How Much Does an All-Inclusive Safari Cost, and What's Included?

Giulia Avanzi
7 days ago
8 min read

The short answer

The honest answer is that we like to keep it simple. There is one nightly rate, it stays the same all year round, and it quietly takes care of almost everything from the moment you arrive: your suite, your game drives with your own ranger, the meals that come out of our kitchen and off our farm, and the drinks you reach for through the day. We have only one kind of suite and only one rate for the whole year, so there are no seasons to second-guess and no long list of options to weigh up. What really shapes the figure is simply how many of you are coming and whether you are sharing. So the truest thing we can tell you is this: send us your dates and we will come back with a real number, and on this page we will happily walk you through everything that number includes, because at Laluka it tends to be rather more than people expect.

What "all-inclusive" actually means

Many lodges and camps quote a low-looking bed rate and then add the rest on top: game drives charged per outing, certain meals, drinks, sometimes even tea and coffee. By the time you check out, the real cost sits well above the headline.

All-inclusive turns that around. You pay one nightly rate and the safari is built into it. There is no running tally at reception, no quietly deciding whether this afternoon's drive is "worth it", and no surprise bill at the end. You simply arrive and enjoy it. For a holiday that is meant to be restful, that peace of mind is a real part of the value.

We run Laluka this way for a simple reason. It is owner-managed and family-run, not part of a chain, which means the people who care most about the place are the ones actually looking after you. We host the way we would want to be hosted, and that personal attention, a small team who quickly learn your name and how you like your coffee, is as much a part of the stay as anything else the rate covers.

A thatched suite with a king bed and en-suite bathroom at Laluka Safari Lodge, your accommodation on an all-inclusive safari in malaria-free Welgevonden

What is included in the rate at Laluka

At Laluka Safari Lodge, one nightly rate covers:

Your suite, one of only six, each with its own private plunge pool that can be heated.
Two guided game drives a day, morning and afternoon, with your own ranger, in a malaria-free Big Five reserve that is home to both white and black rhino.
All your meals, and this is the unusual part: much of it is grown on our own organic farm and often picked the same morning, then cooked in the open kitchen.
The Laluka Selection from our drinks and wine menus, and this is where we quietly overdeliver: carefully chosen South African wines, Cap Classique bubbles, a Belgian beer collection you would not expect to find in the bush, gins, whiskies and our own farm creations. More on all of that below, because it deserves its own chapter.
The experiences too, all included: farm tours and stargazing, visits to the ancient San rock art, special dinners out in the bush, guided walks, our waterhole hide and sundowners in the reserve. More on these below, because they are a real part of the value.
The practical touches too, like your laundry, done and back to you, so you can pack light.

In other words, once you are with us, the safari is taken care of. You can say yes to everything without weighing up the cost of each thing.

A pool overlooking the bush at Laluka Safari Lodge, part of the all-inclusive safari stay in malaria-free Welgevonden

Dinner is rarely the same two nights running

Dinner is something we make a bit of a fuss of, and nearly all of it begins on our own organic farm just up the track, which is not something many safari lodges can say and is all part of the rate. We like to keep changing the setting, too. One evening it might be fine dining, plated course by course from the open kitchen and the farm. Another it is a boma dinner around the fire under the Waterberg stars, or a long table laid out on the farm itself for a lunch or a dinner where the food has travelled only a few steps to reach you.

Some nights lean into a little theatre: a show cooking dinner where the kitchen comes to your table and the cooking happens in front of you, or a proper South African spitbraai, slow-roasted over the coals with everyone gathered round. It is simply how we host, and which of these lands in your stay depends a little on the week, the weather and what the farm is giving us.

A plated farm-to-table course at Laluka Safari Lodge, part of the fine dining included in the all-inclusive safari rate

There is more to the day than the game drives

The two game drives a day are the heart of a Laluka safari, but they are far from the whole of it. You can take a farm tour with the people who run it and see exactly where your dinner comes from, spend an evening on astronomy under genuinely dark Waterberg skies, or head out to the ancient San rock art, the paintings the first people of this land left on the reserve long before the rest of us arrived.

There are gentler pleasures woven in too: a guided bush walk, a slow hour in our hide at the waterhole while the animals come to you, and a special sundowner set up somewhere with a view, a drink in hand as the sun slips behind the hills. We fit these around your stay as it suits, which is part of why no two visits ever feel quite the same.

Stargazing under the dark Waterberg night sky at Laluka Safari Lodge, one of the experiences included in the all-inclusive safari

The wines, the beers and a couple of gins of our own

We came to South Africa from Europe and, like many before us, fell for the wine as much as the landscapes and the people, so the list matters to us. It runs from crisp Chenin Blancs and Sauvignons to Pinotage, Syrah and Cabernet, with rosés, Cap Classique for the good evenings and a few older bottles for the cheese course, all chosen from the regions we keep going back to: Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Elgin and the Hemel-en-Aarde. Ask us at dinner and we will happily pour you something to match the plate in front of you.

