Curated Luxury African Safari

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We’ve traveled the globe, visited more than 100 countries, explored every corner of Africa, and been on countless safaris. Call us to get paired with one of our experts.

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We don’t do generic. We listen carefully, then draw on our extensive knowledge to design a journey as unique as your fingerprint.

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Personal attention is our specialty. Before, during, and after your trip there’s always someone there for you 24/7.

Select Your Safari Trip-Style

From family trips, to honeymoons, to ultra luxurious, find your 2024 safari in Africa.

Planning a Luxury African Safari

Every destination is different, but $1,000 per person sharing per night is a good starting point. This estimation typically includes accommodation, expert guides, shared game viewing drives, park and conservation fees, gourmet meals, drinks, laundry, and land/air transfers.

Our ultra-luxury safaris can go upwards of $4,000 per person per day, depending on the destination and time of year.

You’ll need to budget for international flights, visas, gratuities, personal shopping, and incidentals. Again, this is just a rough starting point.

For a deeper understanding, we’ve published articles about the cost of safari in Kenya and (costlier) Botswana.

There’s no set length for the perfect safari—the right amount of time depends entirely on each person and each destination.

For example, if you’re planning a trip to South Africa, you might only spend three or four nights on safari because there are so many other incredible experiences to fit into your trip.

By contrast, the entire focus of a trip to East Africa is being on safari, and you might spend between seven to ten nights (or longer) in the bush.

As with all of our trips, our experts will listen to your safari goals and help you decide on the right amount of time.

Yes, you can take your children on a safari with you.

As parents ourselves, we appreciate how enriching and life-changing an experience like this can be for little minds. Although some camps do have minimum age requirements, there are many destinations and camps where children are not merely tolerated but adored and enriched.

We’ll help you choose an adventure that will suit your family, no matter what age your children are.

Keep reading: The Ultimate Guide to Family Safari written by our CEO, Elizabeth Gordon.

Bush planes give you access to remarkable remote locations, minus the long travel times.

Typically, bush planes are very light aircraft that fit a maximum of 12 passengers and two pilots. Despite being small they are robust, ideal for landing on the “dirt” airstrips common in the game parks. Practical and scenic, they allow for exceptional viewing of the scenery and animals along the way.

Bush flights operate more like a flying shuttle service rather than a domestic flight, with stops to pick-up and drop-off passengers en route to your destination. On most routes, there is a maximum of five stops.

Flight times may change slightly from the time written in your final documents, but don’t worry, you’ll find out about any updates the night before your flight. As with any flight, delays or schedule changes can happen—it’s all part of the adventure.

These are very small aircraft, and flights can sometimes be bumpy as a result. If you have a fear of flying, you can discuss alternative options with us during the planning process.

Note: Due to the size of the aircraft, luggage, and passenger weight allowances are strict but can be increased for a fee.

For most of our guests, one gorilla trekking experience is enough. However, as with any wildlife experience, the behavior of these majestic animals changes daily, and no two family groups are the same or experiences alike. It’s also worth noting that you’ll have one hour in their company once you reach the gorillas.

Based on our experiences, two is the perfect number of gorilla treks, as it allows you to spend more time with our distant cousins (we share 98.3 per cent of their D.N.A.).

Don’t worry if you’ve only budgeted for one trek—many clients tell us this is always the highlight of their trip and, sometimes, even their lives!

Keep reading: Where to see Gorillas in Africa: The Best Destinations

The variety of wildlife you see on a safari depends on which country you visit.

If this is your first safari, many travelers choose Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, or South Africa’s Kruger National Park, where the big game—including lion, cheetah, elephant, leopard, black rhino, hippo, and more—is plentiful. (Read: Is South Africa or Kenya Better for Safari?)

Want to see something specific? Our destination specialists will advise you on the best places to realize your vision. Wherever you choose to go, keep in mind that there are no guarantees on safari—the animals are wild, and unpredictable weather can affect animal movement and behavior.

That said, safari guides want you to see as much as possible and work incredibly hard to make your dream experience happen. Be sure to let them know your wildlife goals at the beginning of your stay.

The best time to go on safari varies depending on where you want to go and what you want to see—there are pros and cons about traveling at any time of the year.

For example, you can visit the mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda year-round, and July is a great time to see the Great Migration of wildebeest in Tanzania and Kenya.

For inspiration, check out our month-by-month travel guide. There’s also a great case to be made for a secret season Africa safari.

The Great Migration is one of nature’s greatest spectacles. Every year, more than one million wildebeests— and a few hundred thousand zebras and gazelles—make the epic journey north across the Serengeti and into Kenya’s Maasai Mara in search of nutrient-rich grass. Besides the dizzying scale of the wildlife in transit, the difficult trip attracts the attention of large predators, such as lions and hyenas, making it one of Africa’s most memorable and exciting experiences.

For more information, read our blog about the Great Migration.

Extraordinary Journeys works with the best guides, operators, and lodges to ensure that you feel safe and secure throughout your adventure. We wouldn’t send you to any destinations that we wouldn’t feel comfortable taking our own families to.

As with any destination, we advise that you take common sense precautions—especially in big cities—to protect your personal belongings.

Bucket showers are nothing to be afraid of—some of our favorite camps use them.

A bucket shower is usually some version of the following: a water tank suspended from above, with a knob at the bottom to control water flow. They have hot water (on request), privacy, and provide you with a quick way to refresh after a long day on safari deep in the bush. There’s plenty of water to wash and condition long hair, but not enough for a full rendition of every song on your karaoke setlist.

They are mostly used in very remote areas where plumbing isn’t possible or in mobile camps that follow migration patterns and maintain a light footprint. Rest assured, if you’re going to a camp with a bucket shower, it usually means you’re going somewhere very special.

Our Most-Read Articles About Luxury Africa Travel

Gorillas live in rainforest homes in the subtropical forests of Sub-Saharan Africa, like the Republic of Congo’s Odzala-Kokoua National Park.

Where to See Gorillas in Africa: The Best Destinations

The best places in the world to see gorillas are Congo, DRC, Uganda, & Rwanda. Find out…

The Ultimate Guide to Family Safari

Extraordinary Journeys co-founder Elizabeth Gordon provides tips and activities to do…

The Best Luxury Safari Lodges in South Africa

When it comes to high-end lodgings, the best safari lodges in South Africa are a trifecta…

Safari FAQs

What does a safari cost?

How much does it cost to go on safari? The variety of options are as diverse as the people…

When is the best time to travel?

As with everything about safari, the “best” time is very nuanced, so the answer…

Where will I stay on safari?

You won’t find yourself wedged into a tiny tent and sleeping bag, cooking your breakfast…

What can I do on safari?

Activities are at the core of a safari; here is a taste of some of the ways you can…

Overall, we had a wonderful trip. Pearl and team were very flexible and able to make everything especially as the world deals with COVID A lot of travel companies don’t understand or offer to look for kiteboarding. I appreciate how customer focused EJ is. As for the trip the best part was finally feeling normal again with all we have through with COVID. I crave adventure and new experiences, so I had been itching to get away. We went on this trip a few years earlier then planned because of the low crowds. I loved the gorillas! And Etchy our guide from Wild Frontiers was the best! Also, love spending relaxing days in Zanzibar. It was exactly what we all needed.

Cory Williams

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A woman sitting on a bench in front of a herd of elephants. Amelia Adamson