Most safari price guides quote a single "from" price that nobody actually pays. This one is different. It covers every region we sell and shows what a private safari costs, per person, in US dollars, worked out from the trips we've actually quoted for 2027. We don't sell off-the-shelf packages. Every trip is private and built around you, so these numbers show what those trips really come to.
The short answer: a private safari for two costs about $590 to $1,300 per person per night in Tanzania and about $590 to $730 at comfortable lodges in Kenya. That covers your lodges, meals, park fees, private vehicle and guide. A typical 7-night Tanzania safari lands around $6,400 per person. Zanzibar adds about $2,200, three or four nights at Victoria Falls about $1,750 to $2,650, and a four to five night gorilla trek about $4,600 to $5,150 with the permit included. International flights from the US are extra.
What Each Region Costs
Here's what our quotes for 2027 come to, per person, for adults traveling privately (most of them couples). The ranges are the middle half of our quotes, so most trips land inside them. Where we don't have enough recent quotes to give you a fair range, we say so and price it to your dates.
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| Region | Per person, per night | Typical stay | Typical total, per person | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanzania Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Manyara |
$590–1,300 Comfortable $590–730, premium $730–880, luxury $1,150–1,300 |
7 to 10 nights | 7 nights about $6,400 10 nights $6,100–8,300 |
64 quotes |
| Kenya Amboseli, with a night in Nairobi |
$590–730 Comfortable lodges |
3 nights, added to a Tanzania trip | 3 nights $1,700–2,550 | 15 quotes |
| Gorilla trekking Bwindi, Uganda, flying via Kigali |
$950–1,300 Permit included |
4 to 5 nights | $4,600–5,150 | 3 quotes |
| Victoria Falls Lodge, transfers and Falls tour |
$290–440 Flight from Tanzania extra |
3 to 4 nights | $990–1,450, or $1,750–2,650 with the flight from Tanzania | 19 quotes |
| Chobe, Botswana All-inclusive river camp |
$730–1,050 | 2 nights, after Victoria Falls | $1,450–2,150 | 4 quotes |
| Zanzibar Beach finish after safari |
$480–730 Flight from the safari included |
3 to 4 nights | $1,700–2,800, typically $2,200 | 36 quotes |
| Priced to your dates | Longer Masai Mara circuits and conservancy camps, the Okavango Delta, and South Africa. We don't have enough recent quotes to give you a fair range, so ask us. | |||
If your budget is well under $590 a night, a private safari is a stretch; a shared group tour is the better-value way to see Africa. The very top camps in every country sit above these ranges. If that's what you're after, ask us and we'll price it properly.
How we worked these out: every figure comes from a real quote we've built for 2027 travel, shown here in US dollars. They're for two or more adults traveling privately, with international flights left out. For a place that's usually added to another trip, such as Kenya, Victoria Falls or Zanzibar, we've taken just that stretch of the quotes: its lodges, transfers, tours and the flights on the ground there.
Region by Region
Tanzania
The lodges set the level. Park fees, your private vehicle and guide are in every price, and they cost the same whichever lodge you choose. The river crossings in the northern Serengeti run from mid-July to October, at their best from August, while January to March brings the calving in the south. April and May are the quietest months, and Serengeti park fees are lowest from March 15 to May 15. Our Tanzania cost guide has worked prices for 7, 10 and 14 nights.
Kenya
Most of the Kenya we build is a short stay in Amboseli, with a night in Nairobi, at the start or end of a Tanzania safari. At comfortable lodges it comes to about $590 to $730 per person per night, with the private vehicle, guide and park fees in. A longer Kenya circuit through the Masai Mara depends heavily on the month and the camp: our sample seven-night Mara and Amboseli trip, with bush flights between the parks, starts from about $6,950 per person. The private conservancy camps we price to your dates. The migration is in the Mara from July to October, and Amboseli is at its best from January to February and from June to October. Our Kenya cost guide goes deeper on the reserve-or-conservancy choice.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda
The permit is the biggest single cost, and it's included in the price in the table. Rwanda's is $1,500 per person per trek; Uganda's is lower, at $800 on our 2027 rates. A four to five night trip to Bwindi in Uganda, flying in and out of Kigali, came to $4,600 to $5,150 per person in our 2027 quotes for two, with the permit, a porter, comfortable lodges, transfers and a driver-guide. In Rwanda, our sample four-day trip to the Volcanoes, with the permit included, starts from about $5,050 per person. The dry months, June to September and December to February, are the best, and permits sell out well ahead. Most of our gorilla trips are paired with a Tanzania safari, and the flight from Kigali on to Tanzania adds about $440 to $660 per person. See our Rwanda and Uganda cost guides.
