How to Pay for Your Tanzania Safari — Payment Plans, Cards & Wire Transfers

## Most Safari Operators Don't Publish Their Payment Process. We Do. When you inquiry a Tanzania safari, the conversation usually goes: you ask about dates, we send a quote, and then the question comes — "how do I actually pay for this?" That's where many operators go quiet. Payment logistics are treated as an afterthought, handled over a few emails, with no clear timeline or breakdown of what each payment covers. We think that creates unnecessary anxiety at the exact moment you should feel confident. This page explains exactly how paying for a Tanzania safari works with Safaris Tanzania — what we accept, when we need payment, how the payment plan works, and what happens if your plans change. No surprises. No vague terms. Just the process. ## Why Safari Pricing Is Listed the Way It Is Before the payment process, it helps to understand why safari quotes look the way they do. Safari pricing is not like booking a hotel where one price covers everything. The total cost of a Tanzania safari includes several separately regulated components: - **Park fees** set by TANAPA (Tanzania National Parks Authority) — these change annually and are quoted in USD - **Accommodation** — varies significantly by level (budget camping to luxury lodge) - **Transportation** — private 4x4 vehicle, fuel, and driver - **Guide** — professional safari guide fees - **Crater fees** — Ngorongoro Crater has an additional vehicle descent fee When you see a price from us, it's itemized. You see each of these line items separately. This isn't just transparency for its own sake — it means you understand exactly where every dollar goes. It also shows you exactly what you're not paying: the 25–40% broker commission that gets added when you book through an international travel agent. ## Payment Timeline: When We Need What Our payment process is built around three milestones: **1. Deposit — to hold your dates** A 50% deposit secures your booking and allows us to reserve your vehicle, guide, and lodge accommodations. Without a deposit, we cannot guarantee equipment availability for your preferred dates. Deposits are due within 7 days of receiving your invoice. **2. Mid-point payment — 60 days before departure** The second installment (25% of the total) is due at the 60-day mark before your departure. This is when most of our lodge and park booking confirmations are finalized with Tanzanian authorities, so this payment confirms your full commitment and allows us to lock in all logistics. **3. Final balance — 30 days before departure** The remaining 25% is due 30 days before your arrival in Tanzania. By this point, all logistics are confirmed and your safari is fully operationalized. Payment on time ensures your guide and vehicle are ready on day one. For peak season departures (June through October), we may require full payment 90 days out due to lodge availability constraints. Your booking confirmation will specify the exact schedule for your travel window. ## What Happens If You Need to Cancel We built a more flexible cancellation policy than the industry standard because we know travel plans change — flights get rebooked, work conflicts come up, family situations evolve. - **90+ days before departure**: Full deposit refund - **60–89 days before departure**: 50% refund, or 100% credit toward a future booking within 12 months - **Within 60 days of departure**: Non-refundable, but 75% credit toward a rebooked safari within 12 months The standard industry policy is stricter — most operators retain the full deposit at 60+ days. Ours reflects the fact that we're a family business that has been doing this since 1978, and we understand that life happens. To cancel, you simply send us a written email or WhatsApp message. No forms, no processing fees, no waiting periods. ## Payment Methods We Accept **Bank wire transfer (preferred)** Wire transfer to our Tanzanian bank account is our preferred method — it's the most cost-effective for both parties, avoids credit card processing fees, and is the standard for international bookings of this size. We provide our full bank details (SWIFT/BIC codes, IBAN, account number) on your invoice. USD is the preferred currency. **Credit cards** Visa and Mastercard are accepted. American Express has lower acceptance rates in Tanzania so we don't recommend it for safari payments. Credit card payments may incur a 2–3% processing fee passed through from our bank's merchant rates. For a $2,000 safari, that fee is roughly $40–60. **PayPal** PayPal is available for clients who prefer its buyer protection. Note that PayPal fees (typically 3–4%) are passed through to the client and are higher than bank wire fees for amounts over $500. ## Using a Credit Card for Your Safari: The Points Strategy If you're going to put your safari on a credit