Frequently asked questions

We're here to help for any questions you have regarding your African safari.

For any questions, or to start planning your trip, please send an email to [email protected]

How does it work, what is the process to book a safari?

It all starts with an enquiry.  It's best to provide dates (even if approximate), the number of people travelling and the countries or lodges you would like to visit.
A consultant will then get directly in touch with you to help you with availability, flights, transfers and finalising all the details of your trip.
When you are happy, the consultant will send a provisional booking mail allowing you to make payment and confirm the booking.

Once payment is received, we will get in touch to retrieve the details we need for your trip (there are not many) so that we can furnish the lodges/airlines/transfer with your information and also load your free travel insurance policy.

What is your refund policy?

The cancellation policy varies depending on the supplier with whom you have booked. For further details, please clarify with your travel advisor.

First note that we can include travel insurance for as little as 1% of the booking value, which means we aim to make your booking fully refundable, regardless of when you cancel your booking.

Our cancellation policy is as follows:
For cancellations with more than 60 days prior to check-in, guests will be entitled to a full refund (excl flights).
For cancellations with 30-59 days prior to check-in, guests will receive a 50% refund on lodging costs (excl flights).
For cancellations less than 30 days prior to check-in, there is no refund.

But to reiterate, we can include travel insurance on bookings for a low fee, that includes cancellation cover and mitigates the costs above.

What is your payment policy?

We require a 50% deposit to confirm a booking.
The balance will be determined by the payment schedule of the lodge(s) in your itinerary and we'll send reminders when the balance becomes due.

Is travelling to Africa safe?

At Safari.com, safety is our priority. It's at the core of who we are. We employ expert guides, use state-of-the-art vehicles, and rigorously monitor conditions to ensure your safari is as safe as it is spectacular. Explore with confidence and peace of mind. 

Africa is a safe holiday destination, especially when it comes to safaris. Most of our travelers fly to airports close to the reserves and are then transferred directly to lodges where you will only interact with a small number of people.

For additional peace of mind we can easily arrange travel insurance at highly competitive rates.
This means, that for any events outside of your control, you will have cover for any cancellation fees (up to $5k per person), medical cover (up to $2m) and various other scenarios. Additional coverage is available for an additional fee, feel free to speak to our consultants for more information.

Is it cheaper to book directly with lodges?

There is a common misconception that booking direct will be cheaper.
In fact, safari lodges and operators are required to sell at the same industry rate. The reason this can occur is because online travel agencies , like ourselves, receive a commission from lodges when our customers stay at a lodge.
Often lodge reservations are less equipped to deal with bespoke customer requirements and generally don't assist with flights and logistics involved with making your safari happen.

At Safari.com, we handle everything including flights, transfers and even include free travel insurance.  The result is an end-to-end experience that saves you time at the best price.

Can you assist with flights and transfers?

We'll handle everything. Your happiness is our primary concern from the moment you place an enquiry to the moment you return from your trip.

I have found a better price somewhere else, will Safari.com match it?

Because lodges and operators sell the lodging portion at the same price, this would be unusual.
But when this does occur, we will absolutely match it.

Read our best price guarantee.

Have our consultants actually visited the lodges they use in planning your trips?

Our consultants have been in the industry for some time and have in-depth knowledge and experience of all the lodges and suppliers they will use to create your safari trip. But knowledge alone is not enough, and we are constantly sending our consultants on safaris so that they have first-hand knowledge of the products they sell.

If you'd like to take a look at some of their experiences, we frequently post about their trips in our blog.

Customer Testimonials

4.9
out of 5 based on
Sep 16, 2024
First time to Cape Town
We are a group of ten friends traveling together to Cape Town for the first time. Safari.com was our top choice for travel agents. Leché and Tracy were incredibly helpful and prompt with our questions and bookings. The trip to Sanbona Wildlife Reserve was fantastic, and everything went off without a hitch. We highly recommend Safari.com for your safari plans!
Joleen
,
ZA
Sep 15, 2024
Very responsive
Very responsive, I sent an email and got a response almost immediately (I checked it’s like 11pm their time…on a Sunday)
customer
,
US
Sep 15, 2024
Shann was amazingly helpful
Shann was amazingly helpful! After spending several days online on our own trying to find good accommodation or even available rooms and lodges, we reached out to safari and to shann, who set us up in record time with a beautiful destination, flights and transfers. I absolutely recommend this dite and the incredible service
Anna
,
DE
Sep 15, 2024
Safari booking
Fadiel was very prompt in responding to my emails. Despite a double booking for our Safari - not his fault - everything worked out well in the end.
PeterB
,
GB
Sep 14, 2024
Sara Van Coillie
Sara Van Coillie, representing Safari.com, has gone above and beyond in assisting with a custom booking for an African safari experience I wanted arranged for my colleagues visiting Namibia for the first time. I highly recommend reaching out to her—she’s a true champion! It’s been a pleasure working with her.
Christina Hutchinson
,
GB
Sep 14, 2024
Had such an amazing experience working…
Had such an amazing experience working with Leigh-Ann. She was able to get me everything I wanted at the price I wanted. Could not recommend more.
Ben
,
US
Sep 13, 2024
Sara curated a trip of a lifetime
Sara curated a trip of a lifetime. Met all our requirements and exceeded our expectations all within our budget!
Jodi Wernikoff
,
US
Sep 13, 2024
South Africa Here We Come!!!
We had the inclination to take Rovos Rail through part of South Africa and found Safari.com online. Nicole Van der Merwe, the friendly agent who connected with us was amazing! We connected on WhatsApp and were handled with absolute care. Nicole answered our questions in detail and within one day, were were booked on the train in the Royal Suite! We look forward to completing the additional details of our fabulous train/safari trip with her! As we have never been to SA, Nicole and Safari.com took away ALL of the concerns we had about making our trip a reality. to tell you the truth, it has been a long time since we have been treated this way by such a wonderful travel firm. Safari.com makes makes traveling to SA simple! We look forward to having them assist us with the additional details.
Michael J. Russ
,
US
Sep 13, 2024
Jayson is polite and knowledgeable…Highly recommend
Jayson was a polite and knowledgeable person. He was never 'pushy' and gave us a lot of options. He was very understanding when we had to 'delay' our plans due to an aging mother-in-laws health and wellbeing. We have every intention of pursuing our dream of visiting Africa in the 2025/26 season and we will certainly be in-touch with Jayson. Many thanks to Jayson
Jim C
,
AU
VIP service
Your own personal travel assistant
18 years in business
Attention to every detail
Relationships with 500+ operators through Africa
Consultants available 24/7
58,000+ customers and counting
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