Exeter Safari Company

What Exeter Safari Company does

Exeter Safari Company is a privately held, Tampa-based luxury travel company that designs and books fully customized African safari itineraries for individual travelers, families, honeymooners, and travel advisors. Co-founded by Greg Tepper (also founder of Exeter International) and Scott Simpson (a South Africa native), the company operates with dual headquarters in Tampa, Florida (planning and client services) and Cape Town, South Africa (on-ground operations), and is IATA-accredited (Number: 10621704) for international air ticketing. The product spans 14 destinations across Southern, East, and North Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, organized into six themed collections: Family Travel, Food & Wine, Multi-Country Tours, Small Group & Founders Tours, Island Life, and Wildlife Focused. Customer support includes a 24/7 WhatsApp Concierge service managed locally during travel.

The business runs on a professional-services, sales-led motion with no proprietary technology platform. Consultative sales begins with a phone consultation, after which a safari expert designs a personalized itinerary covering lodges, transfers, internal flights, guides, and experiences; clients pay a 30% non-refundable deposit to secure bookings. Revenue is generated through commissions and/or markups on booked components. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the company website, phone, and email, supplemented by a B2B travel-advisor channel and cross-referrals from sister brands Exeter International (Central Europe) and Exeter Latin America.

The company maintains four core conservation and community partnerships (Uthando South Africa, Mulberry Mongoose, Cheetah Conservation Fund, and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy) that anchor its responsible-travel positioning. Operational scale is small: firmographic headcount is listed at 1-10, while the publicly named team and expert network exceed 30 individuals across planning, regional management, logistics, guest experience, and accounts, suggesting a lean core firm augmented by contracted or affiliated safari experts. No external funding, parent holding company, or revenue disclosures were identified.

Name

Exeter Safari Company

Legal name

Exeter Safari Company

Website

https://exetersafaricompany.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Exeter Safari Company designs and books fully customized luxury African safaris across 14 destinations, serving families, honeymooners, wildlife enthusiasts, and travel advisors through a consultative, sales-led model with dual US and South Africa-based operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Safari Travel Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Itinerary Planning with Booking & Fulfillment (Full-Service) (THAKAOAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Safari & Wildlife Travel Agencies (THAKAFAG), Safari & Wildlife Adventure Tour Operators (Land-Based) (THAAADAD), Group, Family & Multi-Generational Travel Planning (HSACAKAK)

Keywords

• Luxury safari travel
• Custom safari itineraries
• African safari planning
• Bespoke travel services
• Safari booking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Safari Itinerary Planning & Booking: Full-service travel planning for African safaris, creating completely personalized itineraries tailored to individual interests, pace, and travel style. Revenue generated through booking lodgings, hotels, guides, transfers, and experiences on behalf of clients. A 30% non-refundable deposit is required to secure arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Exeter Safari Company designs and books fully customized luxury safaris and curated multi-country travel itineraries across 14 African destinations including Botswana, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Mozambique, Egypt, Jordan, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles. The service encompasses personalized itinerary design, lodge and camp booking, internal flight and ground transfer coordination, expert guide assignment, and round-the-clock WhatsApp Concierge support from planning through return home, delivered via dual US-based (Tampa, FL) and Africa-based (Cape Town) planning teams.

Product overview

Exeter Safari Company is a luxury African safari travel company operating as a single integrated service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is personalized luxury safari travel planning, which encompasses itinerary design, destination bookings, logistics coordination, and concierge support. The company covers 14 African destinations and organizes travel across six themed collections: Wildlife Focused, Island Life, Small Group & Founders Tours, Multi-Country Tours, Food & Wine, and Family Travel. Supporting services include 24/7 WhatsApp Concierge support and Responsible Travel partnerships. All offerings are delivered through a unified service model combining US-based planning teams with Africa-based ground operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Luxury Safari Travel Planning Full-service bespoke luxury safari planning encompassing personalized itinerary design, lodge and camp bookings, internal flight coordination, ground transfers, expert guide assignment, and 24/7 WhatsApp Concierge support from consultation through return home, delivered by dual US-based (Tampa, FL) and Africa-based (Cape Town) planning teams.
• Small Group & Founders Tours Hosted small group safari itineraries led personally by founders Greg Tepper and Scott Simpson, offering insider access, exclusive experiences, and expert storytelling for travelers seeking intimate group departures with like-minded companions.
• Multi-Country African Destination Services Curated booking services across 14 African destinations (Botswana, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) enabling single-trip combinations of safari, beach, cultural, and culinary experiences across multiple countries with managed visas, internal flights, and transfers.
• Responsible Travel & Conservation Partnership Programs Philanthropic and conservation-oriented safari extensions and experiences coordinated with partner organizations including Uthando South Africa (community development in Cape Town), Mulberry Mongoose (Zambian jewelry upcycled from poaching-snare wire), Cheetah Conservation Fund (Namibia cheetah preservation since 1990), and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy (Kenya rhino sanctuary since 1983).

