Africa, on your own terms

An owner-run safari practice based in the Greater Kruger. We design private safaris across Southern and East Africa, for families, couples, and small private groups who want the planning done properly and quietly.

Start with a conversation

Vikki and Sian on a walking safari at Qwabi

Who we are

A small team, hands-on

Marula Hill is Vikki and Sian. Over thirty years between us, inside the lodges, on the vehicles, around the fires we now send people to. We live in the Greater Kruger, forty minutes from many of the lodges we book. Roxanne runs reservations. Alon advises on kosher travel.

We plan trips across Southern and East Africa for families and small private groups who want the planning done properly, and quietly.

The person who answers your first email is the person on WhatsApp the day you arrive. And the one you call when something needs to change.

In their words

176 reviews. 5.0 on Google

5.0 176 reviews

Read all 176 reviews on Google →

Timing changes everything

The same lodge can be exceptional in May and the wrong choice in November. We know which is which, and which weeks suit the way you want to travel.

The right room matters

A standard suite and a private villa are two completely different holidays. We pick the room that fits your group, your pace, and how you like to travel.

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You skip the costly mistakes

We do the hard thinking up front. The wrong lodges, the dry season pretending to be the green, the family room that sleeps four on paper. By the time you arrive, the decisions left are which lens to use.

01 / Timing

Timing changes everything

The same lodge can be exceptional in May and the wrong choice in November. We know which is which, and which weeks of the year suit the way you want to travel.

Okavango Delta from the air during the flood season, river channels winding through golden grasslands

A two-bedroom river suite bathroom at Lion Sands River Lodge — freestanding tub framed by floor-to-ceiling doors open to the Sabie River and bushveld

02 / Room

The right room matters

A standard suite and a private villa are two completely different holidays. We pick the room that fits your group, your pace, and how you actually like to travel.

03 / Judgment

You skip the costly mistakes

We do the hard thinking up front. The wrong combination of lodges, the dry season pretending to be the green season, the family room that sleeps four on paper. By the time you arrive, the decisions left are which lens to use.

Sian planning a Marula Hill safari from a villa deck, laptop and reservations notebook open beside the pool

How we work

Safari planning, done properly

Four steps from first conversation to last sundowner. Click or tap any number to see how we work.

A real conversation first

A call or a long message. No commitment, no quote forms. We want to understand the trip you are imagining, your travel history, and what you have always quietly hoped Africa might give you.

A proposal that surprises you

We do not just suggest the obvious. We bring options you would not have found yourself: a newly reopened concession, an off-peak rate at a lodge usually out of reach, a combination of countries that fits your dates exactly.

We refine until it's right

We iterate together. Some clients take three conversations to finalise. Others take two weeks of back-and-forth. We only confirm the booking when you are completely certain.

We are with you in country

Pre-travel prep, packing notes, what to expect on the ground, and a direct line to us while you are in country. If anything changes, we handle it before you have to worry.

Southern Africa Botswana The desert that floods every winter

Southern Africa South Africa Open vehicles, big cats, easy starts

East Africa Tanzania The Serengeti without the borders

East Africa Kenya Where the great migration runs through

Southern Africa Zambia Walking safaris, river lodges, fewer footprints

Southern Africa Zimbabwe Mana Pools, Hwange, the deep wild

Southern Africa Namibia Red dunes, dark skies, quiet

East Africa Rwanda Up the volcanoes, into the mist

East Africa Uganda Gorillas, chimps, primates with personality

Indian Ocean Mozambique Where the bush meets the Indian Ocean Keep exploring 10 destinations See all

All destinations →

Family safaris

Lodges that are good with children

Kids on safari is mostly about pacing. We pick lodges that welcome younger guests properly, build in shorter game drives, swimming, and time off the vehicle. Older teenagers get walking safaris, river time, and the same level of guiding the adults get.

Romantic safaris

Two of you, one vehicle, nowhere to be

The version of a safari you remember years later. Private decks, dinners moved into the bush, a guide who reads the room and gives you space. We design the days so the romance is in the detail, not the theatre.

Sole-use villas

Private chef. Private guide. No other guests

Sole-use means the lodge or villa is closed to other guests for the length of your stay. Your own chef, your own guide, your own vehicle. Staff working only for you. The right answer for families travelling together or anyone who wants the bush without the lobby.

Kosher safaris

Private kosher villas. Shabbat in the wild

A safari that holds to kashrut without compromise on the bush experience. Private kosher villas, a visiting mashgiach where required, and lodges that understand Shabbat and the festivals. We plan the kitchen, the supply chain, and the schedule so the only thing you have to think about is the wildlife.

Gorilla trekking

An hour with a habituated family. The rest is the forest

Gorilla trekking is one morning of your life that you will not stop telling people about. We pair the permits with the right forest lodges, sort the porters and the boots, and build the rest of the week around recovery, primates, and the lakes.

