How to plan an African safari on a very tight budget: the 8-step guide to safari planning

How do you plan an African Safari on a really tight budget? The short answer is with careful preparation and some research. Follow the planning checklist below to ensure you have the best African safari on a budget. You'll see - it can be fun and easy.

Before you plan your African safari

You’ve decided your next holiday is a dream safari in Africa. So, you’ve put in a few keywords in Google to get an idea of what is out there in terms of ‘African Safaris’, and up comes a huge amount of information. Feeling overwhelmed, procrastination mode sets in - where do you start and how do you narrow down the endless options? 

Planning a trip of any kind is very exciting and definitely part of the fun. There are so many amazing places to see and things to do in Africa that picking a few is hard. You will most likely go back and forth changing your mind a few times, but that is normal.

If you’ve been on an African safari before, you probably have a pretty good idea of the basics. So in a sense, this is a beginner's guide aimed at those planning their first African safari. Let me try and make it a bit easier with a few pointers on how to plan an African safari on a tight budget.

Etosha National Park Namibia

1. Pick an African safari country or two

A good place to start is by picking a safari destination – or at least have some idea where in Africa you want to go.

If you are one of the lucky ones with two months to travel and a sizable budget you can certainly cover a lot of ground and get to all the spots you want to see. Most travellers only have 14 days or 3 weeks, maximum, which requires more careful planning.

Some people already have their hearts set on a particular area or African country, but others struggle with this important (first) step. It's totally understandable considering the misconception that Africa is a country, when in fact it is a continent with 54 countries of which about 9 are known as wildlife safari destinations. 

The main African safari countries are Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Of these safari destinations, South Africa, Namibia, and Kenya are often considered the cheapest African safari countries to visit, followed by Botswana, Uganda, and Tanzania. 

Pro Safari Tip: Aim for depth, not breadth. While adding new country stamps to your passport is exciting, Africa is a place that moves slowly. Dashing from place to place will rob you of a chance to really get to know a country, city, or safari destination. A perfect example is doing a self-drive safari in Kruger, where the rewards of going slow are the richness of African animals you never even knew existed! With this in mind, pick a few top safari destinations and spend a little extra time.

African safari lions in Kenya

2. List your must-see places in Africa

Another way to approach the all-important travel destination question is to list your ultimate ‘must-sees’ in Africa.

This could be a specific area, natural wonder or park in a country or perhaps more broadly the animals you want to see. For example; many people want to see elephants and lions, or the fascinating wild dogs, or endangered mountain gorillas. The list goes on, but having an idea of what is important to you can determine more specific areas to include on your African safari trip. To see mountain gorillas, for instance, you need to go to central East Africa - Uganda or Rwanda being the best options.

Parks and reserves differ in terms of vegetation and topography making them more suitable for certain animal species. In some areas, you will find higher concentrations of elephants than in others. Including the parks that are prime African safari destinations will greatly increase the chances of spotting the animals on your list. This is why it’s common for travellers to visit two or three parks/areas in one visit, as each wildlife area offers something unique.

For help choosing between southern and East Africa, read our blog post: Southern Africa vs East Africa Safaris - how to choose? 

Safari Planning Tip: Be open to other experiences that are not necessarily on your must-see list. There are many incredible places and things to see in Africa - the little hidden gems along the way can be a wonderful surprise.

Budget Safari Tip: Try to resist the temptation to book a flight deal before you have a good idea of your safari plans. It is always better to first have your safari plans in place and then book flights accordingly. This gives you a lot more freedom to pick a wildlife safari that suits you and the all-important budget. Also, having set travel dates (due to flights) limits your choices and you could be missing out on fantastic travel deals.

How to plan African safari trips

3. Decide on a budget for your African safari

This doesn’t need to be an exact budget, but having a ballpark figure is very useful when searching for African safari trips.

While an African safari is a dream trip, the budget needs to be realistic and ultimately these two need to align – unfortunately. Wanting a luxury trip on a shoestring budget is just not realistic. Then again, luxury has different meanings to different people. To some, luxury is a plush hotel with porters, room service, and expensive linen. To others, luxury is a remote hut in the bush. Really what one needs to establish is an expectation.

What are you comfortable with and what are you prepared to compromise on, if needs be, to stay within your travel budget? It is certainly possible to have an incredible African safari experience when staying in rustic accommodations and even rough camping. The excitement of an African safari - seeing wild animals in their natural environment - is equal, regardless of how you get there, or where you stay.

However, the details are important. Ultimately you want the best African safari experience filled with beautiful memories to look back on. And this all starts with good planning.

