---
title: Do Solo Travellers Pay More on an East African Safari? Single Supplements, Explained
date: 2026-07-04T01:55:41Z
modified: 2026-07-04T01:56:35Z
permalink: "https://www.thesafaripartners.com/do-solo-travellers-pay-more-on-an-east-african-safari-single-supplements-explained/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 333859
categories:
  - Blog
  - East Africa
---

By Chris Ronneseth, The Safari PartnersLast updated: 03 July 2026 THE SHORT ANSWERA single supplement is an extra charge, typically 25% to 50% of the per-person rate, applied when one traveller occupies a room priced for two. In East Africa it is common but far from universal. Brands including Asilia, Elewana, The Safari Collection and Kicheche waive or sharply reduce it in the low and green seasons, a handful of camps waive it year-round for the first single room in a booking, and scheduled small group departures spread vehicle and guiding costs so solo travellers pay close to per-person couple pricing. With the right camps and timing, travelling alone does not have to cost more. Solo safari inquiries have grown steadily in the last few years, and industry reporting backs up what we see in our own inbox. One major safari operator reported that solo enquiries doubled recently, with women making up roughly 70% of those bookings. Yet the single supplement, the surcharge that can add a quarter to half again to your accommodation cost, still catches many solo travellers off guard, and pushes some to shelve the trip altogether. That is a shame, because it is one of the most manageable costs in safari planning. We are a full-service safari consultancy based in Vancouver, and we plan and book trips across East and Southern Africa for travellers in Canada and the United States. Solo clients are a growing share of our bookings, and matching them with camps that treat single travellers fairly has become one of the more satisfying parts of the job. Here is how the single supplement works in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda, who waives it, and how to plan around it. What is a single supplement, and why do camps charge it? A single supplement is a surcharge added when a solo traveller books a room or tent that is priced for two people sharing. Safari camps are small businesses, often eight to twelve tents in total, and their rates are built on double occupancy. Every tent carries the same fixed costs whether one person or two sleeps in it: staff, food stores, park and conservancy fees on the land, generator fuel, laundry, the lot. When a tent sells to one guest at the per-person rate, the camp absorbs the difference, so most price that gap back in as a supplement. It is worth saying that this is not a penalty for travelling alone, even though it can feel like one. It is a reflection of how tiny these properties are. A 400-room resort can shrug off a few single rooms. A ten-tent camp in the Mara cannot, at least not in peak season. How much is a typical single supplement? Most East African single supplements fall between 25% and 50% of the per-person rate. The percentage usually tracks demand. In high season, when a camp expects to fill every tent, supplements sit at the top of the range or the camp simply charges full double occupancy. In the green and shoulder seasons, when tents would otherwise sit empty, supplements shrink or disappear entirely. That seasonal logic is the single most useful thing to understand, because it is the lever you can actually pull. Which Kenya and Tanzania brands waive the single supplement? More brands than most people expect, and the list grows every year as camps chase the solo market. Asilia Africa, whose camps we know particularly well as Canada’s Asilia specialists, charges solo travellers the same rate as couples at its boutique camps and lodges throughout the low and green seasons, with a maximum of two single rooms per booking. Kenya’s flagship brands have moved in the same direction. The Safari Collection waives single supplements entirely at Sasaab in Samburu and Solio Lodge near Mount Kenya for travel from early January through May and again from 1 November to 15 December 2026, a saving it pegs at up to 35%. The Elewana Collection, whose camps and lodges span Kenya, northern Tanzania and Zanzibar, publishes a zero single supplement offer across broadly the same windows, and notably applies it to up to three individual travellers per booking, so a group of friends can each take their own room; Arusha Coffee Lodge is the one exclusion. Great Plains Conservation, which runs Mara Plains, Mara Nyika and ol Donyo Lodge in Kenya, builds solo fairness into its published rates: in shoulder and low seasons the first single room in a booking carries no supplement, with the charge applying only from the second single room. Others, such as Saruni Basecamp, typically quote solo supplements on request rather than publishing a fixed policy, and run periodic no-supplement promotions through the trade. Those unpublished offers are exactly where a specialist advisor earns their keep, because they rarely appear on the public rate sheets. The table below summarizes published policies as of mid 2026. Brand, camp or