Art of Safari

What Art of Safari does

Art of Safari is a private, founder-operated luxury safari travel agency headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, founded in 2016 by Gary Lotter. The company curates and sells tailor-made and pre-packaged African safari itineraries across 10+ destinations including Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Rwanda, and the Republic of Congo. Packages span 4 to 15 days at price points ranging from approximately USD 2,846 to USD 19,628 per person, with the Trip Finder tool letting prospects self-filter by budget, duration, and destination before submitting an enquiry.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer, sales-led model with no third-party resellers. Customers discover Art of Safari primarily through organic search and SEO-optimized content (destination guides, lodge pages, blog), submit an enquiry via the website, and work directly with a small in-house team of safari professionals (notably Nicky Mears) to plan and book their trip. Revenue is generated on a transaction/take-rate basis through commissions or margins earned on bookings made through the company's network of safari lodges, tented camps, and ground operators across Africa.

The company's product surface includes core safari packages, a tailor-made planning service, curated safari experiences (gorilla trekking, migration viewing, walking safaris), and add-on modules such as Safari & Beach Holidays and Luxury Tented Safaris. Supporting infrastructure includes independent review collection via Feefo (165 verified reviews, 4.9/5, Gold Service Awards 2020 and 2021) and a Price Guarantee and Financial Protection policy. The company explicitly positions itself as a specialist luxury safari operator rather than a technology platform, with no proprietary AI, app, or API offerings disclosed.

Name

Art of Safari

Legal name

Art of Safari

Website

https://artofsafari.travel

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Art of Safari is a Cape Town-based, founder-operated luxury safari travel agency that curates and sells tailor-made and pre-packaged African safari itineraries across 10+ countries, serving high-net-worth individual travelers via a direct, enquiry-based sales model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Safari Tour Operator

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Safari & Wildlife Travel Agencies (THAKAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adventure & Expedition Custom Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAC), Safari & Wildlife Adventure Tour Operators (Land-Based) (THAAADAD), Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies (THAKAFAB)

Keywords

• Luxury safari tours
• African safari packages
• Tailor-made safaris
• Safari travel agency
• Wildlife safari holidays

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Safari Package Sales: Art of Safari generates revenue by curating and selling luxury African safari packages. They work with a network of safari lodges, camps, and ground operators across Africa, earning commissions or margins on bookings. Their model combines pre-packaged itineraries with fully tailor-made safari planning services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Art of Safari is a full-service travel agency that curates and sells luxury African safari packages and tailor-made itineraries across more than ten African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Republic of Congo. The company offers both pre-packaged itineraries ranging from 4 to 15 days and fully bespoke safari planning services, with pricing typically between USD 2,846 and USD 19,628 per person depending on destination, duration, and accommodation level.

Product overview

Art of Safari operates as a luxury African safari travel company offering a curated portfolio of safari packages and planning services. The core offering consists of pre-packaged African safari itineraries (ranging from 4 to 15 days across Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa, Mozambique, and Rwanda) and a tailor-made trip planning service. Supporting products include the Trip Finder search tool for filtering by budget, duration, and destination; curated Safari Experiences covering specific activities; and add-on modules for specialized travel styles such as luxury tented safaris and combined safari-beach holidays. The company positions itself as a specialist luxury safari operator, not a technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• African Safari Packages
• Tailor-Made Safari Planning
• Safari Experiences
• Safari & Beach Holidays
• Luxury Tented Safaris

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.9/5 customer satisfaction rating from 165 verified reviews

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FeefocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt of Safari has partnered with Feefo, one of the world's foremost independent product-and-service review platforms, to ensure the highest integrity with customer feedback. Feefo provides verified review collection and processing, and Art of Safari has received Feefo Gold Trusted Service Awards recognizing consistently exceptional customer experiences.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• &Beyond: Larger luxury safari and travel company operating owned and partner lodges across Africa. Direct overlap on luxury safari package offerings but with meaningfully greater inventory depth and brand scale.
• Singita: Ultra-luxury safari lodge brand with owned properties across South Africa, Tanzania, Rwanda. Overlaps with Art of Safari on the high-end segment and key destinations; differentiated by owned inventory.
• Wilderness Safaris: Major African safari camp operator with broad multi-country coverage (Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, etc.). Strong overlap on safari destinations and luxury positioning though they own camps rather than purely intermediating.
• Cox & Kings (legacy Africa tours): Long-established global tour operator with Africa safari offerings. Overlaps on multi-country itineraries and tailormade packages, though at much larger scale and broader geographic scope.

Emerging players

• SafariBookings: Online safari marketplace comparing operators and itineraries across Africa. Comparable as a discovery and comparison layer for safari travel, but disintermediates traditional agencies like Art of Safari.

Direct peers

• Black Tomato: Boutique experiential travel agency focused on bespoke, once-in-a-lifetime journeys. Comparable in custom-itinerary concierge model and luxury/experiential positioning, though not Africa-exclusive.
• Roar Africa: Boutique luxury African safari specialist offering tailor-made, high-touch itineraries across multiple countries. Closely comparable in boutique scale, luxury positioning, and bespoke-planning model.
• Micato Safaris: High-end African safari operator known for luxury, family, and repeat-traveler positioning with bespoke itinerary planning. Comparable in premium pricing, multi-country coverage, and family-segment focus.
• African Travel Inc. US-based specialty safari and Africa travel agency offering tailor-made itineraries across multiple African countries. Most directly comparable in business model (curated packages + custom planning) and target customer (US/English-speaking luxury travelers).
• Ker & Downey Africa: Specialty luxury safari operator offering custom itineraries across multiple African destinations. Direct comparable in curated-portfolio + custom-planning hybrid model targeting affluent travelers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Art of Safari