Christina Jelski
The latest numbers from Virtuoso's 2025 Global Luxury Traveler Report present some facts that I'm sure will not surprise any of us: Safari travel remains in high demand among the ultrawealthy, and they're increasingly willing to splurge on the experience.
According to the Virtuoso survey, which polled wealthy travelers across 17 countries, trips over $50,000 are up 35% for 2026-2027, with bookings for safari trips in the $50,000-and-up range in particular up 21%.
This surge in ultraluxury safari demand aligns with a broader emphasis on premium across all safari price points. The latest numbers from Go2Africa's 2024 State of Safari Report reveal that the average safari budget jumped from between $5,500 and $6,500 in 2023 to between $5,500 and $7,500 in 2024. The safari specialist attributed this increase to growing demand for premium experiences and longer trips and to general cost inflation in safari travel.
While these trends reflect a thriving industry, they also highlight how safari travel, while always a traditionally costly product, now requires deeper pockets than ever.
One lodge operator in South Africa, however, is hoping they can help open up safari experiences to a broader audience.
"I don't believe that nature should be inaccessible, because nature belongs to us all, and I don't think prices should ever [keep] people out," said Sarah Dusek, co-founder of the ecohospitality concept Few & Far, which opened its first property, the Few & Far Luvhondo, in South Africa's remote Limpopo province late last year.
Despite this philosophy, Dusek acknowledged the high level of investment required to operate a luxury, conservation-focused safari lodge. The six-unit property sits within a 247,000-acre conservation area, with the Few & Far Luvhondo helping to support various rewilding and biodiversity protection efforts.
Standard rates at the lodge start at around $1,800 per night, inclusive of meals, activities and accommodations.
Sarah Dusek
"It's not free to let the wilderness be the wilderness," Dusek said. "The conservation work we're doing requires substantial funding, and that has to come from somewhere."
Despite these financial realities, the property launched a "Nature Has No Price Tag" campaign in June, inviting travelers to apply to pay what they can afford for the lodge's full luxury experience.
Through the initiative, potential guests complete an online application process outlining their preferred dates, group size and what draws them to the property as well as the price they feel comfortable paying. Dusek personally reviews every submission, looking for what she describes as "genuine alignment" with the lodge's conservation mission.
"We're asking our guests to pay as much as they can, so if you can afford to pay more than $1,800 a night, pay more than $1,800 a night, because the impact that makes in helping us do the restoration work is enormous," she said. "But at the same time, if you can't pay $1,800 per person, per night, tell me what you can pay."
The property has already begun welcoming guests through the pay-what-you-can program, with Dusek describing the initial response as "overwhelming."
Is there any concern about guests exploiting the campaign?
While Dusek acknowledged it as a possibility, she remains confident that the application process generally helps separate the sincere requests from opportunistic ones.
She hopes the initiative can inspire change across the luxury safari sector.
"The reality is that no hospitality operation ever runs 100% occupancy, 365 days a year," Dusek said. "So why are we not being more creative? Why are we not being more inclusive? I really hope this helps shift the whole model."