Is there such thing as an affordable safari? How to holiday in the wild without breaking the bank

Brushes with wildlife are good for the soul – and they can be gentle on your pocket too, reveals James Litston

South Africa is a popular spot to see animals in their natural habitats (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

East African languages may not be your forte, but we all know one word in Swahili: safari. Though it actually translates as ‘journey’, we understand safari to mean a trip seeking animals in the wild. But there’s more to it than ticking off the Big Five on an African plain; safaris can just as easily focus on creatures much closer to home.

Whether it’s turtles in Turkey, birds on the Black Sea or even red squirrels and whales here in Britain, safaris are about heading out into nature and relishing the moment.

The catch is that, as a rule of thumb, wildlife thrives better in more remote regions, so getting there can be costly. But if you travel off-season, skip the luxury lodges, and choose destinations with favourable exchange rates, your bucket-list wildlife encounter need not have a budget-busting price tag. Here’s our pick of this season’s most affordable safaris.

Circle of life

Spend a few nights in the safari tent on the Fathala Wildlife Reserve in Senegal (Fathala Wildlife Reserve/Serenity Holidays)

Kenya is the ultimate safari hotspot (even if the exchange rate isn’t on our side right now). Take in Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and the Maasai Mara on a week-long tour to spot the Big Five (buffalos, elephants, lions, leopards and rhinos) among countless other creatures (from £1,339pp, excluding flights; intrepidtravel.com). Elsewhere, save money by spending only part of your trip in the wild. Three nights in Senegal’s Fathala Reserve (with elands, warthogs and monkeys) combined with a four-night Gambian beach break costs from £1,749pp, including flights (gambia.co.uk).

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Escape to the Cape

Spot Cape Town’s penguins while on a safari-lodge stay in South Africa (Sarah Kilian)

South Africa offers great value for money. Untravelled Paths’ nine-night Western Cape trip blends a safari lodge stay with Cape Town’s penguins, the winelands of Franschhoek, and Plettenberg Bay’s beaches from £1,569pp, excluding flights (untravelledpaths.com). Or to keep costs really low, Bushbaby Travel recommends racking up the Big Seven (the usual Five, plus whales and sharks) by combining a Cape Town self-catering stay with a self-drive safari in Pilanesberg National Park. Seven nights from £1,090pp, including car hire but not flights (bushbaby.travel).

Bear necessities

Spend a holiday in a motorhome traveling around British Columbia and Vancouver Island while spotting moose and bears (Bon Voyage)

Self-driving also cuts the cost of a Canada adventure – and all the more so when your vehicle doubles up as your hotel. This two-week motorhome holiday from regional specialist Bon Voyage covers all your essentials (itinerary planning, campsite bookings, on-the-road assistance) as well as topping and tailing the trip with a city stay in Vancouver. En route, spot eagles, beavers, moose, elk, bears (both black and grizzly) and orcas. From £3,995pp, including flights (bon-voyage.co.uk).

Burning bright

Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park is the place to head for a family safari to spy on elephants (Reef and Rainforest)

Tigers are the animal icons of the Indian subcontinent. Seek them on Distant Journeys’ 16-night Indian Wildlife Adventure, which chalks up 10 game drives across five national parks, including Kanha, Pench and Gir. Jackals, jungle cats, spiral-horned blackbuck and Asiatic lions also feature. From £3,295pp, including flights (distantjourneys.co.uk). Or head to Sri Lanka for a family safari to Yala and Uda Walawe National Parks to spy elephants and sloth bears before rounding things off at the beach. Two weeks from £3,185pp, excluding flights (reefandrainforest.co.uk).

Crossroads of continents

Colourful Eurasian bee-eaters can be spotted in Kas, Turkey (Ian Green/Greentours)

Turkey sits where Europe, Asia and Africa overlap. This means that, while much of its wildlife may look familiar, there are also more exotic elements. Spot the likes of white-breasted kingfishers, blue-cheeked bee-eaters and two kinds of turtle on Naturetrek’s week-long Central Turkey Wildlife & History small-group tour (from £3,295pp, including flights; naturetrek.co.uk). Got three weeks to spare? A deep-dive into Turkey’s Aegean Coast maybe for you (from £5,035pp, including flights; greentours.co.uk). Better still, beneficial exchange rates make your money go further here.

Delta discovery

Roam around the Carpathian Mountains in Romania to spot a mammal or two (Shutterstock)

The Via Pontica is an avian superhighway that eagles, storks and pelicans follow on their spring migration via the Bosporus and Black Sea coast. The destination for many of them is Romania’s Danube Delta, where vast wetlands form one of Europe’s last intact ecosystems. Discover its birdlife on a small-group tour (three nights from £383pp, excluding flights; responsibletravel.com). Or make the most of this super-good-value country by pairing the delta with the large-mammal-rich Carpathian Mountains (seven nights from £2,495pp, including flights; wildlifeworldwide.com).

Baltic bargain

Matsalu National Park is one of the most famous European bird-watching sites (Martti Volt10/Windows on the Wild)

Further north again, you’ll find more big mammals (including bears) in Estonia. Around half of this Baltic nation is forested, so there’s plenty of habitat for wildlife to thrive – and prices here are lower than you’d pay for similar experiences in Norway or Sweden. Windows on the Wild’s self-guided tour takes in three national parks, providing a mix of landscapes inhabited by wolf, bear and lynx. Six nights from £860pp, including flights (windowsonthewild.com).

Close to home

Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire deliver a scenic view of gannets among other seabirds (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

For the cheapest wildlife fixes of all, save money on travel by staying in the UK, home to some of Europe’s best seabird colonies and a quarter of all whale and dolphin species. Spy some of the latter in Yorkshire on a five-hour Seabirds & Whales cruise (£90, yorkshirecoastnature.co.uk); or make it more about peregrines and polecats in Wales (welshwildlifebreaks.co.uk). And for a proper immersion in nature, meet stags, red squirrels and golden eagles on a three-night Cairngorms winter walking holiday (from £845, adventuretoursuk.com).

Read more: How to take a wildlife safari without leaving the UK