Luxury vs Budget Uganda Safari

16/06/2025

Luxury vs budget – What you need to know when planning a Uganda safari

Traveling to Uganda has always been a deep passion and desire for many, providing an escape from their routines and an opportunity to explore new destinations. Over the years, different travellers have had the chance to experience both budget and luxury travel. It is a frequently asked question for those who want to go for a safari in Uganda, asking themselves what is best for them – a luxury vs budget Uganda safari. They want to know what each travel style has to offer in terms of services and convenience, and challenges for each. In this article, Safari Vacations and Travel Services share insights that can help you determine which travel style best suits your next adventure.

For many first-time travellers, budget travel can be a natural choice. With limited funds, they may master the art of stretching every dollar by staying in budget facilities, booking budget flights, and relying on public transportation to save money. Luxury travel, on the other hand, offers an entirely different experience.

Let’s discuss what each travel style allows you to get.

Factors that affect the cost of a Uganda safari

Accommodation

Budget accommodation on an Uganda safari is usually basic. It ranges from $80-120 per person sharing a double, twin, or triple room. These have basic facilities like en-suite bathrooms, small tables, and mosquito nets. The meal choices may be a bit limited, though they provide 3-course meals. Depending on the time you have prior to booking, you can get some facilities cheaper than that, but you may need to share bathrooms, latrines with clients from other rooms, and this is common with camping. Such facilities do not have welcome drinks, but you still receive a warm welcome.

On the other hand, luxury accommodation is almost the total opposite. Luxury facilities usually provide a welcome drink to the clients upon arrival and this may be a house wine or champagne. The rooms have a bath tub and big-sized bathrooms. Also, the rooms are large with king-sized beds for extra comfort. Some of them have fire places to keep the visitors warm when the temperatures are low. If not within the rooms, there are fireplaces outside the facility where clients can keep warm while relaxing in the evening. These lodges have a wider range of meal choices, hence catering for almost every dietary requirements of the clients. The rooms also have an office table and excellent room service. Luxury accommodation price ranges from $300-1000 or even above per person sharing.

Transport

Though all the vehicles we use are 4×4, there’s a distinction. Budget vehicles used include safari vans and Safari Prado. They have pop up roofs for wildlife viewing, with all seats having seat belts for safety. The budget vehicles cost $100-130 for hire per day, and this includes driver- guide fees. Those with tighter budgets can choose to travel with public means, though it limits
their flexibility on a Uganda Safari.

Luxury visitors however enjoy extra benefits. For example, they move around in 4×4 7-seater safari Land Cruisers or tinted private luxury vehicles. The Land Cruisers have enough leg space and luggage space and therefore, even if they are 7 in the vehicle, the space is enough for them. Additionally, the vehicles have charging ports to make sure you have power supply on the trip, since we understand how much you need to have your gadgets charged. The vehicles also have a refrigerator to keep your drinks cold especially during the dry season when you need to rehydrate constantly. The vehicle hire ranges from $200-250 per vehicle per day, including guide hire. However, to maximise the vehicle, you can hire it for a group of not more than 5. This will allow you to have more space in the vehicle and enjoy a safari.

Luxury travellers also can opt for air transport in case they don’t like to travel for long distances. There are scheduled internal flights to every major national park in Uganda, whereby the visitors are picked up from the airstrip upon landing. Internal flights cost between $300 to $400 per person for a non-return ticket, while return tickets cost between $550-650. Flights usually require a minimum of 4 people to fly, and it may require the available clients to pay for extra seats if the
number is less.

Safari activities

Though some things like park entrance cost the same for either budget or luxury travellers, there is a difference in terms of the activities the different clients opt for. For example, Budget travellers may opt for a public boat cruise for wildlife viewing, which is a bit crowded. Luxury travelers however do opt for private bait cruises, costing more but making them comfortable while viewing wildlife on the rivers and lakes’ banks. Also, some primate experiences like gorilla and chimpanzee habituation in Bwindi and Kibale National parks respectively are mostly preferred by luxury travellers since they offer a more immersive experience and are more expensive. Meanwhile, budget travelers opt for cheaper and usual activities like gorilla and chimpanzee trekking because of affordability. In some savannah parks, budget travellers are limited to fewer and cheaper activities like game drives, while luxury travelers usually opt for more expensive game viewing activities like horseback riding and hot air ballooning.

Private or or group safari

The more private a traveler or travelers want to be on a safari, the more the expense on the safari. Budget travellers usually travel in groups because it helps them share some costs like vehicle hire and guiding fees and get discounts due to bulk booking or purchases. This helps them to cut their Uganda safari cost per person. On the other hand, those who prefer to travel private tend to incur higher Uganda safari costs. This is because they don’t share some costs with others, and they may incur extra costs if they want to strictly do some activities privately, since the amount that could be paid by the entire group are all incurred by the 1 or 2 private travellers. For example, if a couple on a honeymoon wants to track a gorilla family alone, they would pay for 8 gorilla permits at $6400 instead of the $800 if they trek with other travellers.

Safari travel season

The season of travel also determines whether it’s more convenient to go for a luxury Uganda Safari or a budget-friendly Uganda Safari. The peak season is highly booked and service providers tend to increase prices because of the high demand. The dry season ranges from December to February and June to September. Therefore, it’s more convenient for luxury travellers, whose cost per day may range from $800-1500 per person. On the other hand, budget-friendly safaris in Uganda are conveniently partaken in the low/wet season of March to May and October to November. The service providers like lodges, tour operators, car rentals tend to reduce the price of the services because of the low demand. The cost per person per day of a budget traveler ranges from $300-800, thus making it affordable. Therefore, budget travellers can maximise the value of their money in the wet season while the luxury travelers can optimise theirs in the dry season.

So, what does all this mean?

Budget safaris focus on affordability and a close connection to nature, typically featuring basic accommodations and group activities that allow travelers to fully immerse themselves in the wilderness without overspending. In contrast, luxury safaris prioritize comfort and exclusivity, offering upscale lodging, personalised service, and private experiences enhanced by premium amenities for a more refined and seamless adventure. Safari Vacations and Travel Services provides budget, midrange, and luxury options for all safari packages. Whatever travel style you choose, we’ll cater for your travel needs.

About author

Robin Cormack

Content by in-house writer or as indicated on the blog post.