Safari - possible for family of 4 for £30k?

[TooTiredToType77]

I've just received an itinerary from a great travel agent I met at a travel show last weekend. 3 weeks, family of 4, Maasai Mara, Tanzania, Zanzibar - £64k PLUS international flights

This is a big, once in a lifetime family holiday after receiving an inheritance. I had a budget in my head for around £30-40k, which to me sounded madness in itself...but I'm so disappointed with the quote! I just can't spend £70k on a holiday.

So, which companies can I contact for a safari holiday within my budget?

@MagnoliaGirlie

Unless you can't live without a 5* lodge, it is nowhere near that expensive. I've been several times and even if you added up the cost of all my trips, it wouldn't come to that amount.

Safari and beach.

That's insane. I'm South African so have done a few safaris. You absolutely can just book everything yourself unless you're wanting top end luxury which to be honest, do you want with kids in tow?! For our honeymoon we went to Victoria falls in Tanzania and a few years ago to Aquila private game reserve outside Cape Town.

@TooTiredToType77

I am not sure you quite understand how a safari works. Those people only doing 4 nights or less are just touching the edges. There are few natural reserves (not restocked farms) that have all you want. The big 5 is a bit outdated these days too. However two of those animals can be pretty difficult to see unless you go to reserves where they are known to exist. Leopards can be elusive but we’ve had amazing sightings in Sabi Sands in SA. Also in Botswana. Have been more elusive in Kenya. Rhinos- SA has better conservation and they are almost extinct anywhere else. So it matters where you go! Even lions have halved in number in the last 40 years. Buffalo and elephants have decent herds in lots of places.

Safari lodges have all sorts of owners. Yes some bigger ones are in a chain but not necessarily. Smaller bush camps are often just as good but cheaper. For teens you might be better off mixing up seeing different things and a couple of safari lodges but July is winter in SA so chilly in the mornings. Not really beach wether. However lodge costs are low season and there’s loads else to see and do.

All lodges have their own vehicles. As a family you might have to share with 2 others in a big Toyota open top vehicle but sometimes you won’t, Depends on size of vehicle and rows of seats. You don’t need luxury, but you need to talk to a safari specialist company. The light aircraft flights do push up costs so consider SA where you might not need them. I would strongly suggest you contact a safari specialist team (Wildlife worldwide are very very knowledgable!) and tell them your budget. SA has better options for three weeks in my view. However we’ve travelled a lot in Kenya but we are ok with several safari areas. The Mara will be busy before our school holidays! Plus a 2 week safari will always cost loads due to lodge costs. Maybe 8 nights plus other sightseeing would be good? Giraffe manor near Nairobi is great but it’s been updated since we went and that’s now mega bucks.

One last tip - stay inside the reserves. Don’t travel in every day.

@TooTiredToType77 Not sure these a flight inclusive but here are some ideas from WW.

Or these.

@Kayla84 ??? Some of us like family holidays. There are different prices for South Africans!

I'm just in the middle of putting together a safari trip for me and my DP, for his 40th. You have definitely, definitely, bring this in within your budget if you take a DIY approach. Where are you thinking of going? What's your itinerary?

Victoria Falls is in either Zimbabwe or Zambia! Ignore the comment about Tanzania! The game reserve mentioned is more of a theme park.

We are going to Kenya next year with Wayfair - ten days and cost of 6k per head - but not including flights from Gatwick but including internal flights. Give them a call, tell them your budget and they will create an itinerary.

How does she not understand how a safari works? 4 nights is perfect/ample for a first timer, especially with kids, no need to be snobby about “just touching the surface”, some people just want an interesting, relaxing trip without feeling the need to be some sort of intrepid explorer.

I wouldn’t be recommending 8 nights and multiple lodges for a first timer, the safari experience was quite different (but still absolutely amazing) to what I expected! The main thing was there was a lot of driving around not seeing much whilst we tracked the animals, then all of a sudden would stumble across something amazing, but that could be quite boring for kids over 8 days. Our game drives were 3 hours each, morning and evening so 4 nights is 24 hours of game driving, which is quite a lot for a first timer. Also due to the small size of most of the game lodges there isn’t much to do in the middle of the day for kids except chill out or maybe a bush walk, so again they might be be bored even in a child friendly one.

