★ Nairobi's most trusted safari outfitter · Est. 2014

You've seen the photos.
Now hear the ground shake.

Privately guided safaris and barefoot coastlines across Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar and the Cape — every mile planned, driven and watched over by the people who live here.

Build My Safari Watch a real trip
4.9★ rated 3,500+ travelers home safe KTB licensed 24/7 real human support
Destinations

Six corners of one continent. Pick your wild.

Lions resting on the savannah in Nairobi National Park, Kenya safari

Kenya

12 safaris

Where the Migration writes the calendar and elephants own the horizon.

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Tanzania from above

Tanzania

9 safaris

Craters, endless plains, and the cats that rule them.

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Zanzibar dhows

Zanzibar

7 escapes

Spice in the air, dhows on the horizon, nowhere to be.

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South Africa — Cape Town

South Africa

8 journeys

One mountain, two oceans, and the world's prettiest road.

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Diani Beach at golden hour

Diani Beach

6 retreats

White sand that squeaks underfoot. Bring a book you won't read.

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A mountain gorilla family in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Rwanda

5 expeditions

Eye to eye with a gorilla. Nothing prepares you for it.

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The method

From first hello to wheels-down.

I.

Tell us the dream

Dates, budget, bucket list. A real trip designer replies within a day — no forms shouting into the void.

II.

We draw the route

Camps we've slept in, roads we've driven, timed to the wildlife — redrawn until it's unmistakably yours.

III.

You just land

A 20% deposit holds it. Guides, permits, transfers — handled. Your only job is the window seat.

Signature journeys

Three routes we'd bet the company on.

Lions on the savannah — Wild Kenya: Mara to Amboseli safari
Best seller★ 4.9
5D/4N · Maasai Mara → Nakuru → Amboseli

Wild Kenya: Mara to Amboseli

Three parks, one long golden week — and nights under canvas that hum with the dark.

per person
Reserve a spot
Serengeti to the Sea
Bush & beach★ 5.0
7D/6N · Serengeti → Zanzibar

Serengeti to the Sea

Big-cat country by day. By Friday, your feet are in the Indian Ocean.

per person
Reserve a spot
Tandem paragliding over Cape Town — included in Cape & Coast
Premium★ 4.8
6D/5N · Cape Town → Garden Route

Cape & Coast

Table Mountain to wine country along a coastline that refuses to be ignored.

per person
Reserve a spot
Mountain gorilla family in Volcanoes National Park — Gorillas and Volcanoes Rwanda highlands tour
Rare encounter★ 4.9
4D/3N · Kigali → Volcanoes National Park

Gorillas & Volcanoes

Four days, one silverback, and a silence in the bamboo you'll never forget.

per person
Reserve a spot
Upcoming departures

Your window is open. For now.

We run small groups on fixed dates — these seats fill weeks before departure. Hold yours with a 20% deposit via M-Pesa Paybill 880100.

Field notes

Shot on our phones, not on a shoot.

No stock libraries, no drone crews. These are frames from real VacationRides departures — the light exactly as our travelers found it.

Tall ship at the V&A Waterfront at dusk
The harbour holds its breath · Cape Town
Group exploring Cape Town together
Strangers on Monday, family by Friday
Marimba band performing at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
Marimba hour · V&A Waterfront
Golden hour over the Cape
Six o'clock, on fire · the Cape
"Our guide knew the exact spot and the exact minute. You can't Google that."
— Golden hour · the Cape
Tandem paragliding above Cape Town with Table Mountain behind
Two thousand feet over the city
The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway climbing the cliff face
The slow crawl up Table Mountain
The quiet machinery

What a good trip looks like behind the curtain.

Bonded, licensed, boring about safety

KTB-licensed with full financial protection on every booking. We keep the paperwork dull so the trip never is.

Guides who grew up here

Fifty-five specialists averaging twelve years in the field. They don't find wildlife — they know where it sleeps.

No two itineraries alike

Your pace, your wishlist, your budget — every route drawn from scratch, then redrawn until it fits like it was always yours.

A human, any hour

WhatsApp us at 3am from a tented camp and someone who knows your name answers. No bots, no queues, no scripts.

Word of mouth

Letters from the long way home.

★★★★★
"The most seamless trip we've ever taken. Our guide spotted a leopard within an hour of landing in the Mara. Every detail was flawless."
SB
Sofia & Mark BennettLondon, United Kingdom
★★★★★
"Bush and beach in one trip and both halves were perfect. Serengeti was breathtaking; Zanzibar was the exhale we needed."
AO
Aisha OkonkwoLagos, Nigeria
★★★★★
"As a solo traveler I felt looked after the entire time. The 24/7 WhatsApp line genuinely worked — minutes, every time."
DW
Daniel WeberMunich, Germany
★★★★★
"Three trips with VacationRides now. Cape Town and the Garden Route cleared a very high bar. Amboseli is next."
PF
The Patel FamilyToronto, Canada
★★★★★
"Standing three metres from a silverback in Volcanoes National Park — our guide made sure we felt calm, prepared and completely safe the whole climb."
HD
Helena DuboisParis, France
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Field experts
Before you ask

Asked on every first call.

The Mara's river crossings peak July to October; the southern Serengeti's calving season runs January to March. Beaches shine December–March and June–October. But honestly? The wild doesn't keep office hours — there's a right trip for every month, and we'll tell you straight which one it is.

Private guiding, every park and conservancy fee, your accommodation, listed meals, a dedicated 4×4 with a pop-up roof, and all ground transfers. Not included: international flights, visas, insurance, tips. We put it all in writing before you pay a shilling.

A 20% deposit holds your dates; the balance is due 30 days before travel. M-Pesa, card or bank transfer — all through secure checkout, with free cancellation up to 30 days out.

More than okay — solo travelers are some of our favourite people to plan for. Vetted drivers, GPS-tracked vehicles, and a real person on WhatsApp from wheels-down to wheels-up. You'll be alone exactly as much as you want to be.

That's the only thing we build. Every itinerary starts from a blank page — your pace, your wishlist, your budget. Share the dream and a trip designer replies within 24 hours with a route you can pull apart and rebuild as many times as you like.

Our speciality. Lions at dawn, the Indian Ocean by the weekend — Serengeti to the Sea and Mara–Diani pairings handle every connecting flight and transfer in between. One trip, two worlds, zero logistics on your plate.

We handle them end-to-end. Rwanda issues a limited number of Volcanoes National Park trekking permits (USD 1,500 per person) each day, and they sell out months ahead — so we secure yours the moment you confirm, arrange your trekking certificate, and brief you on the climb. You just bring boots and a full memory card.

The dispatch

Postcards, before they're postcards.

Migration alerts, new routes, and honest travel dispatches from the equator — twice a month, written by humans.

No spam. Unsubscribe whenever the wanderlust wears off (it won't).

Chat with a safari designer