Visits of only 5-9 nights tend to be too short for self-drive trips. It is possible to combine two or even three remote locations by light aircraft, to make fabulous trips, but these are fundamentally more expensive, and would rarely include a lower quality area like Etosha.

5-9 nights 

This is the most popular duration for self-drive trips, allowing plenty of time to get around the main locations. Etosha is likely to feature in such trips, since it fits into the natural routing, usually for 2-3 nights. A few high-end flying safaris may stretch to this length.

10-14 nights

The incredibly good value of self-drive trips means that they can often extend to unusually long durations, with more ambitious routes potentially heading all the way up the Caprivi Strip to end at Victoria Falls. Again, Etosha would usually fit into these trips for 2-3 nights.

15-24 nights

Tanzania

Set on the East Coast of Africa, Tanzania is a truly remarkable place, the richest and most diverse safari country, with far more than its fair share of Africa’s crown jewels, including Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar.

This is the place to head if you are looking for a truly diverse African experience, usually an overland journey, with equal parts of epic wildlife, majestic volcanic scenery, authentic tribespeople, farms, villages and towns.

It’s also top of the list if you want to combine safari and tropical beaches.

In all honesty, Tanzania alone is worth several trips.

Trips from USD 4500

Kenya

Also on the East Coast of Africa, Kenya is the second most visited safari country on the continent, a place of great diversity, with popular reserves including the Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Tsavo and Samburu, as well as some much more remote wilderness areas and an extensive tropical coastline.

Unfortunately, the better known reserves in Kenya can get very busy in core areas, so we need to tread carefully to deliver a quality safari.

If you are looking towards the upper end of the budget range, then trips can be remote and fabulous. But if you are looking for value, you may be better off looking at Tanzania or countries further south. 

Trips from USD 5000

Botswana

Moving to the south of the continent, Botswana is widely considered to offer the highest quality safari in Africa.

The experience is not as diverse as Tanzania, but the remoteness and purity of the bush experience is unsurpassed.

If you are looking for either an easy vacation or a deeply immersive wilderness experience, this is the place. We just need to be careful about the very high prices during the Jun-Oct dry season.

Botswana is great in combination with Victoria Falls, the Cape or the tropical beaches of Mozambique.

Trips from USD 6000

Our safari experts have incredible 
first-hand knowledge and an average
of 12 years experience building great 
trips.

Expertise and experience

Since 1999, we have created over a million sample  trips and helped over 120,000 guests fall in love with  safari Africa.

A proud history

Over the years we have polished our operation to be super-reliable. Arranging your trip should be almost as much fun  as going on safari. 

Seamless and fun

Your trip should cost no more than if 
you had booked all the components directly. You effectively get our services for free.

Delivering value

Every single trip that we build is unique. Your trip will be precisely tailored to meet the exact requirements of everyone in your group.

Supremely tailor-made

The first safari company on the internet, we helped to shape the modern safari and we continue to be the prime innovators in our field.

Original innovators

Tell us your whatever you know about your ideal trip. Whether you're drawn to specific wildlife, particular regions, or have preferences about the style of accommodation, the more we understand, the better we can help you to craft the perfect experience.

Share your ideas

South Africa

South Africa is by far the most popular location for safari. It is a vast and incredibly diverse country, with far more highlights than could ever be included in a single trip.

The primary trip shape is a combination of safari in Kruger, with time in Cape Town, the Whale Coast and the Cape Winelands.

There is a huge choice of safari accommodation, right across the price spectrum, including some of the best lower cost options in Africa, so this is often the place to head on a lower budget.

However, South Africa is a much more developed country than those further north and the safari experience can feel significantly less pure and wild.

Trips from USD 3500

Zimbabwe

Also in the southern part of Africa, Zimbabwe is best known for the Victoria Falls, but also offers some of the most earthy, authentic, heart-pumping safari on the continent.

If you are looking for a short safari of 3-5 nights, then Hwange has some great value options.

Otherwise, Zimbabwe is a relatively high-priced location, which appeals most to experienced Africa travellers, who appreciate the extremely high levels of safari guiding.

The walking safari here can be truly extraordinary, with deliberate approaches onto elephants and lions. 

Trips from USD 4500

Zambia

Set in southcentral Africa, Zambia is a delightful backwater, also best known for the Victoria Falls, but with a handful of superb safari reserves.

The camps here have a reputation for intimacy, authenticity and a pleasantly homespun feel, many with a marked leaning towards walking safari, which is always a good sign.

Zambia is a mid-to-high price safari environment, which tends to appeal most to experienced safari travellers in search of new frontiers and first timers who are specifically looking for somewhere unusual for their safari. 

Trips from USD 5000

The Apr–May early dry season is a transitional period, with warm sunny days and wildlife beginning to concentrate near permanent waterholes. The roads are generally good, wildlife sightings improve as May progresses, and visitor numbers are moderate.

Apr-May 

The Jun–Oct winter dry season is the classic time to visit Etosha. Waterholes attract large concentrations of elephants, predators, and plains game, making wildlife viewing spectacular. Days are warm, nights cool, and safari conditions are excellent, though central areas can be very busy.

Jun-Oct 

The Nov–Dec late dry season marks the approach of the rains. Wildlife remains relatively concentrated, but animals begin dispersing toward greener areas. Days are hot, nights warm, and conditions remain good until mid-December, after which rains may start to soften roads and disperse wildlife.

