Travelling alone: what a climb and safari actually costs solo

Solo pricing in Tanzania looks punitive and is mostly arithmetic. Here is where the extra money goes and how to spend less of it.

The two halves behave completely differently

On the mountain, solo is nearly as cheap as sharing. On safari, it is not. Understanding why saves a great deal of money.

Kilimanjaro alone

A climb is priced largely per person: park fees, camping fees, your share of the crew. A solo climber needs a guide, a cook and porters, and while there is some inefficiency in a one-person crew, most of the cost scales with you rather than with the group.

The practical answer is a group departure. You join a fixed date with other climbers, share the crew and the mess tent, and pay close to the per-person rate of a larger party.

A group departure is the cheapest honest way to climb Kilimanjaro alone, and most solo climbers end up glad of the company.

It is also, socially, the easiest travel there is. Six days, one shared objective, nobody checking their phone.

If you want a private climb alone, we will run it, and it costs meaningfully more. Some people want exactly that and it is a legitimate choice.

Safari alone

Here is the problem. The Land Cruiser costs the same whether one person or six is in it, and the vehicle is the largest single line on a safari invoice after the park fees.

So a solo safari carries the full vehicle cost, plus a single supplement on accommodation, which is typically 30 to 50 per cent of the shared rate.

How to reduce it

• Ask to join a scheduled group safari. We run a handful and they price per seat.
• Travel in the shoulder months. April, May and November carry lower rates and lower single supplements.
• Choose camps rather than lodges. Single supplements on tented camps are usually lower.
• Consider a fly-in itinerary. It looks more expensive and can work out cheaper solo, because you are paying for fewer vehicle days.
• Shorten the safari and lengthen the climb. The climb is where solo travel is efficient.

Single rooms in Moshi and Arusha

Included in our climb pricing at no supplement. Nobody is sharing a room with a stranger before a climb.

Safety

Tanzania is a straightforward country to travel alone in, and on a guided trip you are with the same person every day. Our guides meet every flight regardless of the hour, and the office in Moshi is a phone call away rather than a call centre.

What we would build for a solo traveller

A group departure on the mountain — seven-day Machame or eight-day Lemosho. A rest day. Then either a joined group safari, or four days private in the shoulder season, or a fly-in to the central Serengeti.