How long does it take to plan a safari with Marula Hill?

From first conversation to confirmed booking, most trips take two to four weeks. Marula Hill can move faster if dates are tight, and will tell you honestly if a window is too short to plan the trip properly.

Does Marula Hill charge a planning fee?

No. Marula Hill's planning work is included in the lodge and transfer rates booked on your behalf. You pay what you would pay direct, and get a planner who has stood in the rooms.

What countries does Marula Hill plan safaris in?

South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Mozambique, and the Indian Ocean islands. Marula Hill works the regions they have lived and travelled in, with operators stayed with personally.

What happens if something goes wrong on a Marula Hill safari?

Clients travel with the planner's mobile numbers and a 24-hour back-up line. If a transfer is late, a guide is the wrong match, or a flight cancels, Marula Hill handles it from the office side so clients rarely need to call.

How we plan

A real conversation, then a real safari

Q: How much should I budget for a Marula Hill safari?

Marula Hill safaris start from around USD 900 per person per night on the ground in shoulder season, up to USD 3,100 per person per night for flagship Sabi Sand and Timbavati lodges in peak season. Most clients land between USD 1,200 and USD 2,600.

No call centre, no junior planners, no scripts, no pressure. Sian or Vikki, the trip in front of us, and as long as it takes to get it right.

The short version

We plan your safari ourselves, hands-on, from South Africa.

Every itinerary that leaves Marula Hill is built by Vikki, Sian or Roxanne. Roxanne also handles reservations, and Alon oversees our kosher trips. The people who design your trip are the people who answer your emails, walk the lodges, and pick up the phone when something needs handling in country.

Why owner-run matters

Most safari agencies have one good planner and a dozen junior bookers. We do not.

That sounds like a small thing. It is not. When the planner you spoke to once gets too senior to keep working on your trip, your itinerary gets handed down. The notes get lost, the relationships get thinner, and the lodge that knew you were coming gets a different name on the rooming list.

We stay on every trip from first message to last sundowner. The same person who shapes the plan is the same person you call if a flight changes or a guide needs swapping. That is the whole argument for working with us.

A real conversation first

A call, a message, or the form on this page. No commitment either way.

We want to understand the trip you are imagining, your travel history, what you have always quietly hoped Africa might give you, and the practical bits: dates, group, budget shape, and how you like to travel. Usually 30 to 60 minutes. If a call is not your thing, a long email works just as well.

A proposal that surprises you

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. The proposal arrives as a written itinerary with reasoning under every choice. Usually within five working days of our first conversation.

We refine until it is right

Iteration is the work. We only confirm the booking when you are completely certain.

Some clients settle the plan in three conversations. Others take two weeks of back-and-forth, swapping lodges, tightening pacing, asking what we would do in their shoes. There is no upsell, no commission-chasing, no nudge to add a night you do not want. The plan is right when you say it is right.

We are with you in country

Pre-travel prep, packing notes, what to expect on the ground, and a direct line to us the whole time you are here.

You travel with our mobile numbers, the lodge GMs know you are coming, and our reservations team is monitoring every transfer. If a guide is not the right fit, a flight goes sideways, or you simply want to extend by a night, we handle it before you have to worry. After you get home, we follow up. Properly. That feedback shapes the next person's trip.

Anti-positioning

What we do not do

We do not send a quote within 24 hours. A good itinerary takes longer than that to build.
We do not chase commissions. Every lodge in every proposal earns its place on the trip, not the markup.
We do not upsell extra nights, extra add-ons, or extra activities you have not asked about.
We do not pass you to a junior planner. The person who answers your first email is the person who plans your trip.
We do not book lodges we have not stayed at or do not have proper, current intelligence on.

The team behind every itinerary

Vikki and Sian on planning, Roxanne on reservations, Alon overseeing kosher trips. A small, dedicated team based in South Africa, with the lodges we send guests to in our phones.

Read our story

How long does it take to plan a safari with you?

From first conversation to confirmed booking, most trips take two to four weeks. We can move faster if your dates are tight, and we will tell you honestly if a window is too short to do the trip properly.

Do you charge a planning fee?

No. Our work is included in the lodge and transfer rates we book on your behalf, the same way a good architect's fee is built into a build. You pay what you would pay direct, and you get a planner who has stood in the rooms.

How much should I budget for a Marula Hill safari?

As a working rule, our trips start from around USD 900 per person per night on the ground in shoulder season, and move up to USD 3,100 per person per night for the flagship Sabi Sand and Timbavati lodges in peak season. Most clients land between USD 1,200 and USD 2,600. We will give you a real range on the first call.

What countries and regions do you plan in?

South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Mozambique, and the Indian Ocean islands. We work the regions we have lived and travelled in, with operators we have stayed with personally. Where we have not, we tell you.

What happens if something goes wrong while we are there?

You travel with our mobile numbers and a 24-hour back-up line. If a transfer is late, a guide is not the right match, or a flight cancels, we handle it from this side. Most of the time you will not need to call. When you do, you are calling the person who planned your trip.