East African languages may not be your forte, but we all know one word in Swahili: safari. Though it actually translates as ‘journey’, we understand safari to mean a trip seeking animals in the wild. But there’s more to it than ticking off the Big Five on an African plain; safaris can just as easily focus on creatures much closer to home.
Whether it’s turtles in Turkey, birds on the Black Sea or even red squirrels and whales here in Britain, safaris are about heading out into nature and relishing the moment.
The catch is that, as a rule of thumb, wildlife thrives better in more remote regions, so getting there can be costly. But if you travel off-season, skip the luxury lodges, and choose destinations with favourable exchange rates, your bucket-list wildlife encounter need not have a budget-busting price tag. Here’s our pick of this season’s most affordable safaris.
Read more: The best luxury safari lodges, from treetops to shipwreck cabins
Circle of life
Kenya, Senegal, Gambia
Kenya is the ultimate safari hotspot (even if the exchange rate isn’t on our side right now). Take in Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and the Maasai Mara on a week-long tour to spot the Big Five (buffalos, elephants, lions, leopards and rhinos) among countless other creatures (from £945pp, excluding flights; intrepidtravel.com). Elsewhere, save money by spending only part of your trip in the wild. Three nights in Senegal’s Fathala Reserve (with elands, warthogs and monkeys) combined with a four-night Gambian beach break costs from £1,849pp, including flights (gambia.co.uk).
Read more: How to plan the perfect holiday around one of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles
Escape to the Cape
South Africa
South Africa offers great value for money. Untravelled Paths’ nine-night Western Cape trip blends a safari lodge stay with Cape Town’s penguins, the winelands of Franschhoek, and Plettenberg Bay’s beaches from £1,695pp, excluding flights (untravelledpaths.com). Or Bushbaby Travel recommends spotting the Big Five by combining a Cape Town safari with seven nights in Mauritius. From £3,600pp, including flights (bushbaby.travel).
Read more: The secret scuba diving destination that’s cheaper than the Maldives
Bear necessities
Canada
Self-driving also cuts the cost of a Canada adventure – and all the more so when your vehicle doubles up as your hotel. This two-week motorhome holiday from regional specialist Bon Voyage covers all your essentials (itinerary planning, campsite bookings, on-the-road assistance) as well as topping and tailing the trip with a city stay in Vancouver. En route, spot eagles, beavers, moose, elk, bears (both black and grizzly) and orcas. From £3,995pp, including flights (bon-voyage.co.uk).
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Burning bright
India, Sri Lanka
Tigers are the animal icons of the Indian subcontinent. Seek them on Distant Journeys’ 16-night Indian Wildlife Adventure, which chalks up 10 game drives across five national parks, including Kanha, Pench and Gir. Jackals, jungle cats, spiral-horned blackbuck and Asiatic lions also feature. From £3,295pp, including flights (distantjourneys.co.uk). Or head to Sri Lanka for a family safari to Yala and Uda Walawe National Parks to spy elephants and sloth bears before rounding things off at the beach. Two weeks from £3,185pp, excluding flights (reefandrainforest.co.uk).
Read more: Now is the perfect time to discover India’s most underrated city
Crossroads of continents
Turkey
Turkey sits where Europe, Asia and Africa overlap. This means that while much of its wildlife may look familiar, there are also more exotic elements. Spot the likes of white-breasted kingfishers, blue-cheeked bee-eaters and two kinds of turtle on Naturetrek’s week-long Central Turkey Wildlife & History small-group tour (from £3,495pp, including flights; naturetrek.co.uk). Got three weeks to spare? A deep dive into Turkey’s Aegean Coast may be for you (from £5,585pp, including flights; greentours.co.uk). Better still, beneficial exchange rates make your money go further here.
Read more: Best Turkey holidays for 2025: Top destinations to visit
Delta discovery
Romania
The Via Pontica is an avian superhighway that eagles, storks and pelicans follow on their spring migration via the Bosporus and Black Sea coast. The destination for many of them is Romania’s Danube Delta, where vast wetlands form one of Europe’s last intact ecosystems. Discover its birdlife on a small-group tour (three nights from £382pp, excluding flights; responsibletravel.com). Or make the most of this super-good-value country by pairing the delta with the large-mammal-rich Carpathian Mountains (seven nights from £2,695pp, including flights; wildlifeworldwide.com).
Read more: Inside the affordable Eastern European city known as ‘little Paris’
Baltic bargain
Estonia
Further north again, you’ll find more big mammals (including bears) in Estonia. Around half of this Baltic nation is forested, so there’s plenty of habitat for wildlife to thrive – and prices here are lower than you’d pay for similar experiences in Norway or Sweden. Windows on the Wild’s self-guided tour takes in three national parks, providing a mix of landscapes inhabited by wolves, bears and lynx. Six nights from £860pp, including flights (windowsonthewild.com).
Close to home
Yorkshire, Scotland
For the cheapest wildlife fixes of all, save money on travel by staying in the UK, home to some of Europe’s best seabird colonies and a quarter of all whale and dolphin species. Spy some of the latter in Yorkshire on a five-hour Seabirds & Whales cruise (£90, yorkshirecoastnature.co.uk). For a proper immersion in nature, meet stags, red squirrels and golden eagles on a three-night Cairngorms winter walking holiday (from £845, adventuretoursuk.com).
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