Safaris are a significant investment, and the difference between a good trip and an unforgettable one is usually decided long before you board the plane. After years of running small group safaris across East Africa, here is our honest checklist for booking a safari: what to look for, and what to ask, before you commit.
1. Who Is Actually Guiding You?
Your guide makes or breaks a safari. Ask whether guides are employed or hired ad hoc, whether they grew up in or near the parks, and how long they have guided. A local-born guide reads animal behaviour, knows the rangers, and adds cultural depth no manual can teach. It is the reason all our safaris are led by guides born and raised in the regions you visit.
2. How Big Is the Group and the Vehicle?
Ask the maximum group size and whether everyone gets a window seat. Nine travellers in a seven-window vehicle means someone always misses the leopard. We cap every departure at eight travellers, and private departures are available on request.
3. What Exactly Is Included?
Compare like with like. A cheap headline price can exclude the items that matter most:
- Park and crater fees, which in Tanzania and Kenya are a major share of the cost.
- Wildlife permits: a Uganda gorilla permit costs USD 800 and Rwanda’s USD 1,500 (2026); chimpanzee tracking in Kibale is USD 250. Check whether these are in or out of the quoted price.
- Meals: full board on safari should be standard.
- Transfers, domestic flights and airport pick-ups.
- Extras such as balloon safaris (roughly USD 550) are almost never included.
On our tour pages the included and not included lists are spelled out per itinerary, with permits listed separately so prices are honest to compare.
4. Accommodation: Level and Location
“Lodge” can mean anything. Ask for specific property names, and check location as much as luxury: a mid-range camp inside the park at dawn beats a luxury hotel two hours from the gate. Decide what suits you between budget camping, mid-range lodges and luxury properties; a good operator offers the same route at more than one level.
5. Timing and Realistic Expectations
Match your dates to your goals: river crossings in the Mara and northern Serengeti roughly July to September, calving in the southern Serengeti December to March, gorilla trekking year-round with drier trails June to August and December to February. Distrust anyone who guarantees specific sightings; wildlife is wild. Around 98 percent of gorilla treks succeed, but no honest operator promises a leopard.
6. Safety, Ethics and Sustainability
Ask how the operator behaves at sightings (engines off, distance kept, never baiting animals), whether porters and staff are paid fairly, and what stays in the local economy. Community visits should feel like meetings, not zoos. Booking with locally rooted companies keeps safari income in the countries you visit.
7. Paperwork and Practicalities
Check visa requirements early: the East Africa Tourist Visa (USD 100) covers Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda in one. Consult a travel clinic about vaccinations and malaria prophylaxis well before departure, arrange travel insurance that covers medical evacuation, and confirm your passport is valid at least six months beyond your return date.
8. Ask Questions Before Booking a Safari
A trustworthy operator answers quickly, specifically and in writing: exact properties, exact inclusions, cancellation terms and payment protection. Vague answers before you book rarely improve after you have paid.
Ready When You Are
Use this list on us as strictly as on anyone else. Browse our small group safaris in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania, or send us your dates and wishes; we reply within 24 hours with a concrete, honest proposal.