card, a few things to know: - **Foreign transaction fees**: Most US and UK cards charge 2–3% on foreign currency transactions. A $2,000 safari adds $40–60 in fees. Some premium travel cards (Chase Sapphire, Amex Gold/Platinum) waive foreign fees — using one of these is worth doing if you travel internationally regularly. - **Visa vs Mastercard in Tanzania**: Both are widely accepted at hotels, lodges, and restaurants in Tanzania. Mastercard has slightly broader ATM coverage for cash withdrawals. American Express acceptance is noticeably lower. - **Earn points on a major purchase**: A $2,000–3,000 safari is a significant spend. If your card earns 2x points on travel purchases, that's 4,000–6,000 bonus points on one booking. - **Cash advances**: Don't use a cash advance from your credit card. Interest accrues immediately at high rates, and banks treat it as a separate transaction with additional fees. Use a debit card or wire transfer instead. ## Paying in Installments: Our Plan for Trips Over $1,500 For trips priced over $1,500 per person, we offer a three-installment payment plan at no additional cost: 1. **Deposit (50%)** — to hold your dates 2. **Mid-point payment (25%)** — at the 60-day mark before departure 3. **Final balance (25%)** — 30 days before arrival There are no interest charges, no financing fees, no credit checks. It's simply a structured way to spread the cost over several months leading up to your trip. The payment plan works best when your safari is 4+ months out. If you're booking 8 weeks before departure, we generally require a single payment in full. To set up a payment plan, just ask in your booking inquiry. We'll note it on your booking agreement and send you reminders before each installment is due. ## Group and Family Booking Payments If you're booking for multiple cabins or a group, here's how the payment process works: **One invoice or separate invoices**: We can issue a single group invoice or separate individual invoices per family unit — whichever your group prefers. Just let us know how your group is structured. **Currency**: All prices are in USD. International wire transfers in USD are standard and avoid conversion fees for both parties. **Coordination**: One person typically coordinates the group payment. We send all booking documentation to the group coordinator who distributes individual confirmations to each traveler. ## What to Keep Records Of Before, during, and after your safari, keep the following: - **Booking confirmation and invoice** — shows the total amount paid, what's included, and the payment schedule - **Deposit receipt** — proof of payment for your deposit with wire transfer reference numbers - **Final itinerary** — your day-by-day schedule with lodge names and contact details - **Travel insurance documentation** — keep this separate from your main travel documents; store a copy digitally and a physical copy in your checked luggage - **Park fee receipts** — we provide these on the ground; keep them in case of any dispute with park authorities (rare but worth having) At the airport, Tanzanian immigration may ask about the purpose of your visit. A booking confirmation from a licensed operator and evidence of prepaid accommodation is sufficient. We provide a support letter on request if needed for your visa application. ## Your Final Checklist Before Paying Before you send any payment to any safari operator — including us — verify the following: - **TTB license**: Ask for the Tanzania Tourist Board license number and verify it. Every legal operator must have one. - **Physical address**: Ask for the operator's physical address in Arusha. Legitimate operators have a real office. - **Written booking agreement**: The agreement should specify the exact itinerary, what's included and excluded, payment schedule, and cancellation terms. - **Vehicle ownership**: Ask who owns the safari vehicles. We own ours — it's how we've operated since 1978. - **Itemized pricing**: You should see park fees, accommodation, transport, and guide costs broken out separately, not lumped into one line. - **Contact information**: You should be able to reach the operator directly by phone or WhatsApp before you book. If anything feels vague or pressured, slow down. A good operator welcomes questions. The best time to verify credentials is before you pay — not after. ## Questions? Talk to Us Directly If anything on this page is unclear, or if you want a specific quote for your travel dates, message us directly. We respond to WhatsApp inquiries within 2 hours during business hours.WhatsApp Kassim directlyOr email travel@safaris-tanzania.com. We respond same business day. We publish our payment process because transparency is how we do business. Every question you can answer yourself before booking is a question you don't have to ask us — and we think that's how it should work.