ALONE ON SAFARI IN AFRICA
Your journey. Your freedom. Your Africa.
Traveling alone doesn't mean being alone.
Perhaps you've wanted to go to Africa for a long time, but no one in your circle of friends has the time. Perhaps you don't want to make your travel plans dependent on other people's calendars. Or perhaps you simply have the need to experience Africa entirely on your own.
Then a safari as a solo traveler is an excellent option.
And at the same time, questions naturally arise:
Is going on a safari alone even worthwhile?
How much does a single room cost?
Do I have to pay a high single room supplement?
Will I be alone with a guide all day?
Can I join a group?
How safe is that?
And which countries are particularly suitable?
The good news: You have significantly more options than you might think.
At InfiniteWild, we don't just plan classic private trips. We can also design your trip so that you travel with other people without having to organize your entire trip with strangers.
From small group safaris to mobile safaris in Botswana and guided 4x4 tours through Namibia, there are various ways to discover Africa on your own.
And if you like, we can even put together a trip where there is no standard single supplement.
Why a safari alone can be especially beautiful
A safari on your own has a big advantage:
You don't need to coordinate with anyone.
You decide what interests you.
Perhaps you would like to spend an hour watching a leopard as it roams through the tall grass.
Perhaps you want to set off particularly early to photograph the first light.
Perhaps you'd like to take a break at lunchtime and simply enjoy the peace and quiet.
Or you prefer to be outside all day.
We can address this in detail on a custom-planned safari.
This can make a huge difference, especially for photographers. You don't have to wait for other travelers to have had enough of seeing animals.
But even if you're simply looking for peace and quiet, a solo safari can be incredibly intense.
You are traveling alone.
But you are not alone.
Do I have to pay a single supplement if I'm traveling alone?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions.
And the honest answer is:
Not necessarily.
Many lodges charge a single supplement if a person uses a room or tent alone.
The reason is simple: The lodge calculates accommodation, staff, food and sometimes activities per room or per person.
Depending on the lodge and time of year, the surcharge can be considerable.
Especially on a high-quality safari, this can lead to a trip for one person being significantly more expensive than the same trip for two people.
But this is exactly where we can start.
Travel without the traditional single supplement
If you are traveling alone, we don't automatically need to book a classic private trip with a single room.
We can instead look for small group tours or suitable sharing concepts .
For example, the following may be possible:
Accommodation in a double room with a same-sex travel companion.
Participation in a small safari group
shared safari vehicle
joint transfers
joint activities
nevertheless, an individually planned travel program
This can significantly reduce the travel price.
And more importantly:
You get company without having to book a full group trip with 15 or 20 people.
Small groups instead of large tour groups
We love small groups.
Because in our opinion, a safari works best when you don't feel like you're on a tour bus.
Small groups make it possible:
more flexibility
more personal attention
better wildlife observation
more space in the vehicle
shorter waiting times
more intensive exchange
more peace and quiet
And that's precisely why small group tours can be an excellent alternative to a private safari for solo travelers.
You are traveling with other people who are just as curious about Africa as you are.
Perhaps friendships will develop, or perhaps it will remain just pleasant conversations around the campfire.
Both are perfectly fine.
Inspiration for solo travelers
Botswana: Mobile Safari for Solo Travelers
Botswana is one of our most exciting destinations for solo travelers.
A mobile safari means you don't sleep in the same lodge every night.
Instead, you travel with your camp through the wilderness.
The camp will be set up for you while you're on the road.
You will spend several days immersed in nature, experiencing Botswana from a perspective rarely offered by classic lodge safaris.
For solo travelers, a mobile safari can be particularly interesting because you automatically become part of a small group.
You have your fellow travelers, your guide, and the camp team.
At the same time, the trip doesn't feel like a classic group tour.
Depending on your departure date and time, we can find suitable small group tours.
And of course, we can also plan a private mobile safari if you prefer to travel completely independently.
Botswana: Lodge safari with other travelers
You want to experience Botswana, but prefer to sleep in comfortable lodges or tented camps?
That works too.