It is not all about the wine, though. Our European roots show in a proper Belgian beer collection, Trappist ales and all, next to South African lagers and a local brewery that makes the Belgian styles surprisingly well. The gin shelf is where the lodge and the farm meet: two of the gins are ours alone, a Lavender and Geranium and a Bushman Fever Tea whose botanical grows out on the reserve, best poured long with tonic as the sun drops behind the Waterberg. There is a homemade limoncello too, an Italian Nonna’s recipe made with lemons off the farm, and it rarely lasts the evening.

Whisky drinkers are well looked after, the fridge keeps soft drinks, homemade milkshakes and fresh farm juice, and there is a good de-alcoholised range for anyone taking a quieter night. It is more than you could work through in a few evenings, which is part of the fun of trying.

A Laluka Safari Lodge ranger pouring a sundowner at golden hour in the Waterberg

What is usually not included

To keep things honest, a handful of items normally sit outside an all-inclusive rate, here and at most lodges:

Premium and imported drinks beyond the Laluka Selection. At Laluka that means the rare treats: French Champagne, our vintage wine cellar and a few collector wines and aged single malts. They are on the menu for the moments that call for them, and they are priced individually.
Gratuities for your guide and the lodge team, always appreciated but never expected.
Getting to the reserve: your road transfer or light-aircraft charter from Johannesburg. The drive is an easy three hours, which keeps this part refreshingly reasonable.
Anything personal, like curios, spa treatments or special requests.

If a particular item matters to you, just ask our team when you book and they will tell you exactly how it is handled.

Why all-inclusive is usually better value

It is tempting to compare headline bed rates, but that rarely reflects what you will actually spend. Once you add the drives, the meals and the drinks that a cheaper-looking rate leaves off, the gap often closes or reverses. What all-inclusive really gives you is a budget you can predict before you arrive and the freedom to enjoy the stay without keeping a running total in your head.

It is also why longer stays feel such good value here. Because everything is already included, each extra night simply gives you more drives, more meals and more time, at the same all-in rate. And there is a bigger picture too: it is thanks to guests choosing to stay in Welgevonden that the reserve's protection and conservation work, including the guarding of its white and black rhino, can continue. Your holiday quietly helps pay for that.

Guests and rangers raising a toast beside a Laluka Safari Lodge game drive vehicle, drinks included in the all-inclusive safari rate

What affects the price

A few things move the number up or down:

One set rate all year. We hold a single rate for the whole year, so the time of year you visit does not change the price and there is no high-season surcharge.
Your group, and whether you share. We have just one kind of suite, so the main thing that moves the figure is how many of you are travelling, and per-person rates usually ease when you share.
Specials and offers. We run a few through the year, for groups taking the whole lodge, longer stays and honeymooners, so it is always worth asking what applies to your dates.
Children and families. We are a small, family-friendly lodge, with family and children’s rates for those travelling with little ones.

The flat-topped hills and open savanna of malaria-free Welgevonden Game Reserve in the Waterberg, the setting for an all-inclusive Laluka safari

How to get an exact price

Because all of this is personal to your trip, the cleanest way to get a real figure is simply to ask. Send Giulia your dates and the number of guests, and you will get a clear, all-inclusive quote with nothing hidden behind it.

Whatever the time of year you visit, the promise is the same: one set rate all year, and a safari with no surprises.

Frequently asked questions

What does an all-inclusive safari include?

At Laluka Safari Lodge, the all-inclusive nightly rate covers your suite, two guided game drives a day, all meals (much of it from our own organic farm), and the Laluka Selection from our drinks and wine menus. It also includes a range of experiences at no extra charge, from farm tours, stargazing and visits to the ancient San rock art to boma dinners, spitbraais, show cooking evenings, guided bush walks, the waterhole hide and sundowners in the reserve.

What is not included in an all-inclusive safari?

Items that usually sit outside the rate include premium or imported drinks beyond the Laluka Selection (such as French Champagne and rare vintages), gratuities, and your travel to the reserve (road transfer or light-aircraft charter). Anything personal, such as curios or spa treatments, is also extra.

How much does an all-inclusive safari cost?

It is quoted as a single nightly rate, usually per person. We keep one set rate for the whole year, so there is no high-season premium, and because there is only one kind of suite the figure really comes down to how many of you are travelling and whether you are sharing. The most accurate way to get a price is to send us your dates for a tailored, all-inclusive quote.

Is an all-inclusive safari worth it?

For most travellers, yes. Once you add game drives, meals and drinks to a cheaper-looking bed rate elsewhere, the difference often disappears. All-inclusive also gives you a predictable budget and the freedom to enjoy everything without a separate charge for each activity.

Are drinks included on an all-inclusive safari?

Yes, and generously so at Laluka. The Laluka Selection covers South African wines and Cap Classique, local and Belgian beers including Trappist ales, gins (including two of Laluka's own), whiskies, spirits, liqueurs, soft drinks, milkshakes, fresh farm juice, and tea and coffee. Premium labels beyond the Laluka Selection, such as French Champagne and rare vintages, are charged separately.

Is wine included on an all-inclusive safari?

At Laluka, yes. The included wine selection spans South African whites, rosés, reds, blends, ports, dessert wines and Methode Cap Classique sparkling wine, chosen from regions such as Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Elgin and the Hemel-en-Aarde valley. Only French Champagne and the vintage cellar sit outside the rate.