Why Choose A Local Tour Operator For A Safari In East Africa? The travel industry has undoubtedly changed due to the internet, which has given us more convenience and control. With the use of our cellphones, we can arrange for vehicle rentals, hotel reservations, and aircraft bookings. There is a general belief that doing everything yourself would result in a more genuine and affordable experience. Booking your safari vacations in East Africa, however, is not at all as simple. In this case, doing a safari with a local tour company is unquestionably the wiser course of action.
Unlike big-city excursions, safaris in East Africa necessitate hiring a local tour operator to handle the difficult local logistics and oversee your entire safari trip. It takes a lot of courage to navigate local logistics in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, or Tanzania; a local tour operator who is familiar with the region is your best bet.
East Africa is a big region with a lot of attractions and activities, accommodations and other resources distributed unevenly in each country. You need a local East Africa tour operator that will choose the accommodations based on your vacation preferences and financial constraints. A local tour operator will select the local professional guide and oversee your trip, assisting you in securing real safari encounters along the way.
Consider that you are organizing a self-drive or overland safari. In that instance, a tour manager or qualified guide may be needed as an operator. But even a self-drive safari in East Africa would need the assistance of a tour guide. Fortunately, most safari companies provide customized itineraries.
WHO IS A LOCAL TOUR OPERATOR?
A local East Africa tour operator is an outfitting business headquartered in Africa that manages the logistics of a safari trip for a foreign tour operator or traveler. A local safari operator may arrange charter flights between destinations, make reservations for you at hotels, pay for your entrance fees, pick you up from the airport, and drive you to game viewing sites.
A safari operator also acts as your point of contact on the ground in the event of illness, injury, or other unforeseen circumstances, as well as communicating shifting trends and changes in the area to tour operators.
A travel agent typically sells vacation packages to customers directly. An agent typically lacks a regional area of expertise. The travel agent contacts a nearby safari operator for information when asked to plan a vacation to Africa. In the below article, we look at some reasons why it is beneficial to you to use a local safari operator for your next East African adventure. The benefits of going with a local operator vs. self-Planned Safari include:
LOCAL TOUR OPERATOR VS. SELF-PLANNED SAFARIS
Saves you a lot of time
While researching East African attractions and activities online and making your own travel plans might be enjoyable, setting up a successful safari has a high learning curve. Especially if you’ve never been to Africa before. You might not be particularly up for the time, patience, in-depth study, and ongoing comparisons of the possibilities that are accessible that are required. Take into account the time and work required to coordinate airport transfers, book domestic flights, pay for various camps and lodges, and manage local transportation from one camp to the next.
Then there is the weather; wet and dry seasons have various effects on the state of the roads, as well as on the behavior of the wildlife and some camp sites. There is a lot that goes into arranging an East Africa safari Tour, so it would be best to leave it to the professionals rather than attempt to figure it all out on your own.
Caters to your specific needs and wants
Whether you want to travel with your children, are a vegetarian, or simply have a special desire to view certain creatures and scenery while you’re there, think about having to include all of these in your regular planning process. Even if you are able to satisfy these particular requirements, it will probably cost more to include them in your schedule. It can be accomplished for you by a skilled East Africa safari guide. Some of them have been in the business for a long time and have such in-depth local expertise that they can tailor the itinerary to your precise needs, no matter how specific they may be.
It is more cost-effective.
The primary justification for not using a tour operator for many people is their conviction that they may save money by making their own reservations. In some cases, such as when you intend to spend the weekend in Arusha, Kampala, Nairobi or Dar es Salaam, this may be the case. Yes, making a direct booking online will be less expensive. But in no way if you’re organizing a week-long expedition! A Local Tour operators may add their commission to the total cost of your trip, but because of their established connections with the parks’ camps and lodges, they are frequently able to pass along savings and offers to you! For assisting them in getting visitors to their lodges and camps, the facilities frequently provide the local operators with a financial incentive. All of this is included in the comprehensive service provided to safari visitors. Therefore, you don’t actually lose any money at all.
Provides you with a measure of protection
Although it is generally safe to visit Tanzania’s national parks, game reserves and other East Africa Attractions, political unrest and natural calamities can nevertheless occur. The latest weather and security threats are kept in mind by a Local tour Operator/Company. Even while a minor conflict in southern Tanzania or a completely flooded road may not reach CNN’s top stories, a local safari tour operator will be aware of them and will alter your safari accordingly to keep you safe. Making these kinds of improvements on your own will be challenging and frequently expensive. Also, you’d feel a lot better knowing that there is a registered group watching out for your welfare while you are there in the event of an emergency.
Some safari operators can help ensure you travel responsibly.
Even if they are not consciously aware of it, all travelers are expected to choose to travel ethically. In the event of a safari, you’ll want to ensure that your journey has no detrimental effects on the wildlife, environments, and people you come into contact with while traveling. Today’s local safari tour companies, like Focus East Africa Tours, are dedicated to ecotourism, supporting local people, and promoting conservation. You feel good about your fresh and fascinating experiences, as well as the fact that your travels are simultaneously having a positive societal influence.
