About the word "private"

It is not a standard term. At some camps a vehicle and guide dedicated to you; at others, you will not be joined unless the camp fills up — which is not the same thing and is exactly when you would mind.

Ask whether it is guaranteed or best-efforts, and get it in the confirmation rather than the brochure.

From other guests, yes. From everything else, not necessarily. A villa with a shared game drive vehicle is less private where it counts than a standard tent with its own.

That is why layers matter: the villa is layer four and the vehicle is layer one.

Answer one question honestly: on your last holiday, did you talk to anybody you did not arrive with, and was it good?

If no and you were glad, buy the expensive layers. If yes, buy the vehicle and a small camp with separate tables and spend the difference on nights.

Almost never, and we would rather say so. The one exception we would actively suggest is a private mobile camp — and there you are buying a location no fixed camp offers, with the privacy as a side effect.

Eight tents on a conservancy, separate dining tables, a private vehicle throughout, a guide assigned for the stay, and two deck dinners across the week.

That is privacy for the six hours a day you are in the field, and company only when you want it. It sits in the middle of the market, not the top.

A Africa safari is usually quoted fully inclusive: accommodation, all meals, park and conservancy fees, your guide and vehicle, and transport between parks. Most camps include soft drinks, house wine, beer and laundry.

Not included: international flights, visas or travel authorisation, travel insurance, tips, premium drinks, and extras like balloon flights and spa treatments.

For July to October — the migration months in the Masai Mara — six to twelve months is normal, and the best small camps sell out first. Christmas and New Year book up just as early.

For the shoulder months, three to four months is usually comfortable. Inside eight weeks we can still put a very good trip together, but you are choosing from what is left rather than from everything.

This site is a planning guide. When you send an enquiry it goes to Nomad Africa, our partner travel agency in Kenya, who prepare your itinerary and quote and handle the booking, the payments and you on the ground.

You deal with one team from the first email to the airport transfer home.

No. Sending your dates, getting an itinerary and getting a costed quote is free and carries no obligation. Money only changes hands when you decide to hold space at a camp.