operatorPublished solo policy (2026)Asilia Africa (Kenya & Tanzania)No single supplement at boutique camps in low and green seasons; maximum two single rooms per bookingElewana Collection (Kenya & Tanzania)Zero single supplement for travel to end of May and 1 November to 15 December 2026; up to three solo travellers per booking; excludes Arusha Coffee LodgeElewana Kilindi Zanzibar (Zanzibar)No single supplement in mid and green seasons plus a resort credit for solo guests, under Elewana’s published solo offerThe Safari Collection (Kenya)No single supplement at Sasaab and Solio Lodge, 6 January to 31 May and 1 November to 15 December 2026Great Plains Conservation (Kenya)In shoulder and low seasons, the supplement applies only from the second single room in a bookingSaruni Basecamp (Kenya)Quoted on request; waivers are common in quieter monthsOffbeat Mara (Mara conservancies)Single supplement waived year-round for one single guest per groupKicheche camps (Mara & Laikipia)Fixed solo rate from 15 July to 31 October; supplement waived on one single tent per group at other timesAngama Mara (Mara Triangle)First two single rooms in a booking pay no supplement; 50% of the nightly rate thereafterGovernors’ Camp (Masai Mara)No single supplement 1 January to 30 June and 16 to 31 December Treat those policies as a snapshot rather than a promise. Camps adjust their offers each season, dates shift, and some waivers apply only to the first single room in a booking. When we quote a solo itinerary, we confirm the current policy at every camp before you commit. You may notice that many of the properties above sit in private conservancies, places like the Mara conservancies, Lewa, Samburu and Laikipia. That is not a coincidence. Conservancy camps are small, relationship-driven operations, and they were among the first to court solo travellers seriously. When is the best time to go on safari as a solo traveller? The green and shoulder seasons offer solo travellers a double win: single supplements are widely waived, and base rates are lower to begin with. In practical terms, that means roughly March to May and November to mid-December in much of Kenya and northern Tanzania, though exact dates vary by camp. The wildlife has not gone anywhere. You trade the migration river crossings for emerald landscapes, dramatic skies, newborn animals and far fewer vehicles at every sighting. If your heart is set on the July to October migration window, solo options still exist, they just take more digging. Kicheche, for example, publishes a fixed solo rate through the migration months rather than a percentage supplement, which works out well at a camp of that quality. This is exactly the kind of detail that changes year to year, and where a good advisor earns their keep. Are scheduled small group safaris a good option for solo travellers? Yes, and they solve the two biggest solo problems at once: cost and company. On a private safari, one person carries the full cost of the vehicle and guide that a couple would split. A scheduled departure spreads those costs across the group, which is why a solo traveller on a small group safari often pays close to the per-person price of a couple on a comparable private trip, and has built-in company at dinner and in the vehicle without giving up camp quality. We run our own scheduled small group departures across East Africa, and you can find current dates on our website at www.thesafaripartners.com. Our 15 day Kiboko Safari through Kenya and Tanzania is capped at just six guests and runs from Ol Pejeta and Lake Nakuru through the Mara Triangle, then across the border for the central Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Our seven day Tanzania Highlights departure covers the northern circuit in a single week, with an eleven day version that adds Zanzibar for a beach finish. And our four day Scheduled Gorilla Safari pairs Kigali with a guided trek to the mountain gorillas of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. These trips draw a steady stream of solo guests. One recent solo traveller on Kiboko, a woman in her late sixties, wrote afterwards that the question of feeling unsafe never crossed her mind on the trip, and that although she never repeats a trip, she would make an exception for this one. Can you add a Zanzibar beach stay without the supplement sting? Yes, and it is often easier on the beach than in the bush, because island properties are larger than ten-tent safari camps and their single supplements are generally gentler to begin with. The standout published offer is at Elewana’s Kilindi Zanzibar, an adults-only collection of domed pavilion villas in gardens above Kendwa in the island’s northwest, with sunset views that are worth the trip on their own. Elewana’s solo offer removes the single supplement there in the mid and green seasons and adds a resort credit for solo guests on top. Where you stay matters more for solo travellers than most articles let on, because Zanzibar’s coasts behave differently. The northwest around Kendwa and Nungwi is the sociable corner, with beaches that stay swimmable at all tides and the island’s famous sunsets; that is Kilindi’s neighbourhood, and also