Affordable is a relative term when it comes to African safaris but here are 10 – across Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Kenya – that offer great game-viewing without the super-high price tag.
With park fees,
transport and accommodation, Maasai Mara safaris can
quickly add up to US $300 a day. Many of the budget
options are very rough and ready, but this safari
sacrifices some comfort – getting there means up to
five hours on the road from Nairobi in a
safari-style van as opposed to a 40-minute flight –
but you still get nearly two full days in the
reserve and the chance to observe wildlife including
lions, elephants, cheetah, wildebeest, antelope and
many other species. During the great migration
(expected between July and October this year)
wildebeest herds cross from the Serengeti into the
Mara and make several high-risk river crossings. The
simple camp with platform tents is near one of the
gates to the Mara, the food – such as sausage and
beans – is no-nonsense but included in the price and
plentiful, and Kenya's famous Tusker beer can be
purchased separately. Add on a night's stay at a
guesthouse in Nakuru town and a game drive in the
beautiful Lake Nakuru national park, famous for its
flamingos but where many other animals can be seen,
for an extra $130.
• +254 733 764 667, bigtimesafaris.co.ke.
$330pp, including transport by road from Nairobi,
two nights full-board accommodation (Miti Mingi
eco-camp), park fees for two days and four game
drives
Track gorillas in Uganda
Normally it's
painfully expensive to go on a gorilla safari due to
the high cost of permits (usually $600) but during
the low season (April-May and November), the Ugandan
Wildlife Authority discounts the price and a local
tour company has capitalised on this to offer a
three-day gorilla tracking safari with a permit for
a third of the usual price. Guests stay at a lodge –
owned and recently renovated by Matoke Tours –
overlooking the spectacular Lake Mutanda and the
volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains, where they enjoy
good quality food and en suite accommodation. With
the safari including two travel days, travellers
will track through the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
until the mountain gorillas are located, after which
the group will spend one hour with the gorillas.
• +256
312 202 907, matoketours.com.
Tours cost $895pp during April, May and November,
including transport by road from Kampala, two nights
accommodation, full board while at the lodge, a day
of gorilla tracking and gorilla permit; minimum
group of four but the company will match you with
other travellers
Ten-day camping adventure in Kenya's dramatic north
Get off the beaten
track with this 10-day camping safari that takes in
a wide range of Kenya's impressive wildlife and
breathtaking landscapes, including Africa's second
highest mountain (Mount Kenya) and the world's
largest desert lake (Turkana). After travelling
overland to the Ol Pejeta conservancy in the
foothills of Mount Kenya, the safari stops at the
semi-arid Samburu national reserve, which plays host
to all three big cats – lion, leopard and cheetah
–as well as elephants, buffalo and hippos. Crossing
volcanic terrain and the baked earth of the Chalbi
desert, travellers spend two nights at Lake Turkana
– a world heritage site that featured memorably in
the film The
Constant Gardener. Heading south once more, an
afternoon camel safari in the foothills of Mount
Nyiro is followed by a stop at Lake Baringo,
renowned for its birdlife, as well as hippos and
crocodiles. Accommodation is basic, in dome tents,
and much of the driving is off-tarmac: which means
it's not for the faint-hearted, but this safari
takes in some of Kenya's most unforgettable regions.
• +254 731 309 513, gametrackersafaris.com.
$1,315pp, including all park fees, transport from
Nairobi with driver-guide, camping equipment (dome
tents and foam mattresses), all food (prepared by a
cook travelling with the group) and selected
activities
Explore the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
A safari in the
Serengeti is a bucket-list aspiration for many,
which means that most tour packages to this game
park push the definition of "affordable".
Nevertheless, the expansive savannahs and woodlands
here are home to incredible wildlife spectacles,
especially during the famous wildebeest migration,
when up to two million animals are on the move (it
is expected to take place from July onwards this
year). All of the "big five" are here, acting out
their impulses with National Geographic-style
theatricality, as safari van passengers stare agog.
This four-day camping safari includes multiple game
drives and a visit to Ngorongoro crater, the
three-million-year-old extinct volcano that herds of
tourists descend into to see herds of wildlife on
the crater floor.
• +255 7540 37897, amaniafrika.com.
$1,217pp, including transport from Arusha (reachable
by five-hour tourist shuttle from Nairobi), three
nights full-board accommodation (Pimbi and Simba
campsites), camping gear including sleeping bags,
mattresses and a tent that will be pitched for you,
game drives and park fees
Track chimpanzees in Rwanda
The mountain gorillas
in the Virungas range get all the attention but
Rwanda is home to numerous rare primates, most of
which can be found in the staggeringly beautiful
Nyungwe Forest national park in the south-west of
the country. The forest is best known for its large
troops of chimpanzees but is also prime swinging
grounds for L'Hoest's monkeys, Angola colobus,
vervet monkeys, and a range of others, along with
around 300 bird species. Best of all, the cost for
this whole package, which includes a day of tracking
chimpanzees through the mountains, a nature walk,
and two nights in a comfortable forest lodge with
full board, still costs less than a single ($750)
gorilla tracking permit up north.
• +256 392 834 606, rwandagorillassafari.com.
