The Safari Specialists is a small, passionate and professional Tour Operator offering expert advice and a personal service unlike any other. It was set up by Tom Grimes in early 2015 after returning from managing a one of Africa’s top safari camps in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park. Tom decided to launch his own Africa tour operator specialising in what he considered to be the most authentic, experiential and rewarding safaris in Africa.
Having worked in the UK for several larger Africa specialist tour operators Tom saw a gap in the market for true personal service and professional advice based on a love for Africa, its wilderness and its wildlife, focusing on client experience above all else.
The Safari Specialists are fortunate enough to work with some of the most established companies in Africa as well as some of the most exciting new operators, helping to develop new, interesting and diverse routes in Africa.
Putting together the best Africa itinerary is all about you, we listen to what you are looking and then use our experience and expertise to give you some ideas and itineraries. The process is not prescriptive as every person is different, from those that have never been to Africa and are starting from scratch to those that have been numerous times and know exactly what they are looking to do, BUT the principle is the same, listen, advise, create, and then repeat this based on your feedback about our suggestions.
We believe that as a specialist we cannot be all things to all people and while we will do everything we can to assist with your arrangements there are some itineraries that we cannot or will not fulfil, wherever this is the case we are more than happy to give you all the advice we can and point you in the direct of people who will be able to assist you.
We will not sell you a combination of properties, we want to create an experience that you will never forget, if you are presented an itinerary that focuses purely on the properties, their luxury and their price we suggest you ask a bit about where that property is and why that location is good….
You will never pay more booking through a reputable tour operator than you will booking directly, sometimes, in fact, it will be cheaper. This is because we do not make money by adding cost to the price the operating companies would charge directly, we are given a rate that is less a commission, this amount varies and the system can be quite complex but we like to keep it as simple as possible.
We are happy to offer a cost breakdown wherever possible so that you can see where your money is going. The advantages of booking through a tour operator are numerous, from financial protection to having one point of contact for all your arrangements as well as having access to independent advice.
You will find this statement on many tour operators websites, in general terms it means that we do not have an affiliation or ownership interests in any specific camps or companies on the ground in Africa so we can give fully unbiased advice.
We like to take this a little further, there can be incentives for companies to put business through preferred camps….we do not believe in this and will always recommend what we believe is the right itinerary for you, even if this means that we have to turn down your business.
Financial Protection is taken care of by the Travel Trust Association, a recognised bonding organisation that protects your money in all eventualities. Booking through The Safari Specialists you are always guaranteed the holiday that you have paid for, an equivalent or your money back should this not be possible. Any booking that contains flight elements will also be covered by the Civil Aviation Authorities ATOL scheme.
We work with a number of charities in the places that we operate, currently we are donating a portion of our profits to Tusk Trust as they do good work not only across the areas that we work in but across the whole continent.
As well as through our own website The Safari Specialists is also represented online on www.Safaribookings.com