So you've decided to go on an African safari - awesome!  Lots of people dream of going on safari since they were children, so you want it to be a 'once in a lifetime' experience.  You start by googling the web looking at all the options.  But within about 5 minutes you realise the options are bamboozling and you're completely overwhelmed and not sure where to start.  This is often when people reach out to us.  With decades of experience in Africa, and because we only work with like-minded reputable partners, we can cut to the chase when it comes to choosing the right safari for you and ensuring you are taken incredibly good care of while having the time of your life.  I'm over in Africa visiting with safari groups every year, which gives us an on-the-ground perspective to plan the perfect safaris for our guests.  Here's a few ideas to get you started as well as some answers to questions we get asked a lot.

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How much does a safari cost? 

Often people have no idea what to say when we ask them their budget for their safari, but it's an important thing to know as safaris range in price a lot!  At the budget/mid-range end, there's mobile camping safaris or lodge-based safaris timed with the low or 'green' season, which is less busy but still amazing for wildlife and at a lower price point.  These safaris combine camping in dome tents with lodge-based accommodation and can be a good option if you're up for an adventure but don't have a big budget. 

At the top end for our most discerning guests there's the amazing luxury camps run by companies like Singita where you will need a few thousand USD to stay per night (all inclusive in private wildlife areas).  In between is a huge range of options, with classic safari camps around the US$600-US$2000/night/person mark, all inclusive. Don't forget these prices often include all your meals and drinks, transfers and light aircraft flights, park and conservation fees.  Your safari is directly paying for the conservation of the wild areas you're visiting.  You'll pay the highest prices during the peak periods for US and European travellers in July and August, which is also when the wildebeest migration is crossing the river in Kenya and Tanzania.  But travelling outside this period doesn't mean you're missing out as African wildlife is amazing all year round and there are big savings to be made by travelling outside peak season.

 elephants Serengeti

Our partner in East Africa, Asilia, has an amazing offer if you stay in there camps consecutively for 7 nights in Kenya and Tanzania you get FREE internal flights and transfers, which can save you thousands of dollars. Talk to us about the All Asilia Offer if you're thinking of travelling to East Africa any time soon.

In 2025 in Botswana, our partner Natural Selection is offering the first of three nights FREE at the new Mbamba Camp in the Okavango Delta if you book 3 nights at another one of their camps. 

We love sniffing out the best safaris at the best prices for our guests, so let us do the hard work for you!

Reach out to us here to learn about the safaris you can book with us in 2025 and 2026.

 Boteti River scene

When should you go on safari?

Southern Africa (Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia) is more seasonal, with cooler, drier months between June and September.  If you don't mind the heat, the green season is a beautiful time to travel, with less tourists, the prospect of incredible sunsets and the occasional storm, not to mention that it's the time when all the baby animals drop. 

East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania), being closer to the equator, is much less seasonal and has less extreme high and low temperatures, so you can pretty safely travel there all year round and have a great experience.  If you want to see the migration we can time your visit with when the great herds are on the plains or crossing the Mara Rivert by choosing camps for you that are at the right part of the Serengeti or Masai Mara at the right time.

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If you're thinking of travelling to Rwanda to experience the mountain gorillas, an experience we whole-heartedly recommend, you have to be prepared that it can rain at any time of year in the land of a thousand hills.  Having said that, between July and September tends to be drier in terms of rainfall.  I often take my groups to Rwanda in December, as the first gorilla permit is 30% off during low season between December and May.  Gorilla permits cost US$1500 each so this is a great saving.  It can be a bit muddy on the trek at this time of year, but it's all part of the adventure!

 Flamingoes in flight

What kind of safari is right for me?

We offer both small group, guided safaris led by your own personal zoologist (me!) or by experienced local guides in Rwanda, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.  As an African specialist travel agency, we also arrange private journeys for families and couples who would like to travel independently, taken care of by the local teams that we work with in Africa. Our safaris usually require some travel by small plane and/or helicopter and typically you will experience the wild in an open vehicle with no windows and doors.  It's all part of the adventure!

We specialise in safaris for groups and have organised safaris for groups of up to 20 guests in multi-generational families.  In Namibia and South Africa we can offer self-drive safaris in which we arrange a hire car for you and your accommodation and tours on the ground.  In short, there are lots of options so the starting point is a conversation with us to help us tailor it for you.

African safaris for most people are all about the wildlife - the big cats, elephants, giraffes and zebras... But what we find is that people go to Africa to see the animals, but they come back over and over again for the beautiful people of Africa.  The extraordinary and diverse traditional cultures of Africa are truly fascinating and the warm hearts of the people you meet on safari will lead to you making friends for life.

Ngorongoro landscape

If you absolutely love desert landscapes, Namibia is well worth putting on your bucket list.  A flying safari over Namibia's Namib Desert and a visit to the wild north-west landscapes will give you an experience that will take your breath away.

If it's elephants that rock your boat, you can't go past Botswana, the home of more elephants than any other in the world.  You'll also find endangered African dogs in Botswana and lots of big cats.  Lions, leopards and cheetahs thrive in the Okavango Delta of Botswana.

If you love lions, it's hard to go past the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, where I have seen the largest prides of lions and the highest density in Africa.  Having said that all of our safari countries offer amazing big cat experiences, including the desert-dwelling lions of the Skeleton Coast in Namibia.

If you're looking for a conservation-focused safari you're in the right place with Matson & Ridley Safaris.  Our purpose is sustainable wildlife conservation and every safari we book gives back to conservation.

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If it's your first time in Africa, that's a huge privilege for us and a responsibility we take very seriously.  We do get a lot of guests who are travelling to Africa for the first time who trust us with their arrangements, but we also have a lot of repeat guests and it's very common for people to come on safari with us to one country and to be already planning the next safari somewhere else before they've even left Africa!

We're now taking bookings for travel to Africa in 2025 and 2026.

I have two rooms left on my Tanzania safari in late May/early June 2026. Please contact me for details here. 

 group in Rwanda 2019