4 articles
18 February 2026
rwandaRwanda Gorilla Trekking: What It Costs, How to Book, and What to Expect
A Rwanda gorilla permit costs $1,500 USD per person in 2026. One hour with a mountain gorilla family. There is no discount for arriving late, no partial refund if the group isn't found (they always are), and no other way to access a habituated gorilla group in Volcanoes National Park. This is the price of the most reliably extraordinary wildlife experience on the continent, and the question is not whether it's expensive — it is — but whether the experience justifies it.
Henrik Vinter
29 January 2026
tanzaniaZanzibar: What the Island Is Actually Like (and What to Do There)
Zanzibar is 35km off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean, a spice island with a genuinely distinctive Swahili-Arab heritage concentrated in Stone Town and some of the finest beaches in East Africa. The misconception is that you come here for the beach alone—a resort lounge and airport transfer. The island delivers far more if you move between the old town's alleyways, the night market at sunset, and two or three different beach locations depending on what you want: swimming reliability, photogenic sand, or wind for kitesurfing. It is more expensive than mainland Tanzania, and some of the most-photographed beachfront hotels charge premium rates for mediocre delivery. The north coast (Nungwi, Kendwa) offers better value and more consistent swimming. The east coast (Paje, Jambiani) has the postcard sand but punishes you with a 200–400m tidal swing that empties the sea for hours each day.
Henrik Vinter
20 January 2026
kenyaKenya Safari: What First-Timers Get Wrong About the Experience
Kenya's Masai Mara covers 1,510 square kilometres in the southwest, continuous with Tanzania's Serengeti, and the park fee alone is $200 per person per day — before you pay for a guide, vehicle, or somewhere to sleep. Most first-time safari visitors arrive expecting the sustained drama of BBC's Planet Earth: lions taking down prey, herds migrating in a visible tide, perfect light every morning. The reality is that 70% of a game drive is slow driving through empty plains with binoculars in hand. The remaining 30% — a single lioness walking to a waterhole at dawn, a cheetah with three-week-old cubs, a giraffe silhouetted against an acacia tree — is why people return to Kenya repeatedly. Understanding what you're paying for changes how you experience it.
Henrik Vinter
18 January 2026
tanzaniaTanzania Safari: Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and What It Actually Costs
A Tanzania safari costs roughly two to three times what first-timers expect. A five-day Serengeti safari with mid-range lodge accommodation runs €3,000–5,000 per person. Budget camping safaris exist from €1,200, but involve shared facilities, fixed group schedules, and significantly less control over timing and movement within the parks. This is not a destination where you can meaningfully reduce costs without reducing the experience itself.
Henrik Vinter