We talk about value and values a lot here at Encompass Africa: The value we offer our guests, the value of the trips we organise and our core values as a business. We also talk about the values of our clients, because this plays a huge role in the sort of trips we organise for you. We know that people hold different things close to their hearts, which is why we create itineraries that are truly personalised. It all depends on what you value personally.

We also make sure that our clients don’t confuse value with price. But of course there is actual maths you can do when it comes to pricing a safari holiday. And, sadly, there are some companies out there doing maths that we just don’t understand.

For example, there was a luxury holiday to Africa advertised on TV recently that sounded like an incredible trip at an incredible price – $9,999, reduced from $16,000, thereby saving customers a massive 39%.

But we did a little experiment.

First of all, we went online and discovered that if you booked every single component of that trip yourself, it would come to a grand total of $10,128.

On the plus side, this meant you could save yourself $129 and a whole lot of hassle by booking through the company. On the negative side, however, the $16,000 “value” appeared to just be a number plucked from the air.

We then decided to cost the exact same trip. Guess how much this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime trip would cost if you booked it through us? Around $8,900. Yep, our “normal” price was almost $1,000 cheaper than their “special” price that was supposedly “saving” you 39%!

Whoever you decide to travel with, we just want you to have a brilliant experience and come home loving Africa as much as we do. But we urge you to ignore the pressure tactics employed by some companies – those countdown clocks ticking away on websites, imploring you to book before you miss out on the best prices or dates, do not mean you’re getting the best value or a holiday that’s right for you.

We spend time identifying your values, personality, individual needs and travel goals so that we can match you up with the experiences and properties that are perfectly “you”.