Question 1

What is SafariStays?

Accepted Answer

SafariStays is an online travel agency (OTA) based in Cape Town, South Africa, built specifically for independent travellers exploring Southern and East Africa. We curate hand-picked safari lodges, tented camps, guesthouses and self-catering properties across Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya — and give travellers the planning tools to design their own journey rather than buy a packaged group tour.

Question 2

Where is SafariStays based?

Accepted Answer

SafariStays is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa. Cape Town gives us a base in one of Africa's most connected cities, on the doorstep of the Garden Route, the Cape Winelands and the Greater Kruger flight network — and within easy reach of our partner lodges across the continent.

Question 3

Are you a tour operator?

Accepted Answer

No — we are not a tour operator. We don't run group tours, employ guides, or sell fixed-departure packages. We are an OTA: an online booking platform that connects independent travellers directly with carefully vetted accommodations. Think of us as the curation and booking layer for your self-planned African trip.

Question 4

How does SafariStays make money?

Accepted Answer

We earn a commission from properties when you book through SafariStays. The price you see and pay is the same as (or better than) booking direct — there are no hidden booking fees, service charges, or surcharges added at checkout. Where lodges offer us a preferred rate, that saving is passed on to you.

Question 5

Who is SafariStays for?

Accepted Answer

We're built for independent travellers — people who want to design their own itinerary, choose their own pace, and travel with their own group of family or friends rather than join a packaged group tour. Whether you're driving Namibia's gravel roads in a 4x4, flying into a Botswana fly-camp, or splitting a weekend between Cape Town and the Kruger, we curate the stays and provide the tools to plan it yourself.

Question 6

Is SafariStays a member of any tourism associations?

Accepted Answer

We are working towards membership of relevant industry bodies including SATSA (Southern Africa Tourism Services Association). Our partner lodges include many SATSA-, FGASA- and Fair Trade Tourism-accredited operators across the region.

Question 7

How does booking through SafariStays work?

Accepted Answer

We offer two ways to book depending on the property. For lodges with live calendar integrations, you can instant-book and pay online in a single flow with immediate confirmation. For exclusive, remote, or partner-managed lodges, you submit a request to book and receive a personalised quote — typically within 24 hours — payable via secure online checkout.

Question 8

Why is the booking model different for different lodges?

Accepted Answer

African hospitality is wonderfully varied. A 200-room city hotel runs on different systems than a 6-tent fly-in camp in the Okavango Delta. Rather than force every property into a single rigid system, we meet each lodge where it is — which lets us offer a much wider, more authentic selection than platforms that only list properties using one specific booking engine.

Question 9

Do you handle the trip itself, or just the booking?

Accepted Answer

We handle the booking, the curation, and the planning tools — the trip itself is yours. We'll give you a confirmed reservation, a route planner, regional guides, FAQs, and a real human you can email if anything comes up. Once you arrive, your relationship is directly with the lodge, which is how independent travel is meant to work.

Question 10

What if I need help while I'm travelling?

Accepted Answer

Our team is reachable at info@safaristays.com during your trip. For accommodation issues, your first point of contact is the lodge directly (their details are on your booking confirmation), but we're always happy to help mediate or escalate if needed.

Question 11

Is independent travel in Africa really doable, or do I need a tour?

Accepted Answer

It is absolutely doable, and increasingly popular. Namibia and South Africa are world-class self-drive destinations with excellent roads, signage and infrastructure. Botswana, Tanzania and Kenya are typically fly-in (using small charter flights between camps) but the bookings, transfers and guiding are arranged by the lodges themselves. Zimbabwe is a hybrid of self-drive and fly-in. Across all of them, the key advantage of independent travel is choosing your own pace, your own travel companions, and your own style of lodge.

Question 12

Self-drive vs fly-in — which suits which country?

Accepted Answer

Namibia and South Africa are ideal self-drive destinations: distances are manageable, roads are good, and the journey itself is part of the experience. Botswana (Okavango, Linyanti, Kalahari) and Tanzania (Northern Circuit, Selous, Zanzibar) are predominantly fly-in — small bush planes connect lodges efficiently, and self-drive is impractical or impossible in many concession areas. Zimbabwe and Kenya are hybrids: combine self-drive overland sections with fly-in safari camps for the best of both.

