Everything guests usually ask us.

There's no single answer — which is why the question is worth a conversation. Kenya and Tanzania are excellent for wildlife year-round. July to October is the classic Great Migration period in the Maasai Mara and the northern Serengeti. January to March is calving season in the southern Serengeti and full of predator action. June and November are green, less-travelled shoulder months that some of our guides consider the most beautiful time of year. The best time for your trip depends on what you most want to see, how you feel about other vehicles, and when you can get away.

Every safari is built for the party travelling, so there is no standard rate. In general our safaris sit in the premium-to-luxury bracket — which reflects private guiding, our own camps, fully inclusive service, and the fact that nobody else shares your vehicle. A typical 10-night safari for a family of four would run in the upper-tier range; we itemise every quote in full detail so you know exactly what you are paying for.

Partly. The full rack rates for our own camps — Seringet Mara Camp and the Mobile Camp — are published as PDFs. What we don't publish is a price for a whole safari, because we don't sell standard safaris: every itinerary is quoted individually once we've understood who's travelling, when, and what you want to do. Once we've written the first draft, the price comes back with it.

Yes — and many of our longest-standing guests first came to us with young children. We adapt the pace, the activities and the camp set-up to your family. Walking safaris and balloon flights have minimum ages, but there is a great deal else a family can do together. Our guides are wonderful with children: most have their own.

No. Every Nigel Archer safari is private to one party. You will have your own vehicle, your own senior guide, and — at our Mobile Camp — the entire camp to yourselves.

For ordinary game drives and camp life, no specific fitness is required. Walking safaris and hiking days assume you are comfortable walking 5 to 10 km on uneven ground. Gorilla trekking can involve steep climbs in wet forest. We'll build your days around what you feel comfortable with, and we're always honest about what a particular activity really involves.

All accommodation, all meals, drinks including house wine and beer, all game drives and standard activities, park and conservancy fees, transfers, internal flights where specified, and a private senior guide plus vehicle for the duration of the safari. International flights are generally not included. Specialist activities (gorilla permits, helicopters, balloon flights, horseback safaris) are itemised separately so you can choose exactly what you want.

Most East African safaris include a mix of light-aircraft flights between parks and 4x4 road transfers. We plan these for you, balance cost against time saved, and can charter private planes for parties who want to skip the scheduled network. Our mobile camp often moves overland, which is a safari day in itself.

We'll send country-specific advice at the planning stage. In short: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda all offer straightforward electronic visas for most nationalities. Yellow-fever vaccination is required for some regional border crossings. Our guides are all trained in advanced first aid, and our camps carry proper medical kits. We work with Flying Doctors (AMREF) for emergency evacuation cover, which we'll arrange as part of your safari if you don't already have it.

For migration season (July–October in Kenya, January–March in the Serengeti) we recommend getting in touch 10–12 months ahead. For quieter months, 4–6 months is generally ample, and we can occasionally put together excellent last-minute trips. Gorilla permits in Uganda and Rwanda have strict availability and should be secured as early as possible.

We recommend comprehensive travel insurance — we'll help you understand what to ask for. Our standard cancellation terms are shared with every quote; we do everything reasonable to accommodate date changes and we've worked through our share of disruption over the years.

Yes. A few nights on the Kenyan or Tanzanian coast after a safari is one of the oldest traditions in East African travel, and we arrange it often. Lamu, Diani, Watamu, Zanzibar and the small islands off Pemba are all well within reach.

Wi-Fi is available at Seringet Mara Camp. At the Mobile Camp, signal varies with location — we generally have enough to send word home, but not enough for video calls, which is often for the best. We keep our camps deliberately quiet places.

A percentage of every Nigel Archer safari supports the community and conservation partners we've worked with for years — anti-poaching units, women's conservancies, local schools, and the private-concession fees that keep parts of the Mara ecosystem protected from over-use. We're happy to tell you exactly where the money goes.