| What is the Cost of a Safari?
‘How much did you say?!’
This is the initial response for many people when they first investigate getting out to Africa on a safari. It’s always more than people think.
Why?
Two reasons:
1. People think that everything in Africa must be cheap because it’s, well, Africa, right? This mis-manages expectations disastrously for when they see the prices
2. It is more expensive than most other types of travel because of the lodge logistics, maintenance and conservation. We visited the awesome Borana Lodge in Kenya recently and found out that they have over 200 staff to keep things ticking along and to keep the wildlife safe. That’s a lot of staff. Which costs money. And we haven’t even mentioned the high government park fees (sometimes $100 per person per night).
But we are happy that prices are high because it means that it’s a good source of income for the country which means that (hopefully) the land will be conserved and the wildlife protected. We are happy that the prices create a barrier to entry so that the wild areas don’t get trampled with tourists. And we are happy to pay for quality guiding, which means guides who have gone through expensive lengthy training so that we can be sure the wildlife is treated ethically, and that we will have excellent game-viewing experiences.
Having said that, everyone would like to save a dollar or two..! Have a look at guest post ‘Cheap Safari?’ by Abambo Safaris on Good Safari Guide this month for some money-saving tips.
And, as always, get in touch if you would like our advice for a good value safari.
Safari Njema! |