The youngest will be 16, on rereading op's posts, (post gcse trip).

Use safari bookings to find safari agents.
We did a 5 day safari in Tanzania across 4 parks. Included all food, travel, accommodation and entry fees for £1300 per person plus £900 return flights per person to tanzania from London. We had a private vehicle which is good as you can choose when to stop / start / modify interary. The vehicles are small and not the most comfortable so I'd prioritise private!

We were quoted £45k for a family of 6 going to Tanzania and then Zanzibar for this Christmas.....for 2 weeks,.and that was just flights and accommodation 😳 We are going elsewhere (Thailand!)

I think 3 weeks is a long time for a pure safari. I went to South Africa with my family many moons ago and we did a week of safari (Kruger) and then 10 days doing the garden route back to Cape Town to stay with family. It was a fabulous trip but I don't think I would have wanted 3 whole weeks of 'Big 5' spotting .,...

Last year I went solo to Botswana with Explore! company for £3,400 excluding flights (I asked company to book those flights for me and it was about £1,700 from London in economy). The whole trip was economy

https://www.explore.co.uk/holidays/wildlife-safari-in-botswana-namibia-and-zimbabwe

It was a mix of staying in basic and luxury hotel, sleeping on the boat and actual camping with tents (everything is prepared for you by camp/cooks lads). It was 12-13 nights and I have to say that was more than enough because most of the day you will be spending in safari vehicle. Animals won't come to you, you will be driven around by your guide while he looks for wildlife and it can be up to 10 hours of driving per day (by the way our guide was absolutely fantastic - how could he have seen that leopard in the bushes??? took me a minute to spot it while he pointed at it 😮)

The quote you have is a lower mid range - no camping with the basic loo and shower (please see my pics below to get an idea of economy safari 😆). You need to tell your travel agent your budget and if it includes all the flights, transfers, what level of comfort you want, etc. Basically, he will tailor you trip based on information he is given and it will cost more than if you would book something yourself - like the company I used.

I have to say that was the one of the best trips I had in my life. It is definitely one of the bucket list items and a big one at that.

Oh that's a bit rubbish. Though doesn't entirely surprise me. I've just planned a trip to Colombia with a local operator vastly cheaper than anything equivalent from a UK company.

But still illustrates my point that you definitely don't need to spend that much. Even going with a fairly pricey UK operator!

I did Dubai, Kenya and Tanzania/Zanzibar in September 2024 for less than 6k for two (all flights, accommodations, etc…)

Happy to help you out if need be. I travel a lot and always try and do multi destination trips for the absolute cheapest price.

The camping areas are typically outside the parks. Hence the driving. Yes, it can be extensive but most lodges do early morning and late afternoon. Zambian lodges will also do night drives with search lights.

4 days does just scratch the surface. If you want to see specific animals, eg leopards and rhinos, you need to know where they are. We have been on these holidays multiple times and with DC. They were below 10 and teens. As they were interested in animals and photography they were not bored! If dc have no attention span and would prefer a theme park, don’t do it. Plus don’t drive for miles for a one night stay in multiple reserves. My DDs had amazing encounters with rhinos in SA. Just unforgettable. If anyone wants this, planning is vital and one reserve for 4 nights won’t deliver unless it’s a rewilded farm. Even then it’s not a given it has vast herds of buffs or elephants.

Yeah me neither. Didn't realise it was quite so out of our reach.

I did a safari holiday a long long time ago and found what I enjoyed when I was there was very different to what I thought I wanted when planning.

Also David Attenborough gives you a very distorted idea of what you will see.

Turned out it was a lot more fun going on a walk with a guide who was explaining all the plants, birds and insects to us, than being in the truck squinting to see a blob in the distance which might be a rhino and might be a rock.

Even so, unless you really like nature and wildlife, I couldn't do it every day for 3 weeks.

"camping areas are outside the parks"
Not at Selous or Ruaha

🤯

Turned out it was a lot more fun going on a walk with a guide who was explaining all the plants, birds and insects to us, than being in the truck squinting to see a blob in the distance which might be a rhino and might be a rock.

A walking safari is a great experience but my experience of safari drives was definitely a lot closer to wildlife than "squinting to see a blob".

TBF it was just the rhino that was a blob.

30k for a holiday?! 😱