Safari with Points/Miles?
 

I did a search and only found one relevant thread without that much info over the last 7 years, and that one was from 2014.

The air tickets are not the issue, of course. What I am trying to figure out is:

1. What kind of safari experience can I book with miles/points? Only self-drive? Budget? Luxury? Across the gamut?
2. Are there any reasons I should avoid booking a safari with miles/points (terrible deal compared to cash alternatives, limited to certain types of big group drives, lack of flexibility)?
3. Does anyone have experiences and recommendations (or warnings against) certain hotels/operators if they have done this themselves?

As an example, in my google searching I found one hotel (Fairmont Mara Safari Club in Kenya) which seems to offer a "Full Board" package at $473 a night which includes game drives apparently. One could ostensibly use their Fairmont Presidents Club points or even maybe book via Ultimate Rewards (haven't checked if this hotel/package is available through Chase travel portal).

Looking for other examples of this kind of thing and any experiences or suggestions. Not sure we will go this route, but with so many points/miles just sitting on the shelf for the last year, I am eager to draw down some of the balances if the value is decent vs. cash.

Thank you!

There are some full safari packages available using Ultimate Rewards under the "Things To Do" tab under travel. I have stayed at the Fairmont Safari club twice, it is ok, a large camp that has some large groups move through. Can use Hyatt points for Hemingways in Nairobi which is very nice.

The most budget way is to self-drive. For example, Marriott points for the Protea Kruger Gate hotel and drive yourself around pay for guided drives (either full day with a private guide or evening / night drives with SANParks vehicles from the gate). There are restrictions to being in a National Park, but also the ability to travel long distances to see more variety and wildlife density is very high.

There are package holiday deals from the UK that can be part-paid with frequent flyer miles but they tend to be poor value for points. Or just accommodation booked as hotels with points. But in the sense of "Are there any reasons I should avoid booking a safari with miles/points"? Safari lodges tend to be independent or in multi-national operator groups. I would imagine the high-end safari operators wouldn't want their reputation or image affcted by seemingly offering something for free. So you tend to see hotels or lodges that have spare capacity offering rooms for points - they may be getting a poor rate but want full capacity - so the big lodges that suit tour travel or lodges in locations that aren't at the highest premium. For example, you can get very good accommodation in places like Pilanesburg NP with moderately good wildlife viewing, it's just a relatively small Park. Around the Kruger area in South Africa, most of the lodges you see that offer safaris are in fenced private reserves, so are stocked and managed. Having looked at e.g. British Airways Avios, you can book a few lodges in the greater Kruger (unfenced from the National Park) in Balule reserve and the points value is moderate - not as good as booking premium cabin redemption flights but not awful. I think the biggest reason to avoid booking lodges with points is the effective lack of flexibility - there are thousands of options and given the time and money you'll be spending it seems a shame to not choose the best option for your likes and requirements.

Use your points to get to the country you want to have a safari in and then book your own safari. I have done this twice so far, in 2013 to visit Botswana and South Africa, in 2018 for Tanzania. In May we are supposed to go on a safari in Namibia that was postponed from last September. That could change again. Staying in a fancy hotel is not being on a safari.

I have booked our flights to go to SA in May as well but holding off on booking a safari until there are more news around how the 2nd strain is doing. Are you booked already?

Yes, I am booked and have a deposit paid since early 2020. We are scheduled to fly on ET in J on May 6 to WDH. We will join a 10 day small group safari that departs May 10. We will return from WDH on ET May 21. I have not made the final payment yet and won't unless all the covid restrictions are cleared up. The TA is used would not refund my deposit but will keep making changes into the future as needed. They held the price from 2020 into 2021. What airline are you flying into SA with?

Flying Qatar J into CPT May 1 and then flying out from JNB on May 16. Almost chose a safari lodge and then the 2nd strain showed up so holding off, like you, to make any further plans until I get more info on how SA is doing. Meanwhile actively researching and changing my mind, almost on a daily basis, on which lodge to choose :)

I have been planning safaris for over 15 years and I have only heard of people using points/miles as follows:

• Protea Hotels in South Africa (no safari lodges). Protea is part of Marriott. People usually book their hotels in Cape Town with points but not any safari portion of their trip.
• Four Seasons Tanzania. This is a massive property with no sense of place in the busiest (with humans) part of the Serengeti. They have something like 80 guest rooms. You need Four Seasons Points to use points here.
• Fairmont - keep in mind the Fairmont Mara is closed at the moment with no scheduled reopening date. It is very far from the Mara River so you are best not to plan on river crossings from here.

Last option I can think of is AMEX. We do safari fulfillment for the AMEX Platinum and Centurion call centers. The cardholders call the AMEX travel desk, they call us (Travel Beyond) to book the safari, the cardholder pays us and AMEX wipes the charge off their statement with points.

That's about all I can think of.

Craig Beal - owner - Travel Beyond

Thanks Craig! Coincidentally I just PMed you like 15 mins ago about safari advice. I am shying away from the points idea.