What a Tanzanian safari actually costs
Most of your Tanzania safari cost is not profit, accommodation or fuel. It is government park fees, and understanding that explains almost every price you will be quoted.
Indicative daily cost by level
Per person per night, sharing a double room, on the northern circuit. These are honest ranges rather than a price list. Your real figure depends on your dates, how many of you are travelling, which parks, and whether any leg is flown. We quote one all-in number and hold it.
Where we publish a guide price, it is there so you know roughly where you stand. Park fees change annually and camp rates move by season, so send us your dates and we will confirm one all-in price for them. That price does not change.
Where the money actually goes
On a mid-range safari, roughly a third to a half of what you pay never reaches us. Park entry fees, conservation area fees, the Ngorongoro crater fee, concession fees and government levies go straight to the Tanzanian authorities, and they are charged per person per day regardless of what you sleep in.
This is why a safari cannot be made cheap by staying somewhere simpler. You can halve your accommodation cost and your total barely moves, because the fees stay the same. It is also the honest answer to why Tanzania costs more than some neighbouring countries: the fees are higher, and they are what keep these ecosystems protected rather than converted to farmland.
What moves your Tanzania safari cost up or down
- Number of nights, more than number of parks. Each night carries its own park fee.
- Group size. A private vehicle costs the same for two people as for six, so per-person cost drops sharply as you add travellers.
- Season. June to October and the festive weeks are peak; April, May and November are dramatically cheaper for the same product.
- Internal flights. Flying into the Serengeti saves a day of driving and adds meaningfully to the cost.
- Which parks. Ngorongoro carries a substantial crater fee; the southern parks require flights.
- Whether the camp is inside the park. Inside costs more and saves an hour of driving each morning.
How to spend less without a worse safari
- Travel in the shoulder season. The same trip in November rather than August is a different price for arguably better light.
- Add a night rather than a park. Fewer transfers, more actual wildlife time, lower cost.
- Mix levels. Put the budget into the three or four nights that matter and use a comfort camp for the arrival night you will barely see.
- Travel with another couple. Filling a vehicle is the single largest per-person saving available.
- Drive rather than fly where distances allow, and accept that a short trip should stay near Arusha.
- Skip Ngorongoro if your dates are wrong for it. The crater fee is significant and a rushed mid-morning visit is poor value.
What our prices include
Every quote we send is one all-in figure with an itemised list beside it. Accommodation on a full-board basis, all park and conservation fees, a private vehicle and guide as standard (shared only on a group safari you choose), game drives and listed activities, airport transfers and drinking water in the vehicle.
What sits outside it: international flights, your Tanzanian visa, travel insurance, tips, premium drinks and any optional extras like a balloon flight. We list these explicitly rather than letting you discover them.
On tipping, since nobody publishes it
Tipping is expected and is a real part of your budget. As a guide, travellers commonly leave a per-day amount for their driver-guide and a smaller per-day amount for camp staff collectively, in US dollars cash.
We will give you specific suggested amounts in your confirmation pack rather than leaving you to guess at the end of the trip. Bring the cash with you, as there are no cash machines in the bush.
What we will not do on price
- Leave you guessing. We publish guide prices so you know roughly where you stand, then confirm one all-in price for your dates, and it does not change.
- Quote three tiers designed to push you to the middle one.
- Add a fee after you have confirmed. The number in your confirmation is the number.
- Cut the guide's pay to win a booking on price.
Money questions
Take the per-person, per-night range for your level in the table above and multiply by six or seven nights: that is a fair first number for a week on the northern circuit. Then adjust. More travellers sharing the vehicle brings it down; peak-season dates and internal flights push it up. Send us your dates and we will turn it into one all-in price.
Usually, yes. A vehicle and guide cost the same whether two people use them or six, so sharing one on a fixed-date group safari lowers the cost per person. The trade is that the dates and route are set, and you share the vehicle with travellers you haven't met.
It is a starting point, so you know roughly where you stand. Park fees change annually, camp rates swing by season, and group size moves the per-person cost enormously, so we confirm one all-in price for your actual dates. Once it is confirmed, that price does not change.
Government park and conservation fees, charged per person per day. On many trips they are the single largest line in the quote. They are also what funds the protection of these ecosystems, so they are not a markup.
Not necessarily, but it is usually a shorter one, or one further from the park gate, or in a shared vehicle. Those are real trade-offs and we will tell you which one you are making rather than presenting a cheap trip as equivalent.
Thirty percent deposit to confirm, balance due sixty days before arrival. Bookings made inside sixty days are payable in full at confirmation.
Yes, by bank transfer or card. Card payments carry the provider's processing fee, which we show you rather than folding into the price.
Enough for tips and incidentals, in US dollars dated 2009 or later. We give suggested tipping amounts in your confirmation pack. There are no cash machines in the parks.
The two things that move your price most.
