Affordable African Safaris

A safari is nearly always more than you want to spend. Faced with this reality, sometimes you may decide to increase your budget but that may not be possible. Here are some of our more affordable safaris and less expensive safari lodges and camps…

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Overview

What on earth do we mean by “Affordable African Safaris”? Elsewhere we’ve talked about how a safari is often more than you want to spend. And that's true. So on this page, we focus on lodges and areas which are on the affordable side of this spectrum.

PRO TIP: Make sure you budget considerably more for your nights on safari within a trip. You may want to economize in other ways - See our page on Africa Safari Pricing for some rough per night prices - in order to know what to budget for good private game reserves.

Below are some of our more affordable African safaris and less expensive game lodges and camps.

These tend to be - though not exclusively - in South Africa or Namibia, Here the Rand is relatively weak versus the world currencies giving you better value for your money. Also our sample South Africa safari tours usually include non-safari areas such as Cape Town or the Garden Route. This naturally brings down the overall cost.

(Plus you can easily opt to self-drive in the Cape which brings down the cost still more.)

What do you get at OUR affordable game lodges?

In this world of online travel sites, it’s easy to get confused as to why a game lodge is comparatively inexpensive. All game reserves are NOT created equal. So if a game lodge seems very reasonable, you need to ask why? When choosing an affordable African safari, we steer clear of the lesser game reserves. (They may say they are Big Five reserves but how many of each species do they really have? And are they free-roaming?)

You are looking for a proper safari and not a zoo experience.

Instead we focus on the affordable game lodges which are in good game-viewing areas. The accommodation will be simpler, the food not so elegant. Yes, the guiding may be a little less refined. But you will be on safari in the same terrain as much more expensive lodges, tracking the same wildlife.

Similarly some of the lesser known game reserves in remote areas offer a fantastic safari experience. That's why you need to talk to the safari experts! (End of small rant.)

As long as you have the correct expectations, these affordable lodges can be every bit as good as their pricier cousins.

Note: Below we highlight affordable game lodges for their area.

Rwanda was inspiring
"My wife and I approached Cederberg requesting a draft itinerary and recommendations for a visit to Rwanda. We received prompt, well-informed assistance, and a final itinerary which was absolutely p ..." - Mr David, USA
Cedarberg was very thorough
"Cedarberg was very thorough , helpful and easy to deal with. Very comprehensive information pack. " - Mrs Pamela Bailey
Competitively Priced
"Cedarberg were helpful, easy to deal with, competitively priced. " - Mrs Jane Perrins, UK
All your arrangements/transfers worked like clockwork
"We have had the most fantastic holiday and that all your arrangements / transfers etc worked like clockwork. The accommodation and food was excellent everywhere we stayed. It has left us hungry for ..." - Laughton Family, UK
"We had a fantastic trip and were so pleased with your suggestions. I’m sure we will return to SA at some point in the future and would love to do more Safari trips elsewhere in Africa once ..." - Milandi
 
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We will certainly use Cedarberg again
"All the arrangements worked perfectly – no hiccups at all. We will certainly use Cedarberg again and will recommend the company to others. We were particularly impressed by the fact that the grou ..." - Ms Sandra Clark, UK
Great Recommendations
"I am into the details and ask lots of questions and I got all the info that I needed (and more) very quickly, which enabled my review all of Cedarberg’s recommendations and check for alternat ..." - Mr Ian Crispin, UK
We honestly had the trip of a life time and it was a magical time for our whole family.
"We honestly had the trip of a life time and it was a magical time for our whole family. From the animals in the Serengeti to the palm fringed perfect beaches of Zanzibar it was two weeks we will ne ..." - Jos Palmer
Exceeded our expectations
"From our first phone call, our requirements for the holiday were quickly and efficiently met and the overall standard of accommodation booked for us met and, in some cases, exceeded our expectation ..." - Mr B Smith
It was a fabulous holiday
"I have booked through Cedarberg before and this is why I came back, as I was highly satisfied. This time it was a bit more complicated as Peter had less experience with Uganda himself and he had to ..." - Mrs Monika Maintz
 
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Kate Bergh

AFRICAN TRAVEL SPECIALIST

Hi I'm Kate, I'm here to help you plan your ideal holiday experience GET IN TOUCH