Bobby Safaris FAQ

The right way to start is also the simplest: send a message. You can WhatsApp Don directly at +255 786 110 786, or use the contact form on this site. Tell us roughly when you are thinking of travelling, how many guests, and what is drawing you to Tanzania — a milestone celebration, a private retreat, a dream you have been carrying for years. There is no rigid itinerary, no package to select from a grid. Bobby Safaris designs each trip around the people taking it. A conversation is where everything begins.

We work primarily through international bank wire transfer, which avoids credit card processing fees on significant bookings. For clients who prefer card payment, we can arrange this — your bank will handle the currency conversion transparently. A 30% deposit holds your reservation; the balance is payable 45 days before arrival in Tanzania. For long-lead bookings made many months in advance, we are happy to structure payments in stages — just ask. We keep the financial side quiet and straightforward. No hidden fees, no currency surprises.

We handle changes and cancellations with care and fairness. If you cancel more than 60 days before arrival, your deposit is refunded in full minus a small administrative fee. Between 30 and 60 days, we retain 50% of the deposit. Inside 30 days, the deposit is non-refundable — though we almost always find a way to rebook you to a later date if plans shift unexpectedly. Rebooking to different dates is generally possible without cost if we have sufficient notice. Life happens. We would rather move a booking than lose a relationship over a rigid policy.

Tipping at the high end of the Tanzania safari experience reflects the skill and dedication of your guides and camp staff — people who are exceptionally good at what they do and who earn their living primarily from gratuities. For a 7-day ultra-luxury safari, a fair total would be $208–$364 for your lead guide or safari manager, and $104–$156 to be shared among the camp or lodge staff. At ultra-luxury tier properties, the culture is more established and tipping tends toward the higher end of that range. Your pre-departure briefing from Bobby Safaris will include a written guide specific to your itinerary and the properties you will be staying at.

Tanzania has hosted discerning international travellers for decades, and the country's safari infrastructure is mature and well-managed. Your guide is with you throughout every game drive, and the luxury camps and lodges we use are secure, private properties with experienced security protocols. The health precautions are straightforward: malaria prophylaxis is recommended for Arusha and lower-elevation areas (your doctor will advise on the best option), yellow fever vaccination is required only if arriving from an endemic country, and standard travel health precautions apply. The luxury properties we work with have on-site medical support and evacuation protocols. We provide a thorough health briefing as part of your pre-trip documentation, and Kassim is available by phone throughout your trip.

The two finest windows are January through March, when the Serengeti calving season brings extraordinary predator activity and the landscape is at its most beautiful, and June through October, when dry-season game viewing is at its peak and the wildebeest migration herds are concentrated in the north. October deserves particular mention for those seeking something close to private game viewing — most visitors have departed but the migration columns are still present, and the light is extraordinary. The green season from April through May is the quietest and most affordable time, with lush landscapes and empty camps. Every season in Tanzania offers something genuinely worth experiencing.

Packing for a high-end safari is simpler than most people expect. The guiding principles are: neutral tones that blend with the bush, layers for temperature swings between cold mornings and warm afternoons, and quality over quantity. A warm fleece or light down layer, a good waterproof jacket, comfortable walking shoes or lightweight boots, wide-brim hat, high-SPF sunscreen, and quality sunglasses are the core items. If photography matters to you, a camera with a zoom of at least 200mm will transform what you bring home. Your luxury camp or lodge handles everything else — rooms are exceptionally well-equipped, laundry is done daily, and the staff anticipate your needs with a thoughtfulness that makes packing light genuinely easy.

Children of virtually any age can experience Tanzania — the question is whether a particular itinerary is appropriate for the children in question. Game drives in closed, air-conditioned vehicles are comfortable for even very young children, and some of the most memorable safari moments we have witnessed have involved families with primary-school-aged children experiencing wildlife for the first time. The considerations are practical: long days, early mornings, heat, and the sustained attention that wildlife viewing requires. Children who are comfortable outdoors and can sit still during drives tend to thrive. We design family itineraries differently from adult-only trips — shorter drives, greater flexibility, and properties that genuinely welcome young guests. Talk to us honestly about your children and we will tell you directly what will work.

We approach every guest as an individual with specific needs, and we are honest about what Tanzania can and cannot offer in terms of accessibility. Game drives in a custom 4x4 vehicle are accessible to most people who can get in and out of a car with assistance — we can arrange vehicle access aids if needed. Several of the ultra-luxury camps we work with have accessible rooms. However, game walks, Volcano hikes, and activities in rough terrain are not suitable for guests with significant mobility limitations. We will always assess an itinerary honestly and suggest alternatives if we believe a particular activity would be frustrating rather than fulfilling. Please be frank with us about any considerations we should plan for — the more we know, the better we can design around what works for you.

The short answer: because you will get a better trip for less money, and you will know who is designing it. Travel agencies typically add 15–25% to our direct pricing before presenting a quote, and they earn commissions on which properties they recommend — which means their advice is shaped by relationships and margins, not what is genuinely right for you. When you deal with Bobby Safaris, you work with Kassim directly. He has spent 48 years in Tanzania, knows every camp and guide we recommend intimately, and has no financial incentive to prefer one property over another. The money that would otherwise go to an agent commission goes into your trip — a better camp, a longer stay, a more meaningful experience. And you will always know exactly who is responsible for every detail of your safari.

No. Bobby Safaris does not offer helicopter tours or scenic aerial flights, and we do not sell any helicopter safari product on this site. The aviation routing we arrange is chartered light-aircraft into the conservancies — Cessna Caravans and Twin Otters on the scheduled airstrips — and we use it where it earns its place in the itinerary (a Crater-rim-to-Serengeti-plains transit, a remote conservancy arrival, a fly-camp routing). We are not an operator of scenic helicopter flights; if you are looking for that experience specifically, it is not a service we can arrange.