What's Included in a Safari Package (and What Isn't)

Short answerMost packages include accommodation, meals, vehicle, driver-guide, fuel, park entry and airport transfers. The items that make two quotes differ by hundreds of dollars are primate permits, internal flights, drinks and tips. Ask about the permit first — at $800 it is the largest single swing.

Two quotes for what looks like the same trip can differ by well over a thousand dollars per person and both be honest. The difference is almost never the margin — it is what sits inside the line.

What's usually included

The ambiguous middle

These are the items that vary between operators, and every one of them is worth asking about explicitly.

What's almost never included

• International flights. Essentially never.
• Visas. Yours to arrange — see planning a trip to Uganda.
• Travel insurance. Never included, and genuinely necessary given non-refundable permits.
• Tips. For guides, lodge staff and porters.
• Drinks. Beyond water in the vehicle.
• Personal items, souvenirs, phone credit.
• Porters on treks. Modest, paid at the trailhead in cash, and worth every dollar.
• Optional adventure activities. Rafting, bungee, balloon flights.
• Vaccinations and antimalarials.

How to compare two quotes properly

1. Normalise the permits. Add $800 to any quote that excludes the gorilla permit before comparing.
2. Check the meal basis. Full board and half board are not the same trip.
3. Count the nights, not the days.A “7-day safari” may be six nights, and arrival and departure days are often mostly travel.
4. Check whether it's private or shared. A shared vehicle is much cheaper and a different experience — see self-drive vs driver-guide.
5. Check the accommodation tier per night, not overall. Some quotes mix tiers.
6. Check which activities are listed as included, not merely mentioned in the description.
7. Ask what happens if the permit date moves.

Budgeting for tips

Tipping is customary across East Africa and forms a real part of guides' and porters' income rather than a bonus. Budget for it deliberately rather than finding cash at the end.

The people to plan for: your driver-guide across the whole trip, lodge staff at each property, porters at each trek, ranger guides where you take one, and boat crews. Amounts and denominations are covered in our money, currency and tipping guide.

Nine questions to ask before you pay

1. Is the gorilla permit included?
2. Are park entrance fees included for every day?
3. Full board or half board?
4. Private vehicle or shared?
5. Which specific lodges — and in which Bwindi sector?
6. Are boat cruises and optional activities included?
7. What is the deposit, and what is the cancellation policy?
8. What happens if my permit date is changed by the authority?
9. What exactly is excluded? Ask for the list in writing.

Question five matters more than it looks: a Bwindi lodge in the wrong sector can be hours from your briefing point, as Bwindi's sectors compared explains.

For the underlying numbers see the Uganda cost breakdown and the East Africa cost comparison. For vetting the operator itself, how to choose a Uganda safari company.

Ask us for a fully-inclusive quote — permit, park fees, activities and all — so you can compare it against anything else on a like-for-like basis.

What's included: common questions

What is usually included in a safari package? Accommodation, meals on the stated basis, a vehicle with a driver-guide, fuel, park entrance fees, and airport transfers. What varies most is whether primate permits, drinks, tips and internal flights are in or out — and those are the items that make two quotes differ by hundreds of dollars.

Are gorilla permits included in safari packages? Sometimes, and it is the single most important thing to check. A gorilla permit is $800 in Uganda's high season, so a quote that includes it and one that doesn't are not comparable. Always ask explicitly rather than assuming.

What does full board mean on safari? Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Half board is breakfast and dinner only, which matters on days you are out of camp at midday. Full board almost never includes drinks other than water, and rarely includes alcohol.

Are drinks included on safari? Usually only drinking water in the vehicle. Some higher-end lodges include soft drinks, house wine and local beer; most charge for everything. Assume drinks are extra unless the quote says otherwise in writing.

How much should you budget for tips on safari? Plan for your driver-guide, lodge staff and porters, in cash and in small denominations. Tipping is customary and forms a real part of guides' income. Our money and tipping guide sets out typical amounts for Uganda.

What are the hidden costs of an African safari? Most commonly: primate permits, drinks, tips, laundry, optional activities such as boat cruises or balloon flights, visa fees, travel insurance, and the single supplement if you are travelling alone. None are hidden by anyone dishonest — they are simply outside the quoted rate.