Questions about the plan in front of you

Three, usually, or four if two of them are close together. The arithmetic is total nights, minus one for arrival logistics, divided by three — because three nights in a place is two full days and two nights is one.

Most first wish lists have one stop too many, and removing it is the commonest good decision in safari planning.

Not worry, but ask. It is not a field anybody routinely fills in, and the tenure underneath is assumed knowledge among the people writing itineraries.

A one-sentence answer exists for every camp. It is the answer to the follow-up — where do the game drives actually go? — that most often changes what a week will feel like.

For photographers it is close to essential. For everybody else it is the upgrade with the largest effect per pound spent, because it changes when you leave, how long you stay at a sighting and whether you can follow something.

Ask what it adds to your specific quote. It is frequently less than the room upgrade being offered alongside it.

Yes, and it is sensible, provided you compare them properly. Two totals for what looks like the same holiday usually differ on land type, vehicle arrangement, whether fees are inside, the number of flights, or the exact dates.

Rebuild both onto one basis before deciding. It is the difference between comparing trips and comparing documents.

Then the useful move is to improve the plan you have rather than to start again. Most of the nine questions can still be acted on: nights can be rebalanced, a vehicle can be made private, a stop can sometimes be removed.

Check the terms first — deposits are usually camp-level and their treatment varies within one itinerary.

No, and there is no obligation attached to it. We would rather be useful and lose the booking than manufacture a problem with somebody else’s work.

A Africa safari is usually quoted fully inclusive: accommodation, all meals, park and conservancy fees, your guide and vehicle, and transport between parks. Most camps include soft drinks, house wine, beer and laundry.

Not included: international flights, visas or travel authorisation, travel insurance, tips, premium drinks, and extras like balloon flights and spa treatments.

For July to October — the migration months in the Masai Mara — six to twelve months is normal, and the best small camps sell out first. Christmas and New Year book up just as early.

For the shoulder months, three to four months is usually comfortable. Inside eight weeks we can still put a very good trip together, but you are choosing from what is left rather than from everything.

This site is a planning guide. When you send an enquiry it goes to Nomad Africa, our partner travel agency in Kenya, who prepare your itinerary and quote and handle the booking, the payments and you on the ground.

You deal with one team from the first email to the airport transfer home.

No. Sending your dates, getting an itinerary and getting a costed quote is free and carries no obligation. Money only changes hands when you decide to hold space at a camp.