Yellow Zebra Safaris

What Yellow Zebra Safaris does

Yellow Zebra Safaris is a UK-based luxury African safari tour operator founded in 2012 by Julian Carter-Manning and headquartered in Kingston upon Thames. The company designs and sells bespoke, tailor-made safari holidays across 14 African destinations including Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, and Seychelles. Every itinerary is built by a named safari specialist rather than selected from off-the-shelf packages, with the team explicitly composed of ex-professional safari guides, camp managers, and individuals who have lived and worked in Africa, contributing over 600 years of collective experience.

The core product is a fully packaged safari holiday sold per person, pricing from approximately £4,363 at the entry level to over £33,715 at the ultra-luxury tier, with internal flights, accommodation, expert guiding, and private transfers included. The technology layer is minimal: a website, enquiry forms, and a questionnaire-based trip planner feed into a high-touch consultative sales process conducted by phone, email, and WhatsApp. There is no proprietary technology, no API, and no AI/ML-driven features. The company holds ATOL 10614 accreditation, is a full member of the African Travel and Tourism Association, and is a Condé Nast Traveller Top Travel Specialist (2025, 2026) and the World Travel Awards' Europe's Leading Safari Tour Operator for 11 consecutive years.

The business model is direct-to-consumer and sales-led, with no intermediary or reseller partnerships. Customers are matched with a dedicated specialist based on destination, style, and group composition. Distribution occurs through regional websites for the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia markets, supported by a content engine of 94+ Safari Insights articles and active social channels on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Revenue is generated through per-person pricing on multi-component itineraries, with marquee preferred-supplier relationships with operators such as Wilderness Safaris, &Beyond, Singita, Asilia, Nomad Tanzania, and Londolozi providing access to exclusive inventory and rates. The company is privately held with no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing.

Name

Yellow Zebra Safaris

Legal name

Yellow Zebra Safaris

Website

https://yellowzebrasafaris.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Yellow Zebra Safaris is a UK-based luxury safari tour operator that designs and sells bespoke, expert-led African safari holidays across 14 destinations, serving affluent individual travelers, honeymooners, families, and special-interest travelers through dedicated safari specialists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Safari Tour Operator

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Travel Agencies (56151), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land (48711)

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), Wildlife Safaris & Game Drives (THAJAIAB), Safari & Wildlife Adventure Tour Operators (Land-Based) (THAAADAD)

Keywords

• Luxury safari holidays
• Bespoke safari tours
• African travel planning
• Tailor-made safaris
• Safari tour operator

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston Upon Thames

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Safari Package Bookings: Bespoke safari holidays sold as complete packages including internal flights, accommodation, expert guiding, and private transfers. Revenue generated through per-person pricing on curated multi-destination itineraries ranging from 6-22 nights. No off-the-shelf packaged tours - all trips are tailor-made.
2. Consultation and Planning Services: Dedicated safari specialist consultation included as part of the booking process. Specialist matching based on customer requirements, destination expertise, and safari style preferences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Yellow Zebra Safaris designs, sells, and supports bespoke luxury African safari holidays for individual travelers, honeymooners, families, and small groups. Each itinerary is tailor-made by dedicated safari specialists and bundles internal flights, accommodation, expert guiding, and private transfers across 14 African destinations. The company operates a consultative direct-to-consumer model with no off-the-shelf packaged tours, supported by 24/7 on-the-ground assistance and ATOL-bonded financial protection.

Product overview

Yellow Zebra Safaris is a multi-award-winning luxury African safari tour operator that designs and sells tailor-made safari holidays. The company operates a single unified service offering centered around expert consultation and trip design, with no modular software products. Their portfolio encompasses 14 African destinations (Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Republic of Congo, Mauritius, Seychelles), various specialized safari styles (family, honeymoon, couples, adventure, gorilla trekking, etc.), and comprehensive planning services including 24/7 on-the-ground support. All trips are designed by professional safari guides, camp managers, and specialists with first-hand African experience, and are sold without 'off-the-shelf' packaged tours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Luxury African Safari Holidays & Tours
• Africa Safari Destinations

