Putting together a custom safari takes close co-operation and frequent communication between the parties involved; you, me, and my contacts in Africa.

At Holden Safaris my specialization is custom safaris. Not many safari operators have sufficient experience to put together custom safaris. To successfully plan and operate a custom safari requires many years of safari experience, and extensive safari contacts in the different safari destinations. Having grown up in Africa, managing several large safari operators both in Africa and the USA, blowing my own trumpet, I can say I’m a rarity in the safari business!

Successfully executing a custom safari is much more than choosing a safari destination, selecting dates, and listing a few interests.

You will not be doing justice to yourself without having what I call “the conversation” between you and me. The “conversation” ensures we do indeed plan the safari that will most closely meet and exceed your expectations.

Custom safaris are totally different to set-departure group safaris. Group Safaris have a set itinerary with different departure dates, planned months, sometimes years, in advance. Anyone wanting a group safari can simply book the same group safari itinerary as everyone else, on the dates that suit them. By definition, every part of a custom safari has been carefully planned to suit the particular client taking the custom safari. It takes a lot of work, attention to detail, and a wide knowledge of how safaris work. And the devil is in the details, making sure that all the connections work smoothly, getting from one safari lodge to another.

Planning a safari in Africa is nothing like planning a vacation to say Europe where mistakes can be quickly rectified. A lot can go wrong with a custom safari! Having peace of mind, working with an experienced custom safari operator, is worth all the man-hours put into planning the safari.

Take a look at the testimonials on the testimonial page for an appreciation of what goes into planning and executing a successful custom safari.

As with most things in life, the more one puts into something the better it usually turns out.