A safari may be the most solo-friendly luxury trip on earth. You are never truly alone — your guide is with you all day, camp managers host dinner, and the communal fire fills every evening — yet the experience itself is deeply personal. Many of our solo guests, women especially, tell us it was the easiest “alone” they have ever traveled.
The short answer
Yes, and easily. Camps quote per person sharing, so a solo traveler pays a single supplement at most properties (25 to 50 percent in peak season, often waived in the green season). Shared camp activities put you with a guide and a handful of other guests; where you want the day to be yours, a private guide and vehicle can be reserved and is shown as its own line in your proposal. Your quotation is always on a single-occupancy basis so there are no surprises. Read private vs group safaris and what a luxury safari costs, then request your complimentary consultation.
For women traveling solo
Safari camps are small, staffed, closed environments — six to twelve tents, a team that knows every guest by name, and no strangers passing through. You are met at every airstrip by name, never navigate anything alone, and dinner company is offered but never imposed. We have sent many women alone to camps we know personally, and we choose hosts and guides we would want for our own family.
The single supplement, honestly
Most camps price per person sharing, and a solo traveler can face a 25–50% supplement in peak season. It is real, but it is manageable.
- —Green and shoulder season: many camps waive the supplement entirely
- —Some owner-run camps never charge one — we know which
- —Smaller intimate camps cost less to go solo than the famous names
- —We negotiate: a 10-night solo booking has leverage a website never shows
Built around what you love
Solo means the itinerary answers to no one else: a photographic focus, walking every day, three hours at one sighting. Tell us the version of Africa you want and it is yours — with as much company or solitude in camp as you feel like, evening by evening.
Is a solo safari in Africa safe?
Safer than most solo trips, because you are never actually alone. From the moment you land you are met by a guide; in camp, meals are hosted and staff know where every guest is; on drives, a professional guide and often a tracker are with you throughout. Camps are remote but professionally run, with radio contact and evacuation cover, and every East African safari we plan includes AMREF Flying Doctors emergency evacuation membership. The practical risks are the ordinary travel ones: follow your guide’s instructions around wildlife, use the camp escort after dark, and keep valuables in the room safe.
The best camps and countries for solo travelers
Small, owner-run camps of six to twelve tents suit solo travelers best: dinner is often hosted at one table, so you meet other guests without effort, and the guide-to-guest ratio is high. Kenya’s private conservancies and Botswana’s small Delta camps do this especially well; South Africa’s private reserves add easy logistics and malaria-free options; Tanzania’s mobile camps are wonderfully sociable in migration season. A private vehicle is worth considering for at least part of the trip, because it lets the days run at your pace. Single seniors will find more in our guide to African safaris for seniors.
How much does a solo safari cost?
Rates are quoted per person sharing, so a solo traveler usually pays a single supplement on the room, typically a percentage of the per-person rate rather than double it, and some camps waive it in the green season. Everything else, including guiding, park fees and flights, is priced per person regardless. Our private journeys begin at approximately $12,000 per person; the proposal shows the supplement line by line. What a safari costs
Questions we are asked
Is a solo safari in Africa safe?
Yes, for the practical reason that you are rarely alone: you are met at the airport, guided on every drive, hosted at meals and escorted after dark in camp. Every East African safari we plan includes AMREF Flying Doctors evacuation cover.
Do solo travelers pay more on safari?
Usually a single supplement on the room, typically a percentage of the per-person rate rather than double; some camps waive it in the green season. Guiding, park fees and flights are per person regardless.
Is Africa safe for a solo female traveler on safari?
A guided safari is one of the safest ways for a woman to travel alone in Africa: the itinerary is private, transfers are met, camps are hosted and the guide is with you throughout. We plan many solo journeys for women and can place you in camps where other solo guests and hosted dinners are the norm.