home to larger resorts like Zuri Zanzibar, where solo terms are quoted on request and promotions are frequent. The east coast is tidal, with the ocean retreating past the reef twice a day, which makes for wonderful reef walks and a quieter, barefoot pace. The northeast around Matemwe suits solos who want calm with world-class water on the doorstep, since it sits directly opposite Mnemba atoll and some of the best snorkelling and diving in East Africa. The southeast around Bwejuu and Dongwe holds The Zanzibar Collection’s boutique trio of Breezes, Baraza and Zawadi, where solo stays are priced on request and there is usually room to secure fair terms outside the December to February peak. The logistics are simple to bolt on. Zanzibar is a short flight from Arusha or Dar es Salaam, and a few nights of Indian Ocean beach after the dust of the northern circuit is one of the most popular ways our clients end a Tanzania safari. Our eleven day Tanzania Highlights & Zanzibar scheduled departure handles all of the connections for you, which for a solo traveller removes the last excuse not to add the island. Is it safe, and fun, to go on safari alone? Safari is one of the most solo-friendly trips there is, which surprises people who picture themselves alone in the wilderness. In reality you are never alone. You are met at every airstrip, guided on every drive, and looked after by a camp team that outnumbers the guests. There is no navigation to worry about, no rental car, no logistics to solve on the ground. For solo women, who now make up the majority of solo safari travellers by most industry counts, that structure is a large part of the appeal. The social side takes care of itself too. Most tented camps dine communally, guests share sightings over drinks around the fire, and solo travellers tend to get folded into camp life quickly. I have sat at plenty of shared tables in the bush, and the solo guest is usually the one with the best stories by the end of the night. If you would rather keep to yourself, a quiet word ahead of arrival sorts out private tables, and the camps handle it gracefully. When is paying the supplement actually worth it? Sometimes the right move is to pay it and not look back. If your dates are fixed to peak season, if a specific camp matters to you, or if you want a private vehicle for photography, the supplement is simply part of getting the trip you actually want, and a waiver-chasing itinerary built around the wrong camps is a false economy. A supplement on the right camp beats free nights at the wrong one. We would rather help you spend a little more on four nights that are exactly right than engineer seven mediocre nights around a discount. The same goes for the green season trade-off. It is a wonderful time to travel, and we recommend it often, but if seeing a river crossing has been your reason for going since you were a kid, do not talk yourself out of July in the Mara to save the supplement. Go when your trip is the trip you wanted. Frequently asked questions What is a single supplement on safari? An extra charge applied when one traveller occupies a room or tent priced for two people sharing. In East Africa it typically runs 25% to 50% of the per-person rate, depending on the camp and season. How can I avoid paying a single supplement? Travel in the low or green season, when brands including Asilia, Elewana, The Safari Collection and Kicheche waive it; choose camps with year-round solo policies such as Offbeat Mara or Angama; or join a scheduled small group departure, where shared vehicle and guiding costs work strongly in your favour. Which season is cheapest for a solo safari? The green season, roughly March to May and November to mid-December in Kenya and northern Tanzania. Base rates are lower and single supplement waivers are most common, so the two discounts stack. Do scheduled small group safaris charge single supplements? Policies vary by departure and operator. Our own scheduled East Africa departures are built with solo travellers in mind, and we confirm single room arrangements and any supplement up front for each departure date before you book. Can a solo traveller add a Zanzibar beach stay affordably? Yes. Elewana’s Kilindi Zanzibar waives the single supplement in mid and green seasons with a solo resort credit, beach resorts generally charge lower supplements than small safari camps, and our Tanzania Highlights & Zanzibar scheduled departure includes the island with all connections arranged. Is an African safari safe for solo female travellers? Yes, by the standards of almost any trip type. You are guided and hosted end to end, transfers are arranged, and camps are staffed around the clock. Women make up the clear majority of solo safari travellers by reported industry figures.Travelling solo should not mean paying a penalty, and with today’s waivers, solo rates and scheduled small group departures, it usually does not have to. The trick is knowing which brands publish which policies, and in which weeks, and that is the kind of detail we track so you do not have to. If you are thinking about a solo safari and have questions about timing, camps or costs, please feel free to let me know