Deciding where to go on your first safari really depends on your priorities and preferences. Most of our first-time clients prefer to ease into Africa and choose to visit the popular national parks and reserves in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, or Rwanda. The best piece of advice we can give you at this stage is to try not to pack everything into one trip. Rushing through areas or even countries in a one-week holiday really won’t give you the full impact of being on safari. Both regions offer distinctly different activities and wildlife, so this is a great first decision to whittle down.

Our answer to “How much does a safari cost?” is probably the most complicated of all. Further questions we need to ask to work out the cost of your safari include:

• How many people are travelling?
• Do you have any specific hobbies?
• When do you want to travel – high, low, or shoulder season?
• What level of accommodation are you looking for?

Change one detail to your answer to any of the questions above, and it could change the cost drastically – sometimes by thousands. Contact us

Are you particularly keen to see the Big Five? Maybe you want to witness the Great Migration during the river-crossing season? Or is it the small wildlife that you’d like to take centre stage during your safari – meerkats, anyone?

For example, if it’s all the members of the Big Five that you’re after, or an individual member such as elephant or lion, this will greatly influence what type of safari you should be planning. For travellers hoping to spot all the Big Five in one place, we recommend focusing on the national parks and reserves of Tanzania and Kenya that are renowned for their big game sightings. Opting for a traditional safari in the likes of the Serengeti, Maasai Mara will definitely boost your chances of ticking all the boxes on your Big Five checklist.

And it’s worth bearing in mind that a traditional safari combines well with other activities. So if you also want to experience the magnificent white shores of Zanzibar, we can book these as add-ons that would influence the structure and sequence of your holiday.

After reading the above, you probably have a few ideas about where you want to go and what you want to see on safari, and how much it could cost. The next stages of actually planning the safari are long and complicated. But this is where Exclusive Wilderness Trails can come in!

So, why choose Exclusive Wilderness Trails? Well, by far the biggest challenge involved in planning your first safari is to gain confidence in the right company to arrange your holiday. Of course, many of our competitors say they have experience of visiting a destination, but all of our consultants have been either professional safari guides or camp managers – or they were born and raised in Africa. And not only have our travel experts worked in Africa, but they’ve worked for the top companies – the finest providers of accommodation on the continent! In our opinion, there is simply no substitute for our level of extensive ‘on-the-ground’ experience when it comes to designing the best safaris.

We like to think that the industry awards and reviews we have won underline our experience and show our recognition within the travel industry itself, but by far the best first step that you can take is to give us a call and talk with our experts. This will ensure that you feel comfortable with us and confident that we will plan an epic first safari with you.