Victoria Falls
It's one of the easier add-ons to price. Three nights at a lodge such as Pioneers, Batonka or Shongwe Oasis, with airport transfers and a guided tour of the Falls, came to $990 to $1,450 per person in 19 of our 2027 quotes. The flight from Tanzania, usually through Addis Ababa or Nairobi, adds about $880 to $1,100. The grand hotels, such as The Victoria Falls Hotel, start around $2,200 for three nights. The Falls are at full power from February to May, clearest and most balanced from June to August, and lowest from September to December, when Devil's Pool opens. More on our Victoria Falls page.
Chobe and Botswana
Two nights all-inclusive at Chobe Elephant Camp, an easy road transfer from Victoria Falls, came to $1,450 to $2,150 per person in four of our 2027 quotes. The elephants gather on the Chobe River from May to October. The Okavango Delta and Khwai camps vary a lot by camp and month, so we price those to your dates. See our Botswana page.
Zanzibar
Three or four nights adds about $1,700 to $2,800 per person, with the typical trip around $2,200. That includes the flight from the safari to the island, which is close to half of it, plus your hotel and transfers. A simple beach hotel sits at the lower end and the higher-end resorts around $2,950. June to October is the driest and coolest, November and December are the best value, and April and May are best avoided. More on our Zanzibar page.
South Africa
Cape Town, Kruger and the Sabi Sand are priced to order, so ask us and we'll send a quote. More on our South Africa page.
Combining Countries
Most of our trips combine more than one place, so here's what the usual pairings come to. Each shows a real trip from our real trips page and the middle half of our 2027 quotes for the same combination.
- Tanzania and Zanzibar is the pairing most people choose. Across 34 of our 2027 quotes a typical 13-night trip comes to $7,550 to $10,900 per person. A comfortable 13-night trip on our real trips page, seven nights on safari and six on Zanzibar, came to $6,450.
- Kenya and Tanzania means a few nights in Amboseli or the Mara before crossing into Tanzania. Seven of our 2027 quotes run about 13 nights at $8,650 to $10,300. Add Zanzibar and it's 16 to 17 nights at $14,700 to $17,200 across six quotes. Our premium 16-night example came to $15,600.
- Victoria Falls after Tanzania: a comfortable 13-night trip, the Serengeti then Victoria Falls, came to $8,350. Tanzania, Victoria Falls and Zanzibar together run 15 to 16 nights at $10,100 to $12,400 across six of our quotes.
- Chobe, Victoria Falls and the gorillas: one real 11-night trip came to $9,300. At the top end, 22 nights across Victoria Falls, Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar at luxury level came to $23,600.
What's Not in These Prices
- International flights from the US. When we checked in October 2026, economy return fares from New York to Kilimanjaro ran from about $1,500 to $3,800 for July 2027 (most one-stop options were $2,000 to $3,100), and about $1,300 to $2,550 for February 2027. There's no nonstop to Kilimanjaro, so expect one or two stops and about 17 to 21 hours from the East Coast. Fares move, so we price your flights when you're ready to book.
- Travel insurance. You'll need your own policy with medical evacuation and cancellation cover. Tanzania also requires visitors to hold a local visitor policy, about $44 per adult, bought online before you travel or on arrival. We'll point you to the official site.
- Visas. Each country sets its own rules and fees, so check the official government site for every country on your route before you travel. Your doctor or a travel clinic can advise on health requirements.
- Tips. As a guide, around $20 to $25 per guest per day for your guide, and $10 to $15 per guest per day for lodge staff.
- Zanzibar's infrastructure tax. $5 per person per night, paid locally.
Getting a Real Number for Your Trip
Want to see what real trips came to? Our real trips page shows eight safaris we've run or booked, with what each one cost per person. If you're comparing companies, our guide on how to choose a Tanzania safari company lists the questions worth asking, ours included.
These ranges are a good guide, but your price depends on your dates, how many of you there are, how long you stay and which lodges suit you. Tell us about your trip and we'll send a quote that names every lodge for every night, in US dollars, so the price you agree is the price you pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an African safari cost?
For two people on a private safari, about $590 to $1,300 per person per night in Tanzania and $590 to $730 at comfortable lodges in Kenya, with lodges, meals, park fees, vehicle and guide included. A typical 7-night Tanzania safari is around $6,400 per person, excluding international flights.
Which country is cheapest for a safari?
It depends on how you build the trip. Comfortable lodges cost about the same in Kenya and Tanzania, $590 to $730 per person per night. Victoria Falls is the cheapest place to add per night, at $290 to $440, and gorilla trekking costs more per night than most because of the permit.
Do the prices include international flights?
No. They cover everything from your first night to your last day on the ground, including flights within Africa where a trip needs them. Flights from the US are separate, and we price them when you're ready to book because fares move.
Are the prices fixed in US dollars?
Most lodges, parks and permits in Africa charge in US dollars. We quote and invoice you in US dollars, so the number you agree to is the number you pay.
Get Your Real Quote
Tell us about your trip
Your dates, your group, what you want from the experience. We'll come back with real costs built around your specific trip, not a generic starting price.
