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You want to go on safari. You’re a solo traveller. You want to see the big five on a budget. And everything looks incredibly expensive. If this sounds like you, read on to see how you can budget an African safari as a solo traveller without spending thousands upon thousands.
Africa is a notoriously difficult continent to travel in, especially for the solo traveller. South-East Asia is on the well beaten path for a reason – because it’s generally quite safe, very cheap, accessible by flights, well-connected.
I did a tour a few years back, which took me on 18 safaris over two months in Africa and I had the absolute time of my life. During this time I picked up a lot of tips and tricks for how to book safaris, how to stay safe and where you should go.4
Considerations
Your considerations are the following:
- Flights
- Accommodation
- Safari costs
As most of the audience I interact with are in Western countries, the flights are going to be your biggest cost, depending on how boujee you want to do your safari. Book these around 2-3 months in advance, and you’ll often be able to snatch yourself a good deal. Return flights to Kenya setting you back around £450 from multiple points in the UK, which is not bad at all considering how expensive travelling to southern Africa can be.
Accommodation
Remember we are talking about budget safaris here. The most budget option (and in my experience, the coolest) was camping. Some camps allow you to sleep inside the national parks which is an incredibly cool experience, but be prepared that this will cost more money. In all honesty, if you’re not willing to camp, you will likely be stung by having to pay for a lodge which often don’t cater to single travellers, and therefore you will be paying the equivalent of two peoples’ accommodation.
You can book lodges near to the Masaai Mara, however you do have to consider how you will get there ($), and booking safaris to pick you up ($), which as a solo traveller will often set you back just as much as a package. You’re a captive audience when you’re there too, and having to worry about where’s safe to eat would not be worth the hassle in my opinion.
My advice would be to book your accommodation and safaris as part of a package before you go, verifying that there’s no surcharge for solo travellers. A good site for this is bookallsafaris – I’ve found that there’s a mix of costs and levels of luxury. At the time of writing, a 3 day-2 night safari can be had including meals, accommodation and safari drives, for £309.
Should I self-drive?
Some parks offer self driving of the jeeps or cars around the national parks, which can certainly be a thrill-seeking experience. You can hire a guide that will just spot the animals whilst you drive, however this will become costly, likely on par with booking a group tour. I would personally advise that you do not want to do this. The key reasons being:
- You don’t know where the animals are
- I’ve done around 25 safaris across Africa and Asia, and I personally wouldn’t rely on my animal tracking skills. The guides are well trained and have spent years doing this – the whole reason you’re coming is to see the animals. The method of actually seeing the animals is not where to cheap out, in my humble opinion.
- You don’t have access to the network of radios that the safari drivers use when an animal is sighted.
- Where you can/can’t go off road
TL;DR? In short:
- Do a camping safari
- Safari for 3/4 days
- Join a group safari on arrival, or pre-book a group safari
- Parks to consider
- Kruger
- Fly to South Africa – Johannesburg
- All of the big five
- Etosha
- Fly to Windhoek
- No buffalo, but all of the other big five.
- Masai Mara
- Fly to Nairobi
- All of the big give
- Self driving could be cheaper
- But you won’t know where the animals are
- Hiring a guide will likely set you back as much as a tour would.#
What would I do if I were to book this now?
- Find the cheapest flights to Nairobi in May/September, for 1 week
- At the time of looking, there’s September flights for £435 from London, similar from Manchester.
- Book this package. Budget, camping, meals included. 3 safari drives.
- Book a few nights accommodation in Nairobi (booking.com). I’ve personally stayed in The Heron by Sarovar Portico India, and recommend it – it was affordable and honestly comparable to an ibis/premier inn style hotel you’d get in the UK.
- Do a safari in Kenya national park. This is unique across the entire world being a savannah safari with a view of the city skyline in the background. You can genuinely see rhinos, lions and leopards with the backdrop of a major city skyline.
Cost breakdown
| Flights (return, UK) | £435 |
| Transfers (return) | Included |
| Safari package | £309 |
| Nairobi hotel (2 nights) | £108 |
| Nairobi national park safari | £57 |
| Total | £909 |
Extras will include food for the days not on safari, any other activities.
Pro tips
- Go during fringe-season times (May, September). Be flexible on your dates and match them with the cheapest flight times.
- Check the best time to view wildlife for the park of choice
- Convince friends to go with you, or try to meet people on forums. Reddit (r/safari, r/solotravel, r/travelbuddies) is a great resource for this, speaking to people in hostels when you arrive can also help.
- If you go to Nairobi, check out Carnivore restaurant. It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet of meat including game meats. The ostrich steak I tried there remains one of the best cuts of meat I’ve ever tried (up there with Argentinian steak and Cape-Town Braai). Also tried bull testicle, which I’d rather not talk about…
All in all, safaris can be done cheaper than expected, though they are not the complete budgeteer’s typical holiday option. You will have the most amazing time regardless of if you end up spending slightly more than expected, and you when you’re booked and ready to go, you should prepare yourself for the trip of a lifetime.