SafariHQ · East Africa

More Than A Safari.

A Journey Designed Around You.

SafariHQ creates deeply personal journeys across East Africa. We don’t sell packages — we design experiences shaped entirely around the traveller in front of us.

15+
Years in East Africa
Our Story
We Begin With
You

Most travel companies begin with destinations. We begin with the person sitting across from us — or, more often now, the voice on the other end of a call. Before we mention a single lodge, a single park or a single departure date, we want to understand who you are and how you travel.

Over fifteen years, this approach has taken us — and our guests — across Tanzania’s great plains and crater floors, through the highland forests of Rwanda and Uganda, up the glaciated ridges of Kilimanjaro, along the spice-scented shores of Zanzibar, and into the vast, unhurried wilderness of the Kenyan savannah. The geography is extraordinary. But it is the people we design each journey for that makes the work matter.

The Philosophy We Still Follow

“Before we discuss a single lodge or a single park, we ask who you are and how you travel. A safari that moves you is never built from availability — it is built from understanding.”

Shannon Brunsdon, SafariHQ
Meet The People Behind SafariHQ
What We Believe
Our Philosophy

Three convictions that shape every journey we plan and every lodge we recommend.

01
Principle 01
Travel Slowly

The greatest wildlife moments are not rushed. We build your itinerary with room to breathe — to watch a lion family wake at dawn, to sit in silence as a herd of elephants moves through the golden light. Time is the one luxury a safari cannot afford to rush.

The unhurried eye sees everything.
02
Principle 02
Experience Authentically

Africa’s greatest gift is its honesty. We seek out guides with genuine connections to the land, lodges that honour local culture, and moments that cannot be stage-managed. Nothing here is curated for the camera. What you encounter is real, wild, and unforgettable.

Authenticity cannot be manufactured.
03
Principle 03
Design Every Journey Personally

No two SafariHQ journeys are alike because no two travellers are alike. Every departure date, every lodge selection, every sunrise drive is chosen for you specifically. We begin with a conversation and end with a journey that feels entirely your own.

Your safari. Your way. Every time.
How We Work
Designed Around
You, Not a Template

Every journey we design begins with a conversation, not a catalogue. We take the time to understand how you travel — then build something that could only have been made for you.

One Specialist, Every Step

A single point of contact — from first conversation to safe return.

From the moment you reach out to the evening you arrive home, you work with one specialist. They know your name, how you travel and what matters to you. No handoffs, no call centres.

Built for You, No One Else
Every itinerary is created from scratch. Always.

We have never published a fixed departure or a ready-made package. Every journey we design begins with a blank page and a conversation about who you are and how you want to travel.

Earned Through Experience
Our recommendations come from the field, not a brochure.

We know the lodges we recommend because we have stayed in them. We know the guides because we have worked alongside them. Honest counsel, given without agenda.

Present Throughout
We are reachable before, during and after your journey.

A last-minute question the night before departure. An unexpected weather window that changes the plan. A request to extend your stay in the bush. We are here for all of it.

OUR PEOPLE
Meet The Team
Behind Your Safari

From your first conversation to your final game drive, your journey is planned and delivered by people who know East Africa first-hand. Meet the safari specialists who shape every detail and the professional guides who bring each destination to life.

Safari Planning Team
Sarah
Safari Specialist
Favourite Destination
The Serengeti, Tanzania — during the calving season
Favourite Safari Memory

“A guest who had waited twenty years to visit Africa stood on the Serengeti plains at dawn and said nothing for a full five minutes. When she finally turned, she was in tears. I understood exactly why.”

Gabriel
Safari Specialist
Favourite Destination
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda
Favourite Safari Memory

“Three metres from a silverback, in complete silence. The guest beside me had been nervous all morning. By the time we walked back to camp, he asked if we could extend his trip by three days.”

Karume
Safari Specialist
Favourite Destination
Zanzibar — Stone Town at dusk
Favourite Safari Memory

“A family who had never travelled to Africa before asked me, on their last evening, whether they could stay. Not extend — stay. That is what this part of the world does to people.”

Expert Safari Guides
Peter
Expert Safari Guide
Favourite Destination
The Masai Mara, Kenya
Favourite Safari Memory

“A lone cheetah crossed the road directly in front of our vehicle at sunrise, paused, and looked back at us. The guests had their cameras down. They were simply watching. That is the moment I live for.”

Daniel
Expert Safari Guide
Favourite Destination
Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
Favourite Safari Memory

“A herd of three hundred elephants moving through the baobab forest at golden hour. The guests were silent. The light was extraordinary. I have guided that valley for twelve years and it still stops me.”

Emmanuel
Expert Safari Guide
Favourite Destination
Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
Favourite Safari Memory

“A herd of three hundred elephants moving through the baobab forest at golden hour. The guests were silent. The light was extraordinary. I have guided that valley for twelve years and it still stops me.”

Speak With A Safari Specialist
The Real Experience
Behind Every
Journey

Real guides. Real moments. Real guests. This is what a SafariHQ journey looks and feels like — unscripted, unhurried and entirely unforgettable.

The Guide

A guide reads the morning light

The Wildlife

Elephants moving through the conservation area

The Lodge

A private camp set for arrival

The Landscape

Golden savannah as far as the eye can see

The Moment

Still — the quality every great safari earns

Our Impact
Leaving More Than
Memories Behind

Every safari should leave more than memories. It should leave a positive impact on wildlife, communities and the future of East Africa.

Wildlife Conservation
Protecting the Wild

Protecting East Africa’s extraordinary wildlife requires more than admiration. We partner directly with conservation organisations working to preserve habitat, fund anti-poaching initiatives, and support the scientific research that underpins the survival of lion, elephant, wild dog and the great migrations you will witness. A portion of every journey contributes to this work.

Community Impact
Investing in People

We believe travel should create lasting benefits for the communities that live alongside the wildlife and landscapes we visit. We work with locally-owned lodges, employ guides from surrounding villages, and direct a meaningful share of every booking to education, healthcare and livelihood programmes across Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

Recognition
Trusted by Travellers.
Respected by the Industry.

Every accreditation and every award reflects a single commitment: to do this properly, every time, for every guest.

Trusted by Travellers
TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice

Winner for Four Consecutive Years — 2023, 2024, 2025 & 2026

Awarded to the top 10% of tour operators globally, based entirely on independently verified guest reviews. We are proud to have earned this recognition every year since our nomination.

Respected by the Industry
TATO
Tanzania Association of Tour Operators

Committed to responsible, ethical and transparent safari practice in Tanzania.

ATTA
African Travel & Tourism Association

Upholding the highest standards in African travel across the continent.

KPAP
Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project

Ensuring fair wages, proper equipment and dignified treatment for all mountain crews.

Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
Minimising our environmental footprint on every journey we operate.
Begin Your Story
Let's Begin Your
African Story.

Every unforgettable safari begins with a conversation. We would love to hear about you, your travel companions and the kind of journey you have been imagining.

Start the Conversation

No commitment. No hard sell. Just an honest conversation with a safari specialist who genuinely cares about getting your journey right.

No commitment required
ATOL Protected
Response within 24 hours
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