A hippo yawning in water at sunset, Botswana. Photo: Pexels (free licence).
How much does a safari with Natural Selection cost?
By Richard Jasinski·Updated 2 November 2026
Every figure below is Natural Selection's own, as its website published it, in its own currency and never converted, with the page it was read from.
How much does a safari with Natural Selection cost?
Natural Selection publishes its own rates: Seasonal rates seen only for Lekkerwater, 2027, ZAR per person sharing per night: Green (12 Apr to 29 Jul) 8,245. Whale (30 Jul to 28 Sep) 12,295. Summer (11 Jan to 11 Apr, 29 Sep to 9 Jan 2028) 14,445; plus CCR fee ZAR 600 per person per night.
- Rates by season
- Seasonal rates seen only for Lekkerwater, 2027, ZAR per person sharing per night: Green (12 Apr to 29 Jul) 8,245. Whale (30 Jul to 28 Sep) 12,295. Summer (11 Jan to 11 Apr, 29 Sep to 9 Jan 2028) 14,445; plus CCR fee ZAR 600 per person per night. Expeditions US$ 875 to 1,275.
- What the rate includes
- Lekkerwater 2027 sheet includes accommodation on a sharing basis, all meals, house wines, beers, spirits and cool drinks, Wi-Fi, road transfers from the lodge's car park, daily activities and VAT. Excludes getting to the car park, park entrance fee (ZAR 50 pppn), premium drinks, gratuities, insurance; no laundry there. A 1.5% conservation contribution is inside published rates and a separate CCR fee per person per night is added (non-commissionable; applies from age 6).
- Minimum stay
- Lekkerwater: arrivals only Monday, Wednesday or Friday, minimum stay 2 nights (optimal up to 4). Meno a Kwena: the salt-pan sleepout needs 3 nights or more.
What does a stay with Natural Selection cost, line by line?
A stay with Natural Selection is built from its published rate, what that rate includes, getting to camp, park fees or conservation levies and any extras, each line below from its own website.
- Included in the rate
- Lekkerwater 2027 sheet includes accommodation on a sharing basis, all meals, house wines, beers, spirits and cool drinks, Wi-Fi, road transfers from the lodge's car park, daily activities and VAT. Excludes getting to the car park, park entrance fee (ZAR 50 pppn), premium drinks, gratuities, insurance; no laundry there.
- Getting there
- No own aircraft stated.
- Fees and levies
- 1.5% of every booking goes to the independent Natural Selection Conservation Trust, plus a per person per night Conservation, Community and Reserve Fee. Projects named include Elephant Express buses, communal herding (CLAWS), Etosha Heights rhino rangers, desert lion early warning, Wild Shots Outreach and Early Childhood Development.
- Extras
- Safari House is booked with 'a private guide, vehicle and a chef all to yourself'.
- Paying for it
- 20% deposit plus the full Conservation, Community and Reserve Fee (where applicable) to confirm a provisional booking.
What costs extra with Natural Selection?
The extras Natural Selection prices on its own website are below: single travellers, children, a private vehicle, exclusive use and flights or transfers where it publishes them.
- Single travellers
- Lekkerwater 2027 single supplement is half the sharing rate (ZAR 4,123 in Green season against 8,245 sharing). Communal dining is described as welcoming for solo travellers at Camp Kalahari, San Camp, Meno a Kwena, Expeditions and Duke's.
- Children
- Age 6 and over only at Lekkerwater, Mokolwane Plains, Expeditions, North Island and Duke's. Lekkerwater child rate: ages 6 to 18 sharing pay 50%; the CCR fee applies from age 6.
- Private guide and vehicle
- Safari House is booked with 'a private guide, vehicle and a chef all to yourself'. Jack's Private Camp has a private guide and vehicle with no set schedule.
- Exclusive use
- Jack's Private Camp is a stand-alone 2-bedroom villa. Duke's East offers 'the added option of becoming an exclusive-use camp' and Expeditions Camp is described as perfect for exclusive-use bookings.
- Flights and transfers
- No own aircraft stated. Fly-in access to many camps is mentioned.
- Honeymoon offers
- Honeymoon offer: 'one spouse stays for 50% off in participating camps' (shown at Camp Kalahari and San Camp). Honeymoon packages are listed.
What are Natural Selection's deposit and cancellation terms?
Natural Selection's published terms: 20% deposit plus the full Conservation, Community and Reserve Fee (where applicable) to confirm a provisional booking.
- Deposit
- 20% deposit plus the full Conservation, Community and Reserve Fee (where applicable) to confirm a provisional booking.
- Balance due
- Balance due 60 days before travel. If confirmation takes place inside 60 days, the full amount is due on confirmation.
