What an East African safari costs

On a gorilla trip, the permit is the budget

A Rwandan gorilla permit is USD 1,500. On the three day Virunga Gorilla Express at USD 2,180, that permit is most of what you are paying, and the lodge, the private vehicle, the guide, the transfers and the meals share what is left. This is worth understanding before comparing gorilla trips to savannah trips on price, because they are not the same kind of number.

It also explains the Uganda comparison. The Bwindi permit is USD 800, so a Ugandan gorilla trip starts lower even though the road time is longer and the trip needs more days. Six days in Uganda at USD 2,890 is cheaper per day than three days in Rwanda at USD 2,180, and more expensive per trip.

What the price includes

• Permits, by name and price, and all park, reserve and conservation fees
• A private 4x4 with a pop-top roof and a driver-guide, for the whole route
• Accommodation in lodges, hotels and tented camps, sharing a twin or double
• Full board in the parks, breakfast at city hotels
• Regional and internal flights where the itinerary uses them
• Bottled drinking water in the vehicle
• Airport transfers at the named gateways

What it does not include, and which of those actually bites

Four of these move a budget enough to plan for. International flights are the obvious one. Travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is the one not to treat as optional. A second gorilla permit is another USD 1,500 in Rwanda. And tips, drinks and porter hire are small individually but add up across two weeks.

• International flights to and from the gateway airports
• Visas, and electronic travel authority fees where they apply
• Travel insurance, including medical evacuation cover
• Tips for guides, rangers, porters and lodge staff
• Drinks other than the bottled water in the vehicle
• Porter hire at the gorilla trailhead
• Optional extras: a dawn balloon flight, a second gorilla trek at USD 1,500, or habituation at Rushaga at USD 1,500

Why two quotes for the same route differ

Four things, usually, and none of them is visible in a headline price. Where the camp sits, because a camp inside the crossing area and a camp an hour from it are not the same product in August. Whether the vehicle is private or shared, which changes who decides when to leave a sighting. Whether permits are actually held or merely assumed available. And whether a long drive has been replaced by a flight, which is a real cost and a real saving of a day.

When you compare two quotes, compare those four things before you compare the number.

Where to spend and where to save

Spend on the trek day and on the guide. The permit is fixed, so the variable on a gorilla morning is sleeping close to the trailhead and starting rested. On a savannah trip, the guide decides what you see more than the lodge does, which is why we ask about the guide before the lodge.

Save on the season, which is the biggest lever available. The long rains, March to May in Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya and April to May in Tanzania, bring the lowest rates of the year. The cost is harder going underfoot, some camps closed, and mobile camps moved. Save again by driving where the road is short, since Kigali to Kinigi is two hours and no flight improves on it, and by sharing a twin, since every price here is quoted on that basis.