LOCAL TOUR OPERATORS VS. TRAVEL AGENCIES
Although it’s simple to mistake one for the other, they are actually very distinct. One benefit is that a local tour operator offers hands-on service, handling all aspects of operations such as tours, lodging, meals, transportation, and guides. On the other hand, travel agencies are typically huge businesses that offer and manage vacation packages from numerous tour operators based on what their customers want from a safari. In other words, they are actually outsourcing their travel to local Tour Operators. With this crucial distinction, we can start highlighting the advantages of booking your safari through a local company right away. The benefits of going with a local operator vs. a big box travel agency include:
More personal experience
Particularly smaller local tour Operator speak with their customers personally. By calling a local operator, you may speak with the individuals who will actually take you on safari directly rather than dealing with a large staff of sales employees at a travel agency who are pushing packages they haven’t personally used. From the first time you contact us until you get home after your trip, it provides for a more intimate encounter!
More in-depth knowledge of the destination
Since a local tour operator is established in the nation, they are far more familiar with the region than a travel agency would be. For instance, at Focus East Africa Tours, we are able to give our guests a more genuine safari experience since we are fully immersed in East Africa countries of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. We can immediately address all of your inquiries, letting you know what to anticipate at every stage.
Local operators are experts in the tour packages they provide.
Booking your safari trip with someone who specializes in safari trips in that nation is much preferable. In order to give you a more individualized experience, Focus East Africa Tours only sells itineraries that we have personally experienced. This puts you in direct contact with us, allowing us to easily make the necessary adjustments to meet your needs. Also, as we don’t contract out our work, we have total control over the standard of our safaris. Since they frequently cater to several nations and tour types, travel agency typically lack this degree of experience.
Local safari operators employ locals and support local communities
Travelers are increasingly expected to assist local communities while supporting sustainability, which has come a long way in the tourism industry. Taking a trip with a local East Africa Tour operator is one of the easiest ways to accomplish this. In addition to hiring locals, they also reinvest their profits in the neighborhood community.
Traveling with local safari operators may be cheaper
When you make a reservation through a travel agency, their commission is added to that of the local tour operator. Hence, if you make a direct reservation with a local tour operator, you can save money on the additional markup and put it into the tour itself. You may bypass this additional layer of commissions and know exactly what you’re getting for your money in this manner.
PERSONALIZE YOUR EAST AFRICA SAFARI TOURS WITH US!
Booking your safari with a reputable local East Africa Tour Company like Focus East Africa Tours has a wealth of advantages. Having worked in the tourism industry in Tanzania and other East Africa Countries for many years, we are perfectly qualified to turn your ideal safari into a reality by taking the stress off of you and doing what we do best. You’ll benefit from years of worthwhile experience and lessons learned. You can expect the following when you book your safari through Focus East Africa Tours:
- Professional and precise counsel based on current, in-depth information (we are experts!).
- A committed consultant who can combine any specific lodges or camps that you’d especially like to stay at will know exactly where to find that special destination you’re looking for.
- Excellent value for money since we frequently manage to negotiate reasonable prices with cost-effective and dependable suppliers.
- Advice on where to spend your budget to get the most bang for your buck
- A single point of contact—we’ll arrange all domestic flights, transfers, lodging, and safaris ourselves to avoid any unexpected costs or taxes.
- Substantial time savings! Creating an itinerary can be a tremendously challenging and time-consuming task.
- Also, Focus East Africa Tours will be able to aid you right away if anything goes wrong during your safari, which is invaluable!
FOCUS EAST AFRICA TOURS, YOUR LOCAL EAST AFRICA SAFARI TOUR COMPANY
With its major offices in Arusha, Tanzania, and Kampala, Uganda, Focus East Africa Tour is a local East Africa safari company that offers hiking safaris on Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya, Mount Meru, Rwenzori Mountain, and all other East African mountains. Focus East Africa Tours also provides beach activities, city tours, cultural tours, and wildlife safaris. Safari excursions offered by Focus East Africa Tours begin or conclude in Tanzania, our home country, but also travel to Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Focus East Africa Tours is in partnership with Explore Rwanda Tours a local Rwanda safari company; Achieve Global Safaris (https://www.achieveglobalsafaris.com/), a local Uganda safari company; and East Africa Safari Tours (https://www.eastafricasafaristours.com/ ), a local Kenya safari company.
We’re passionate about offering adventurous experiences that leave both tourists and the locals they encounter with fond recollections. In our efforts to introduce you to our native cultures, we hope that you will leave some of your own while taking some that connect with ours.
Almost all of our safaris are custom-made to our guests’ goals, preferences, and styles while having the least possible impact on the ecosystem in which we operate. Because our tourists’ subjective expectations for Europe and the Americas change, no safari experience is ever exactly like the last.
Send us an email at info@Focuseastafricatours.com when you’re ready to begin your planning, use this form to seek a price, or ask any inquiry; our local specialists will be happy to assist you without charge.