LGBTQ+ safaris

Lodges and reserves where you are properly welcome

We only book LGBTQ+ travellers into lodges and countries we know are safe and warm. Owner-run lodges we have worked with for years, with staff and guides who treat every couple the same. We are direct about which countries we will and will not send you to, and why.

See all 18 safari styles →

Close portrait of an African wild dog, huge rounded ears catching the light, dark eye sharp and alert

Caps for a cause

Africa's wild dogs are quietly disappearing

Around 6,600 painted dogs remain. Snares, habitat loss, and disease are pulling the species apart pack by pack.

We make a range of Marula Hill caps, and proceeds from each one go to wild dog conservation. Where logistics allow, we send our international travellers home with one.

Read the story →

Read the journal →

Sian was great in helping us plan our 8 night South African safari. There are so many choices but she met with us and helped narrow down our options and did a superb job at selecting accommodations for us.

Sue W. Thornybush & Sabi Sand

Marula Hill was super helpful and organised. Our trip was relaxed and full of incredible game sightings, with warm staff and guides who went out of their way to make sure our trip was memorable.

Anneleigh J. Anniversary safari, South Africa

Our travel agent Roxy did our booking and made sure we were well taken care of. The food was absolutely delicious, the staff so friendly and helpful. Our game ranger Vincent made sure our game viewing didn't disappoint.

Neil & Cally H. Waterberg, Limpopo

Having never been to the African continent, I found the planning process intimidating. Marula Hill took care of every detail. We covered three countries and a variety of activities during our 12-day stay, and everything went smoothly.

Tracey B. First-time family safari

Read all 176 reviews on Google →

Is booking through you any different from booking direct with the lodge?

Our answer

The price is usually the same. Sometimes it is better. The lodges we work with hold rates for trade partners that they do not publish to the public, particularly in shoulder seasons and on multi-lodge combinations. What changes is everything around the booking. You have someone who knows whether a property is currently on form, who can pick up the phone if your plans shift, and who has personally stayed in the room you are about to book. None of that costs extra. It is included.

We have never been on safari. Is this overwhelming to plan?

Our answer

First safaris are some of our favourite trips to plan. There is nothing to prepare before you talk to us. Tell us roughly when you would travel, who is going, and what has caught your eye. We take it from there. The hard work is on our side: working out which lodges suit your pace, which seasons play to your dates, which combinations make sense and which do not. Watching Africa unfold for someone seeing it for the first time is still the reason we do this.

What does it cost to work with Marula Hill?

Our answer

Our planning is included in the trip. We do not charge a planning fee. The lodges we book typically start around $1,000 per person per night all-inclusive, and most of our trips run between seven and fourteen nights. South Africa is meaningfully cheaper than East Africa and Botswana, and shoulder seasons open up properties that feel out of reach in peak. If you tell us what you are working with, we will tell you honestly what is possible.

You are based in South Africa. Can you plan East Africa trips too?

Our answer

Yes. Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique and the Indian Ocean islands are all part of how we work. Many of our trips combine regions: the Mara with the Okavango, gorilla trekking in Rwanda paired with Cape Town, the Serengeti finishing on Zanzibar. We have lodge relationships across the continent, not only in southern Africa.

Why a small agency over a large operator?

Our answer

Large operators are excellent at logistics and indifferent to who you are. When you call a big company, you speak to whoever is rostered that day. When you write to us, you speak to Vikki, Sian or Roxanne. The same small team who plan your trip remember your daughter is nervous in small aircraft, that you do not eat shellfish, that you wanted to be back at the lodge before the evening drive. That continuity is the entire product.

We are travelling with children. Can you plan a family safari?

Our answer

Family safaris are a specialism. The work is in knowing which lodges genuinely welcome younger guests, which build the day around families, which have children's programmes that are more than a colouring book at turndown. There are also lodges we steer families away from, beautiful on paper but built for adult quiet. We know which is which.

How far in advance should we book?

Our answer

For peak season, June through October, twelve to eighteen months ahead is the safe window for the best lodges. Shoulder seasons open up later. Last-minute availability does come up, particularly for cancellations and release rates, and we are good at finding it. The honest answer is: tell us when you want to go and we will tell you what is actually possible.

What happens if something goes wrong while we are on safari?

Our answer

You have our direct line throughout the trip. Weather delays, missed connections, a lodge that is not what we promised it would be, a medical issue. We have handled all of these. The advantage of working with people who know the lodge managers, the regional airlines, and the on-the-ground operators is that things get fixed before they become problems. The phone gets answered.

Your safari begins with a conversation

Tell us who is travelling, when you would like to go, and what kind of journey you have in mind. We will listen first, then shape a considered route with availability and a day-by-day plan.

Start with a conversation