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What Are Exclusive Camping Safaris Small Group Tours Explained

What are Exclusive Camping Safaris? Small Group Tours Explained

What are Exclusive Camping Safaris? Small Group Tours Explained.

Exclusive Camping Safaris is the Cadillac of low-cost camping safaris.
On our website or elsewhere, you might have seen various camping safaris categorized as “Exclusive” while looking for an inexpensive tour. Here is a bit of a breakdown because we understand that this tour category may seem a little contradictory (exclusive, yet affordable, and camping).

Exclusive Safaris: luxurious camping

In essence, both Exclusive Budget and Exclusive Overland Safaris are camping excursions with the addition of two or three nights of lodging for comfort. On these upscale camping vacations, you spend the nights you’re accommodated in lodge-style lodging. Tented camps, which provide more opulent camping amenities than standard campsites, are where you spend the camping evenings.

For the first-time or reluctant camper who isn’t sure if camping is for them, exclusive safaris are perfect. For the experienced camper seeking an upgrade from conventional and basic camping packages, these special camping experiences are ideal.

You will most likely discover that the exclusive camping safaris better suit your demands if you are traveling on a very limited budget and the accommodated excursions seem a bit too costly. With this camping option, you may travel even more cheaply while still seeing the same sights and game areas as the budget lodge safaris.

Why Are These Camping Tours So Exclusive?

With a maximum of 16 passengers, both varieties of Exclusive Camping Safaris fall under the category of small group safaris. The majority of tour participants spend two or three nights (often more) in lodge-style lodging while traveling through permanent or semi-permanent tented camps.

Participation: The degree of involvement needed is one of the main distinctions between regular camping safaris and exclusive camping safaris. Unlike regular camping excursions, where you are expected to assist a lot, exclusive camping tours require little to no participation. On exclusive camping safaris, if and when participation is required, it is typically in the form of assisting with camp setup or breakdown.

Camping gear: The fact that the tents on special safaris come with camping beds, at the very least, makes camping more comfortable and distinguishes them from regular camping trips. Additionally, camping beds, pillows, and all linens are supplied on some of the premium camping tours.

Food: Because you have a personal chef, the meals on the premium camping tours are also of a better caliber. You can anticipate being well-fed because, for instance, Tanzania’s premium low-cost camping trips offer a large assortment of hot beverages and substantial, expertly made meals.

Exclusive Camping Safari Types

Exclusive Overland Safaris and Exclusive Budget Safaris are the two categories of Exclusive Safaris. Not to be confused with luxury safaris, these tours are still reasonably priced for those on a tight budget!

The benefits of Exclusive Budget Safaris
Of the two types of exclusive tours, these are the more exclusive. Why?What are Exclusive Camping Safaris Small Group Tours Explained

mostly because the safari experience is more intimate due to the smaller group sizes and smaller cars.

The Exclusive Budget Safaris’ advantages include:
Small group size: two to eight passengers each tour
Transfers and journeys to watch games in smaller cars
In certain places (East Africa), a window seat is guaranteed.
A more intimate safari encounter
All-inclusive tour cost
Camping gear
Small group size: The maximum number of passengers per vehicle on Exclusive Budget Safaris is eight, with groups ranging from two to eight.

To help you visualize: The maximum number of passengers per vehicle is typically eight in Kruger Park, seven in Tanzania, and eight in Kenya. Depending on availability, which is typically good, you can reserve a single reservation for some of the private tours to locations like Kruger Park. Since smaller groups (up to 8) are typically joined and singles join other travelers, your trip is shared; these are not private safaris.

The overlanding group sizes are larger than even the slightly larger ones.

Transport in smaller vehicles: Exclusive Budget Safaris offers game viewing in open or specifically built 4×4 safari vehicles, while overland Africa journeys use closed transfer vehicles or landcruisers.

For example, Kruger Exclusive Budget Tours provide air-conditioned, closed transfer vehicles for transportation to and from the national park. To give you the best visibility and put you right in the middle of the bush, game viewing in Kruger is done in open 4×4 safari vehicles.

As an additional illustration, the Exclusive Budget Tours in East Africa are offered in cars with pop-up roofs, and every passenger is assured a seat by the window.

Individual Safari Experience: More one-on-one time with your guide or guides is possible with smaller groups. Additionally, it provides a more personal safari experience where you may build relationships with other travelers.

A cook and a guide/driver make up the majority of Exclusive Budget Safaris’ personnel. Your safari experience will be enhanced by the skilled and informed guides on special camping safaris.

All-inclusive tour cost: In general, the majority of activities are included in the Exclusive Budget Safaris package, along with park admission and conservation taxes. Game drives, nature hikes, trips to cultural villages, sunset boat rides in Chobe, and similar activities are typically included. Top-end and luxurious activities like hot-air ballooning over the Serengeti and beautiful flights over the Okavango Delta will not be included because these safaris are still on a budget.

Camping gear: The tents on Exclusive Budget Safaris are either walk-in canvas tents or two-man dome tents with camping mattresses. Along with a complete supply of pillows and linens, many of the tours also come with camping beds in the tents.

For instance, camping beds with mattresses and all the linens are typically included in the trips offered in Kruger Park. Walk-in safari tents with mattresses and linen are typically utilized in Kenya. A headlamp will be useful because many of the camps in Kenya are powered by generators, which go off at around 10 p.m.

Two-man dome tents with mattresses are typically used by Tanzanian Exclusive Budget Safaris; however, linen is not provided. You must bring your own pillow and sleeping bag for these safaris, however occasionally you can rent one.

The inside and out of exclusive overland safaris

In this case, a slightly larger group size is expected, with each overland tour consisting of 4–16 participants. Group sizes on other types of overland Africa tours, such standard overland camping, are still larger than this.

A large overland vehicle, built for travel in Africa, is used for transportation on these upscale safaris. The benefit of using an overland truck is that these large vehicles offer a higher viewpoint from which to observe the landscape and any wildlife you come across. The fact that a window seat is not assured is a drawback.

A mattress and two-man canvas dome tents are utilized on Exclusive Overland Safaris, but the rest is not included. You must either rent a sleeping bag or bring your own (the latter is advised) as linen and pillows are not included. A common way to save room and keep your luggage small and manageable is to take a pillowcase and load it with some clothes.

Similar to Exclusive Budget Safaris, Exclusive Overland Safaris offers cabin-style lodging or twin shared rooms for two to three nights (occasionally longer). Many of these excursions do not include all of the suggested activities on the agenda, merely a few game drives and other typical activities (such as village visits and bush walks). Although they must be paid for separately from the base tour cost, the suggested activities are worthwhile. These include activities like canoe and mokoro tours, bush camping expeditions, etc., and need a local payment to be made at your destination.

Lodge-style lodging

Comparing Exclusive Overland Safaris with Exclusive Budget Safaris
Therefore, the following are the main distinctions between Exclusive Budget Safaris and Exclusive Overland Safaris:

Exclusive Budget Safaris

Exclusive Overland Safaris

Smaller vehicle/s Overlanding truck
2 to 8 people 4 to 16 people
Affordable More affordable
Guaranteed window seat Maybe / maybe not window seat
Park fees/levies included Most park fees Included
Activities generally included Local payment OR activity package

Compared to standard camping safaris, both provide a smaller group size. While the Exclusive Overland Safaris are typically a little less expensive, you are assured a window seat on many of the Exclusive Budget Tours.

From Namibia and South Africa in Southern Africa to Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa, and even Uganda for gorilla trekking, we provide Exclusive Camping Safaris to the majority of African safari sites.