Solo Safari in South Africa: Where to Go and How to Avoid the Single Supplement
The bush does not care whether you arrive alone. Solo travellers are now the fastest-growing group in luxury safari, and South Africa is one of the easiest places to start. Here is how the single supplement works, which lodges waive it, and the tented camps that suit travelling alone best.
The bush does not care whether you arrive alone. The leopard still slips out of the riverbed at dusk, the guide still stops the vehicle to show you lion tracks in the sand, and the fire still crackles at dinner with a seat kept for you. If anything, a safari is one of the easiest trips in the world to take on your own.
More people are doing exactly that. Solo travellers are now the fastest-growing group in luxury safari, rising from about 13% of safari enquiries in 2024 to more than 15% in 2025, and they spend around 43% more per person than couples. The one thing that still puts people off is the single supplement. This guide covers how it works, where it is waived, and the South African camps that suit travelling alone best.
Why a solo safari works so well
Most safari camps are small and sociable by design. You share a game vehicle with a handful of other guests, so you are never sitting alone on a drive. Many camps serve dinner around one long table or the fire, and the guides and hosts make a point of bringing people together. By the second evening you usually know everyone’s name and what they saw that afternoon.
Then, at the end of the night, you walk back to your own tent with a guide and have the whole deck to yourself. It is a very easy balance of company and solitude.
Safety is straightforward too. Everything from airport transfers to game drives is arranged for you, and at night a guide escorts you to and from your room. Many solo women choose safari as their first big trip alone for exactly that reason.
What is the single supplement?
Safari rates are almost always quoted per person sharing, based on two people in one room. If you take a room on your own, the camp adds a single supplement to cover the empty bed. Across Africa that supplement can run from 25% to 75% of the per-person rate. In Greater Kruger and Madikwe it usually sits between 25% and 50%, at the lower end of the scale.
The good news is that it is often negotiable, and some lodges drop it entirely for certain dates.
South African stays with no single supplement
These South African properties were listed in January 2026 as waiving the single supplement, at least for some dates. Policies change, and often only one room per lodge is offered on these terms, so confirm before you book.
| Property | Where | No-supplement dates | Guide rate (per person sharing) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dulini River Lodge | Sabi Sand | 10 January to 1 April, and November | $2,155 to $2,345 |
| Singita Lebombo Lodge | Kruger National Park (private concession) | Conditions may apply | $3,225 to $3,965 |
| Singita Sweni Lodge | Kruger National Park (private concession) | Conditions may apply | On request |
| Singita Ebony Lodge | Sabi Sand | Conditions may apply | On request |
| Singita Boulders Lodge | Sabi Sand | Conditions may apply | On request |
| The Winchester Hotel | Cape Town | Classic Room, 1 May to 31 August and 1 October to 14 December | On request |
Dates and rates checked October 2026.
Dulini River Lodge, Sabi Sand
Dulini has just six suites on the banks of the Sand River, each with a private plunge pool and an outdoor shower, and the Sabi Sand is one of the best places in Africa to see leopard. With so few rooms, it feels more like a private house than a lodge, which suits a solo traveller well. Time your trip for the green season or November and the supplement disappears.
See rates and availability for Dulini River Lodge
Singita’s Kruger and Sabi Sand lodges
Singita is about as high-end as safari gets, so a waived supplement here is a real saving. Lebombo’s glass-and-timber suites hang above the N’wanetsi River in a private concession inside Kruger, and its sister lodge Sweni sits nearby. In the Sabi Sand, Ebony and Boulders share one of the most famous stretches of the Sand River. All four have been listed with no single supplement, though conditions apply.
Singita Lebombo · Singita Sweni · Singita Ebony · Singita Boulders
Cape Town before or after the bush
Most Cape Town hotels charge per room rather than per person, so solo travellers pay the normal room rate. The Winchester Hotel in Sea Point goes a step further and offers its Classic Room at no supplement in low season. It is a good base for a few days of mountain, wine and sea before you fly to the bush.
See rates and availability for The Winchester Hotel
The best tented camps for travelling alone
These tented camps do usually charge a supplement, but they suit solo travellers so well that they are worth asking about. Small size, sociable dinners and strong guiding make all the difference when you are on your own.
