Private African Safari Tours: Your Own Vehicle, Guide & Pace

I remember the exact moment I understood the difference between a shared safari and a private one.

We were in the Sabi Sand, late afternoon, the light turning everything to copper. Our tracker, Moses, picked up fresh leopard prints crossing the road — a female, moving fast, probably hunting. On a shared vehicle with ten guests and a fixed schedule, we would have noted it, perhaps followed for five minutes, and then turned back to make sundowner time. But this was a private drive. Just a couple from Lyon, their teenage daughter, Moses, and me.

I looked at my guests. They looked at me. Nobody said a word. I killed the engine.

For the next forty-five minutes we tracked that leopard on foot and then by vehicle through a drainage line thick with tamboti and magic guarri until she made her kill — an impala ram, taken in a single explosive rush that left everyone in the vehicle shaking. The daughter, who had barely looked up from her phone for the first two days, put it in her pocket and did not take it out again for the rest of the trip.

That is what a private safari gives you. Not luxury for its own sake — though it can be spectacularly luxurious — but time. The freedom to follow the story the bush is telling you, at whatever pace it unfolds.

What "Private" Actually Means

Let us be precise, because the safari industry uses this word loosely.

A private safari means you have your own dedicated vehicle, your own guide (and often your own tracker), and your itinerary flexes around your interests rather than a fixed group schedule. You are not sharing with strangers. You are not outvoted on whether to stay with the wild dogs or head back for lunch. You are not waiting for eleven other people to find their binoculars.

This is different from a private concession, which refers to a reserve with exclusive traversing rights (though private safaris often take place on private concessions). And it is different from a self-drive safari, where you are behind the wheel yourself — which has its own charms but is an entirely different experience.

On a private safari with Bakubung, your guide is a FGASA-qualified professional who knows the reserve intimately. They know where the resident leopard female dens, which waterhole the elephants favour in the afternoon heat, and where to position the vehicle for the best photographic light. That knowledge, combined with the freedom to act on it without committee, is what transforms a good game drive into an unforgettable one.

Private vs. Shared Group Safari — An Honest Comparison

We run both private and small-group safaris, and we believe in both. Here is an honest side-by-side:

Neither is objectively better. A small-group safari can be magical — the camaraderie, the shared gasps when a lion appears, the friendships formed over bush dinners. But if what you want is complete freedom and undivided attention from a world-class guide, private is the way.

Who Benefits Most from a Private Safari?

Couples on a special occasion. Anniversaries, honeymoons, milestone birthdays — when the trip is about the two of you, sharing a vehicle with strangers changes the energy entirely. A private safari lets your guide create moments: a surprise bush breakfast at a hippo pool, a sundowner on a granite kopje with nobody else for kilometres.

Families with children. Children under twelve are not permitted on game drives in many reserves unless the vehicle is private. Even where they are allowed, a shared vehicle full of adults is not the ideal environment for a seven-year-old who needs to whisper loudly, fidget, and ask why that elephant is doing that. On a private drive, the guide pitches everything at the right level — tracking games for little ones, deeper ecology for teenagers, and nobody judges anyone for needing a toilet stop.

Serious photographers. If you are carrying a 600mm lens and need the vehicle positioned with the sun behind you, the background clean, and the patience to wait for the animal to turn its head — you need a private vehicle. Full stop. Our guides understand photographic light and vehicle angles, and on a private drive they can spend thirty minutes getting you the shot without nine other guests wondering when you will move on.

Guests with mobility considerations. A private vehicle can be adapted, the pace adjusted, and embarkation points chosen for accessibility. There is no pressure to keep up with a group.

Anyone who values depth over breadth. If you would rather spend an hour with a single elephant herd — watching the matriarch make decisions, the calves play, the askari bulls posture — than tick off a checklist of species, a private safari is built for you.

The Best Destinations for a Private Safari

Greater Kruger & Sabi Sand — South Africa

The Greater Kruger ecosystem is the natural home of the private safari. The private concessions bordering the national park — Sabi Sand, Timbavati, Klaserie, Thornybush — all operate on a private-vehicle model. Off-road driving means your guide can leave the road to follow a pack of wild dogs through the bush, and night drives open up a nocturnal world of leopards, honey badgers and aardvarks that day visitors never see.

A four-night private safari in the Sabi Sand, with two game drives per day and a walking safari, is our most popular itinerary — and for good reason.

Private safari cost: From R12,000 per person per night (sharing, mid-range) to R45,000+ (ultra-luxury, exclusive-use).

