Cost of a trip to Africa on a budget

Actually it can be really cheap (depending on what you consider cheap I guess). I spent six weeks in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, spent under $2000. I could have spent less, I didnt stay in the cheapest possible places and I had quite a few meals in restaurants and beers with fellow travelers. This included all transportantion and my safari.

As far as the safari goes I would strongly recommend booking it on the ground when you get to Nairobi. My first day walking around I was bombarded with touts offering different packages. Though some of them can be a little aggressive your best bet is to be patient with them, go to the office and see what they are offering. Make sure you see photos of the accomodation and the transportation if possible. They will start off pretty high but be polite and tell them you are going to shop around a little more and if they have the best price you will come back. This will typically provoke them to give you the real best price. The main thing is to do all this with a smile.

I wound up paying $225 for three days two nights in a very nice lodge just outside the main gate of the Masai Mara reserve, including all food and park fees. It was amazing. I went in October, which is a great time because the rainy season was over and the migration to Tanzania had begun. If you are in the region I would also recommend visiting Lamu, an island off the Kenyan coast and Zanzibar. I also did some great rafting in Jinja, Uganda.

Hope this helps -
Dominick Reply to this

I concur with booking something when you get to Nairobi as it enables you to join a group and save on costs. If you do decide to book in advance, try a Kenyan/Tanzanian based one - those companies based overseas will just charge you more. Save money and go direct to the source!

The time of year you go will impact your costs greatly. July-September/October are peak times and you will pay a lot more than at other times of the year. Park fees in Kenya are now 60USD per 24 hour period (for the major parks) so that will always add to your cost.

There are two other things to factor in when on safari. Firstly the type of vehicle you are in will impact on your experience. I have done both the budget (2008) and luxury (2010) safari experience and the major difference is the type of vehicle - specially designed vehicles and larger off road versions are far more comfortable (and easy) in terms of viewing then smaller ones.

The final thing to consider is to find out how long will you be on safari. Many places will only take you out on safari for a couple of hours at sunrise and sunset, whereas others will take you on full day and/or night drives. Thus a more expensive safari may actually be cheaper on an hourly basis. So someone charging $200 for four hours of safari per day isn't as good a value of someone charging $300 per day for eight hours of game driving.

I would second Lamu, I spent six nights there recently and it was incredibly relaxing. The maze-like Old Lamu City is a World Heritage site and is an interesting place to wander aimlessly. Shela Beach is a nice walk/boat ride and it is well known for its sandy beaches and more upmarket lodgings. Reply to this