Things to consider when deciding on a safari and budget

• The type of safari and accommodation you prefer. For more about African safari accommodation see African Safari Accommodation 101: what to expect? and How to do your Safari right - choosing your travel style
• The location of your accommodation. Do you want to stay inside a national park or in a private reserve/concession with fewer camps and people? Bear in mind that exclusivity, in most cases, equates to higher prices but not necessarily higher-end accommodation. For more about the difference between game areas read Reserve, Park, or Conservancy. What do the names mean?
• Group size and African safari style. Do you want to join a big group on an overland tour or a small group trip? To find out more about Overland Africa Travel see What are Africa Overland Tours & Adventures all about?
• Private tours. Private safaris are tailor-made to visit the places you want to see over the number of days you want. You can design the African safari experience that suits you best and travel in a private group with only your friends and family. Luckily, private safaris have become more popular and therefore more affordable than they once were. Find out more about affordable Private Group Tours and Custom Safaris
• Mode of safari transport. Could you endure long hours travelling in a vehicle (without air-con) to get from place to place, or will shorter distances with internal flights be more your vibe? Both have their pros and cons. See African Safari Vehicles - Every which way to explore the African bush, from biggest to smallest for more.
• Are you introverted or extroverted? This might help you choose the right trip, based on your personality type - How to choose the best African Safari 
• Safari costs. To get you started with budgeting for a safari, here's How Much Does an African Safari Cost?

Mana Pools Zimbabwe safari

4. Choose when to go on safari in Africa

Choosing when to go on an African safari is a balancing act between the time of year (the travel season) vs. your budget and the seasonal fluctuations at your safari destination of choice.

Time of year and safari planning 

Deciding on the best time of year for your African safari is a complicated question. While you may be flexible with when you can book your leave, many people are bound by school term times and holiday seasons. Add to this the demands of a bucket list and the window of opportunity narrows. Animal migrations are a case in point. To see the largest migration of mammals in Africa (the bats in Kasanka), or the Mara River crossing on the great migration, requires travelling at a specific time of year. Travelling to see these wildlife events, however, brings into consideration another factor, high and low tourist seasons and your budget.

Pro Planning Tip: The rainy season is not always a bad time to visit. Personally, I love the rainy season in all safari destinations across southern and East Africa. There is just something very special when you see the thunderclouds gathering on the horizon and the pouring rain a while later – the smell is incredible. The photo opportunities are amazing! Cue – Toto, Bless the rains in Africa….. ;-)

Travel season vs. safari budget

The safari season at your destination and your budget go hand-in-hand with deciding when you plan to travel. 

During the dry season in East Africa, the weather and game viewing are at their best. The great wildebeest migration is in full swing, and safari enthusiasts flock to East Africa from July to October. This creates high demand and as a result, safari prices go up. The shoulder seasons, just before and after the peak season, can offer better travel deals, but the latter part of the dry season, September and October, is when the wildebeest migration reaches the Mara River and will be the most expensive time to travel for a safari in Kenya or Tanzania. You can visit our guide to The Great Migration in Africa for tips on planning a budget safari to this iconic wildlife phenomenon.

Balancing the time of year, tourist seasons, and your budget is therefore an important consideration.

Budget Safari Tip: Some, but not all, safari tours have low, mid, and high-season prices. This differs according to the best and arguably the least desirable times of year to visit. Travel in low and mid seasons is a great way to go on an African safari for less, but definitely check why it’s low season, and decide if you are willing to compromise. Like everything in life, there are always pros and cons.

Seasonality and your African safari

It is always a good idea to check what is to be expected in terms of weather, temperatures, and wildlife viewing possibilities for the specific places in the month you want to visit. Of course, nothing is guaranteed - as we all know, nature can be very unpredictable. But, having an idea of when it’s summer/winter and dry/rainy season at your safari destination will help manage your expectations and keep you comfortable on your African safari.

For example, perhaps, elephants are high on your must-see list but you arrive in Chobe (Botswana) to be told February is not a good time for spotting elephants! As a safari-goer, the aim is to try and be in the same areas as the wildlife. But, they are free-roaming animals which means they move around according to the season, or in some cases migrate hundreds of kilometres to places where food and water are plentiful at that time.

If you really don’t deal well with extreme heat, it is best to avoid a trip in midsummer in many regions of Africa. Or, maybe you are planning on a camping safari which is best in the drier months in some areas.

Another example is the seasonal changes in the Okavango Delta. If you are dreaming of gliding through the pristine channels of the Okavango Delta in a dug-out canoe (mokoro) it is important to visit when there is enough water in the delta. The water levels fluctuate widely across the seasons so your timing makes a big difference. For more about visiting the delta, see The Okavango Delta Explained.

Also, keep in mind that southern and eastern Africa have different seasons. Don’t assume Botswana is in its rainy season just because Kenya is at the time of your travels.

Botswana safari to Okavango Delta

5. Pick the duration of your African safari trip

This will probably be determined by the amount of vacation leave you have, but it is still something to think about.

Now, a lot of first-time travellers want to fit in as much as possible and tick as many things as they can off their bucket lists. But in Africa, less is more. Taking it slowly will be a lot more rewarding than trying to rush from place to place.

