Safari Tours with Flights Included
Big-5 safaris, Serengeti migration, Kruger, Okavango and Masai Mara — guided departures with flights bundled in one euro price.
Edited by Multiday.tours editor
- ✓Trip length: 6-14 days typical across safari circuits
- ✓Land prices: 1,000-8,000+ EUR depending on tier
- ✓Flights from Europe: 700-1,500 EUR return economy
- ✓Peak dry season: May-October Southern Africa, Jul-Sep migration
- ✓Small groups of 6-12 in shared 4x4 game vehicles
- ✓Operators: G Adventures, Intrepid, &Beyond, Wilderness Safaris
Safari tours are built around game drives in a specific ecosystem: the Serengeti-Masai Mara migration belt, the Okavango Delta, the greater Kruger, the Chobe riverfront, or Etosha in Namibia. On Multiday.tours we list safari departures from specialist operators alongside Kiwi.com flights from your home airport. A 7-10 day safari land price typically runs 2,000 to 8,000 EUR per person depending on whether you stay in overland camps, mid-range lodges, or luxury tented suites. Flights from Europe add another 700 to 1,500 EUR return. G Adventures runs a huge African catalogue, Intrepid's Ranger range covers the mid-range, and &Beyond or Wilderness Safaris sit at the luxury end. You see the total per-person price in euros before you commit.
Safari archetypes — East, Southern, Western Africa
Three regions cover almost every commercial safari sold to European travellers, and they are genuinely different products.
East Africa means Tanzania and Kenya, and the trip is built around the wildebeest migration. The Serengeti (Tanzania) and the Masai Mara (Kenya) are the same ecosystem split by a colonial border — 1.5 million wildebeest move through it on an annual loop. Game density is high year-round, and the landscape is open savannah that photographs well. Expect 4x4 game drives from permanent tented camps, flying between parks on small bush planes. Tanzania also adds Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire.
Southern Africa means South Africa, Botswana and Zambia. The greater Kruger (private reserves like Sabi Sand) has the best Big-5 viewing in Africa and the most established luxury lodges. Botswana's Okavango Delta is water-based safari — mokoro canoe trips and walking safaris alongside game drives. Chobe on the Zambezi is elephant country.
Western safari is really Namibia, and it works differently. Etosha National Park is a huge salt pan with waterholes; self-drive is common, fly-drive with a 4x4 is the mid-range option. Add Sossusvlei dunes and the Skeleton Coast for a landscape-led trip rather than pure game viewing. Less dense wildlife than East or Southern Africa, more road-trip freedom.
Budget tier reality — overland, lodge, luxury
Safari prices split cleanly into three tiers, and the gap between them is wider than in most travel categories.
- Overland tier: 1,000-2,000 EUR land price for 7-14 days. Operators like Acacia Africa, Dragoman and Oasis Overland run big-truck expeditions with participation camping — you help pitch tents and cook. Usually aimed at 20-somethings and early-30s travellers. Honest, social, and you cover a lot of ground. Tanzania-to-Cape Town in 21 days for 2,500 EUR land is a realistic price.
- Mid-range lodge tier: 2,500-4,500 EUR land for 7-10 days. G Adventures, Intrepid and Exodus sit here. Permanent tented camps or mid-range lodges, en-suite bathrooms, daily game drives in shared 4x4s with 6-7 guests per vehicle. Meals included, guides salaried. This is where most European first-time safari-goers land.
- Luxury lodge tier: 8,000 EUR and up for 6 nights. Singita, Londolozi, &Beyond and Wilderness Safaris run the top-end. Private vehicle, 2-3 course wine-paired dinners, plunge pools, butler service. Flight transfers between camps included. You are paying for exclusivity, guide quality and location — Singita Grumeti in Tanzania or Mombo in the Okavango costs what a small car costs.
The mid-tier is the sweet spot for most travellers. You get 90% of the wildlife experience at 30% of the luxury price.
When to go — migration, dry season, delta peaks
Safari timing is not optional. The wrong month can halve your game viewing. Each region has its own rhythm.
Tanzania and Kenya are driven by the wildebeest migration, which follows the rains. The calving season runs late January to mid-March on the southern Serengeti plains — 8,000 calves born per day, predator action intense. April and May are the long rains; camps close or drop prices, roads can be tough. The famous Mara River crossings run July through September, with the herds in the Masai Mara from July to October before they loop back south. December-January sees them return through central Serengeti.
Southern Africa is simpler — dry season is prime. May to October is cold nights, warm days, sparse vegetation and animals concentrated at waterholes. This is when Kruger, Kgalagadi and Zambia's South Luangwa peak. November to March is green season, better for birds and photography, worse for spotting cats in thick bush.
Botswana's Okavango Delta is counter-intuitive. The water peak in the delta is May to September, which is months after the rains that feed it — the flood travels slowly down from Angola. Dry-land camps have year-round game; water-camp mokoro trips only work during flood. Namibia's Etosha is best May to October when animals crowd the waterholes.
Operators who do safari well
Safari is an operator-led category more than most. A great guide and a well-placed camp matter more than the tour company brand, but the brand filters for both.
G Adventures runs the biggest catalogue of African trips targeted at European travellers, covering Kenya-Tanzania classics, Cape Town to Victoria Falls overlands, and the full Namibia loop. Intrepid's Ranger range is their safari-focused product, with smaller groups (max 12) and better camps than the standard Basix line. Exodus Travels covers similar ground with a slightly older demographic (45-65).