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wilderness SafariscoreOthersWilderness Safaris is one of Africa's leading safari operators. Yellow Zebra's operations team includes people who have previously worked for Wilderness Safaris, and the company features Wilderness properties prominently in their itineraries including Wilderness Mombo, Wilderness Vumbura Plains, Wilderness Chitabe, and Wilderness Qorokwe camps.
• &BeyondcoreOthers&Beyond is a premier safari company. Yellow Zebra's team includes staff from &Beyond, and &Beyond properties like &Beyond Grumeti River Lodge are featured prominently in itineraries.
• LondoloziminorOthersLondolozi is a famous luxury safari camp in Sabi Sands. Former Londolozi staff are part of Yellow Zebra's operations team.
• Robin Pope SafarisminorOthersRobin Pope Safaris is a renowned operator in South Luangwa, Zambia. Former staff members are part of Yellow Zebra's operations team.
• Great Plains ConservationminorOthersGreat Plains Conservation operates safari camps across Africa. Their team members have worked with Yellow Zebra's operations.
• Asilia AfricacoreOthersAsilia Africa is an East African safari operator. Yellow Zebra features Asilia properties including Sayari Camp and Olakira Camp which follow the Great Migration.
• SingitacoreOthersSingita is an ultra-luxury safari lodge operator. Yellow Zebra features Singita properties including Singita Faru Faru in Serengeti and Singita Kwitonda Lodge in Rwanda.
• Ker & Downey BotswanaminorOthersKer & Downey Botswana owns and operates Shinde Camp in the Okavango Delta. Yellow Zebra features this property in their Botswana itineraries.
• Alex Walker's SerianminorOthersAlex Walker's Serian offers safari experiences. Former staff members have worked with Yellow Zebra's operations team.
• The Bushcamp CompanyminorOthersThe Bushcamp Company operates bush camps in South Luangwa, Zambia. Their team members have experience with Yellow Zebra.
• Selous Safari CompanyminorOthersSelous Safari Company operates camps in Tanzania. Former staff members have experience with Yellow Zebra.
• Nomad TanzaniacoreOthersNomad Tanzania is a quality safari operator featured prominently in Yellow Zebra's Tanzania itineraries. Properties include Serengeti Safari Camp, Entamanu Ngorongoro, and Sand Rivers Selous.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Singita: Singita is an ultra-luxury safari and conservation brand with properties across South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Rwanda. It both competes with Yellow Zebra in ultra-luxury bespoke safaris and serves as a key accommodation partner for many of Yellow Zebra's itineraries.
• Wilderness Safaris: Wilderness Safaris is a leading southern African safari operator and lodge owner operating in Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It competes with Yellow Zebra as both a safari operator and a key preferred supplier for the itineraries Yellow Zebra designs.
• &Beyond: &Beyond is a premier luxury safari and experiential travel operator across Africa, India, and South America, operating its own lodges and offering bespoke itineraries. It directly competes with Yellow Zebra on tailor-made African safaris at the ultra-luxury end, and is itself one of Yellow Zebra's preferred suppliers.
• Audley Travel: Audley Travel is a UK-based tailor-made travel specialist with country experts designing bespoke trips across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. It directly competes with Yellow Zebra on the bespoke Africa safari proposition and operates a similar expert-led, sales-led GTM model.
• Asilia Africa: Asilia Africa is an East African safari operator running camps in Tanzania and Kenya focused on conservation-led, mid-to-upper-market experiences. It competes with Yellow Zebra on East African itineraries and is also a key accommodation partner for Yellow Zebra's Tanzania and Kenya products.
• Micato Safaris: Micato Safaris is a US-based luxury Africa safari specialist offering tailor-made and small-group safaris, frequently ranked among top safari operators by Travel + Leisure and similar publications. It competes directly with Yellow Zebra for high-net-worth North American safari clientele.
• Africa Travel Resource (ATR): ATR is a UK-based specialist agency curating luxury African safaris across multiple countries, similar in size, model, and target market to Yellow Zebra. It is a direct competitor in the tailor-made UK-to-Africa safari segment.

Broad incumbents

• Kensington Tours: Kensington Tours is a Canada-based luxury tailor-made tour operator with global coverage including a strong Africa portfolio. It competes with Yellow Zebra on luxury bespoke African itineraries, particularly for North American clients, but at broader geographic scale.
• Abercrombie & Kent: Abercrombie & Kent is a global luxury tour operator offering high-end safaris as part of a broader luxury travel portfolio spanning all continents. It competes with Yellow Zebra on African luxury safaris but operates at much larger scale across many destinations and travel types.

Emerging players

• Roar Africa: Roar Africa is a US-based luxury African safari and conservation-focused tour operator founded by Deborah Calmeyer, offering ultra-bespoke itineraries with strong conservation positioning. It competes with Yellow Zebra in the high-end experiential safari niche, particularly for US clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/yellowzebratravel
• Facebookfacebook.com/YellowZebraSafaris
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yellow-zebra-safaris
• Instagraminstagram.com/yellowzebrasafaris
• Xx.com/YZsafaris

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 Yellow Zebra Safaris