Planning an African holiday (we like to refer to them as journeys) is not like booking a European city break or a week in the Maldives. The continent is vast, the choices are genuinely consequential, and the difference between a good safari and one that changes your life often comes down to a single decision made months, even years before you board a plane.

We have watched people spend weeks lost in online rabbit holes, conflicting TripAdvisor reviews, AI-generated itineraries that have never been anywhere, operators who sell destinations they’ve never visited. It is a deeply unsatisfying way to plan something this significant.

There is another way.

Encompass Africa has been designing extraordinary African holidays, adventures and journeys since 2009.

Sixteen years plus, more than twenty countries, a team with over 85 combined years of Africa experience, and a community where over 70% of guests return or are referred by someone who did. We are owner-run, deliberately boutique, and we answer to our guests, not to volume targets or contractual bed night obligations.

Here is exactly how we work.

01  The Conversation

Everything begins here. Not with any signed agreements, upfront fees or charges, just a real conversation between you and one of our specialists.

We want to understand how you travel: what you’ve loved before, what you’d never repeat, what you want to feel when you come home. Your wishlist, your timeframe, your style. The more honestly you share, the more precisely we can design.

This is your time to dream out loud. It is our time to listen carefully. We call this your Safari briefing. It is complimentary and carries no obligation.

02  Look Book and proposal

Once we understand your vision, we get to work and this is where the magic happens. First, we create your personalised Look Book: a curated window into what’s possible, built specifically around your brief. It’s designed to inspire, to clarify, and to make the possibilities feel real.

While you’re exploring that, we are already in conversation with camps, conservancies and guides across the continent, checking availability, asking the questions that matter, assembling the pieces of something that is genuinely, specifically yours.

From that, we craft your first tailored proposal. Every client receives up to two complimentary proposals. If something needs refining, we refine it. Getting it right always takes priority over getting it done quickly.

Additional itinerary revisions beyond two proposals incur a design fee of AUD500, which is deducted in full from your final invoice.

03  Securing your journey

When you’re ready to proceed, a 30% deposit secures your land arrangements and your journey becomes officially, excitingly real.

Flights booked through us are paid in full at the time of booking  (and gorilla and chimp permits require full payment upon booking so we can secure them on your behalf).

You’ll receive a secure link to submit your traveller details, one form per adult and we take care of everything from there.

Your journey is confirmed once your deposit and booking forms  are completed and returned.

Now the count down begins!