Best value
For four or more, private is often the cheap option
Because the vehicle and the guide are costed per vehicle, not per person.
The arithmetic
A private vehicle supplement is charged per vehicle per day. Split between two people it is a real cost. Split between four it is half as much each. Split between six it is often trivial.
Which means the people most likely to be told they cannot afford a private safari — families — are frequently the ones for whom it costs least per head.
| Party size | Share of a private-vehicle supplement, per person |
|---|---|
| 2 | Half each — the full weight of it |
| 4 | A quarter each |
| 6 | A sixth each — usually negligible |
What it changes with children
More than anything else you could buy. With a private vehicle you go back to camp when a six-year-old has had enough, you stop when someone needs the loo, and you are not the family whose children are spoiling a stranger’s morning.
It also removes most camps’ minimum-age restrictions, because the concern is largely about other guests. That alone can open up camps you were told would not take you.
The exclusive-use crossover
Above about six people, taking a whole house starts to beat booking the same party into a camp — and you get your own cook, guide and vehicle as part of it.
| Party | Exclusive use vs camps |
|---|---|
| 4 | Camps usually cheaper |
| 6 | Roughly level, and the house is more flexible |
| 8 | House usually cheaper, and considerably more comfortable |
| 10+ | House clearly cheaper |
Directional. Depends on the property and the season, which is what a quote is for.
Multi-generational trips
The format exclusive use was invented for. Grandparents who want a slow morning, teenagers who want to be out at five, small children who need a nap — one house, two vehicles, everybody doing what they want.
It is also the only arrangement where nobody has to be polite at breakfast.
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