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Saving money on Safari
It is no secret that the Rand is currently strong versus the Pound, Dollar
and Euro so we think it’s pertinent to discuss some ways to save money when
planning your holiday or safari to get the best value for your money. An ill-planned
itinerary often results in an more expensive holiday due to extra costs that
don’t add much to your enjoyment but do add much to the price. Here are seven
tips to help you to save money.
Geographical coverage
If you visit many different parts of Southern Africa, this not only results in high flight costs but also extra transfers to and from the airport and often extra stopover nights sometimes in airport hotels or cities which you have no interest in visiting. Our travel consultants are constantly weighing up the uniqueness of an area with the associated costs of getting there. Often we can suggest an equally attractive area that does not require an extra flight or en route stopover.
Modes of transport
The cost of your holiday will vary extensively depending on how you travel around the country. Obviously on safari we use either road transfers or light aircraft transfers. The latter are obviously more expensive, and quicker, but sometimes they are unavoidable due to the terrain (for example, Okavango Delta, Botswana) or lack of good quality roads.
If you are enjoying some general touring as well as a safari, there are various ways of traveling – using a rental car, take transfers and day excursions, taking an escorted tour or taking a private driver/guide. Assuming the accommodation was exactly the same, a self-drive holiday will be the least expensive, followed by mixing transfers and scheduled tours, followed by a private tour for a small party of 4 to 6 followed by a private tour for just 2 people. The most expensive option would be to use private charter flights extensively throughout a country.
Self-drive holidays are the most cost-effective, though it certainly doesn’t have to be a budget holiday as many of our clients choose to stay in the best hotels and combine this with self-drive for greatest flexibility.
If you are on a budget and want an escorted tour, then we would suggest one of two options. Either taking a scheduled tour with a minibus or small coach if you are interested in South Africa, or taking a mobile tented safari if you are in Namibia or Botswana. With scheduled tours please bear in mind that you will have less choice with routings and with accommodation choices. These tours tend to travel fairly fast staying 1 or 2 nights at each hotel.
Taking a private driver/guide is recommended but please note that this option is quite expensive. It is not inexpensive as in India and the Far East as all drivers must be Satour-registered guides as well and also the industry is well regulated with proper permits, insurance and new vehicles. All of which is good for your peace of mind but of course adds to the cost of taking a guide. However if you will find that this becomes much more affordable if you are in a party of 4 or 6 as the guide’s costs (for his daily fee, transport, accommodation and meals) are divided between four people instead of two.
Give a target budget
Some of our clients are reluctant to give a target budget for their holiday to a tour operator in case this is used merely as a starting point and the proposed holiday is even more. However, in our experience, giving an accurate budget usually results in the best value as we search around for the best deals to keep within your budget, and we word harder to make sure that you get the best value for your money.
A budget also helps us identify when your expectations may not match your budget. The choice and mode of transport (see below) has a big impact on the cost of your African holiday. For example, you may have a budget which allows you to have a good holiday using a rental car but which will be a little skimpy if you want to take a private driver/guide. The budget figure allows us to immediately see this and focus on which is more important – having a private driver/guide or spending more money on your hotel and lodges choices. With no budget guideline, we would probably suggest a holiday that is much more than you want to spend, leading you to question whether you want to come South Africa at all, or to question whether we are the right company for you.
Finally we also know which comparatively expensive hotels are worth every penny
and which ones can be substituted if necessary. If you have a set budget, try
to tell us which hotels are non-negotiable, if any, and then we can choose select
on the basis of best value for money for the rest.
Seasons
Fourthly we recommend you make good use of the varying seasons if you are flexible as to when you can travel. You can save a lot of money if you travel in what is perceived to be ‘low season’ and yet in many cases the area is as attractive as in High Season.
A classic example is a safari in South Africa (not the rest of Southern Africa). The best game-viewing period is May to August/September. This is the dry season. There is less surface water around and the vegetation is sparser so the animals need to come to the rivers to drink and are more visible. This happily co-incides with South Africa’s traditional low season from May to August so many of the lodges find themselves a little emptier than the busy summer period and so offer low season special rates.
Another example is in the Okavango Delta. The delta floodwaters start coming in from late May/early June and are at the best between July and October. Prices increase dramatically at the beginning of July in consequence. However in a normal year, (as floodwaters vary from year to year), many lodges can have good floodwaters (and therefore a convergence of game) from mid June onwards so late June is an excellent time to save money without compromising on your enjoyment.
The peak seasons vary by country but our consultants can advise on the ‘best’ low season months and also the areas that have year-round appeal.
Your safari choices
Where and when you stay on safari has a huge impact on the overall cost of your holiday. A reputable safari lodge will range from R1,400 per person per night in low season up to over R7,000 for the crème de la creme. This is a huge variation so it really helps us if you know how much you want to spend on your safari. Some people choose to spend more here to ensure the best possible experience and then stay in more moderate hotels and guest lodges elsewhere. We recommend that you set aside at least R2,200 per person per night if you can (SA safaris). This will give you a good choice in some excellent Big 5 reserves though there are some excellent choices for less if you are booking well in advance.
Long stay rates
Our sixth point is a simple tip – consider booking several nights with the same hotel or lodge group as some of them have long stay rates or ‘stay for 4 pay for 3’ deals (at individual hotels) and others have so called ‘circuit’ rates rewarding you with better rates if you stay with their sister hotels. Many of these deals are not widely advertised so ask us.
Brand Name
Finally, and somewhat contentiously, beware the brand name. Just as you pay more for Brand Name jeans, so with hotels and lodges. We are constantly revisiting our preferred suppliers to check that they are still offering value for money as well as sourcing wonderful new places that are not yet well-known. |
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