African Safari Packages: Types, Destinations & What’s Included

1. Budget Camping Safaris

With basic bush-tented camps, home-cooked campsite meals, and shared vehicles with other visitors,budget camping safaris are the more affordable way to experience the bush. Everything you’d expect is included, like transportation, park fees, and basic gear. You trade a few home comforts for a lower price tag, but the wildlife viewing itself doesn’t suffer. Our Budget-Friendly 9-Day Safari is built around exactly this trade-off.

2. Mid-Range Lodge & Tented Camp Safaris

Mid-range safaris are the most popular packages, especially with first-timers who don't know what to expect. Expect either en-suite tented camps or comfy, but not luxurious lodges with private or small-group game drives. For many, the promise of better food, hot showers, and a better night’s sleep is worth the extra outlay over budget options.

3. Luxury Lodge Safaris

Luxury lodge safaris promise an upscale experience, but at a high price point. Boutique lodges with personal swimming pools, private guides on game drives, and gourmet meals are a few things you’ll get from splashing some extra cash. Your lodges will likely be in the best positions within the parks for game drives, minimizing your travel time. These safaris are built around exclusivity as much as they are around wildlife.

4. Fly-In Safaris

Light aircraft connect the parks instead of long game-drive transfers, which suits travelers with limited time or those covering several regions in one trip. Fly-in packages sit at the mid-range-to-luxury end and free up extra hours for game drives instead of driving between them. Fly-in safaris are definitely worth the cost if you’re looking to visit, say, Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti, a transfer that takes an hour by plane but 5 hours by car.

5. Safari and Beach Combos

Fly-in safaris and safari-and-beach combos go hand in hand. Many visit Zanzibar for a few days, then catch a bush flight directly to a national park on the mainland, or add a relaxing couple of beach days to their safari to unwind after a few intense days of wildlife. Safari and beach vacations are best suited to travelers who are short on time or prefer a slower-paced getaway.

6. Specialty Wildlife & Migration Packages

Specialty safaris are usually built around a single event or sighting, most often the Great Wildebeest Migration. These itineraries are timed to a specific season and location, like river crossings, calving season, or a particular predator sighting, rather than covering a fixed set of parks.

7. Family Safaris

Designed around traveling with kids: malaria-free or lower-risk zones where possible, shorter game drives, family-sized rooms or interconnecting tents, and activities beyond the vehicle, like junior ranger programs, cultural visits, or shallower daily itineraries with more downtime built in. A family-friendly safari generally runs at a slower pace than a standard mid-range or luxury trip. Malaria-free safaris are most common in South Africa — Tanzania and Kenya don’t have any completely malaria-free zones.

8. Honeymoon Safaris

Honeymoon safari packages mix the adventure of a safari with romantic evenings under the stars. Packages are usually in the mid-range to luxury price bracket, and include private game drives, honeymoon suites at lodges, candlelit bush dinners, and often a beach extension.

Interested in knowing how much different safari packages cost? Check out our Tanzania Safari Cost Breakdown guide for more info.

Tanzania and Kenya are consistently ranked among the best safari countries in the world, and between them cover most of what people picture when they imagine an African safari — but several other destinations are worth knowing:

• Serengeti National Park (Tanzania) — seemingly endless plains, the core route for the Great Wildebeest Migration, and reliable predator sightings year-round — the Serengeti is the best safari destination, especially for first-timers. See our Serengeti safari guide for a full breakdown.
• Maasai Mara National Reserve (Kenya) — the Serengeti’s northern extension, it’s famous for the Mara River crossings during the Great Migration, which typically occurs from July to October.
• Kruger National Park (South Africa) — one of the most accessible parks on the continent, with strong infrastructure and reliable Big Five sightings, including malaria-free private reserves nearby.
• Okavango Delta (Botswana) — a seasonally flooded inland delta explored by mokoro canoe and 4x4, known for water-based game viewing and elephant density.
• Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda) — mountain gorilla trekking rather than a classic game drive, and usually added on as an extension to an East African safari.

Package inclusions vary by operator, so it’s worth checking each of these before comparing prices:

• Guided game drives and other activities - led by an experienced driver-guide, plus any walking safaris, boat trips, or cultural visits built into the itinerary.
• Park fees and permits - national park entry, conservation area fees, and any activity-specific permits (gorilla trekking, balloon safaris, etc.).
• Food and drink - meals at camps and lodges, and often bottled water in the vehicle. Alcoholic drinks aren’t usually included, but it’s worth checking with your tour operator.
• Accommodation - camps, tented lodges, or hotels for each night of the itinerary, matched to your chosen package tier.
• Ground and air transfers - airport pickups, transport between parks, and any light-aircraft flights on a fly-in itinerary.

Debating between different safari packages? Use Safari Soles’ custom safari builder to plan out your perfect safari and a price point that fits your budget.