Private safaris
Private does not have to mean expensive
A private vehicle is available well below the top end, and it changes a safari more than an upgraded tent does. Most people who want a "private safari" want exactly that, and are quoted something else.
Start here
Three things people call a private safari
They are not the same, they are not the same price, and conflating them is how people end up disappointed by a quote they accepted.
| Level | What it means | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Private vehicle | Your party alone in the vehicle. Guide is the camp’s and may change between stays. | A supplement at most camps; included at many conservancy camps |
| Private guide | One guide for the whole trip, travelling with you between camps and parks. | A daily rate, plus their flights and accommodation |
| Exclusive use | A whole house or camp for your party, with its own cook, guide and vehicle. | Priced per property — falls per head as the party grows |
The case
What a private vehicle actually changes
Nothing about which animals are there. Everything about the rhythm of a day.
On a shared vehicle you will see the same lion. You will see it for as long as five strangers want to, and then you will go back because one of them would like a shower.
- Leave when you want, come back when you want
- Stay three hours with one sighting, or leave after four minutes
- Skip lunch for a hunt; skip the afternoon for a nap
- Put small children back to bed at eleven without negotiating
- A guide who learns what you like, because you are the only people he is guiding
Who it is for
Where private earns its money
Photographers
The strongest case by a distance. Light, position and patience are everything, and a shared vehicle gives you none of them.
Why it matters
Families and groups
Where private is also cheaper per head. Four people split a vehicle four ways; six start to beat camp rates with a whole house.
The maths
Is it worth it?
An honest decision table by trip type — including the trips where we would tell you to skip it.
Work it out
The three levels
Private vehicle, private guide, exclusive use — separated properly, with what each costs.
Compare them
What it costs
How each level is priced, and why party size changes the answer completely.
See the costs
At the top end
Our dedicated guide to the Mara at the highest level, where private guiding is standard.
Luxury guideFree download
The Private Safari Brief
The three things people mean by "private safari", what each costs, and a decision table for working out which one your trip actually needs.
- Three different things people call a private safari
- What a private vehicle changes about an ordinary day
- What a private guide adds, and when it is wasted
- Exclusive use, and the party size where the maths turns
- The questions that reveal whether a quote is really private
- A decision table: which level is worth it for your trip
No cost, no obligation. We ask for an email so we can send it and, if you want it, follow up once.
In their words
What travellers say
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Before you ask
The questions we get most
How much more does a private vehicle cost?
It varies enormously — at many conservancy camps it is included, at others it is a daily supplement. Because it is priced per vehicle rather than per person, the cost per head falls sharply with party size: it can be a large addition for two and almost nothing for six.
We quote the same trip both ways so you can see the actual number rather than guessing.
Is a shared vehicle really that bad?
No, and plenty of people have a wonderful time on one. You see the same animals and you often enjoy the company.
But if you already know you find group travel tiring, you will find a shared game drive tiring, twice a day for a week. That is worth knowing before you book rather than after.
Do I need a private guide as well?
Usually not on a first trip. A good camp guide who knows their patch intimately is often better than a travelling guide who does not.
A private guide earns out on multi-park trips, on second and third visits, and for serious photography — anywhere the continuity between camps is worth something.
When would you tell us not to bother?
A single three-night stay at one small camp with a good resident guide, on a tight budget. There, the money buys you more as a better camp than as a private vehicle.
Who actually arranges my safari?
This site is a planning guide. When you send an enquiry it goes to Nomad Africa, our partner travel agency in Kenya, who prepare your itinerary and quote and handle the booking, the payments and you on the ground.
You deal with one team from the first email to the airport transfer home.
Start planning
We will quote it both ways
Tell us the trip and we will price it with a shared vehicle and with a private one, as two lines you can compare. Then you decide with a real number rather than a hunch.
Our Kenya specialist replies within 24 hours.
- The same itinerary priced shared and private, side by side
- Private guiding costed separately if it would earn its keep
- Exclusive use checked against camp rates if your party is large enough
- An honest note if we think private is not worth it for your trip
Who answers
Nomad Africa, our partner travel agency in Nairobi, builds and prices every itinerary we send. You deal with one team, on the ground, for the whole trip.
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Get your tailored itinerary and quote
Our Kenya specialist replies within 24 hours with a costed plan built around your dates.
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Each of these is a focused guide we publish. Same Kenya specialist behind every enquiry.