Private Safaris for solo travellers, couples, families or small groups
English speaking guides
Unforgettable experience
All inclusive packages
Guided every step of your Safari
Small and intimate luxury camps
Australian booking agent for Sanctuary Retreats
20 years of experience in Africa
In home Safari Consultation upon request
Commitment to conservation and responsible tourism
Book & relax, we will take care of every step of your Safari.
what to expect
why choose moontours
Bespoke SAFARI intinerarIES
INTIMATE LUXURY CAMPS & LODGES
TWO GENERATIONS
FAMILY experience
MEMORIES TO LAST
A LIFETIME
Snapshots of what you will enjoy
commitment to conservation and responsible tourism
A commitment to conservation and responsible tourism has been an integral part of the construction of our properties and our daily operations ever since we opened our first camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara in 1999. Sanctuary Retreats selects projects based on their potential to create long-lasting relationships with the communities in the areas in which we operate.
Sanctuary Retreats continues to build long lasting relationships with the rural communities in the areas in which we operate. Our goal is to identify and sponsor long-term, viable and self-sustaining projects that will have the support of our staff and visitors. The projects listed on these pages are all collaborative. We work closely with the local communities to determine their needs and improve their well-being.
OUR SAFARI DESTINATIONS
Botswana
Botswana is a landlocked nation, bordered by South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is dominated by the Kalahari Desert, which covers up to 70% of the country’s land surface, the Okavango Delta, the world’s largest inland delta and the Chobe National Park in the north.
Vast and untamed, a country with thousands of square miles of exquisite wilderness, Botswana offers exceptional game viewing as well as a varied safari experience across its broad and flat expanses of savannah, desert, salt pan and wetland.
KENYA
With its incredible diversity of landscapes and some of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the world – it’s no surprise that Kenya is where the concept of safari was born.
Kenya is home to some of the best national parks and game reserves in Africa with diverse ecosystems, including Amboseli, Tsavo, Samburu and Meru. The jewel in its crown is the Masai Mara, the stage for the annual wildebeest migration when over two million wildebeest and zebra move between the Masai Mara and the Serengeti in Tanzania in search of greener pastures.
ZAMBIA
Hear the roar of the thundering Victoria Falls, feel the adrenaline while white water rafting down the mighty Zambezi River, or take a leisurely game drive in the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park. This is Zambia, a country rich in natural beauty and wildlife, yet scant in tourists.
Aside from its variety of game, such as lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, and a number of exciting endemic species, Zambia is noted for its rich birdlife and exotic fish. It’s something of a pilgrimage for fishermen, and for birders, they can’t help but be drawn by the marvellous diversity of bird species. Zambia is the perfect African destination to have an authentic safari experience.
UGANDA
Still one of the world’s best kept natural secrets, Uganda receives far less visitors than its neighbouring countries. Characterised by dramatic scenery throughout, it is home to deep lakes, stunning waterfalls, towering mountains and incredible wildlife.
Uganda also has the highest concentration of primates on earth, including the mountain gorilla – now one of the rarest animals on the planet. There are just over 1000 mountain gorillas in the world and since the establishment of the epic Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda as a protected reserve, the population of mountain gorilla has increased from less than 300 individuals to 400 according to the latest census.
TANZANIA
A country with epic topography, Tanzania is a wilderness and wildlife extravaganza. This vast and sparsely-populated country hosts some of the greatest wildlife experiences on Earth.
From the snow-capped summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to the game-rich Ngorongoro Crater, from the endless plains of the Serengeti to the baobabs of the Tarangire, Tanzania is the safari insider’s hot tip. Boasting 14 national parks and numerous game reserves, this is home to the largest wildlife herds on the African continent, as well as the palm-fringed island of Zanzibar, ideal for post-safari relaxation.
SOUTH AFRICA
A country with epic topography, Tanzania is a wilderness and wildlife extravaganza. This vast and sparsely-populated country hosts some of the greatest wildlife experiences on Earth.
From the snow-capped summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to the game-rich Ngorongoro Crater, from the endless plains of the Serengeti to the baobabs of the Tarangire, Tanzania is the safari insider’s hot tip. Boasting 14 national parks and numerous game reserves, this is home to the largest wildlife herds on the African continent, as well as the palm-fringed island of Zanzibar, ideal for post-safari relaxation.
The firs thing to clear up here is Africa isn’t a place as such, it is made of 54 countries depending on who you ask. Africa is almost four times the size of Australia and almost double the size of the United States. It’s a big place.
There are some dangerous and unsafe countries in Africa, not suitable for tourists. When we talk about the Safari region of east and southern Africa; we are talking about the counties of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana. Do not let the miss-conceptions of “Africa” and 46 other countries deter you. Most people find these Safari countries very safe, welcoming, warm and friendly. Personally Trent Moon has a lot more concerns about travelling to Indonesia, the Caribbean and Latin America than he does going on Safari.