On a lodge safari, we can combine different camps and lodges, ensuring that the game drives take place together with other guests.
This is often a very good solution for solo travelers.
You'll have company during the day and can chat with other travelers at mealtimes.
At the same time, you have your own accommodation and can completely freely organize your time between activities.
Tanzania: Safari as a solo traveler
Tanzania is also ideally suited for solo travel.
The Northern Circuit, with regions such as Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti, can be very well organized as a private or small group tour.
Small group tours, where you join an existing safari, are particularly interesting.
This way you share the safari vehicle with other travelers and can share the costs for the guide, vehicle and sometimes also transfers.
If you want to go to the beach afterwards, the safari can be combined with Zanzibar, for example.
Namibia: Safari, road trip and self-driving
Namibia is particularly exciting for solo travelers if you want to combine adventure and independence.
Here we offer, among other things, trips accompanied by Patrick.
The special:
You can drive a 4x4 yourself.
And you don't need any prior off-road training for that.
Patrick will show you how to handle the vehicle, what to pay attention to off-road, and how to navigate different road and track conditions.
So you're not just a passenger.
You are part of the journey.
For people who like to be active themselves, this can be a fantastic way to get to know Namibia.
And because you're traveling in a small group, you also have company.
Do I have to join a group?
No.
This is perhaps the most important point:
Traveling alone and traveling in a group are two completely different things.
You can:
Travel completely privately
You have your own vehicle, your own guide, and your own accommodation.
Ideal if you want maximum freedom.
Book a small group tour
You travel with other people and share certain services.
Ideal if you want company while keeping an eye on costs.
Adding to an existing safari
If a suitable group is already on the way, we can check if you can join them.
This can be particularly attractive if it eliminates a high single room or vehicle surcharge.
How does the safari vehicle work?
It depends on the trip.
On a private safari , you usually have a vehicle exclusively to yourself.
This means maximum flexibility.
On a small group tour, you share the vehicle.
That is not automatically a disadvantage.
On the contrary:
It can be wonderful to experience an animal sighting together on safari.
A leopard emerges from the bushes.
Everyone suddenly falls silent.
The guide switches off the engine.
And for a moment, people who didn't know each other two days ago are sitting together in the vehicle, watching the same animal.
It is precisely these kinds of moments that make small groups special.
What if I'd rather have some peace and quiet?
That's perfectly fine too.
You don't have to be social 24 hours a day on a group trip.
Safari groups do spend a lot of time together, but you have your own private spaces in between.
You can:
retreat after the Game Drive
read a book
photograph
Relax by the pool
take a walk
simply enjoy the scenery
And if you have your own accommodation, you naturally have even more privacy.
Is a safari safe to go on alone?
Safaris are generally very easy to plan, even if you are traveling alone.
That is precisely why we often advise solo travelers not to travel completely on their own through remote wilderness areas.
On a guided safari, you have people by your side who know the region, animals, and procedures.
Your guide knows:
how you behave in the bush
how you behave towards an animal
when you are allowed to leave the vehicle
which routes are safe
how you move around in the camp
how you behave in the event of an unexpected occurrence
And you're not alone in the lodges and camps either.
Can I, as a woman, travel to Africa alone?
Yes.
Africa is not a continent that you can only travel to with a partner, family, or a tour group.
Many women travel alone through Africa.
However, we would pay particularly close attention to the travel arrangements for a solo trip.
Depending on the destination, a guided safari or small group tour may be more suitable than a completely independent road trip.
We also look at how the routes, transfers and activities are organized when it comes to accommodations.
The goal:
You should feel safe without your journey being unnecessarily restricted.
How much does a safari cost for solo travelers?
This cannot be answered with a single, fixed price.
A safari consists of many components:
Accommodation
Safari vehicle
Guide
National Park and Conservation Fees
Transfers
Domestic flights
Catering
Activities
season
The biggest difference often lies in the safari vehicle and the accommodation.
If you use a vehicle alone, you bear the costs alone.
If you join a small group, these costs can be shared.
A room sharing solution can also significantly reduce the price.
That's why we compare different options for you and don't just look for the cheapest room.
