- A safari vacation is filled with hidden costs.
- Before leaving, travelers pay for vaccines, visas, and necessary supplies for the trip.
- Once on a safari, costs like tipping and road transfers add up.
Whether you're staying in a five-star canvas tent at the edge of Tanzania's Serengeti National Park or heading on a budget safari in South Africa's Kruger National Park, a safari vacation is dotted with hidden costs.
These fees start before you even arrive at your destination. On a two-week trip across Tanzania, I encountered eight hidden costs that added thousands of dollars to the total of my trip. Take a look.
Visas also aren't cheap. Tanzania's tourist visa, for example, costs $100.
While plenty of destinations require a visa, the cost can vary.
In Tanzania, travelers apply for a yearlong tourist visa, which costs $100. If they're heading to Tanzania's Zanzibar Island, visitors are required to pay another $40 for mandatory travel insurance.
Altogether, I spent $140 just to be able to start my safari vacation.
The season you travel in will also have a major impact on the cost of your trip.
Lodges across the Serengeti typically price their accommodations based on the season. Some lodges have two categories: high season and low season. Others divide prices by peak, mid, and low season.
In the Serengeti, the high season includes June through October and the end of December. During this time, guests can expect to pay more for accommodations.
Depending on the lodge, peak prices cost travelers hundreds of dollars more than low-season prices.
The rates for lodges often don't include conservation and park fees.
When researching the cost of a lodge or safari accommodation, travelers often see a sticker price for a night at the lodge.
While this price might include game drives, meals, and laundry services, it often doesn't include government levies, taxes, park fees, or conservation fees.
Those fees can add up. For example, I paid $283 in park and camping fees for a two-night stay within the Serengeti. At another lodge, the national park and concession fees were $271 for two nights.
Depending on the length of the trip, an extra $130 a night can quickly add up.
Some activities, like guided walks and community visits, might not be included in the stay.
As safari owners and travel agents have previously told Business Insider, these additional activities are worth it.
A guided walk in the bush, for instance, will give travelers a whole new perspective on the ecosystem. They'll see insects, birds, and plants that can't be spotted from a safari vehicle.
Similarly, community visits to learn about the history and culture of the Indigenous populations living in Tanzania offer new perspectives and global connections the average traveler doesn't get every day.
These activities were some of the highlights of my two-week Tanzania trip. While they had payoffs, they also cost extra. For example, I paid $100 for a community visit one day and $60 the next for a guided walk.
Tipping is another major cost to factor into your budget.
Tipping is customary across most of Africa; who you tip and how much you tip can quickly add up.
Meg van Niekerk, a safari planner for Go2Africa, explained that these tips support lodge staff, who often have spouses, parents, and children back home to support as well.
"It's like a blessing," van Niekerk said.
Fortunately, these costs are standardized, so it's something you can budget for ahead of time.
For example, Go2Africa recommends tipping $20 a day for your safari guide, $20 for general hotel staff, $15 for a butler, and $15 for your safari tracker.
There's also bound to be a few more people you didn't factor in — like the driver for a road transfer or a guide for a community visit. I found $100 to be a fair amount to budget per day for tips during my safari.
Van Niekerk added that this is "just a guideline," and travelers can tip more or less depending on their budget and the service they receive.
