Average Length of an African Safari (With 11 Examples)

You’re probably thinking of going on an African safari and are wondering how many days you should allocate to the entire trip. I did some research on what most tourists do and here it is:

The average length of an African Safari is 5 to Seven days. When you include time spent on your international flight and resting from jetlag, most tourists have a total trip duration of 14 days from the time they leave their home country to the time they return. How long the Safari lasts will depend on budget and the number of parks they will visit but the total trip duration does not usually go below 8 days. 

There are a lot of different configurations that your safari can take and this will affect how long your safari is. Lets first look at a few examples then see when you might want to have a shorter or longer safari than what most do.

What is the average length of a Safari?

Most guided safaris last between 5-7 days. They allocate their time between two parks: one large one and a smaller park that has a unique attraction.
However, as you can see in the table below, the configurations can be very varied and you might find one tour that spends all its time in one park while others that will come to that same park also visiting 2 or more other parks.

Here are some examples of Guided Safaris and how long they typically last

Length of Safari	Country	National Parks Visited
7 Days	Tanzania	Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP., Ngorongoro Crater
5 Days	South Africa	Kruger NP
5 Days	Tanzania	Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater
6 Days	Kenya	Amboseli NP, Lake Nakuru NP, Masai Mara NR
7 Days	Tanzania	Lake Manyara NP, Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater
8 Days	Kenya	Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru NP, Masai Mara NP, Mombasa Beach
9 Days	South Africa	Cape Town, Kruger National Park
9 Days	Zimbabwe, Botswana	Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, Okavango Delta
7 Days	Botswana	Okavango Delta, Chobe NP
13 Days	Namibia	Kalahari Desert, Fish River Canyon, Aus, Namib Desert, Swakopmund, Damaraland, Etosha NP
11 Days	Ethiopia	Bahir Dar, Simien, Gondar, Lalibela, Axum, Bale Mountains,

Key: NP- National Park  ; NR- National Reserve
Source: Safaribookings.com

What determines how long a safari is?

The main factors that determine the length of a safari are:

1. Budget:  This is the main factor that will influence how long you can afford to go on safari. The more money you have, the more days you can spend in each park.
2. The number of National Parks Being Visited: Visiting more than one national park will mean that you will spend at least one day on the road traveling to the other park. (That’s unless you are flying). This will add to the total number of days you spend on your Safari.
3. Beach Time: Depending on your preference and budget, you might want to visit the beach. Most tourists spend between 3-4 days at the beach after they are done with their safari. 
4. Animals being sought after: If you are looking to find gorillas or chimpanzees, you may end up spending more time on your safari than someone coming to Africa to see lions or elephants.
5. Length of International Flight: If you have a lot of connecting flights from your home country, you will end up having a longer trip duration on your safari than someone who had direct flights.
6. Resting Time:  If you will have had a long flight, you may need to take a day or two to recover from the jetlag and this time can also be spent exploring the city and buying souvenirs.
7. How Quickly you get bored: If you are just interested in the general feeling of being in an African safari but get bored easily, you might want to spend a few days out in the bush and mix up your activities to keep things interesting.

What is the least amount of time I should spend on safari

You should spend at least 3 days on the actual safari for it to be worth the trip. You will also maximize your chances of seeing some of the more rare species like leopards that need some skill and time to spot.

Spending any less time than this will make your safari a bit rushed and you will not get enough experiences to make the long flight from home worthwhile.

This means that you should plan for at least 7 days in total from the time you start your journey to the time you return home.

How long should I stay in one park?

The amount of time you spend in one park will be largely dependent on:

• How expansive the park is 
• The number of unique attractions in each park
• Your attention span

Typically, large parks like the Serengeti in Tanzania, Masai Mara in Kenya and Kruger in South Africa are expansive enough to spend at least 3 days without getting bored. 

As I wrote in my article on how long you should stay at the Masai Mara, typical safaris in large parks like these should last at least 4 days. 

Usually, visits to large parks like these are bundled with a visit to smaller national parks that offer something unique. This mix reduces the monotony of staying in one park and provides more opportunities for you to spot animals that are more rare and elusive.

For example, the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya (where I live) is usually bundled together with Lake Nakuru National park which has a large population of rhinos and flamingos.  This provides tourists with an opportunity to see the elusive white and black rhinos without having to spend days tracking them in a big park like the Masai Mara.

Kids

If you are going on Safari with kids, you may need to seriously consider the length of your safari. 

With a shorter attention span and the monotony of going on game drives that seem similar on a daily basis, you may run the risk of boring your kids if you spend too many days in one place on your Safari.

 You will need to keep things interesting and manage restlessness by changing up the activities and varying the number of things you do your safari.

I think this is the reason many safaris restrict the minimum age of travelers to 12 years.

How much time should I allocate to the beach

Just like many tourists, you may want to spend some time at the beach when you are done with your safari and this will add to your total trip time. 

The beaches of East Africa are really beautiful and warm all year round and you might want to spend at least 3 days here before returning home. 

How long you stay at the beach after your safari will first be determined by your budget, the amount of time it takes you to get to the beach and the number of activities you expect to find at the beach location.

How much rest time should you allocate?

I would advise that you set apart at least one day to rest once you arrive for your African safari. Spend some time in the capital city of the country you will be doing your safari and spend most of this time in your hotel resting.

This will allow you to get enough sleep and reduce your jetlag before your safari starts. Starting your safari feeling groggy and disoriented will dampen the whole experience and make it less memorable.

You can combine resting time with a few hours of shopping for souvenirs. You will get better deals and greater variety when you shop for your souvenirs in the city than in the national parks. 

Here are a few other articles I wrote about preparing for your African safari. They are the perfect read for someone getting ready to do their first African safari.

1. 25 Tips On Preparing For An African Safari
2. How Much Safaris Cost
3. 10 Easy Steps To Choosing A Safari Company
4. 18 Tips On Spotting African Wildlife On Safari
5. 40 Reasons Why Kenya is A Great Place to Visit
6. 23 Reasons Tanzania Is A Great Place To Visit
7. How To Take Good Safari Photos

I wish you all the best on your African Safari. Make it memorable

A Final Word

As you prepare for your trip to Africa, I would like to recommend a few products that would help make your life easier. 

1. Information About Africa: I have created a YouTube channel that focuses on things about traveling to Africa that only Africans can tell you about. Check out the channel for insights about African culture and things you can do as a traveler to optimize your trip. You should also visit TripAdvisor forum posts (Here is the Kenya Forum) and ask questions about your particular situation. There are a lot of people who are happy to help you out. 
2. Choosing a Safari Company: I have written an extensive article on how to choose a safari Company. You can. Check it out before starting the process of searching for a safari company.
3. Safari Planning Services: If you’d rather leave the planning to an expert, I offer personalized safari planning services. I handle everything from helping you choose the right safari company, creating your custom itinerary, managing bookings, and even providing a packing list and reminders for important trip details. It’s like having a personal assistant dedicated to your trip, ensuring that everything runs smoothly, so you can focus on enjoying the adventure. Learn More in this article