For dedicated Africa specialists, Wild Frontiers is strong on Uganda gorillas and East Africa, Asilia Africa runs excellent mid-range tented camps across Kenya and Tanzania, and Natural Habitat Adventures does the science-led photography trips. At the luxury end, &Beyond and Wilderness Safaris both own and operate their camps — the experience is integrated end-to-end rather than brokered. Singita is the Michelin-starred option if budget is not a constraint.
Book 8-14 months ahead for peak season (July-October in East Africa, May-September in Botswana). Camps genuinely sell out. Off-peak you can book 3-4 months out and still get your choice of lodge. Check whether the operator owns the camps or just books them — owned-camp operators control the experience; resellers do not.
Flights to Africa — gateways and routings
Africa has a handful of safari gateways and the rest is bush planes. Get the international leg right and internal logistics handle themselves.
Nairobi (NBO) is the main Kenya hub — Kenya Airways, KLM and Qatar Airways fly direct from European capitals. Kilimanjaro (JRO) in Tanzania is the cleanest entry for Serengeti and Ngorongoro trips, with KLM direct from Amsterdam, Qatar via Doha, Turkish via Istanbul. Dar es Salaam (DAR) is an alternative but adds a domestic flight. Return Europe-NBO or Europe-JRO typically costs 700-1,200 EUR economy, higher in July-August.
Johannesburg (JNB) is the Southern Africa hub. Lufthansa, KLM, British Airways, Qatar and Turkish all serve it. From there, domestic SA Airlink or FlySafair connect to Kruger airstrips (Skukuza, Hoedspruit) and to Kasane (BBK) for Chobe and the Okavango. Cape Town direct flights are also common if you want to combine safari with the Cape. Windhoek (WDH) is the Namibia gateway, served by Eurowings Discover, Lufthansa and Ethiopian via Addis — usually 800-1,300 EUR return.
Multi-city flights help. Fly into Nairobi, out of Kilimanjaro (or Kruger, out of Cape Town) and you skip a day of overland backtracking. Kiwi.com handles the multi-city routing on our bundles.
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Find combosFAQs
What does a 10-day safari with flights actually cost?
For a mid-range lodge safari in Kenya or Tanzania — the most common European choice — budget 4,000 to 6,000 EUR per person all-in. That covers 700-1,200 EUR return flights from Europe, 2,500-4,500 EUR land price with operators like G Adventures or Intrepid, and 300-500 EUR for tips, visas, drinks and optional balloon rides. Overland camping trips come in under 3,000 EUR total; luxury lodge trips run 10,000 EUR and up. Our bundle page shows the total in euros before you commit.
Which African country is best for a first safari?
Tanzania if game density is your priority — the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater pack more big mammals into fewer days than anywhere else, and the infrastructure is well-established. South Africa's greater Kruger is the easiest logistically, with direct Johannesburg flights, English everywhere, and excellent mid-range lodges in Sabi Sand. Kenya is a good third option, especially July to October when the migration reaches the Masai Mara. Namibia and Botswana are better as second safaris once you know what you like.
Serengeti or Masai Mara — which one?
Same ecosystem, same animals, different experience. The Serengeti is larger, quieter, and the Tanzanian operators tend to run smaller lodges spread across a 15,000 sq km park. The Masai Mara is denser with vehicles at peak times but easier to reach (Nairobi is a 4-hour drive or 45-minute flight) and the river crossings July-September are spectacular. If you have 7 days, pick the Mara. If you have 10-14 days, the Serengeti-plus-Ngorongoro combination is stronger.
Lodge safari or camping — what is the difference?
Lodges and permanent tented camps are fixed infrastructure — en-suite bathrooms, hot showers, full bar, chef, 6-20 rooms. Camping on overland trips means you pitch your own dome tent at designated sites, share bush-kitchen meals, and use basic shared ablutions. The wildlife is identical — animals do not know whether you sleep under canvas or a thatched roof. Lodge safaris cost 2,500 EUR and up for a week; overland camping starts around 1,000 EUR. Mobile luxury camps split the difference — canvas walls, real beds, proper plumbing.
Can I do a safari with kids?
Yes, but with caveats. Most Big-5 camps set a minimum age of 6 or 8 for game drives, because a child crying in an open 4x4 with predators nearby is a safety issue. Family-specific lodges (Intrepid's Family range, &Beyond family suites, some Sabi Sand camps) run shorter child-friendly game drives, pool time and junior ranger programmes. Malaria risk rules out some areas for young children — malaria-free reserves include Madikwe, Welgevonden and Shamwari in South Africa. Budget more, not less, for a family safari: private vehicles are worth it.
Do I need malaria tablets for safari?
For most safari zones, yes. Kenya, Tanzania, the Okavango, Chobe, Zambia and the low-veld of South Africa (including most of Kruger) are all malaria areas. Malarone (atovaquone-proguanil) is the most common prescription for safari, taken 1-2 days before arrival and 7 days after departure, with mild side effects for most travellers. Doxycycline is cheaper but causes sun sensitivity. Cape Town, Namibia's Etosha, and the malaria-free reserves in north-east South Africa do not require prophylaxis. Speak to a travel GP 4-6 weeks before departure.