Africa on Foot, Klaserie
Africa on Foot is built around walking safaris, and walking groups bond quickly. Mornings are spent tracking on foot with a guide, afternoons on a game drive, and evenings around the braai or in the Bush Bar, where guests swap stories. At $395 to $435 per person sharing, it is one of the most affordable Big Five camps in Greater Kruger, so even with a supplement it stays good value.
See rates and availability for Africa on Foot
Garonga Safari Camp, Makalali
Garonga is calm, intimate and well priced at $755 to $860 per person sharing. There is a yoga and meditation area, a spa, and the option of a night on the sleep-out deck under the stars. For a solo traveller who wants rest as much as wildlife, it is a lovely fit.
See rates and availability for Garonga Safari Camp
Tanda Tula Safari Camp, Timbavati
Tanda Tula’s lantern-lit boma dinners are the kind of evening where strangers become friends. The camp has a strong reputation for guiding, and the open-vehicle drives and walks in the Timbavati make every day feel full.
See rates and availability for Tanda Tula Safari Camp
Thanda Safari Tented Camp, KwaZulu-Natal
At $375 to $420 per person sharing, Thanda is one of the best-value tented camps in the country. The reserve has the Big Five and wild dog, and the camp’s free photography workshop is a good way to meet other guests. It also pairs easily with a few days on the KwaZulu-Natal coast.
See rates and availability for Thanda Safari Tented Camp
See the full list in our guide to the best luxury tented camps in South Africa.
Seven ways to cut the cost of a solo safari
- Travel in the green season. November to March is when most single supplements are reduced or waived.
- Book early. Lodges that waive the supplement often do so for only one room at a time, and it goes first.
- Always ask. Supplements in South Africa are more negotiable than in East Africa, and not every deal is advertised.
- Choose fewer camps. Light-aircraft transfers can cost more for one person, so two camps for longer is often cheaper than four for shorter.
- Drive where you can. Madikwe, the Waterberg and parts of Greater Kruger are reachable by road or scheduled flight, which avoids private charters.
- Look at value camps first. A supplement on a $400 rate stings far less than one on a $2,000 rate.
- Consider a small-group trip. Joining a scheduled small group gives you company and sometimes a shared-room option.
Where solo travellers are heading
Booking data shows Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa as the most popular safari countries for solo travellers. The fastest growth is in Madagascar, Malawi and Zambia, where interest has more than doubled. South Africa remains the easiest first solo safari, with good roads, malaria-free options and a short hop from Cape Town or Johannesburg to the bush.
Prefer to skip the malaria tablets? See our guide to malaria-free glamping in South Africa.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to go on safari alone?
Yes. Transfers, game drives and meals are all arranged, guides walk you to your tent after dark, and you are rarely on your own unless you want to be. Many women travelling alone choose safari for exactly that reason.
How much is the single supplement on safari in South Africa?
Usually between 25% and 50% of the per-person sharing rate in Greater Kruger and Madikwe. Across Africa it ranges from about 25% to 75%.
Which South African lodges have no single supplement?
Dulini River Lodge in the Sabi Sand waives it for set dates, and Singita’s Lebombo, Sweni, Ebony and Boulders lodges have waived it with conditions. The Winchester Hotel in Cape Town waives it on its Classic Room in low season. Always confirm current terms.
When is the best time for a solo safari?
For the lowest cost, travel from November to March, when supplements are most often waived. For the most reliable game viewing, travel from May to September.
Will I feel lonely on a solo safari?
Most solo travellers find the opposite. Shared vehicles and communal dinners mean you are always among people, and small camps make it easy to get to know the other guests.
Are solo travellers growing in number?
Yes. Solo travellers are the fastest-growing group in luxury safari, with the US the largest source market and Australia and the UK growing fastest.
Go on, book the trip
Waiting for the right person to come with you can take years. The bush is ready now, and so is the seat by the fire. Ask about single supplements when you enquire, aim for the green season if price matters, and pick a small camp where the guide knows your name by breakfast. Browse South Africa’s glamping stays or read our first-time safari guide to start planning.