Private Tanzania Safaris

The vehicle and guide are costed as a whole, so the price per person falls as your group grows — a private trip is effectively priced per vehicle, not per seat. For a couple it is a premium over joining a group, reflecting the exclusivity and flexibility you gain. For a family or a group of friends, however, it is often very close to a shared departure, with far more freedom and privacy for roughly the same money. Four travellers tend to hit the sweet spot, where private travel costs little more than a scheduled trip. Tell us your group size and travel dates and we will show you an honest comparison, so you can decide with the full picture in front of you.

We match the guide to the trip — families, photographers, birders and first-timers often suit different people, and the right pairing makes a real difference to the experience. Tell us your interests, the ages in your group and how you like to travel, and we will select a guide accordingly. Where possible we will confirm the guide in advance, so you know who will be looking after you before you arrive. Many of our guests stay in touch with their guide long after the trip, which says a lot about the relationships built on the road. If you have travelled with us before and would like the same guide again, just let us know and we will do our best to arrange it.

Our 4x4s seat up to six or seven guests comfortably, each with a window seat or clear access to the pop-up roof, so everyone gets an unobstructed view. For photography and long game drives we often suggest a maximum of four to five, since extra space lets you move around and keep gear within reach. For larger groups we run two vehicles that travel together, with guides in radio contact so nobody misses a sighting, and we can split into different interests during the day and reunite for meals. Child seats can be arranged on request. Tell us how many are travelling and we will recommend the vehicle setup that keeps everyone comfortable.

Largely, yes. Your guide can adjust routes, timings and stops to suit the wildlife and the weather, and these small changes happen all the time — a longer stay at a sighting, an earlier start, a detour to a waterhole. Bigger changes, such as adding a park or an extra night, need a little advance planning so that park fees, permits and accommodation can be arranged, and they may not always be possible in peak season when camps are full. If you think you might want to extend part of the trip, mention it early and we can often build in flexibility from the start. The aim is a trip that bends to the moment wherever it can.

Yes. Private safaris have no fixed departures, so you can begin on whatever day suits your flights and your plans, rather than fitting around a set schedule. This is one of the great advantages of travelling privately — you are not waiting for a group to fill or restricted to specific start dates. The only caveat is accommodation availability in the peak season, when the best camps can book out months in advance, so the earlier you can confirm, the more choice you will have. Outside those busy windows, short-notice trips are often perfectly possible. Tell us your preferred dates and we will check availability and build an itinerary to match.

It is the best option for families. Your own vehicle means car seats, snack stops, nap times and toilet breaks are all easy, and the schedule can be shortened whenever the children need a rest. There is no group to keep waiting, so a meltdown or an early finish is never a problem, and you can return to camp for a swim or an afternoon in the shade. Guides experienced with children are skilled at keeping them engaged with tracks, birds and animal behaviour, turning game drives into an adventure. We can also choose family-friendly camps with pools, interconnecting rooms and flexible meal times. Tell us the ages involved and we will build the days around them.

Absolutely. Many private trips attach a Kilimanjaro trek, a few days on Zanzibar, or both, turning a safari into a longer journey with real contrast. You might climb Kilimanjaro first, then recover on safari, or finish with barefoot days on the coast; either order works well. We arrange the internal flights, transfers, permits and accommodation so the whole journey runs as one seamless trip, with no loose ends for you to manage. A trek needs to be booked with more lead time than a safari, and the mountain has its own seasonal considerations, so it is worth raising early. Just tell us what you have in mind and we will fit the pieces together.