kruger and stayed in South Africa National Parks accommodation, stopping at a supermarket before we entered the park for a shop to see us through the 5 days we were there, self-catering. We did most of our wildlife drives in the car on our own and paid a bit extra for a couple of drives on the trucks with a driver.

It was much, MUCH, cheaper than staying in a private lodge or on a private reserve, but we were in a bigger group so had the reassurance of safety in numbers when it came to the big drives.

Yes whales are here but not all year round.

Hermanus in the Cape is one of the more popular spots May/June to November ish, and then also KwaZuluNatal South Coast.

I was going to suggest if you did decide on SA, to do some safari, but then also head to the Cape as it would be a shame to miss this out.

I would try to avoid peak season if at all possible. It is way more pricy and busy. Peak season would be classed as when school holidays are, and our main holiday season is Nov-Jan when the schools are on their 6 week summer holiday. It is also very hot then, and not always the best time for safari as the animals seek out sheltered spots.

If you can only do around that time, then you will need to book quite far in advance.

Your friend may have seen gorillas in Rwanda, maybe Uganda. If it was work related trip maybe DRC, but I would not be heading there for a holiday if it were me.

Sounds like you totally need this trip. I also advocate for a group trip, it will keep the costs down (a bit) and there will be other travellers for you both to chat to. I have travelled previously (before having kids) with both Explore and Exodus, in fact we went to Kenya with Exodus, however I don't think either company offer family trips to Kenya and Tanzania right now. They have trips but adult only. Instead they have family trips to Namibia, Botswana and South Africa (3 separate trips) that include time on safari. I am actually eyeing up the Namibia trip for 2026 for our family, but not yet tried to sell it to my husband. Another company Intrepid have family trips to Tanzania and Kenya, they will almost certainly be camping trips, but roughing it is fine. I have travelled with them too, mostly in Asia, but I think we did use them in Africa to go see the Gorillas in Rwanda. It was a long time ago! Enjoy the planning and having something positive to focus on.

Just a thought off the topic of the trip is whether he might be inclined to try and stop you taking your child abroad to be an arse.

In theory, he could take it to court.

No judge is likely to grant an order to stop holidays but it could disrupt things. I might be way off but just something to suss out.

That’s really helpful. Thanks so much. Would need to be school hols sadly. It will be GCSE years so will need to be summer hols really. July/Aug. Or maybe Xmas.

Im really hoping that by then the dust has settled and we can be amicable and think of DC. I also imagine he will have hoovered in a new woman by then (fully anticipating that he’s got someone in the wings) so hopefully will be happy and settled.

Thanks. Yes. May be a group trip would be good.

That sounds amazing but not sure I feel brave enough… yet.

I’ll look into it. Thanks. Never taken them so not something I’m educated about. I’ll add it to the list of distraction learning!! 😊

Go on the Namibian Family Adventurer with Exodus (exodus.co.uk). Namibia is fabulous. Will probably cost nearer £3k per head but you will hardly spend anything when you are there.

A few years ago we did a trip that included Zambia, Victoria Falls, safaris in Botswana, & Cape Town.
Riviera Travel, couldn't fault the organisation & it was a very reasonable price.

If you avoid the best known countries and game parks, you can slash your budget majorly.

My first time safari was in South Luangwa, Zambia. And my lodge was aimed at backpackers as well as budget travellers.

The other upside to the less known areas is that you're not in a traffic jam of jeeps all vying to get close to a particular animal. We barely saw any other jeeps, apart from their headlights on the night time game drive. And I got to see all the major wildlife, and have elephants wandering around the grounds and helping themselves to the buffet breakfast. I can't recommend it enough.

I would also look at Sri Lanka. It’s pretty standard to do a tour there in small groups with a mixture of safari, history and coast. We are considering going in 2026 also and just getting tour quotes in. Private or group tours possible, and it’s possible for £5k (2k flights, £3k tour for 7-14 days depending on tour and hotel quality)

i agree. Depending on season You could get say 5 or 6 in some places for 2 people for under £2.5k, to include all food, 2 game drives each day etc. then you have flights and transfers on top.

Not sure where 5-6 places came from - can’t remember what I was trying to say!

edit - think it was 5-6 days

This is the one I'm looking at for 2026, have you been on this trip?

I’ve been on the standard trip, not the family one. It was great. It’s one of the best holidays I have ever been on (and I’m quite well travelled).

I've been exploring for me and my DC. We have got books from Trailfinders, Exodus and looked at Intrepid. Speaking to Responsible Travel was great. Learning lots about time of year etc. Kenya has direct flights from London, as does SA. Tanzania requires a change. We are enjoying the research!

We did a previous family Exodus holiday as a single parent and DC and it was AMAZING.

My 18yo ds & I went on this trip this July.
https://www.newmarketholidays.co.uk/destinations/africa/south-africa/on-safari-in-south-africa/
I paid £4,600 for the two of us (including the additional trips paid for when there - without which it wouldn't have been anywhere near as good).
We had an absolutely amazing time, the reserve & the lodge, the staff, the food, the other reserves etc were all fantastic.

You could pay a lot more, and perhaps get a better experience, but in terms of value for money I thought it was really good.

Yeah I had spotted they run 3 versions of that particular trip, a camping version (for adults), a lodge version (for adults) and a family version. My only slight concern is that several of the days have 5+ hours of driving, I relaise the distances are vast, but it's a long time for my youngest who will be 11 (almost 12) to sit still in a truck. I've done Exodus a few times before including Kenya, walking in the Drakensberg (South Africa), Jordan and probably some others, so I know they are good.

Agree with the SA poster, you can definitely do it all way cheaper than £10K if you can plan yourself but this might be daunting if you haven't travelled long haul for a while.
SA has direct flights to Johannesburg or Cape Town and you could fly into one and out of the other. Jo'burg close to the big game reserves at all prices and Hermanus for whale watching isn't far from Capetown (which also has some great beaches, my favourite was Hout Bay). It's a well travelled path between the two.

Shamwari Game reserve is not far from Capetown too. We hired a car. Flights to SA take around 10 hours and the time difference is only two hours, so very little jet lag.

SA up through Namibia to Botswana or just Namibia to Botswana is also a great trip.

Safety needs to be a consideration but arm yourself with the Lonely Planet and Rough Guides and off you go.

Trailfinders used to let you pay a deposit then pay in dribs and drabs up until 12 weeks before departure. Tell them your ideal budget and see what itinerary they can put together.