Most of our guests tend to deploy 8 to 14 nights in Africa, of which anything from 3 to 9 nights are spent actually on safari in Botswana. Combining with other locations like tropical beaches, rural areas, Victoria Falls and Cape Town can add variety into a trip and help to keep a lid on costs.

8 to 14 nights

Longer trips of 15 to 21 nights tend to include 6 to 12 nights on safari, usually split across two to five different areas, sometimes in two or more countries. Longer explorations of non-safari areas such as the Western Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) also become possible and are incredibly good value.

15 to 21 nights

We absolutely love putting together trips of 22 to 50 nights, or even longer. Sometimes we are lucky enough to work with guests who are taking a sabbatical from work or who are retired and just love to travel. In these trips, the possibilities become almost infinite and can include a half dozen or more countries.

22 to 50 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 April to May is the early dry season, which marks a transition from the preceding summer green season and the subsequent winter dry season. Safari conditions steadily improve as the weeks pass, with wildlife returning to the permanent water sources. 

Apr-May 

The June to October period covers the main cool dry season, the most popular time for visiting Namibia. The wildlife is clustered around the waterholes and very visible. Visitor traffic is highest July to September and temperatures start to climb into October. 

Jun-Oct 

This  period has a transition from the preceding winter dry season and the subsequent summer green season, with safari conditions likely deteriorating, with increasing chances of rain and wildlife dispersion in central and eastern areas. 

Nov-Dec 

The January to March hot green season is the time of year when Namibia usually experiences the bulk of its rainfall and is likely to deliver the weakest wildlife viewing. However, the east of the country remains unaffected and can be great, with very low visitor numbers.

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!"

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.

Guest accommodation is in around twenty lodges of various levels, offering a good range of activities including desert explorations, quad-biking, ballooning and scenic flights.

Almost all first time visits to Namibia include the Sossusvlei area, this is one of those places that are so well known that they simply demand to be ticked off the list. This naturally means the area can get rather busy during peak seasons, but it’s still fun.

Lodges USD 200-2500 pppn 

Etosha

Etosha National Park is the best known and richest wildlife area in Namibia, renowned for intense animal scenes around its many waterholes. However, it is undoubtedly the most disappointing of Africa’s most famous reserves.

Unfortunately the national park itself is primarily set up for self-drivers and the core areas get seriously and unpleasantly busy. This traffic is serviced by three enormous government restcamps, plus a range of larger lodges outside the main gates.

Etosha tends to feature in most self-drive trips, since it is so centrally located on northern routes. High quality flying trips are usually best advised to avoid Etosha completely.

Lodges USD 100-2750 pppn 

Damaraland North 

Set 230km north of Nairobi, Samburu is an arid and particularly atmospheric safari area, set alongside a magical perennial river that brings life to the desert year round. It is a magical place and home to some very interesting animals, including gerenuks, Grevy’s zebras and reticulated giraffes.

Guest accommodation is in around twenty lodges. Those inside the park tend to be large and commercial, whilst the better quality options are situated in large private conservancies round about, from where you can raid into the main reserve during the quiet hours around lunchtime.

Samburu is easily reached by air from Nairobi and there are usually direct connections to the Maasai Mara, making this a popular triangle. It is also a great starting point for the wilds further north notably in the Mathew’s Range.

Lodges USD 400-2500 pppn 

The desert scenery and wildlife in Namibia is iconic and diverse. Along the coast lies the vast orange dunefield of the Namib Desert. Further north is the devastatingly bleak Skeleton Coast. Inland the ephemeral rivers are home to diverse desert adapted wildlife.

Amazing deserts 

Thanks to the viability of self-drive trips, Namibia is by far the lowest cost safari country in Africa. If you are independent and looking for value, this is the place. On the other hand, if you want to fly around the luxury lodges, it can also compete with Botswana for price.

Very low cost

The dominant mode of safari in Namibia is self-drive. This is the best country in Africa for this kind of adventure, with wonderfully diverse trips of two to three weeks. You may not be able to access the truly wild areas, but there is no shortage of excitement on this kind of trip.

