How We Work

You do not need a finished plan. A few things make the first conversation far more useful.

Rough dates, or at least a month. The season changes almost every recommendation we make.

How many of you there are, and the ages of any children.

What matters most to you: the migration, a particular park, a beach at the end, a climb, photography, or keeping the cost down.

Whether you would rather have a comfortable base or more days in the parks, if the budget forces a choice.

Anything already fixed, such as a flight you have booked, a wedding date or a work deadline.

That is enough to build a real itinerary around. Everything else can be worked out from there.

The proposal is a starting point, not a final offer. Read it with a few questions in mind.

Check the accommodation by name and look each place up. Ask how far it is from the park gate, because a lodge an hour outside the park costs you the best hour of every morning.

Check how many nights you spend in each place. Two nights in a park is a visit. One night is an arrival afternoon and a departure morning.

Check the included and excluded lists against each other. Park fees, transfers and meals should be inside. Tips, drinks, flights, visas and insurance are usually outside, and the proposal says so.

Then ask about anything that is not clear. Most trips go through two or three versions before they are right, and that is the process working.

Plans change, and we understand that. Requests to change travel dates, accommodation, the number of travellers, activities, flights or other arrangements should reach us as early as possible.

Changes depend on availability, and hotels, airlines, parks and other suppliers may charge for them. Where we can, we tell you what a change will cost before it is confirmed.

Cancellations must be sent to us in writing. The cancellation charges depend on how close to departure you cancel and on the policies of the suppliers involved. The full terms are set out on our booking terms page, and the terms on your own booking confirmation take precedence where they differ.

A deposit secures your booking. Unless your quotation or invoice says otherwise, the deposit is 30% of the total booking price.

The balance is due before the agreed departure date. The exact deadline is stated on your booking confirmation or invoice. For bookings made close to departure, we may ask for full payment at the time of confirmation.

Bank charges, transfer fees and payment processing charges are the client's responsibility unless we agree otherwise in writing.

Park fees, government charges, taxes, accommodation rates and flight costs can change. If a supplier or a government authority changes a mandatory charge after your quotation is issued, the affected cost is adjusted. We tell you when that happens.

Your guide is your main contact from the moment you are met until the last transfer. Anything about the day, the vehicle, the camps or the route goes to your guide first.

Our office team stays available throughout your trip. If something needs sorting out that your guide cannot handle on the spot, they will contact us and we will deal with it.

If a problem comes up, tell us straight away, while you are still travelling. Most things can be put right on the day. A complaint raised after the trip is much harder to fix, so we ask that anything serious reaches us in writing as soon as reasonably possible.

Mobile coverage in the parks is patchy. A day or two without contact from you is normal. Tell the people at home that in advance.

A few things we will always say plainly, because a disappointed customer at the end of a trip is worse than an honest answer at the start.

No sighting can be guaranteed. Not a leopard, not a kill, not a river crossing, not a rhino. We can put you in the right region in the right month with enough days to be patient, and that is what we plan for.

If your budget will not cover what you have described, we tell you what it will cover. We do not quietly downgrade the camps and hope you do not notice.

If a different month, a different length or a different kind of trip would serve you better, we say so, even when it means a smaller booking.

And if something goes wrong on the ground, we tell you what happened and what we are doing about it.

A few weeks before departure you receive the final documents: the confirmed itinerary with the camps named, the arrival arrangements, a packing list, and the emergency contact for our team.

Check the names on everything against the passports. Check the arrival date and flight number. Check that the itinerary is the one you agreed, including any late changes.

Make sure you have a valid passport, the right visa, any vaccination certificates your route requires, and travel insurance that covers medical evacuation and, if you are climbing, your route's maximum altitude. Those documents are your responsibility, and our booking terms say so.

Then sort the cash for tips, pack, and come. Someone will be at the airport holding a board with your name on it.