Question 13

Can I travel solo, or as a couple, or as a family?

Accepted Answer

Yes to all three. Independent travel is the most flexible model for any group size. Solo travellers can pick small lodges with social communal areas. Couples can choose intimate camps with private dining. Families can book larger self-catering houses or family-suite tents at safari lodges. Because you're not joining a group tour, you set the pace and the privacy level.

Question 14

Do I need a guide for safari activities?

Accepted Answer

For game drives inside private reserves and concessions, a guide is included as part of the lodge stay — you don't book one separately. For self-drive in national parks like Etosha (Namibia) or Kruger (South Africa), no guide is required and you drive yourself, though guided drives are usually available as an optional extra. For specialist activities like walking safaris, mokoro trips and night drives, the lodge arranges the qualified guides.

Question 15

Which countries does SafariStays cover?

Accepted Answer

We currently operate live in Namibia and South Africa, with Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya launching in 2026. Our coverage focuses on Southern and East Africa — the regions where independent and semi-independent travel is most established and rewarding.

Question 16

Why these countries specifically?

Accepted Answer

Namibia and South Africa are the natural starting point: world-class self-drive infrastructure, an enormous range of accommodation, and well-established independent travel. Botswana adds the Okavango Delta and Chobe — premium fly-in safari country. Zimbabwe brings Victoria Falls, Hwange and Mana Pools. Tanzania opens the Northern Circuit (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire) and Zanzibar. Kenya adds the Maasai Mara, Laikipia and the Indian Ocean coast. Together they cover the most iconic and accessible safari and travel experiences on the continent.

Question 17

Do you cover city stays as well as safari lodges?

Accepted Answer

Yes. While safari is our heartland, we list city hotels in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Windhoek and other gateway cities — because every independent African trip starts and ends in a city. We also cover coastal stays (Garden Route, Zanzibar, Kenyan coast), wine-country properties, and self-catering houses for longer stays.

Question 18

How do you choose which lodges to list?

Accepted Answer

Every property on SafariStays is hand-picked by our team. We assess location, the quality of the experience, the operator's reputation, sustainability practices, and value for money. We turn down properties that don't meet our standards, even if they want to pay to be listed. Our goal is curation over volume — fewer, better lodges that we'd genuinely send our own friends to.

Question 19

How do you handle reviews?

Accepted Answer

Where available, we display verified Google Reviews directly from the lodge's Google Business profile — meaning the reviews are real, public, and not curated by us or by the lodge. We don't display fake or paid reviews, and we don't suppress negative ones.

Question 20

What happens to 5% of your booking profits?

Accepted Answer

We pledge 5% of our booking profits to local wildlife conservation funds in each country we operate in. You can see the partner organisations on our country-specific Conservation pages. This isn't a marketing line — it's built into how we price and report.

Question 21

How do you handle my personal data?

Accepted Answer

We collect only the information needed to make a booking and contact you about your trip. We don't sell or share your data with third parties for marketing purposes. Payment data is handled by certified PCI-compliant payment processors (PayGate and TurnStay) and never touches our servers in unencrypted form. See our Privacy Policy for full detail.

Question 22

What if something goes wrong with my booking or trip?

Accepted Answer

Email info@safaristays.com and a real person on our Cape Town team will pick it up. For trip-level issues we'll work directly with the lodge to find a resolution. For payment disputes we work with our payment partners' resolution teams. We don't hide behind chatbots or call-centre queues — independent travel deserves independent support.

Independent travel,
expertly curated.

An OTA built for the independent African traveller

Six countries. One independent travel philosophy.

Namibia · South Africa

Botswana · Tanzania

Zimbabwe · Kenya

Five things that shape how we work

Independent over packaged

Real photography only

Curation over volume

5% to conservation

Two ways to book — depending on the lodge

Instant book

Request to book — enquiry & quote

Why not just use Booking.com or Airbnb?

Everything else you might want to know

About SafariStays

How we work

Independent travel in Africa

Where we operate

Trust, safety & standards

Planning a trip? Talk to a real person.

Independent travel,expertly curated.