Are you desperate to get away and love a good deal? I mean, really, who doesn’t? Well, covid has upended a lot of “normal” expectations for us, and one of them is the cost of a last minute safari. In normal times, these can often end up being more expensive, simply because available flights tend to be more costly and (nice) available camps are often at the higher end. Not so in 2021. We have a slew of fantastic camps that are offering excellent last minute discounts, amongst them some of our favourites on the continent.
We have a lot of last minute special discounts on our books, far more than we can list here (just ask if your chosen destination isn’t on the list- we probably have a special for you somewhere), but our favourites are at:
Morukuru Farmhouse or Morukuru Beach Lodge in South Africa- both are in non-malarial areas and the sort of lodges that have our guests immediately rebooking as soon as they return. You need to travel before the 17th December and book less than 6 weeks in advance.
Tanda Tula in the Timbavati is another favourite in the EA office- it’s one of those camps that our travellers just seem to fall madly in love with and are utterly charmed by. If you book and travel within 30 days of your stay there’s 20% off here.
Up in Kenya, the newest camp on the block is Offbeat Ndoto in the Masai Mara. While Ndoto has only just opened the team behind it are old hands, running some of the best camps in Kenya. Stay before the end of October 2021 and get a 4 for 3 special PLUS a further 15% off- this works out at nearly 40% off overall.
Elsewhere in the Mara, Olonana is offering 30% off if you stay before mid December, and if you want a longer trip in Kenya and stay 9 nights at any combination of Tortillis, Elsa’s, Lewa Safari Camp and Elephant Pepper that’ll also give you a 30% discount. To be honest, if it were our safari, we’d probably spend that long at Elsa’s and Lewa Safari Camp alone- wild, utterly dreamy, and with spectacular game viewing.
We have always held a soft spot for Southern Tanzania. Annoyingly, the rest of the world is starting to catch on, but there are still some pretty spectacular last minute discounts- book Jongomero or Siwandu within 30 days of travelling to make the most of it. Siwandu has one of the best locations in Nyerere National Park (formerly the Selous) and we love the total sense of wilderness of Jongomero’s location in the Ruaha.
Elsewhere in the Selous and Ruaha, you can get 6 for 4 at Kigelia and Sand Rivers, plus 10% off if you book within 90 days of travel. We don’t want to oversell these two camps, but Sand Rivers is one of the few camps Alex has returned to again and again over the years, and a stay in the fly camp there was so magical she came home with a very sparkly ring on her finger (Tanzanite, naturally).
Finally, safari aficionados always look to Zambia-the guiding there is excellent and the walking safaris that Zambia specializes in are perfect for a socially distant safari. If you’re booking at short notice (less than 45 days before travel) there are some utterly spectacular deals at Tafika and Chikoko Trails which are in the northern part of the South Luangwa.
In the central and southern parts of the park, Mfuwe Lodge plus her sister camps Zungulila, Chindeni and Kapamba also have impressive last minute special offers. November is hot as can be, but we’d be seriously tempted to visit then, just to see the ellies wandering through the middle of Mfuwe Lodge in search of the very ripest mangos.
Last but not least, our friends at Chongwe (Lower Zambezi), Chinzombo and Kakuli (both in the South Luangwa) have a pretty magnificent 50% off for last minute travellers. Needless to say, this is not something we see very oftne.
Obviously there are a few boring ts and cs that apply to the above, but we’re here to navigate them all for you and make sure you get the very best deal. After all, you need to start packing!
EXTRAORDINARY AFRICA 