Trent Moon says; For you first two visits. Once is never enough. You want to experience Tanzania or Botswana, sneak Victoria Falls in if you can. These two countries are unmatched when comes to sheer wildlife numbers, diversity and the iconic African wildlife Safari. Though both are very very different.
Tanzania is most famous for the vast plains of the Serengeti. It’s important to note that the Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai Mara are one in the same with only an invisible border separating the two. The difference is the Tanzania side of the combined reserve is almost 10x bigger than that in Kenya. Along side the southern end of the Serengeti you find the Rift Valley escarpment and the famous Ngorongoro Crater. Once you drop into the Rift Valley we have two very unique wildlife reserves which make up the greater Serengeti conservation area. Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Park. These three areas in the greater Serengeti are nothing like each other, all of them offering a completely different wildlife experience that can easily be rolled into the one Safari.
Botswana is huge, famously know for the Kalahari desert which makes up most of the country. Not a desert in the traditional sense, this one has lots of grass and trees and large part of it is flooded every year, turning the desert into an ocean of islands. With en estimated population of 3m people it is a wildlife haven. Home to the most elephants in Africa and known as the predator capital of the world, it is something to behold.
Trent says; in general you will want to travel in the dry season, between April – October with June, July, August and September being most popular. During the dry season there is less water and the vegetation not so thick which makes for great game viewing and the day time temperatures this time of year are generally mild. It is interesting to know that Botswana’s Okavango Delta also floods in the dry season from rains 1000’s of miles away that flow into the desert.
In saying that, you can go on Safari all year round, particularly Tanzania in the Southern Serengeti when millions of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle give birth with the rains. Souther African countries like Botswana and Namibia can be dangerously hot through the months of Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb.
On Safari you will have an unlimited amount of beautiful fresh, clean and safe drinking water available. If you are in towns or airports we recommend you purchase bottled water.
See your travel doctor for advice and shots, nothing much out of the ordinary generally unless you are going into a Yellow Fever declared country which requires a vaccine and Yellow Fever certificate as proof.
Malaria is easily avoided with simple antimalarial medication prescribed by your GP.
Common sense and vaccines are the best defencewhen it comes to avoiding illness whilst travelling, no matter where in the world you visit.
Yes, absolutely. Do not leave your country of origin without it. We recommend you purchase travel insurance as soon as you have booked your holiday to cover yourself for cancellations. Moon Tours does not provide or include any insurance for personal travel, reservations, air fares, medical, evacuation or anything else.
Private Safari’s are exactly that. Trent & Stephanie Moon will personally tailor an itinerary specifically for you, whether thats for one person, a couple, a family or group of friends. From the moment you land in Africa until you depart you’re itinerary will be taken care of and you will be met by a Safari representative every step of the way.
Hosted Safaris are personally hosted by Trent and Stephanie Moon, small group tours and set itineraries. Travelling with Trent and Steph you know the itinerary will be good.
The most common feedback we hear from clients after their first day on Safari is how shocked they are at the abundance of animals. They had no idea they would so many animals. They say things like, “we thought we’d se the odd Zebra and Giraffe, maybe some elephants.” When they see 100’s and even 1000’s of animals they are truly amazed. So yes, you will see more wildlife than you can even imagine.
All our camps our of high standard and no matter where you decide to go you will be guaranteed hot water and power along with excellent service.
Phone and internet service is widely available across Africa, although we can not guarantee full service on game drives in the bush you will have access to internet in most Safari camps. For extended periods in one country we often purchase a local SIM card for service and access to internet everywhere we go. This gives us internet while we are on game drives most of the time. We don’t recommend this though, you are on holidays after all.
It’s important to note that you will need a different local SIM card for each country you visit when you cross the border into another country.
It is a good question which affects our Australian clients most. Unfortunately for Aussies, the USD is the international currency of the world when it comes to Safari’s in Africa. Local currencies differ from country to country as soon as you cross a border, they are also volatile and poorly valued. For cross border and set price purposes almost every Safari company will charge in USD.
AUD Safaris. Some of our Safaris in South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia are priced in USD. For example our self drive camping safaris where we avoid the high end luxury camps and lodges who all charge in USD.
It is a good idea to have some cash, not too much. USD are your only cross border currency. You can use this for pretty well anything. Specifically you will need USD cash for Visa’s on arrival to some countries, generally $50-$100USD pp.
TIP’s are an important part of the Safari these days. Generally you will TIP your guide / driver minimum $5-$10 per person per day separately to the camp staff TIP box which we recommend the same.
Yes, please check with us. Most areas limit children to 6 years of age or older. Some but less so, limit the age to 12 years or older.
testimonials
The African trips are next level. Trents knowledge of the wildlife is incredible. The accomodation is first class. It is the most different and incredible thing that I have done. Seeing the great migration in action with thousands of animals migrating was in readable. We will also be doing another one of these trips at some stage.
Steph & Trent are great hosts and are adaptive to all the conditions we come across to ensure we were always entertained, flexible to peoples diferent tastes and ensured we had the chance to escape the touristy areas to enjoy the real cultures of the areas we visited +1 for me.. Ill be on another trip with these guys next year.