It will also be worth your while to do some research on how long it takes to get between places. Travel distances are HUGE and often on rough, bumpy, dusty roads. Even if Google Maps say it’s 300 km, the time it takes to get there might be 5 to 6 hours, even more in the rainy season. As the old saying goes – it’s not about the destination, but the journey getting there. The magic lies in the unexpected – meeting people along the way, learning about local cultures, and taking in the incredible scenery.

Kalahari Desert Namibia safari

6. When to book your African safari

There’s not really a right or wrong time to make your actual safari booking, but it’s important to check availability first. Before requesting leave dates from your work or making flight bookings. This is particularly important when you have your eye on specific a date, location, lodge, or group tour that is non-negotiable for you.

If your planned safari trip happens to fall in the high/busy season, booking a year in advance is a good idea. This is particularly true for popular times of the year at the top safari destinations, such as the peak of the great migration in Kenya and Tanzania. Booking about a year in advance is also recommended for gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda due to the limited availability of gorilla permits.

In general though, and if your travel plans are flexible, booking an African safari 4 to 6 months in advance is the norm. 

Last-minute safari plans (within a month or less of your travel dates) can be tricky, but doable. It greatly depends on low vs high season and again flexibility with travel dates, where you stay, and what you want to see on your African safari.

African mountain gorilla by Rick Bergstrom

Check out our Budget African Safaris and contact us to get the ball rolling.

7. Checklists for planning an African Safari on a budget

Below, I've categorised my essential checklist based on the safari planning phases. This gives you a timeline to work with when you are planning your budget African safari.

During the early-to-mid safari planning stages (before you book) check:

• Flights to Africa – this can be one of the most confusing parts of planning an African safari. Funny place names and not knowing what airport is close to the place where your safari starts and ends – which in most cases is not the same city. It can be intimidating, so ask the questions and double-check if you have to.
• Take out Comprehensive Travel Insurance
• Make sure your travel documents are in order: apply for a passport or renew yours if it is set to expire within 6 months of your travel dates. Also, check that your passport has enough blank pages. We recommend 1 page per country, except for South Africa which requires 2 blank pages facing each other.
• Check the visa requirements for each African country you plan to visit.

Once your African safari is booked (before you go):

• Consult with your doctor or Travel Clinic on necessary vaccinations and malaria prophylaxis where needed.

More about this in The Complete African Safari Medical Guide

• Apply for any visas, if needed. For some countries, you can get this visa on arrival – make sure this is possible for your nationality.
• Start planning what you need to pack and in what bag. Check if there are any restrictions for the safari you're joining (maximum weight allowed, bag size and type). In general, the packing space in a safari vehicle and on domestic flights is limited and strict luggage restrictions apply.

More about packing for your safari in Easy Guide to Packing for an African Safari

• Check what currency is accepted in the countries you will be travelling to.
• Also, check the guidelines for tipping and make allowances for this in your travel budget (see Tips for Tipping on African Safaris)

The last few things (a month to a week) before travel:

• Reconfirm your flight arrival and departure times with the establishment or company that arranged your airport transfers.
• Check the weather forecast for your safari destination, but prepare for the unexpected.  
• Review all your pre-departure information and checklists received when you made your safari booking. This is essential for preparing for a safari.
• Leave a copy of your safari itinerary, flight tickets, travel insurance, passport, and visas with a close family member or friend.

African safari lions and zebras

8. Reach out for planning help and travel advice

Chatting to an African safari expert with knowledge can be hugely beneficial and will make the whole process a lot less daunting. Researching on your own is certainly a good starting point. When it comes to choosing and booking a safari, however, it helps to have someone answering questions along the way. Even if you've just read this guide to planning your safari on a budget.

An African safari expert has in-depth knowledge of their portfolio and will be able to recommend budget safari options that suit your needs. This can save a lot of time, money and research on your side. 

If you are travelling with kids, a big group of family and friends or have specific dietary requirements, some special attention to the details will be needed. You need to take into account if a safari camp/lodge has a minimum age limit, do they have family rooms, how far of a walk is it from reception to the room if you have elderly people in the group, do they cater for gluten-free or vegan diets etc... 

Whatever your requirements are, it is very handy to have someone with experience guiding you in the right direction. Getting expert advice will ultimately make your safari planning and the actual holiday as stress-free as possible.

After all the research, planning, waiting and excitement, it is finally time to go on your African safari!!

“Nothing but breathing the air of Africa, and actually walking through it, can communicate the indescribable sensations.” - William Burchell (English explorer and author)

Oh, and don't forget to talk to a seasoned safari pro to make sure you’ve selected the best destinations for you, on the most suitable safari, and got your timing right. We are here to help you plan and experience the best African safari on your budget. So get in touch, and take a step closer to experiencing Africa for yourself! 

[Post updated on 19 January 2024 | First published on 15 October 2020]