How We Build a Tailor-Made Safari, From Enquiry to Departure

Africa at Heart builds every tailor-made safari around your destinations, interests, dates, group, comfort and budget. You can begin with one of our signature tours or start with a blank page. From there, Wallace and our office team shape the route, you approve the plan and we organise the practical details through to departure.

The process is designed to feel clear and supportive, particularly if this is your first safari and you are unsure where to begin.

How does our tailor-made safari process work?

1. Browse: explore our tours, destinations and activities for inspiration.
2. Get in touch: share what you would like from the journey.
3. Design: we build a personalised safari plan around those choices.
4. Approve: you review the itinerary and approve it when it feels right.
5. Enjoy: we organise the trip so you can arrive ready for the experience.

You do not need a complete itinerary before contacting us. A place, an activity or even a feeling you want from the journey is enough to begin.

Step 1: find the ideas that interest you

Start with our signature safari tours, which include short stays at Victoria Falls, cross-border wildlife journeys and a 12-day Namibia route. They are useful examples of what can fit together, not rigid packages you must accept unchanged.

You can also explore our Southern Africa destinations and more than twenty safari activities. A tailor-made trip may focus on wildlife, birdlife, culture, guided walks, river experiences or learning about the landscapes and ecosystems you visit.

Step 2: tell us what matters to you

When you enquire, the most useful details are simple:

• the countries or destinations you are considering;
• the animals, landscapes or cultural experiences that interest you;
• your preferred travel dates and the time you have available;
• your group size and who is travelling;
• your preferred pace and activity level;
• the accommodation style you would enjoy;
• your transport requirements; and
• your budget.

If you do not know all of these yet, that is perfectly fine. Our role is to talk through the options and help you understand what works together.

Step 3: Wallace and the team design the journey

Every itinerary is planned by Wallace and our experienced office team, with a dedicated representative as your single point of contact from enquiry to travel.

That local knowledge matters. Wallace grew up in Zimbabwe, studied wildlife and tourism, worked as a professional nature guide across Southern Africa and spent five years as a logistical planning manager. His experience helps us build routes that work on the ground day by day, not simply on paper. You can read more in Wallace’s story.

What can be tailored?

Depending on the destination, season and itinerary structure, we can shape:

• the combination and order of destinations;
• the balance of game drives, walks, cruises and cultural visits;
• the pace and number of nights in each place;
• hotel, lodge, safari camp or mobile camping options;
• transport and airport transfers; and
• the needs of couples, families or small groups.

Step 4: review and approve the plan

We present the itinerary for your review rather than treating the first version as final. You remain at the heart of every decision. Ask questions, adjust the balance or tell us where something does not yet feel right.

Once you are happy, you approve the plan and we arrange the confirmed accommodation, transport and scheduled experiences. We aim to reply to every enquiry within one working day, so the conversation can keep moving while your ideas are fresh.

Step 5: travel with support on the ground

By departure, the route and its practical details have been brought together. We work with accommodation providers, transport services, restaurants and hospitality businesses across Southern Africa, and concierge support is available throughout the trip.

Our approach is also guided by conservation and community engagement. Cultural visits, local knowledge and respect for the environments being visited are part of how we show the whole heart of Southern Africa, not an extra added at the end.

Ready to begin?

Use our tailor-made safari planner to tell us what you are looking for. Whether you have a detailed route or only the first idea, we will help you turn it into a journey that feels personal, practical and genuinely yours.