Which is cheaper: a private tour or a small group tour?
That depends heavily on the destination and the trip.
A private safari can be more expensive per person.
In return you will receive:
own vehicle
maximum flexibility
individual departure times
more privacy
individual animal observations
A small group trip, on the other hand, can be much more attractive if you want to share the costs.
You share this:
vehicle
Guide
Activities
partial transfers
For solo travelers, we therefore recommend always comparing both options.
Sometimes a small group tour makes much more sense.
Sometimes a private safari is surprisingly appealing.
Which countries are particularly suitable for solo travelers?
From our portfolio, we would particularly consider these destinations:
South Africa
Ideal for beginners and very flexible in terms of combinations.
Safari, Cape Town, Winelands, Garden Route or the coast can all be combined.
Botswana
Fantastic for intense wilderness experiences and particularly interesting as a small group or mobile safari.
Tanzania
Excellent for classic safaris and good for small group tours.
Namibia
Ideal for active travelers, road trip fans and people who want to drive themselves.
Kenya
A great combination of safari and beach, and also good for small groups.
Zambia
An excellent destination for experienced safari travelers seeking a less touristy atmosphere.
Zimbabwe
Particularly interesting for intensive safari experiences and small, personally guided trips.
Which trip suits you best?
The most important question is not:
"Which safari can I book as a solo traveler?"
Rather:
“How do I want to experience Africa?”
Do you want to meet people?
Then a small group tour is probably ideal.
Do you want to pay as little as possible?
Then we'll look into sharing options and trips without the traditional single supplement.
Do you want maximum freedom?
Then a private safari is the better choice.
Do you want to drive yourself?
Then you should look at Namibia or South Africa.
Do you want to go deep into the wilderness?
Then a mobile safari in Botswana might be just what you're looking for.
Do you want comfort?
Then we combine lodge safaris with high-quality camps.
Do you want to take photos?
Then we plan the safari with enough time for wildlife viewing and as much flexibility as possible.
And what if you want to meet new people during your trip?
That's one of the nice side effects of small groups.
You don't know in advance who will be sitting next to you in the safari vehicle.
Perhaps someone is traveling to Africa for the first time.
Perhaps someone has been a safari enthusiast for years.
Perhaps your travel companion is just as interested in photography as you are.
And perhaps on the third evening you'll be sitting together around the campfire, already planning your next safari.
But just as important:
You don't have to meet anyone.
A solo trip can also simply be a journey to yourself.
Traveling to Africa alone means freedom.
You don't need a travel partner to experience Africa.
You just need the right way to travel.
Perhaps you are sitting alone in a safari vehicle, watching a herd of elephants.
Perhaps you'll share a tent with no one, but you'll share the sundowner with a small group.
Maybe you'll drive a 4x4 through the Namib yourself.
Or you sit by a campfire in the Okavango Delta and listen to the sounds of the wilderness at night.
Setting off alone doesn't mean you have to arrive alone.
And if you wish, we can plan your trip so that you get just the right mix of freedom, company, comfort and adventure .
Frequently asked questions about solo travel in Africa
It can be more expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Single room supplements and the cost of an exclusive safari vehicle can increase the price. We can often reduce these costs through small group tours or sharing models.
Yes, depending on the trip and availability, we can look for suitable small group or sharing options. This is particularly interesting for certain mobile safaris and lodge safaris.
Yes. We will check which existing departures match your wishes and travel dates.
Not necessarily. It depends on the specific trip. Single accommodation may be possible, but it could incur a single room supplement.
That depends on the specific trip. Our focus is generally on small, personal groups and not on large tour groups.
Absolutely. A private safari is actually one of the most flexible ways to experience Africa on your own.
Yes. We plan the trip so that transfers, accommodations and activities fit your individual situation.
Yes. On selected guided tours in Namibia, you can drive yourself. You don't need extensive off-road experience.
Yes. Tanzania, especially Zanzibar, or Kenya with its coastline are particularly well-suited for this.
Absolutely. A solo safari doesn't have to be easy or less comfortable. We can also integrate high-quality lodges and camps into a customized trip.