Named customers5 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Founded in Namibia in 1990, dedicated to preserving and protecting Africa's cheetah population. CCF serves as internationally recognized center of excellence in cheetah conservation and ecosystem preservation. By traveling with Exeter Safari Company, clients contribute to conservation, research, and protection of cheetahs across Africa.
• Lewa Wildlife ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1983Rhino sanctuary established in Kenya in 1983. First and leading private rhino sanctuary in East Africa, with rhino population grown from 15 to 273 rhinos today. Working with growing number of partners across Kenya and Africa to help rhinos recover from near-extinction. Exeter contributes through traveler donations.
• Uthando (Love) South AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertified non-profit organization creating a unique link between tourism and community development projects in Cape Town. Uthando provides stability for local populations and creates growth opportunities. Exeter Safari Company schedules philanthropic tours for travelers visiting Cape Town, offering respectful and entertaining experiences to see Uthando in action.
• Mulberry MongoosecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkshop in South Luangwa, Zambia where local craftswomen use snare wire recovered from poaching traps to create jewelry inspired by the African bush. Each purchase supports the team and their families while raising funds for local conservation to protect Zambia's wildlife. Exeter provides Mulberry Mongoose jewelry to travelers in pre-departure packages.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• African Travel, Inc. US-based luxury safari operator with decades of experience curating custom African journeys. Similar US-headquartered, Africa-coordinated model with shared target customer (luxury American travelers) and advisor channel.
• Kensington Tours: B2B-focused luxury custom travel company with dedicated Africa programs. Comparable fully-customized private itinerary model, similar advisor-driven channel strategy, and overlap in destination coverage including safari-and-beach combinations.
• Discover Africa: South Africa-based safari booking specialist with custom Southern and East Africa itineraries. Comparable custom itinerary model with on-the-ground Cape Town operations and growing B2B advisor channel.
• Micato Safaris: Family-run luxury safari outfitter offering bespoke African itineraries across multiple countries. Directly comparable custom luxury safari positioning, family-owned ethos, and emphasis on repeat clients and travel-advisor relationships.
• Classic Safari Company: South Africa-founded bespoke safari specialist offering custom itineraries across Africa. Comparable custom-planning expertise, lodge relationships, and multi-country safari-and-beach product structure.
• Journeys by Design: Luxury Southern Africa safari specialist offering tailor-made itineraries across Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Comparable custom-planning model, lodge curation expertise, and high-touch service ethos.
• Premier Africa Travel: UK-based specialist in tailor-made African safaris covering 10+ countries. Closely comparable destination breadth, custom itinerary approach, and travel-advisor partnership model.
• Rothschild Safaris: Bespoke African safari company specializing in high-end private journeys with decades of destination expertise. Closely comparable founder-led, ultra-custom positioning and emphasis on exclusive reserves and personal relationships.
• Go2Africa: Africa-specialist safari company headquartered in Cape Town offering tailor-made itineraries across the continent. Comparable destination breadth, custom planning model, and Cape Town-based operations that overlap with Exeter's Africa team.

Broad incumbents

• Abercrombie & Kent: Established global luxury travel operator with strong Africa safari offerings across Southern and East Africa. Broader portfolio but overlapping luxury custom safari segment and shared reliance on expert guides and curated lodge relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/exeter-safari-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Exeter Safari Company