Plan an African safari around three things, in this order: the visa and insurance patchwork (Kenya's USD 30 eTA plus a mandatory government health policy since October 2026; the East African Tourist Visa covers Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda only, never Tanzania), park fees that now run from USD 80 to 200 per person per day at the flagship parks, and the seasons, which decide both the wildlife and the price. Do those three properly and the rest of the planning is choosing lodges.
A safari is the trip people save for years, and it is usually planned backwards: lodges first, paperwork last. That order produces the classic disasters, a traveller refused boarding without an eTA, a family discovering at the Mara gate that July fees doubled, a Kenya itinerary priced without Tanzania's separate visa and insurance. This guide reverses the order, with fees and rules checked against the park authorities, the official visa portals and government travel advice. RoamFeast is a travel publisher, not a tour operator; we do not sell safaris, and the operator price bands below are labelled market ranges, not quotes.
Safari planning at a glance
| Item | What it is now |
|---|---|
| Kenya | eTA USD 30, apply at least 3 days ahead, PLUS mandatory Kenyan Government travel health insurance (about USD 44) since 5 October 2026; foreign policies not accepted for this requirement |
| East African Tourist Visa | USD 100, 90 days, multiple entry: Kenya + Rwanda + Uganda ONLY. Tanzania is not a member |
| Tanzania | Own e-Visa: USD 50 single entry (US citizens: USD 100 multiple entry). Zanzibar insurance USD 44 since Oct 2024; mainland Tanzania policy USD 44 from Oct 2026 (one policy covers the whole country) |
| Flagship park fees (adult, per day) | Maasai Mara USD 100 (Jan-Jun) / USD 200 (Jul-Dec); Serengeti USD 82.60 incl. VAT; Amboseli and Lake Nakuru USD 90; gorilla permits USD 800 (Uganda) / USD 1,500 (Rwanda) |
| Best all-round months | East Africa Jun-Oct; Botswana May-Oct; Kruger May-Oct (dry seasons; green seasons cost less) |
Visas and mandatory insurance: the real map
Kenya: eTA plus a new insurance rule
Kenya replaced its visa with an eTA (USD 30) on 1 January 2024. Every visitor, including infants and children, needs one; the portal (etakenya.go.ke) advises applying at least 3 days before travel, and the UK Foreign Office relays Kenyan advice to allow up to 2 weeks. The newer change catches people out: since 5 October 2026, most visitors must also hold Kenyan Government-provided travel health insurance, bought inside the eTA application (about USD 44), and foreign policies are not accepted as a substitute. East African citizens and residents are exempt. Buy your own evacuation cover as well regardless: a government health policy is not a medical-evacuation plan to a major hospital.
The East African Tourist Visa, accurately
The real joint visa is the East African Tourist Visa: USD 100, 90 days, multiple entry, covering Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Apply through the country you enter first, and enter first through that country. Its sharp edge: the visa dies the moment you leave the three-country bloc, so a side trip anywhere else ends it. And the fact that breaks more itineraries than any other: Tanzania never joined. Any Kenya-plus-Serengeti plan needs Tanzania's own visa and fees on top, whatever a tour page implies.
Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and the south
Tanzania runs its own e-Visa (visa.immigration.go.tz): USD 50 for an ordinary single-entry visa, while US citizens must take the USD 100 multiple-entry visa (12 months, 90 days per stay). Then the insurances: Zanzibar has required its ZIC inbound policy (USD 44 per adult) since October 2024, and mainland Tanzania introduced an equivalent USD 44 policy from October 2026; the first entry point decides which you buy, one policy covers the whole United Republic, and EAC and SADC residents are exempt. Uganda's e-Visa is USD 50, and Uganda is the yellow-fever exception: it requires the vaccination certificate from all arriving travellers, uploaded with the application. Rwanda offers a 30-day visa on arrival at USD 50, free for citizens of African Union, Commonwealth and Francophonie countries, which means UK passport holders currently enter free. South Africa and Botswana remain visa-free for 90 days for US, UK and EU passports, and Zambia is visa-free for the same passports too. The KAZA UniVisa (USD 50, 30 days, Zambia plus Zimbabwe) exists but is sold on arrival only and suffers reported sticker shortages, so do not build a tight itinerary on it. Finally, Namibia changed the rules on 1 April 2025: the 33 previously exempt nationalities, including the US, UK and EU, now need a visa on arrival or eVisa (N$1,600 for ages 12 and up).
