Why going on safari isn't cheap...

The entrance fees for the game and national parks in East Africa are high.

For example, for the Serengeti you pay in 2022 now $83 per person per day and for the Ngorongoro Crater you pay $295 per car, in addition to a park fee of $71 per person. About the same prices apply to the parks in Kenya, Uganda and Malawi, although they are slightly cheaper here. Since you usually visit several parks and stay there for a few days, the costs quickly add up. Sometimes you even do 2 parks a day or drive from one area through another.

The park fees are high, but they are used to protect nature.

In any case, this income contributes to the survival of the parks. These are, for example, the park fees for Tanzania. In our opinion, this cost item is the 1st reason why East Africa is sometimes expensive.

The wildlife parks in Africa are wildernesses, hours away from civilization.

The accommodations where you stay are often located in the middle of that wilderness. That means there is nothing to get locally and everything has to be sourced from the nearest city. Also all food and fresh products.

The remote location and lack of amenities.

Water and electricity are difficult to obtain and therefore very expensive. A wilderness location also requires a lot of maintenance.

But let's be honest, it's great to spend the night in the middle of a wildlife park and hear the lions sneaking around your luxury tent at night.

Meals are always included.

You do not have to pay these separately, which considerably reduces your costs on the spot. In the safari parks you often get well-prepared packed lunches, so you can have lunch whenever you want.

A trip in East Africa may therefore be expensive to book, but you will save a lot of costs during the trip.

A private trip with your own  fully equipped 4WD is expensive but has many advantages.

You can stop where you want and for as long as you want. You can organize your day together with your driver as you wish.

Where you might want to watch a herd of elephants taking a mud bath. for an hour at your leisure.

It's more adventurous: you sometimes drive for hours on roads where no one else is.

Extra exciting when you encounter a group of lions. A private trip contributes to a unique experience of your trip.

It is not just the vehicle itself that is expensive.

The game reserves of East Africa are wildernesses and the distances are very large. Moreover, the roads are downright bad and you don't have to count on paved roads here in the parks. In some parts of Africa (without naming names) where the road is asphalted for the comfort of the tourists but where when it starts to rain the lions lie in wait to graze giraffes if they slip, you will not see here.
In the Serengeti you sometimes drive for hours on 'washboard' roads, an attack on the car.

After every safari trip, the car is serviced.

Even though the car has been outfitted for tens of thousands of dollars for this job, so it's back in top condition for the next trip.

That makes a safari trip here expensive, but such a car is necessary to make a safe trip.

Your own driver at your disposal throughout the journey.

Your driver is also much more than just a driver. He is also a safari guide and has a lot of knowledge about wildlife.

He knows exactly where to find which animals and that makes a good driver worth gold.

Without his knowledge you see much less.

The drivers are also in contact with each other and inform each other if something special happens somewhere in the park.

This increases the chance that you will be there when a leopard entrenches itself in a tree with its kill.

Another major reason why African safaris are expensive.

A dream of many travelers ...

Going on safari in the famous game parks of East Africa. A wonderful experience, but it could be a bit of a shock when you saw the prices for a safari in Tanzania. So now you know a little bit why a safari is relatively expensive.