Okavango Delta — Botswana

Botswana's low-density, high-value tourism model means that private safaris are essentially the default. Fly-in camps in the Delta rarely have more than twelve guests, and most offer private guiding as standard or as an easily arranged upgrade. The combination of game drives, mokoro excursions and walking safaris — all at your own pace — makes the Delta one of the most immersive private safari experiences on the continent.

Private safari cost: From R45,000 per person for a three-night fly-in package.

Masai Mara Conservancies — Kenya

The private conservancies bordering the Masai Mara National Reserve — Olare Motorogi, Naboisho, Mara North — limit both guest and vehicle numbers. A private safari here means you can follow a cheetah hunt across open grassland with no other vehicles in sight, or position yourself at a crossing point hours before the wildebeest arrive. During the July–October migration season, this exclusivity is priceless.

Private safari cost: From R40,000 per person for a four-night conservancy stay.

Hwange National Park — Zimbabwe

Often overlooked, Hwange is one of Africa's great elephant parks — over 40,000 elephants and rising. Private walking safaris with armed professional guides are the speciality here, and camps like Somalisa and Linkwasha offer intimate, guide-led experiences in a wilderness that feels genuinely remote.

Private safari cost: From R18,000 per person for a three-night stay.

Pilanesberg & Madikwe — South Africa

For guests based in Johannesburg who want a private safari without a flight, Pilanesberg and Madikwe are superb options. Both are Big Five reserves within a two-to-three-hour drive of the city, and both offer private game drives through lodges or through operators like us. A two-night private Pilanesberg safari is our most accessible introduction to the private-vehicle experience.

Private safari cost: From R6,500 per person per night (sharing, mid-range lodge with private vehicle).

What Does a Private Safari Cost in 2026?

Here is an honest breakdown in South African Rand:

Value tip: If you are travelling as a couple, a private vehicle costs more per person than a shared group. But if you are a family of four or a group of friends, the per-person cost of a private vehicle often drops to within 10–15% of a shared safari — with a vastly better experience. We always quote per vehicle as well as per person so you can see the real economics.

How We Design a Private Safari at Bakubung

Every private safari we build starts with one question: What do you want to feel when you get home?

Not what you want to see — though we will get to that — but how you want the trip to sit in your memory. The answer shapes everything: the pace, the lodges, the activities, the moments we engineer between the game drives.

Our process:

1. Discovery call — We learn about you: your experience level, fitness, interests, dietary needs, what excites you, what makes you nervous. We have sent surgeons on walking safaris and arachnophobes on bush sleepouts (with their enthusiastic consent). The more we know, the better the trip.

2. Itinerary design — We match you to the right reserves, lodges and guides. A photographer gets a different itinerary from a honeymooning couple, even if they are visiting the same reserve. We share a detailed day-by-day plan with alternatives built in.

3. Guide matching — Not every guide suits every guest. Our FGASA-qualified guides each have their own strengths and personalities. We match you with someone whose style fits yours — whether that is an encyclopaedic birder, a storytelling bushman, or a quiet, patient tracker who lets the silence do the talking.

4. Seamless logistics — From the moment we collect you (usually from O.R. Tambo International or your Johannesburg hotel) to the moment we drop you back, every transfer, every meal, every park fee is handled. You do not think about logistics. You think about the bush.

5. On-the-ground flexibility — This is where private really shines. Your guide checks in with you each evening: Tomorrow morning, would you like to focus on finding the wild dog den, or shall we head to the river for elephants? The itinerary is a living document, not a contract.

If this is how you want to experience Africa, get in touch with us. We would love to start designing your private safari.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I do a private safari as a solo traveller? Absolutely. You will pay a single-supplement on the accommodation and a private-vehicle surcharge, but the experience is extraordinary — just you and your guide, completely immersed. Some of our most memorable safaris have been with solo guests.

Is a private safari safe for children? Very. In fact, a private vehicle is the safest option for families because the guide can manage the experience around your children's needs. Most lodges welcome children from age six on private drives, and some specialist family camps cater to even younger guests.

How far in advance should I book? For peak season (June–September), three to six months ahead. For green season (November–March), six to eight weeks is usually fine. If you want a specific lodge or guide, book as early as possible.

Can I combine a private safari with other experiences? Of course. Many guests combine a private Kruger safari with a few days in Cape Town, a Soweto cultural immersion, or a Garden Route road trip. We design the whole journey, not just the game drives.

A private safari is not about exclusion. It is about attention — the guide's attention to you, your attention to the bush, and the bush's quiet, unhurried attention to itself. If you are ready to experience Africa on your own terms, let us start the conversation.

— Thabo Makate, Founder & Lead Guide, Bakubung Safaris & Tours