Self-drive 

In some of the most remote areas, in contrast to the stark terrain, there is a small collection of exceptional high-quality lodges, providing an awesome range of desert experiences. Truly amazing and conveniently connected by light aircraft, but painfully pricey.

Remote lodges

Cape Town, the Whale Coast and the Cape Winelands are glorious areas, whose verdant landscapes provide the perfect contrast to the arid deserts  of Namibia.

The Cape 

If you are planning a long self-drive, then heading up the Caprivi Strip to end at the Victoria Falls can be a lot of fun. Flying connections are more complicated.

Victoria Falls 

People often want to combine the deserts of Namibia with the lush wetlands of Okavango. However, three nights here usually cost more than a two week self-drive in Namibia.

Okavango Delta 

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.

Guest accommodation is in around twenty lodges of various levels, offering a good range of activities including desert explorations, quad-biking, ballooning and scenic flights.

Almost all first time visits to Namibia include the Sossusvlei area, this is one of those places that are so well known that they simply demand to be ticked off the list. This naturally means the area can get rather busy during peak seasons, but it’s still fun. 

Lodges USD 200-2500 pppn 

Etosha

Etosha National Park is the best known and richest wildlife area in Namibia, renowned for intense animal scenes around its many waterholes. However, it is undoubtedly the most disappointing of Africa’s most famous reserves.

Unfortunately the national park itself is primarily set up for self-drivers and the core areas get seriously and unpleasantly busy. This traffic is serviced by three enormous government restcamps, plus a range of larger lodges outside the main gates.

Etosha tends to feature in most self-drive trips, since it is so centrally located on northern routes. High quality flying trips are usually best advised to avoid Etosha completely.

Lodges USD 100-2750 pppn 

Damaraland North 

Set in the northwest of Namibia, Damaraland North is a fabulous area of awesome desert scenery, which is unusually strong for desert wildlife, including elephants, rhinos, giraffes, oryx, kudus and lions.

If you could only visit one part of Namibia, this would have to be the one. We happily spend weeks up here in our spare time.

The area is served by around a dozen lodges, which range from simple roadside guesthouses, all the way up to exclusive camps in very remote positions.

The main downside is that the best parts of Damaraland North are fundamentally expensive to access.

Lodges USD 200-3500 pppn 

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, with highlights including vast seal colonies, desert lions, elephants and giraffes, abandoned diamond mines, remote desert oases and treacherous quicksand.

Although there is one fly-in lodge, by far the best way to explore this amazing area is by means of a serious overland expedition. These are arguably the most adventurous and rewarding trips that we offer. Life-changing is a much over-used expression, but this is the very definition of it.

The only real downside is that you do need too be a little bit hardy to enjoy one of these expeditions, and you also need to have enough spare time and cash to make it happen. If you can gather together four or more people, the prices are surprisingly reasonable.

Lodges USD 600-2000 pppn

Twyfelfontein

Set in the west of Namibia, Twyfelfontein is a very popular stop on the main self-drive route between Swakopmund and Etosha, yet its dispersed nature means that it rarely feels busy.

This is the best known and most frequently visited location in the country for desert elephants and rock-art, plus some superb hiking and geology.

Guest accommodation is in around half a dozen lodges, the best of which are in remote private concessions, which enables them to offer lovely relaxed activities away from other visitors.

We often like to include three nights in Twyfelfontein, especially for guests who are up for some hiking adventures in this epic desert terrain.

Lodges USD 400-2250 pppn 

Mudumu

Set in the extreme northeast of Namibia, in the heel of the Caprivi Strip, Mudumu and Mamili are two small wildlife reserves which are able to offer Botswana style safari.

A couple of the lodges here are almost in sight of camps in the premium Linyanti Waterfront across the border with Botswana, yet they are less than a quarter of the price fo some, making this a very smart way to experience this fabulous area.

If you have three or more weeks to drive around Namibia, then ending your trip by driving up to Victoria Falls will enable you to include Mudumu, probably for a three night stop, injecting some serious wildlife safari into what is otherwise largely a desert experience.

Lodges USD 600-900 pppn