Compare cost, flexibility and comfort to decide whether to share a vehicle or travel on your own.
Both kinds of safari visit the same parks, stay in similar lodges and see the same animals. The real difference is who you share the vehicle with — and who decides the timing. As a guide, I have driven both kinds of trip for fifteen years, and each has its place.
Group safaris
On a group safari you join other travellers on a fixed departure date. A good group safari keeps numbers small — we limit ours to seven guests in a vehicle built for nine — and guarantees everyone a window seat under the pop-up roof.
- Best for: solo travellers, couples on a budget and people who enjoy meeting others from around the world.
- Good to know: the plan for the day suits the whole group, so there is less room for very long waits at one sighting.
- How to book: pick a departure date on the tour page, pay a deposit online and your seat is confirmed straight away.
Private safaris
A private safari gives you your own guide and your own vehicle. You choose the start date, when to leave camp in the morning, where to have lunch and how long to stay with a lion pride or a leopard in a tree.
- Best for: families, photographers, honeymooners, older travellers and anyone with special interests such as birds.
- Good to know: the vehicle cost is shared by your party, so private safaris become better value with four to six people.
- How to book: choose a tour and send us your dates, or build the whole trip in Plan My Trip.
The price difference
For two people, a private safari usually costs 20–40% more than a group departure at the same accommodation level. For a family of four the gap is often small, because four people share the vehicle and guide. Every tour page on this site says clearly whether a trip is private or group, and how the price is worked out.
A day on each kind of trip
On a group safari, breakfast is at 6:30 and the vehicle leaves at 7:00 so everyone makes the most of the cool morning. On a private safari you might leave at 6:00 with a packed breakfast to catch the cats on the move — or sleep in and watch elephants from the lodge pool. Both are wonderful; it depends how you like to travel.
Still deciding?
Tell us who is travelling and what matters most to you. We will suggest the right style honestly, even if the cheaper option is the better one for you.
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