Safari FAQ

Six to nine months for July through October and over Christmas — the mobile camps at Kogatende and the crater-rim lodges fill first, sometimes a year out. For April, May and November, three months is usually enough and rates are considerably lower.

If your dates are fixed and you have a particular camp in mind, book earlier rather than later. Availability, not price, is what usually forces a compromise.

Typically thirty percent to confirm, with the balance due sixty days before travel. Some camps and all internal flights require full prepayment at the time of booking, and we will say clearly which parts of your quote fall into that category.

Usually yes, and there is no charge from us for reworking it. What may cost money is any supplier cancellation penalty — camps generally allow free changes up to sixty days out, tighter inside thirty.

Generally not. We hold contracted rates with most properties we use, and those are at or below public rates. Where something genuinely is cheaper booked direct, we will tell you.

What you get by booking the whole trip through us is that transfers, park fees, flights and camps are coordinated, and there is one number to call when a flight moves.

The deposit is generally non-refundable because we have already committed it to camps. Beyond that, penalties step up as you get closer — typically fifty percent inside sixty days and full inside thirty. This is why we insist on travel insurance from the day you pay a deposit.

Broadly: camping safaris from $250–300 per person per day, mid-range tented camps $400–600, and luxury lodges from $650 upward. Those figures are all-inclusive of park fees, vehicle, guide, accommodation and meals.

The single biggest variable is group size. A vehicle and guide cost the same for two people or six, so travelling as a group of four or more brings the per-person cost down sharply.

Set by the Tanzanian government and charged per person per twenty-four hours. Approximate adult rates: Serengeti and Nyerere from $70, Ngorongoro from $70 plus a separate crater descent fee of around $295 per vehicle, Tarangire and Lake Manyara from $53, Ruaha and Mkomazi from $30.

These are always included in our quotes. If a quote elsewhere looks dramatically cheaper, check whether park fees are in it.

Because it is charged per vehicle rather than per person — currently around $295 on top of the conservation area fee. For two people travelling privately that is a real cost; spread across six on a group departure it is minor. It is the main reason our group trips work out so much cheaper per head.

International flights, visa fees, travel insurance, tips, alcoholic drinks in most camps, and optional extras such as balloon flights or night drives. Everything else — park fees, transfers, guiding, accommodation, meals, drinking water — is in the quoted price.

Guidelines rather than rules: roughly $20–25 per day for your safari guide from the group as a whole, and $10–15 per day into the camp staff box. On Kilimanjaro the crew tipping is more structured and we provide a written breakdown before you climb.

US dollars are the working currency for safari and are accepted everywhere. Bring notes issued after 2009 — older ones are frequently refused. Tanzanian shillings are useful for markets, tips in town and small purchases. Cards work in Arusha, Moshi and Zanzibar but rarely in camps.

Most nationalities do. The simplest route is the online e-visa at the official Tanzanian immigration portal, applied for at least two to three weeks before travel. A single-entry tourist visa is currently around $50 for most nationalities and $100 for US passport holders, who receive a multiple-entry visa.

Visa on arrival is available at Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam airports, but queues can be long and we recommend applying in advance.

At least six months beyond your date of entry, with two blank pages. Airlines check this at check-in and will refuse boarding if it is short. It is the single most common reason people miss their flight.

No. Zanzibar is part of Tanzania and your Tanzanian visa covers it. There is a separate immigration desk on arrival in Zanzibar even when flying from the mainland, so keep your passport and entry paperwork accessible.

Zanzibar requires all visitors to hold mandatory travel insurance purchased through the designated local provider, currently around $44 for up to 92 days. That is separate from and does not replace your own comprehensive policy, which we require on every trip we run and which must include medical evacuation.

Same visa. What differs is insurance — standard policies frequently exclude trekking above 4,000 metres, and Uhuru Peak is 5,895 m. Check the altitude limit on your policy specifically and buy an extension if needed. We will ask to see it.

Yellow fever is required only if you are arriving from or transiting a country with risk of transmission — that includes Kenya, so check your routing. Commonly recommended: hepatitis A, typhoid, tetanus, and being up to date on routine vaccinations.

See a travel clinic six to eight weeks before departure. Some courses need multiple doses.

It is strongly advised for all safari areas and for Zanzibar. Which drug is right for you depends on your medical history and is a conversation for your doctor or travel clinic, not for us.

Alongside tablets: cover up at dusk, use repellent containing DEET, and sleep under the nets provided. Higher-altitude areas such as the Ngorongoro rim carry considerably lower risk.

Do not drink the tap water. Every vehicle carries bottled or filtered drinking water and it is included in your trip. Many of our camps now provide filtered refill stations, so bring a reusable bottle.

Ice in reputable lodges and hotels is made from filtered water and is fine. Be more cautious with street drinks.

The Ngorongoro rim sits at roughly 2,300 m, which most people feel only as slight breathlessness on the first evening. Kilimanjaro is a different matter entirely — altitude sickness is the main reason climbers fail to summit, and route length is the strongest predictor of success.

Every climb we run carries supplementary oxygen and a pulse oximeter, with twice-daily health checks.

Arusha and Moshi have decent private hospitals, and Nairobi is the regional centre for serious cases. In the parks you are hours from a clinic, which is why medical evacuation cover is non-negotiable on our trips. AMREF Flying Doctors membership is inexpensive and worth adding.

Tell us when you book rather than on arrival. Camps handle vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and most allergies well given notice; they handle surprises less well. If you carry an EpiPen or specific medication, bring more than you need and split it between bags.

Neutral colours — khaki, olive, brown, grey. Avoid bright white, black and dark blue: white shows dust immediately and dark blue attracts tsetse flies.

Layers matter more than volume. Mornings on the Ngorongoro rim can be near freezing and the same day can hit 30°C on the crater floor. A fleece, a light windproof, long trousers, long sleeves for dusk, and a wide-brimmed hat.

On road safaris, generally not a problem. On light-aircraft transfers the limit is 15 kg per person in a soft duffel bag including hand luggage — hard suitcases will not fit in the hold and will be refused.

Most camps offer same-day laundry, so packing for four days rather than fourteen is entirely workable.

A zoom of at least 300mm makes an enormous difference; 100–400mm covers most situations. Bring more memory cards than you think, spare batteries, a rocket blower for dust and a beanbag or scarf to rest the lens on the window frame.

Binoculars are the single most underrated item. One pair per person, not one to share.

In order of how often we hear about it: a torch or headtorch, a universal adapter (Tanzania uses UK-style three-pin), enough sun cream, lip balm with SPF, a power bank, and a small dry bag for electronics on dusty days.

Also: small denomination US dollar notes for tips. Nobody has change.

Camouflage-patterned clothing is illegal for civilians in Tanzania and will be confiscated. Beyond that: heavy boots for a driving safari, more than two pairs of shoes, formal clothes, a hairdryer, and most of the second suitcase.

Yes, and it is a separate list — four-season sleeping bag, proper layering system, insulated jacket, waterproof shell, broken-in boots, gaiters, headtorch and trekking poles. We send a full checklist on booking and most items can be hired in Moshi if you would rather not buy.