Why Travel With SAFARI.COM

The domain name says it all! We've been in business for 17 years. We are an African-based company and our travel advisors have all lived in Africa and experienced many of our safaris first-hand.

Our travel advisors are passionate. It's not a job, it's a calling.
This means we align ourselves with our customers above all else. While most people in Africa are sleeping, our advisors are awake and ready to help our customers living in foreign timezones.

Best Price Guarantee

We sell at the exact same rates as if you booked directly with the lodges and operators we advertise. The reason we are able to do this is because our suppliers pay us a commission to book when we manage you bookings with them. We have a network of over 500+ operators that we deal with throughout Africa. There is a good reason operators need businesses like ours - travel in Africa presents unique challenges when it comes to infrastructure and terrain. It's not the same as a hotel in a city which can check people in 24h per day. Lodges are located in wild, natural habitats and strict protocols are in place regarding opening and closing times of their game reserves, for example.

Aside from marketing, our value in the ecosystem comes from our knowledgeable consultants, who not only help compile the best itinerary but make sure all required details are collected and communicated between all parties to ensure the smoothest possible safari.

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That being said - if you are able to find the price lower somewhere else, we'll match it.

Comprehensive Travel Insurance

We have teamed up with SATIB to offer extremely competitive travel insurance.

The coverage is extensive and includes losses due to things like cancellation, theft, medical situations and rental vehicle excess.

This means your booking becomes 100% refundable, provided you can't travel for reasons outside of your control.

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For more details click here.

100% Refundable Booking

As touched on above, if you have our recommended travel insurance in place your booking becomes completely refundable - up to R85k per person in the base package.  This applies to any situation where you cannot travel for reasons outside of your control.

We are delighted to be able to offer this to you, our customers. The last thing we want is for you to be in a situation where you can't travel and are worrying about what will happen with funds paid.

Well-being and overall happy experience are something we strive to deliver, from the moment you place an enquiry, to the moment you return from your trip.

Financial Protection

Trusting your funds with third parties has obvious risks, a fact that became glaringly apparent during COVID. It's important for us to emphasise that your funds are safe with SAFARI.COM. If you want additional peace of mind from a third party, the travel insurance mentioned above is an obvious choice.

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Companies often point to numerous associations and/or tourism boards as an indication of your money being safe with them.

The reality is that coverage can be limited and, in the best case, involves a protracted legal process.

Our quest to be THE safari authority means we care deeply about our reputation means it is in our interest to protect customer funds and deliver on promises under all scenarios possible. For transparency, it's useful knowing WHO you are doing business with when you deal with a company.

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Our Shareholders

SAFARI.COM was founded by Ric Meulemans and Oliver Bryant in 2006.

In 2015, Caxton CTP (a publicly traded company on the JSE) purchased 50% of the business.  Today, Ric, Oliver and Caxton CTP are the sole shareholders of the business.

At the time of this writing, Caxton has R2.8billion in cash on its balance sheet.

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When it comes to evaluating risk, one always needs to consider the shareholders in the counterparty.  We care deeply about our standing and reputation, and the above should show we are well funded and able to survive any scenario that comes our way.

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A Story About COVID

Many businesses globally were under tremendous pressure during COVID.  Travel businesses were at the extreme end of this spectrum.  We're very proud of the fact that no customers lost funds with us, and we worked closely with operators and customers to introduce flexible cancellation terms. We were able to do this because we have well-funded shareholders.

Accreditations

SATSA Certified

The Southern Africa Tourism Services Association is a member driven credibility organisation. There are a number of checks a company must pass to be admitted. These include company verification, financial compliance, insurance compliance and legal compliance. We have been a member of SATSA since 2008, and our good standing is publicly available on their website. There is a screengrab of our membership below, but feel free to verify us yourself in the member directory on the SATSA website.

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ATTA Certified

The African Travel & Tourism Association (ATTA®) is a member-driven trade association that promotes tourism to Africa from all corners of the world.  The membership requirements include an invite from existing members, being in business a certain amount of time and belonging to your countries recognised trade organisation. You are more than welcome to verify our membership in the member directory on the ATTA website.

Fanatical About Service

24/7 safari assistance. We are an omni-channel company and our consultants align themselves with the hours of our guests.  Our preferred method of communication is WhatsApp - which should indicate the level of service we aspire to. That means while most people in Africa are sleeping, we're awake and ready to help our foreign visitors in different timezones.

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From the moment you start planning your trip, to the moment you return from your safari, your happiness is our top priority.

We Handle Everything

Accommodation, activities, flights, transfers, you name it. When you use Safari.com, we're able to sort out every aspect of your trip.  Think of it like having your own personal travel assistant.

Traveller Reviews

With thousands of happy customers it's no surprise we have stellar independent reviews on many platforms including TripAdvisor, TrustPilot and Safaribookings. With our website we've chosen to integrate with TrustPilot so you can see why others decided to use Safari.com!

Let Us Create Your Perfect Safari

Life is all about memories and our goal is to make sure your dream safari is perfect in every way.‍Let us do all the heavy lifting and make sure your trip is perfect from start to finish. We'll tailor packages or recommend accommodation to suit the atmosphere. Then you can relax, sit back and enjoy the moments with those you love most.‍

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