If you are planning to visit Tanzania for safari only, then your trip could be as short as 7-11 nights. It is quite usual to deploy the whole of this time in the Serengeti region, mostly focused on Serengeti itself, usually supplemented with nights in Ngorongoro and optionally Tarangire.

7-11 nights 

Most of our guests tend to spend 12 to 18 nights in Tanzania, which is enough time to combine a good length safari in the Serengeti region with either further safari in the south (Ruaha, Selous) or west (Katavi, Mahale), or to head down to the tropical beaches of Zanzibar.

12-18 nights 

We love putting together trips of three or more weeks. 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 cover several  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

This period represents the peak dry season, the most popular time to visit Serengeti. The wildlife will be clustered around the few permanent sources of water and very visible, whilst the migration herds will be in the north, with dramatic river crossings. But careful traffic avoidance is essential. 

Jun-Oct 

The Nov-Jan period is the late dry season, a good time for safari, but with very unpredictable wildlife movements. We then move into the Dec-Mar green season migration calving season on the southern plains, one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on the planet. 

Nov-Mar 

The month of April is the peak of the main rainy season. However, even the wettest weeks feature a good deal of sunshine and temperatures are comfortable. Wildlife remains unusually visible and the extremely low visitor numbers make this a favorite month for us personally.

April

The May-Jun period represents the early dry season, with the rains quickly subsiding and lots of sunshine and comfortable temperatures. The migration is moving north in huge columns and in rut. Visitor numbers are growing, but May in particular feels like a secret season.

May-Jun 

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 

Safari in the Serengeti ranges from surprisingly good value to rather pricey, very much in line with the prices for safari across Tanzania. You can expect to spend USD 450 to 3500 per person per night , depending on how many people you are and the level of accommodation you choose.

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.

The two dominant price factors are the length of time that you spend on safari and the specific lodges that you choose to include in your trip. Deploying more time in town, rural and beach locations can bring the total cost down dramatically.

If you have a higher budget, we will help you determine which camps 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, explorations of remote areas etc.

If you have a medium budget, the best ways to keep a lid on costs are to travel out of the Jul-Oct dry season and to carefully choose lower-cost lodges.  You can also reduce the number of core safari nights and deploy time in more cost-effective beach, town and rural locations. We will help you understand where to trim and where to splash in order to achieve the best overall experience.

If you have a lower budget, then we can always look at other fundamentally less pricey safari areas, notably in South Africa.

"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 

Nowhere delivers wildlife like Serengeti. The wildebeest and zebra migration is a year-round spectacle with highlights including river crossings Jul-Oct, the calving season Dec-Mar and the rut Apr-May. Plus record densities of lions and cheetahs especially Jun-Oct.

Epic wildlife 

Serengeti is the ultimate safari location in East Africa, the classic blend of broad savannas, characteristic acacia woodlands, montane forests and impressive volcanoes. A journey through this region delivers an ever-changing series of wonders.

Diverse scenery

The tribal Maasai people inhabit the lands surrounding Serengeti. Most live in traditional villages and wear their tribal attire. Relaxed interaction with these wonderful people is a hallmark and a major highlight of a quality safari into this area.

Maasai people

The proximity of Lake Victoria ensures an unusually stable climate in the Serengeti region, negating the oppressive heat of Oct-Nov, warding off storms, leading to comfortable temperatures and lots of sunshine, perfect for tented camps. 

Easy climate

Located between Serengeti and Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Highlands, including the famous crater, is a wonderful sideshow that features in almost all safaris through the area.

Ngorongoro

Located to the south of Serengeti, Tarangire is a large and scenic reserve, best known for prodigious herds of elephants during the Jun-Dec dry season. Quiet in more southerly areas.

Tarangire

Set just north of Tarangire, Lake Manyara is a pretty little park, way too busy on the north end, but fabulously quiet in the little-visited southern section, accessed via the fabulous back road routing.

Manyara

Serengeti

Serengeti is the mother of all safari reserves, a most extraordinary place, best known for its enormous wildebeest and zebra migration, but with prolific wildlife year round.

Guest accommodation is in a fabulous range of over 100 camps and lodges, offering a range of safari and cultural activities.

The migration is a year-round spectacle, with river crossings Jun-Oct and calving season Dec-Mar.

Lodges USD 500-3500 pppn

Ngorongoro Crater

Situated immediately to the south of Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater is a mind-bogglingly amazing place, packed with wildlife year round.

Guest accommodation is in a diverse range of camps and lodges, some on the crater rim itself, mainly providing access to the crater, but with great options for mountain hiking and cultural interaction with the local Maasai people.

We always say that driving through the Ngorongoro Crater is an incredible way to get from A to B, but it should not be a major focus of your trip, there is too much vehicle traffic and too many restrictions for this to be a quality safari area.

Lodges USD 600-2500 pppn

Tarangire

Located 200 km southeast of Serengeti, Tarangire is a solid safari area renowned for great baobab trees and prodigious herds of elephants. It’s a genuine slice of honest Africa, with very low vehicle numbers in its more southerly sectors.

