What is the true cost of a safari? Pretty darn close to what we paid, and it was still a lot. It is easy to find a Safari like the one we took for $1,500 per person. Substitute camping for a nice Safari lodge and the price can double. Outside of the revenue the safari outfit earns, park fees are about $200 per vehicle and $80 per day per person. Gas is expensive and each vehicle has a double tank that is completely used on a 3 day journey, after all a safari basically entails sitting in a LandCruiser all day with the engine turned on. Most safari vehicles run on diesel, not a financial cost, but a ding to the environment. Camping is the cheaper route and that costs $30 per night per person. You’d be hard pressed to find a local enjoying themselves on safari despite the fact they pay a dollar for the park fees, merely because the other costs are so exorbitant.
Many safari vehicles say Leopard Tours. This outfit has about 500 vehicles and is ultimately owned by the president of Tanzania. Did somebody say corruption? The Leopard Tours drivers cannot work for any other outfit and survive mainly on tips, Frankie is not a fan of Leopard Tours.
Yet everyone comes to Africa to do a Safari. Tanzania charges $100 to American citizens to enter the country, Europeans are charged $50. The Serengeti has a landing strip for those with the cash to fly straight in and skip the red, dusty ride. There is a lot of money to be had and it seems the government takes the majority between the visa and park fees. The roads are pretty terrible and most of the country lives on less than $1 a day. But we got to see lots and lots of lions!