Park fees as they are now
Park fees are the second budget shock, and they have moved recently on both sides of the Kenya-Tanzania border. Adult non-resident rates, per person per day unless stated:
| Park | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maasai Mara (Narok County) | USD 100 Jan-Jun; USD 200 Jul-Dec | The ticket is a 12-hour ticket (06:00-18:00). Children 9-17 USD 50; under 8 free |
| Amboseli, Lake Nakuru (KWS) | USD 90 | Kenya Wildlife Service tariff from 1 October 2025, its first review in 18 years. Nairobi NP and Tsavo USD 80. Paid via eCitizen/KWSPay, no cash |
| Serengeti (TANAPA) | USD 82.60 peak; USD 70.80 low season (15 Mar-15 May) | USD 70/60 plus 18% VAT. Camps inside the park add a concession fee on top |
| Ngorongoro (NCAA) | USD 70.80 per 24 hours, PLUS USD 295 per vehicle per crater descent | The crater service fee is per vehicle, not per person, which is why crater days are priced as they are |
| Kruger (SANParks) | R602 per adult per day (to 31 Oct 2026); R692 from Nov 2026 | International rate, plus a 1% community levy. Far cheaper than East African flagships |
| Gorilla permits | Uganda USD 800; Rwanda USD 1,500 | Per person, per trek. Kibale chimpanzee permit USD 250 |
| Botswana parks (DWNP) | Modest: Chobe/Moremi about P270 per day | Botswana's cost is not the park fee; it is the lodge and concession model, see below |
The practical consequence: on a peak-season Kenya-Tanzania trip, park fees alone can run USD 200 to 400 per person per day once the Mara, Serengeti and a crater descent stack up. When comparing operator quotes, the first question is always whether park fees are included, because a cheap quote that excludes them is not cheap. Our Kruger safari guide shows the South African alternative, where the same wildlife budget stretches noticeably further.
When to go
East Africa's long dry season (June to October) is the classic window: animals concentrate at water, roads are passable, and the Great Migration is in the Maasai Mara roughly July to October, with river crossings possible but never guaranteed in any given week. The calving season (January to March, peaking in February) fills the southern Serengeti and Ndutu with newborn wildebeest and predators, and is the connoisseur's alternative. The long rains (March to May) and short rains (November to December) bring green landscapes, dramatic skies, fewer vehicles and lower lodge rates, at the cost of some muddy tracks and, in the low-season Serengeti tariff window, slightly cheaper fees.
Botswana runs May to October, with a beautiful inversion: the Okavango Delta's floodwaters, rained down in Angola months earlier, peak around June to August, so the delta is fullest in the middle of the dry season. Kruger and South Africa are best May to October, when the bush thins and game gathers at waterholes. Gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda is possible year-round, with the drier months (June to September, December to February) the easier walking. The honest budget lever, everywhere, is the shoulder and green seasons: the same parks, the same animals in different light, at materially lower lodge rates, which is the core trick in our budget travel destinations guide applied to safaris.
Health, briefly and honestly
Yellow fever: the certificate is required when you arrive from a country with yellow fever transmission risk, including transits over 12 hours in such a country, in most safari states; Uganda is stricter and requires it of all arrivals. A single dose has been valid for life since 2016; there is no booster to schedule. Check your exact routing, because a long Addis Ababa or Nairobi transit can trigger the requirement even when your home country does not.
Malaria: present year-round in the Mara, Serengeti and most low-lying safari areas per the CDC country pages; seasonal and lower risk in Kruger (roughly October to May); low in Etosha's dry winter; absent from Cape Town and Johannesburg themselves. Prophylaxis comes in a few standard drug families with different schedules and side-effect profiles, and the right choice is a travel-clinic conversation 4 to 6 weeks before departure, not a table on a website. Mosquito avoidance (repellent, long sleeves at dusk, nets where provided) is the layer that works regardless.
Money mechanics and choosing an operator
Cost drivers, in order: accommodation class (the same park costs three times more from a luxury lodge than from a good mid-range camp), park fees (fixed, above), internal flights (bush flights save days and cost accordingly), then vehicle type and group size. Market ranges for a 10 to 12 day private mid-range Kenya-plus-Tanzania safari for two are published by operators in a wide band (our fact pack tracks current examples); treat any single total, including the tidy ones in older versions of this article, with suspicion until it is itemised. Joining a small group departure is the reliable way to cut the per-person price of a private vehicle.
Tipping is customary, not compulsory: guides around USD 10 to 20 per person per day and a pooled contribution for camp staff are the commonly stated norms; ask your operator what their crews expect and budget it in. Operator checks that actually exist: in Kenya, a Tourism Regulatory Authority licence and membership of KATO (the Kenya Association of Tour Operators, which keeps a public directory); in Tanzania, a TALA licence and the TATO member list. For sustainability claims, the real schemes are Ecotourism Kenya's Eco-rating and South Africa's Fair Trade Tourism (GSTC-recognised); beyond badges, ask any operator three questions: are park fees included, what is the maximum group size per vehicle, and what does the price pay for in the communities the safari passes through. The answers separate the serious companies faster than any logo.