Guest accommodation is in around 20 camps and lodges, offering a good range of safari activities, notably including walking safari and night vehicle safari.

The problem is that the nearby Serengeti and Ngorongoro areas really need 7-10 days to explore properly, meaning that a lot of people have run out of time and money when it comes to considering Tarangire for inclusion.

Lodges USD 400-1800 pppn 

Ruaha

Set 500km inland from Dar es Salaam in the south of Tanzania, Ruaha is the second largest wildlife reserve in the country, an intense and hypnotic place to go on safari.

It's wonderfully remote, receives only around 5% of the visitor traffic into Serengeti and contains just a handful of small and very high quality camps, offering top quality safari guiding.

Ruaha is something of an afterthought for many people, at most an add-on for a few nights. But it is our favourite reserve in East Africa, somewhere that you can easily spend 9-12 nights. The walking safari is some of the best in Africa.

Lodges USD 750-1750 pppn

Selous Nyerere 

Set 200km inland from Dar es Salaam in the south of Tanzania, Selous Nyerere is the only major wildlife reserve on the humid coastal plateau and has a uniquely languid and tropical feel.

The area is home to a good range of wildlife, notably including wild-dogs. It is also the only location in East Africa to offer excellent motorboat safari.

In recent years, the Selous has been hampered by the construction of a major dam and intense animal poaching caused by the demise of hunting safaris, but solutions to both are on the way and the reserve remains a great place to visit, usually as an add-on to Ruaha.

Lodges USD 650-1750 pppn 

Mahale Mountains

Set in the far west of Tanzania, Mahale Mountains is not only an incredibly scenic location on the distant shores of Lake Tanganyika, but it also happens to be the best location in Africa for chimpanzee tracking.

We rate this as the ultimate primate experience, definitely better than gorilla tracking. In fact, we might even rate it the best wildlife interaction in the world. That’s really saying something.

Guest accommodation is in just a couple of very remote and extremely cool camps.

Due to its remoteness, Mahale Mountains is very expensive to visit, but for the lucky few who are able to get here, it is a truly fabulous experience.

Lodges USD 1500-2750 pppn 

Although you may hear stories of overcrowding, the truth is that Serengeti is very big, easily large enough to soak up the flow of visitors. If you prefer solitude, it is always possible to get out on your own, especially in the areas reserved for walking safari.

Empty spaces 

Almost all quality safari in Africa is done by flying between remote lodges. Because Serengeti lies within a cluster of several contiguous reserves, it remains best explored by private-guided overland safari. slightly tougher, but incredibly diverse and rewarding.

Overland safari

Calving season 

During Dec-Mar, when the seasonal rain showers fall on the Short Grass Plains in the south of Serengeti, they bring forth the most nutritious grazing of the year. The herds mass here and go into calf, with the best part of a million young zebras and wildebeest coming into this world over just a few short weeks.

Needless to say, these herds have a prodigious numbers of lions, cheetahs and hyenas in town.

This is undoubtedly one of the most impressive wildlife events on the planet and a real honour to witness.

However, because the calving is centred on a relatively unpopular time of year for travel and because it coincides with the early green season, visitor numbers remain surprisingly low for an event of this stature.

The areas around Ndutu can get horribly busy, but other areas remain remarkably peaceful and it is usually not too difficult to experience this amazing sight out on your own.

Rutting season 

As the heavy rains of April start to abate, the migration herds start to drift northwards, eventually forming into endless columns of animals, youngsters in tow.

Calving season over, the dominant males already have next year’s brood in mind and the rutting season gets underway, running up and down the herds of females, creating a din and preparing to fight off contenders.

In all honesty, this can be just as interesting and impressive as any other season, but visitor numbers are very low in April and not much higher in May.

Although you might hit the tail end of the rains, the dominant climate is warm and sunny, making this a very smart time to visit.

River crossing season 

By the middle of July, the migration herds are reaching the end of their great northward trek and arriving into the rich long grass grassing areas of the Serengeti Mara area. Here they will drift around in relatively unpredictable patterns, for months.

The most famous highlights are the mass river-crossings, where the herds run the gauntlet of the crocodile-infested Mara River, often with grim consequences.

This period happens to coincide with the most popular time for taking vacations in many countries, so these crossing events can get very busy with vehicles. There are smart ways to avoid these crowds, but we need to keep these secrets to ourselves.

The general wildlife viewing at this time is incredible, the migration really is not the main event, not by a distance.

As soon as the zebras detect lightning on the volcanoes to the south, any time Oct-Dec, they start their long trek back south, to start the whole process again.

Set in Uganda, Bwindi Forest is usually the best place to head for amazing gorilla tracking experiences, with light aircraft connections from Serengeti, via Entebbe. But unavoidably pricey.

Bwindi Forest 

Set in the south of Tanzania, Ruaha is an utterly fabulous and much more remote safari location, the two areas being connected by expensive light aircraft flights. Our favourite in East Africa.

Ruaha

If you are looking for tropical beaches, then Zanzibar Island has loads of choice of lodges, whilst the islands of Pemba and Mafia are much less-visited backwaters with a cool Swahili vibe.

Zanzibar