Nov-Dec 

The Jan–Mar summer green season is Etosha’s main rainy season. Wildlife disperses widely, sightings can be unpredictable, and some areas may be less accessible. Days remain warm, landscapes are lush, and visitor numbers are low, making it a quieter, more intimate safari experience.

Jan-Mar 

Your dedicated safari specialist will work with you to build a selection of sample trips. We'll discuss seasonality, wildlife movements, logistics, lodge options, activity levels, whatever is necessary. And we will keep on refining until we are all confident that we have reached the perfect trip.

Crafting your trip

Everything is arranged. All you need to do is turn up. You probably won’t even need to show your paperwork, you will simply glide from one group of friendly and efficient local hosts to the next. And our support team remains on hand throughout, leaving you free to focus entirely on the extraordinary experiences ahead.

Travel with confidence

Many of us here at ATR have travelled extensively with our own kids, so we know for a fact that safari is great for families.

This is the kind of trip that guarantees to generate memories that you will share for the rest of your lives.

However, there are significant health issues to consider in most safari areas, so we need to proceed with caution.

Most dry season safari is ideal for kids of 12 years and older, eminently feasible for kids 8-11 years and potentially viable from 6-7 years old. If your kids are 0-5 years, then it’s probably best to stick to the non-malarial areas of the Cape, then progressing up into Namibia as they get older.

Family safari 

Safari is an inherently romantic experience that can be endlessly tailored to suit you.

We have been helping guests to build awesome honeymoons for many years. We have intimate knowledge of some of the wildest and most romantic places in the world.

Perhaps the most important piece of advice is to be yourselves. Please don’t feel it is necessary to fit into the usual romantic tropes if they’re not for you. Just focus on having a great trip.

We very much understand the importance of these trips, we know that your honeymoon needs to really hit the heights and be a truly life-punctuating experience.

Honeymoon safari 

On safari, luxury means different things to different people.

The most conventional meaning is that the accommodations are extremely comfortable, with elevated levels of hospitality. This is relatively easy to deliver, there are lots of luxury lodges.

However, simply inserting more luxurious lodges into your trip is no guarantee of a better safari. In fact, the opposite can be true.

For us, the hallmarks of a truly high quality safari are a suitably slow pace, wonderful remote locations, superb safari guiding, exclusive and intense wildlife interaction, precisely tailored experiences and considered attention to detail. We can do that.

Luxury safari 

The cost of safari in Namibia depends very much on your mode of travel.

Self-drive trips tend to fall in the range USD 150 to 500 per person per night, depending mainly on the lodges that you choose.

Flying safaris are fundamentally and unavoidably more expensive, at USD 600 to 2500 per person per night, depending on your group size and lodge selection.

Private-guided overland expeditions fall somewhere in the middle, at USD 400 to 1500 per person per night, depending mainly on your group size.

We are more than happy to work across this range of prices. The only important thing is that we help you find the very best safari to suit your budget.

If you have a higher budget, we will help you determine which lodges do actually deliver elevated levels of service and experience. We will also highlight other subtle ways in which your trip can be raised to another level, including the use of whole camp bookings, private guides and vehicles etc.

If you have a lower budget, then we can help you build superb self-drive safaris, still including great lodges and getting off the beaten track.

"We just returned from a weeks safari organized  organized   organized by ATR and have nothing but positive reviews!"

The sheer density of wildlife around the waterholes in Etosha during the May-Nov dry season is unmatched in Africa. The resultant imagery ensures that almost all visitors to Namibia choose to include the area in their trip, despite the downsides.

Intense wildlife

One particularly impressive sighting in Etosha are the huge herds of elephants. Around certain waterholes, these animals are eerily painted white by the saline deposits, which certainly renders them with a mysterious ghost-like quality.

White elephants

Unlike most reserves in Africa, Etosha is primarily geared up for self-drivers. It could not be easier, with the main highway going right up to the gate, whilst finding the animals is simply a case of driving around the various waterholes. Shame about the traffic though.

Self-drive 

Almost all lodges in Etosha are located outside the south and east gates, from where the reserve can be raided. The best lodges are set in large private reserves, adjacent to the national park, where, in some cases, safaris are delivered with greater quality and elegance.

Diverse lodges

Sossusvlei

Set in the southwest of Namibia, Sossusvlei is home to the enormous and iconic orange dunes of the Namib Desert, a truly remarkable combination of desert landscapes.

Twyfelfontein 

Set in the west of Namibia, Twyfelfontein is the best known and most frequently visited area in the country for desert elephants and rock-art, plus some superb hiking and geology.

Swakopmund

Swakopmund is the main town on the Namibia Coast, a bizarre Germanic outpost, atmospheric and strangely appealing, with a wide range of marine and active experiences.

Damaraland North

Set in the northwest of Namibia, Damaraland North is a fabulous area of awesome desert scenery, unusually strong wildlife and superb remote lodges. The best, but pricey.

Skeleton Coast North

Set in the extreme northwest of Namibia, Skeleton Coast North is one of the most incredible and remote wilderness areas in Africa. Utterly incredible, but by guided expedition only.

Mudumu

Set in the extreme northeast of Namibia, Mudumu and Mamili are two small wildlife reserves which are able to offer Botswana style safari at a fraction of the price.