From $700pp, including transport from Kigali, two
nights full-board accommodation, park and chimpanzee
tracking fees for two days
A city safari and luxurious tented camp, Nairobi, Kenya
Many travellers pass
through east Africa's bustling regional hub en route
to other destinations but Nairobi national park –
just a short drive from the airport – offers
wildlife enthusiasts short on time a fast-track
safari experience. Thanks to the Nairobi
Tented Camp, which opened in 2011, visitors can
now sleep in the park – and tucked into a tree-lined
valley, it's hard to imagine that the capital's
traffic jams lie only a few miles away. The camp
replicates a luxury camp deep in the bush, with
spacious en suite accommodation in safari tents and
evening campfires. The park's small area means that
wildlife sightings are almost guaranteed: visitors
might see zebras, giraffes, lions and leopard on a
game drive. It is also an acclaimed rhino sanctuary,
home to both black and white rhino. While full-board
accommodation is not the cheapest on our list, a
two-night excursion into the park can be affordable
way to see impressive wildlife if you only can spare
time for a short stay in the region or want a brief
taste of luxury.
• +254 774 136 523, nairobitentedcamp.com.
$630pp, including two nights full-board
accommodation (sharing in a twin or double tent),
two days mandatory park fees, airport transfers, two
game drives, sundowner and free beer, wine, and gin
and tonic
Track wolves in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains
The rusty-hued
Ethiopian wolf is the world's rarest canid, and more
than half of the remaining population of this
critically endangered carnivore lives in the rugged,
otherworldly landscape of Ethiopia's Bale Mountains,
a prime trekking destination in the south-east of
the country. Visitors hike through the stark
Afro-alpine moorland of the Sanetti plateau, home to
mountain nyala and spotted hyenas as well as wolves,
and explore the Harenna cloud forest, where lions
and leopards are occasionally seen. As you'll be
getting out of the Landcruiser to track on foot on
this three-day tour, it's best to avoid the rainy
season and go between November and February or from
May to July. The drive from Addis Ababa stops at the
bird and hippo watching spot, Lake Ziway, before
proceeding for lunch in Shashemene, a vibrant market
town that is the Rasta capital of Ethiopia.
• +251 9131 70579, fanosethiopiatours.com.
$865pp, including transport from Addis Ababa, two
nights B&B at the Wabe Shebelle Hotel, park and
guiding fees
Murchison Falls wildlife, rhino tracking and Nile boat cruises, Uganda
Operating out of the
Red Chilli Hideaway – a popular backpacker stop-off
in Kampala – this safari heads to Murchison Falls
national park, the country's largest. After a picnic
overlooking the falls and a night in basic camp on
the banks of the Upper Nile, the safari then takes
in a morning game drive in the park's Nile delta at
Lake Albert – where you might see lion, leopard,
giraffe and elephant – followed by a boat trip on
the river. The camp is simple and facilities are
communal but it is one of the few budget
alternatives to Murchison's luxury getaways. After a
second night at the camp, the safari moves on to the
Ziwa Rhino sanctuary, where guests learn to track
rhinos with one of the rangers. Meals are excluded
on this trip but can be purchased at the camp, which
also has a fully stocked bar.
• +256
772 509 150, redchillihideaway.com.
$380pp, including all park fees and activities, two
nights accommodation in shared safari tents, and
transport to and from Kampala. Subject to
availability, Red Chilli Hideaway will offer one
night's free camping or dormitory accommodation in
Kampala prior to departure
From the forests to the shore in Zanzibar, Tanzania
Doors in the island
capital of Stone Town still boast brass studs for
repelling war elephants – by merchants who sought to
protect themselves from "combat" elephants that were
historically deployed in India and Persia – but
large mammals no longer dwell on the Spice Islands.
What the archipelago does have, however, is
astonishing marine life, with dolphins and
technicolour sea creatures galore. There's also a
healthy population of endangered red colobus monkeys
and giant Aldabra tortoises. This highly affordable
four-day tour package zips between land and sea,
with snorkelling trips to the magnificent coral
reefs of uninhabited Chumbe Island and walks through
two forest reserves, one primate-laden and the other
home to rare antelopes. There's also a trip to
Prison Island, where land tortoises creep along the
beach, and a stop to watch bottlenose and humpback
dolphins frolicking in the waves.
• +255
242 233 731, ecoculture-zanzibar.org.
$485pp, including all transfers within Zanzibar,
three nights B&B at Tembo House Hotel or Mtoni
Marine, and all tour and park fees
If the idea of a roving herd of nearly 100 elephants appeals to you, then Amboseli national park in southern Kenya is the game park for you. The photo-ready peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, just across the border in Tanzania, looms over this small and manageable Rift valley park, where the roads are reasonable and the herbivore viewing is dramatic. In addition to the impressive – and highly visible – packs of elephants, Cape buffalo, hippos, and giraffes can also be seen in abundance, although the big cats are less common. This three-day package includes van transport from Nairobi (it's about a four-hour drive each way), and full-board accommodation in a nice tented camp with a pool, just outside the Kimana Gate, where many animals congregate during the dry season.
• +254 726 042 070, flashmctours.com.