The Encompass Africa experience
A journey like no other begins long before you board the plane.
We are luxury Africa safari specialists australia based and serving clients from all over the world. We do things a little differently. We’ve always called it the EA Way.
We know first hand that planning an African safari is unlike booking any other holiday, whether it’s a European summer holiday or an island escape to the Maldives.
Africa is an extraordinary, vast and complex continent where every choice matters. The difference between a good safari and one that stays with you for life often comes down to decisions made months, sometimes years, before you even board the plane.
Since 2009, Encompass Africa has offered a highly personal and professional service, working with guests to make those decisions with confidence.
You don’t need to know exactly where to go or have your itinerary mapped out. Bring us your ideas, questions and even your uncertainty. We’ll help you find your way.
Start with a complimentary safari briefing
STEP ONE
The conversation that starts everything
A chance to dream out loud, a clearer way forward
It begins with a simple conversation with someone who knows Africa intimately.
We call it your safari briefing, though it feels far more like a chance to dream out loud. Share what you’ve always wanted to see, feel and experience in Africa. We listen carefully.
We want to understand how you travel: what you’ve loved before, what you’d never repeat and what you want to feel when you come home. Your wishlist, your timeframe, your style and the budget you’re comfortable with.
During your briefing, we’ll explore:
- Who you’re travelling with, and any different interests or needs within your group.
- The wildlife, places and experiences that excite you.
- Where to go and when to travel, taking your dates and priorities into account.
- The pace, accommodation style and level of comfort that suit you.
- What your budget can realistically make possible, and where thoughtful choices can make the greatest difference.
- Your questions or concerns, from travel logistics to whether Africa is right for this particular journey.
You’ll leave with a clearer idea of where to go, when to travel and what your budget can realistically make possible.
You don’t need to have all the answers. Helping you find them is part of what we do.
Your safari briefing is complimentary and carries no obligation to book. It’s where your journey begins to take shape, and where we agree what comes next.
Start your conversationSTEP TWO
Your personal Africa specialist
One person, your person. Backed by a talented team.
From the moment we connect, you will have a dedicated Africa specialist who guides your journey from first conversation to your return home. Someone who knows your story, remembers your preferences and is invested in getting this right, supported by our talented team.
Then the magic begins. Your specialist takes time to design your personalised Look Book: a carefully curated collection of images, videos and inspiration, built entirely around your brief.
It’s a window into what’s possible, designed to inspire and make the possibilities feel real.
Alongside a summary of your briefing, it gives you something to explore, share with your travelling companions and respond to before we develop the detail.
While you explore, we’re already in conversation with camps, conservancies and guides, checking availability, asking the questions that matter and assembling the pieces of something specifically yours.
We’ll explain the next steps and when you can expect to hear from us, so you always know how your journey is progressing.
STEP THREE
Your itinerary built around you
Your dreams, our experience and thoughtful choices at every step.
We start with your dreams.
Every destination, camp, lodge and experience is selected with your interests, travel parameters and preferences in mind. We draw on relationships built over decades with properties, guides and partners across the continent.
We talk through the thinking behind our recommendations: why this route, why these places, why this pace. You can be as involved or as hands-off as you like.
Every guest receives up to two complimentary itinerary proposals, giving us room to explore your feedback and refine the direction. A third or subsequent substantially different proposal incurs a design fee of AUD500, credited towards your land arrangements if you book.
Before you proceed, we’ll review how the journey meets your priorities, talk through any trade-offs and make sure you understand the price, inclusions, exclusions and applicable fees.
When you’re ready to press GO, a 30% deposit secures your land arrangements. Regional flights and permits require full payment at booking. We’ll guide you through the booking forms and confirmations.
Your journey becomes officially, excitingly real.
STEP FOUR
The details thoughtfully handled
Everything comes together, with clear guidance along the way.
Regional flights, transfers, lodge arrangements and travel documentation: we coordinate the African arrangements you book with us. Dietary requirements and relevant traveller needs are shared with our partners, and your documentation explains who is meeting you and when.
We don’t book international flights, but we can help you understand the routing that works with your itinerary.
We’ll also guide your preparation, including visa information, packing advice and reminders to consult your travel doctor and arrange compulsory travel insurance.
Your final balance is due 90 days before departure.
Through your Guest Dashboard and app, you’ll have access to your itinerary and helpful travel information. Before you depart, your final documentation brings together your stays, transfers, experiences and key contacts.
We anticipate what matters and help you work through what needs doing, so you can look forward to what lies ahead.
STEP FIVE
With you every step
Our support doesn’t end at departure.
Our 24/7 Guests in Africa support connects you with our team and trusted on-the-ground partners while you travel. People who understand your journey, the destination and the logistics.
Africa is dynamic, wild and wonderfully unpredictable. Weather shifts, wildlife moves and plans occasionally need to flex.
If something needs attention, you have people to turn to. We work with our partners to respond, help resolve problems and support you through changes.
With experienced people behind you, there is more room to enjoy being there.
STEP SIX
Welcome home
Your journey may end, but our relationship doesn’t.
When you return, we’ll be in touch. We want to hear what moved you, what surprised you and what stayed with you long after you left.
Your honest feedback matters, including anything that fell short. It shapes how we refine our journeys, strengthen our partnerships and continue to raise the standard.
As we often say, we’re only as good as our last safari, which is why every journey we curate matters.
More often than not, it’s also the beginning of planning your next African adventure.
Making a difference, one safari at a time
Through Hearten Africa, our giving programme, your journey helps support the people, wildlife and wild places that make Africa extraordinary.
Do Africa the EA Way
And come back different.
Once you have watched the sun rise over the Serengeti, sat in silence in the presence of a mountain gorilla or felt the particular stillness of the bush at dusk, ordinary travel rarely satisfies in quite the same way again.
We have built Encompass Africa around that truth. And we would love to share it with you.
Start with a complimentary safari briefing. You’ll leave with a clearer idea of where to go, when to travel and what your budget can realistically make possible.
Let’s start shaping your safari
More than tailormade Africa
There is no single right way to travel through Africa. Some guests want every detail designed exclusively for them through our tailormade service. Others enjoy the ease and companionship of a small group, bookable through our Tours service. Some want to travel around a shared passion, with one of our own team beside them.
Whatever you’re thinking, we can help make it a reality and find the style that fits you best.
Tailor-made journeys
A journey created from the ground up around you. Your why, your dates, interests, preferred pace, travel style and budget guide every recommendation. We recommend and select the destinations, camps, lodges, guides and experiences that work naturally together, then manage the logistics from your arrival in Africa until your journey ends.
Read more about tailormade
Small-group tours
For guests who value shared experiences, we offer carefully selected small-group tours with trusted specialist partners. These journeys combine a well-planned itinerary and expert leadership with the pleasure of travelling alongside like-minded people. We help you choose a tour whose pace, group size and character suit you.
Read more about Tours
When you do Africa the EA Way, you come back different.
Once you have watched the sun rise over the Serengeti, sat in silence in the presence of a mountain gorilla or felt the particular stillness of the bush at dusk, ordinary travel rarely satisfies in quite the same way again.
We have built Encompass Africa around that truth. And we would love to share it with you.
Start with a complimentary safari briefing. You’ll leave with a clearer idea of where to go, when to travel and what your budget can realistically make possible.