Planning a safari from Boston, Chicago or Dallas works the same way as planning one from Fresno. NndeeAfrika LLC is a two-founder safari company and a member of the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA), and the two people on your first call are the same two people who build your trip and look after it while you travel. Every journey is one of our private, tailor-made luxury African safaris.
Who plans your safari
Two people share the work. Evance, a Chagga Tanzanian who grew up on Mount Kilimanjaro and has spent 15+ years in hospitality and tourism, designs the route and runs the logistics in Africa. Jennifer, a Californian who has traveled in more than forty-six countries, is your contact in the US from the first conversation to your flight home.
We pass nothing to a sales team or another department along the way. Our story explains how the company started.
A safari specialist or a general travel agent?
Both can work well. In fact, many general travel advisors are excellent and arrange safaris through a specialist operator on the ground. By contrast, a safari specialist plans the ground arrangements directly: which camp suits which month, which guide suits which family, and how long each transfer really takes. Whoever you talk to, ask one question early: who actually plans and runs my days in Africa? After all, the answer tells you how many hands your trip passes through.
For a side-by-side look at a two-person specialist, a large tour operator and booking camps yourself, including when we would suggest someone else, see How We Compare.
How planning works from anywhere in the US
- Write to us. Who is going, roughly when, and what matters most to you. Then a reply usually comes within one business day.
- A free first call, on your clock. We schedule around your time zone, Eastern or Pacific, with Jennifer on the call and Evance joining from wherever he is.
- A day-by-day draft. Camps, light-aircraft flights and one clear price, adjusted with you until it fits.
- Everything priced in one place. We show each camp, internal flight, transfer and fee line by line, alongside our booking terms, before you pay anything.
- Paperwork before you leave. Entry and visa guidance for each border you cross, and a final check of every passport and document.
- While you travel. A single message reaches someone who knows your full itinerary, day or night.
You book your international flights yourself or with miles, and we advise on the routing. From the East Coast, nonstop flights link Atlanta and Newark with Johannesburg; East Africa is usually one connection via Europe or the Gulf. Our guide to flights from the USA has the details, and we also arrange every light-aircraft flight inside Africa.
Where we plan safaris
| Country | Best for | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | The Great Migration, the Ngorongoro Crater and a Zanzibar beach finale; Evance’s home ground | Tanzania safaris |
| Kenya | The Maasai Mara and the private conservancies, with short flights from Nairobi | Kenya safaris |
| Botswana | The Okavango Delta by mokoro and light aircraft; superb for a second safari | Botswana safaris |
| South Africa | First safaris, families with young children and Cape Town in one trip | South Africa safaris |
| Rwanda and Uganda | Mountain gorillas, as a trip of their own or a short add-on | Gorilla trekking |
In fact, Tanzania and Kenya are where most of our clients go first. If you are deciding between countries, our best country for a first safari guide sets them side by side, and the safari cost guide explains what moves the price. If privacy matters most, our page on ultra-luxury African safaris covers exclusive-use camps and private air. Every journey is priced to your budget.
What protects your booking
- A US contract. You sign with NndeeAfrika LLC, a US company. Before we accept any payment, your proposal sets out our legal name, the full price, what each payment covers and the cancellation terms.
- California Seller of Travel registration. NndeeAfrika LLC is registered with the California Attorney General’s Seller of Travel Program (CST 2173450-50). Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. The Travel Consumer Restitution Fund applies only to eligible consumers located in California; see tcrcinfo.org.
- Help if something goes wrong. East African trips include AMREF Flying Doctors membership, and we check every traveler’s documents before departure; details are on travel with confidence.
- Insurance. We require comprehensive travel insurance that includes emergency medical evacuation for every traveler.
If you live in California, our guide for California travelers covers what California law adds and how to fly from Los Angeles and San Francisco.
What to ask any safari travel agent
- Who will plan my trip, and who manages it while I travel?
- Have you stayed at the camps you are suggesting, and if not, how do you know them?
- Can I see one total package price, with every inclusion and exclusion listed?
- Are game drives private or shared at each camp?
- What happens, specifically, if a flight is missed or someone falls ill mid-trip?
The full list, including written terms and conservation, is on our checklist of what to look for in a luxury safari company. What our clients say about us is on our reviews page, with links to the original reviews on Trustpilot and Google.
Safari travel agent questions
What does an African safari travel agent do?
An African safari travel agent designs your route, chooses the camps and guides that suit you and the season, arranges the flights and transfers inside Africa, handles park fees, permits and entry paperwork, and stays reachable while you travel. Above all, the best ones know the ground first-hand, give you one total package price, and tell you plainly what is and is not included.
Do I need a US-based travel agent for an African safari?
No, but it changes who you deal with and what stands behind your deposit. For example, a US-based company gives you a US contract, US business hours and a planner in your own time zone. Many excellent safari companies are based in Africa or the UK; whoever you choose, ask who plans the trip, what the proposal includes and what happens if something goes wrong mid-journey.
How much does it cost to use a safari travel agent?
With us, your first consultation is complimentary. Camps generally give trade partners the same or better rates than booking direct. Every journey is priced to your budget.
Can you plan my safari if I do not live in California?
Yes. In fact, most of our clients travel from the United States, and planning works the same from any state: calls at a time that suits you, one total package price with inclusions and exclusions clearly listed, and the same support on the ground. NndeeAfrika LLC is registered with the California Attorney General’s Seller of Travel Program; the Travel Consumer Restitution Fund applies only to eligible consumers located in California.
How far ahead should I contact a safari travel agent?
Nine to twelve months ahead for dry-season dates at small camps and villas, and longer for the festive window of December 15 to January 5. Gorilla permits and balloon flights in migration season are also in short supply. Shorter notice can work, especially in the green season, but the choice of camps narrows.
Written and reviewed by NndeeAfrika · Published 7 October 2026
