Plan Your Safari

There is no charge for an enquiry and no obligation at the end of it. Then comes a conversation, not an automated quote.

The first reply is usually a set of questions, because a quote written without the answers is a guess. We will want to know how firm your dates are, how many of you there are, how many days you have, whether you've been on safari before, and what you actually want out of the trip. A photographer, a birder, a family and a couple on a honeymoon want four different weeks out of the same parks.

You get back a suggested route with the reasoning behind it, camps named instead of described as a category, and a price broken down far enough that you can compare it with anyone else's.

Then it changes. Almost every trip goes through two or three versions before it's booked. That is the process working, not a delay, and the most useful thing you can do is say plainly what you want changed.

These apply to us and to every other operator you speak to, and asking them will tell you more than a brochure will.

Which camps, by name, and how far is each from a park gate? A lodge outside the gate costs you the first and last hour of daylight every day, and that single answer explains most of the difference between two prices for the same route.

How many nights in each place? Two quotes covering the same parks in the same total days can move you every night or give you two nights in each. The second is a better trip for the same money.

Which fees are included, itemised? Particularly Ngorongoro crater entry, which is charged per vehicle as well as per person.

How many people will be in the vehicle?

What happens if something changes, such as a road closed, a camp overbooked, or a flight cancelled?

And for a Kilimanjaro climb: what's the crew ratio, and what are the porters paid? A quote well below the others is being funded by somebody.

There is no wrong time to ask, but there are windows where being early changes what's available.

Twelve months ahead if your dates are fixed and fall in one of the two tight windows: the northern Serengeti in August and September, or Ndutu in February. The camps that matter in both are small, mostly mobile, and they fill about a year out.

Six to nine months for the rest of the high season, June to October, and for Christmas and New Year.

Three to six months is comfortable for most of the year and gives real choice of camps.

Under three months is workable, particularly in April, May and November, and last-minute availability in the low season can be very good.

Kilimanjaro needs less lead time than a migration safari. August on Machame and Lemosho fills several months out and full-moon dates go earlier still.

If your dates have any flexibility, say so. A week either side is often the difference between the camp we would recommend and the one that's left.

You don't need a finished plan. A few things make the first conversation much more useful.

Rough dates, or at least a month, because the season changes almost every recommendation. How many of you there are, and the ages of any children. Whether you'd rather have a comfortable base or more days in the park, if the budget forces a choice. And anything you particularly want to see or do.

That's enough to build a real itinerary around. Everything else can be worked out from there.

Some answers to an enquiry aren't the answer people are hoping for, and it's better to give them at the start.

If your dates and your ambitions don't fit, we'll say so. A four-day trip that wants the migration in the far north isn't a trip we can build, and pretending otherwise produces a disappointed customer at the end instead of at the beginning.

If a shorter itinerary would serve you better than a longer one, we'll say so. More days isn't automatically more safari, and eight good days generally beat ten stretched ones.

If a five-day Kilimanjaro climb is a poor idea for your experience, we'll say that plainly, including what the summit rates actually look like.

If your budget won't cover what you've described, we'll tell you what it will cover. We won't quietly downgrade the camps and hope you don't notice.

And if the honest answer is that a different month, a different park or a different operator suits you better, that's what you'll get.

A reply within a working day, usually with questions, not a quote, because a quote written without the answers is a guess.

A suggested route with the reasoning behind it, camps named instead of described as a category, and a price broken down far enough that you can compare it with anyone else's.

Two or three revisions before anything is booked, which is the process working, not a delay.

An honest answer if what you've described doesn't fit the days, the season or the budget. That includes telling you if a different month, a different length or a different operator would serve you better.

No charge for any of it, and no obligation at the end.

There is no need to have decided anything before getting in touch, and most people haven't.

If you're still working out the month, the travel guide covers the year in one place and explains what each season does to the wildlife, the weather and the price. If you're still working out the length, the article on how many days you need sets out what four, six and nine days each actually buy.

If you would rather ask a question than fill in a form, WhatsApp is the quickest route and there's no expectation that it leads anywhere.