What is the Cost of a Safari in East Africa?

There are three kinds of safaris from which any intending traveler ought to make a selection the kind he/she would like to take up depending on various circumstances.The choice is always for the traveler depending on his/her desires and or budget.Below are some of the points that determines one’s safari;

Many times a safari will be overpriced when there are too many hands involved, especially if you buy a safari package in your country of origin. There can be a marked difference between the prices of safaris and just because you are paying more, does not mean you are getting more for your money.

Transportation

Transportation costs such as fuel, vehicle and English Speaking Driver. We use Safari type vehicles that have a pop-up roof for maximum viewing of wildlife and birding on game drives. Transportation Costs make up a large part of he safari, fuel being presently at around 1.40 USD a liter. There is a difference in price between a 4Wheel Drive Safari Van or a modified Toyota Land-Cruiser.

Park Fees & Logistics

National Park, Wildlife Reserves, Ugandan Places of interest entrance fees, game drives, boat rides, ferry crossings, etc. They are the same no matter what price range you choose.

Your choice of what to do while on a Uganda safari also affect the price of your safari. If you include gorilla tracking the price per person on Safari has just increased by US$700 and US$1500 for gorilla permits for Rwanda. Chimpanzee tracking is the next largest expense in parks ranging from US$50 to US$150 depending on where you will be tracking them plus park entrance of US$35 per day for foreigners and then there is the vehicle and driver.

Accommodation

Lodging and accommodations in Kampala and the National Parks come in three basic categories and in each one there is a certain cost range.

• Luxury accommodation can range from 200 USD per person per night to as high as 500 USD per person per night full board depending on the location, the type of accommodations available and so on. Luxury accommodations are available at most locations in or near National Parks and Wildlife Reserves.
• Midrange or Moderate rates from about 75 USD to 200 USD per night per person and are available in most locations. The difference is the decor and furnishings in the rooms, the quality of food served. A bit more basic than luxury where dinner might be 4 or 5 courses served. Some moderate accommodations are just a few dollars below up-market in certain areas and the difference in quality is miles apart but we will certainly advise you.
• Budget ranges from 15 to 75 USD per day per person. It is usually very basic and not self contained in most cases. There are some areas where budget accommodations are not advised and we will make you aware of those places.

Full Board safaris are our standard, but in cases of budget safaris where meals have to be figured in, we simply do not do stripped down safaris that leave out important things such as food, bottled water.

Africa may be the poorest continent on earth – however that does not make it the lowest priced continent to visit unless you are bouncing on the back of some overland truck safari where what you get a good portion of our ever-red dust, feel like you have been on a roller coaster and it turns out not at all as you have envisioned it.

Important Things to Know While Planning a Safari

There are certain things that one is sure of by virtual of dealing with a competent and reliable tour operating company like us and below are the most striking ones;

• Quality Vehicle with pop-up roof for best wildlife viewing.
• Tour Guide Driver with over 5 years of experience and a safe driving record.
• You share the vehicle with only and only your entourage
• On Game Drives we add a Uganda Wildlife Authority Guide who knows where the wildlife is on that day and enhances your opportunities to see the most and well as furnishing you with first hand information about the park and all its habitats
• Only better budget facilities – often that border on being compared to a moderate facility with room that have their own bath – are clean and comfortable – no bed bugs allowed.
• Normally budget facilities that have a good restaurant with nice meals and a variety of choices are picked
• There is always bottled water on board of vehicle for your consumption.
• The cost normally includes all permits and entrance fees – no fine print here or the words exclusive of.
• An itinerary is always provided to you detailing all the areas to be visited such that you are well acquainted with the flow of the journey.
• If you are going on 5 or longer day safari,you are given a mobile phone to use in order to stay in touch with your tour guide at all times, and the companies’ office and with your family as well.