How to go on safari without the safari price
Self-drive, rest camps, green seasons and the places that are cheaper than they look.
Safari has a reputation for being expensive, and the top end is. But the gap between the top end and a very good trip is wide, and most of the savings come from a handful of choices.
Choose the country carefully
South Africa and Namibia are the budget safari countries, because they allow self-driving and have state-run camps inside the parks. A couple can do a week in Kruger in a hired car and SANParks bungalows for less than one night at a top Botswana camp. Zimbabwe is cheaper than Botswana for a similar experience. Kenya has budget operators and camping safaris at the lower end.
Self-drive
In Kruger, Etosha, Addo, Pilanesberg and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi you need nothing more than a car, a map and a booking. For the car, Discover Cars compares the local and international hire companies in one search, which is how we would book it. You will miss the off-road and night-drive experiences, but you can add a guided drive or two from the rest camps for a modest fee.
Go in the green season
November to March in southern Africa and the rainy months in East Africa bring discounts of 30 to 50 per cent at lodges that are open. The viewing is harder but the landscape is beautiful, the birding is superb and the lodges are quiet. April and May, between the rains and the peak, are often the best value of all.
Stay outside the gates
Guesthouses in gateway towns such as Hazyview, Hoedspruit, Kasane, Arusha and Karatu cost a fraction of lodges inside the parks, and day entry is straightforward.
Consider a mobile or camping safari
In Botswana and Tanzania, a guided camping safari with a crew sees the same wildlife as the fly-in camps for a third of the price. You give up the en-suite tent and the swimming pool; you keep the leopard.
Where not to cut
Do not skimp on travel insurance with medical evacuation, on malaria prevention, or on the number of nights. A cheap safari of two nights is a cheap way to see very little. Better to go for longer somewhere simpler.