- Cancellation charges
- The CCR fee is forfeited; then 20% (deposit forfeited) from confirmation to 59 days before travel; 50% if cancelled 58 to 30 days before; 100% at 29 days or fewer and for no-shows. For groups of 10 or more, fees are charged on released beds. Changes must be notified in writing.
- Currencies and card fees
- Payments must be made in the currency invoiced and free of bank charges (payer's account). Rates are shown in US$, NAD and ZAR.
- How guest payments are protected
- Not stated on its own website.
Is it cheaper to book Natural Selection direct or through a planner?
Natural Selection's own website does not say whether booking direct is cheaper than booking through a planner; ask both for the same dates and compare.
- Where it sells
- Sells direct through its reservations office (phone and email, with online availability on camp pages) and through travel professionals: camp pages tell guests to 'contact your Africa Safari travel specialist or [email protected]'. Rates are published as 'Rack' rates.
- How it is paid
- Camp pages refer guests to 'your Africa Safari travel specialist'.
- Price against a planner
- Not stated on its own website: it says nothing about whether booking direct is cheaper.
- Planner partnerships
- Camp pages direct guests to 'your Africa Safari travel specialist' as well as reservations. Rack rates are published.
Is Natural Selection worth the price? What guests say
Natural Selection has 5 out of 5 on Google (listing 'Natural Selection Office') from 4 reviews, each read on its own platform and never added together.
- 5 out of 5 from 4 reviews. On the Google listing 'Natural Selection Office' (lodging), 2CCG+62M, Mophane St, Maun, Botswana. Camps with listings of their own are not added in.
- SafariBookings
- No SafariBookings listing in Natural Selection's name was found.
- Trustpilot
- No Trustpilot listing in Natural Selection's name was found.
- Awards it lists
- Robb Report 50 Best Hotels in the World 2026 and AFAR Best New Hotels 2025 (Tawana). These are the company's own statements; an award counts here once read on the publisher's own list.
Natural Selection: the questions people ask
How many camps does Natural Selection have?
No owned versus managed split is given.
When are Natural Selection's camps open?
No mobile camps of its own. Expeditions Camp is a 'semi-permanent' Meru-tent camp open April to January.
Does Natural Selection have honeymoon offers?
Honeymoon offer: 'one spouse stays for 50% off in participating camps' (shown at Camp Kalahari and San Camp). Honeymoon packages are listed.
How does Natural Selection fund conservation?
1.5% of every booking goes to the independent Natural Selection Conservation Trust, plus a per person per night Conservation, Community and Reserve Fee. Hoanib Valley pays 8% of turnover as rental to the Sesfontein community.
What is included in Natural Selection's rates?
Lekkerwater 2027 sheet includes accommodation on a sharing basis, all meals, house wines, beers, spirits and cool drinks, Wi-Fi, road transfers from the lodge's car park, daily activities and VAT. Excludes getting to the car park, park entrance fee (ZAR 50 pppn), premium drinks, gratuities, insurance; no laundry there.
What deposit does Natural Selection ask for?
20% deposit plus the full Conservation, Community and Reserve Fee (where applicable) to confirm a provisional booking.
What are Natural Selection's cancellation charges?
The CCR fee is forfeited; then 20% (deposit forfeited) from confirmation to 59 days before travel; 50% if cancelled 58 to 30 days before; 100% at 29 days or fewer and for no-shows. For groups of 10 or more, fees are charged on released beds.
Does Natural Selection charge a single supplement?
Lekkerwater 2027 single supplement is half the sharing rate (ZAR 4,123 in Green season against 8,245 sharing). Communal dining is described as welcoming for solo travellers at Camp Kalahari, San Camp, Meno a Kwena, Expeditions and Duke's.
Does Natural Selection accept children?
All ages welcome at Camp Kalahari, Kwessi Dunes, Etosha Mountain Lodge, Safarihoek, Safari House, Hoanib Valley, Hoanib Elephant, Meno a Kwena, San Camp, Shipwreck and GweGwe (babysitters extra). Age 6 and over only at Lekkerwater, Mokolwane Plains, Expeditions, North Island and Duke's.
Does Natural Selection offer a private vehicle?
Safari House is booked with 'a private guide, vehicle and a chef all to yourself'. Jack's Private Camp has a private guide and vehicle with no set schedule.
Is there a minimum stay with Natural Selection?
Lekkerwater: arrivals only Monday, Wednesday or Friday, minimum stay 2 nights (optimal up to 4).
What are Natural Selection's reviews?
Natural Selection has 5 out of 5 on Google (listing 'Natural Selection Office') from 4 reviews, each read on its own platform and never added together.
Read next
Built to answer the question in the main heading. What is shown: facts Natural Selection published on its own website and its review listings on Google, SafariBookings and Trustpilot, read on 19 and 20 October 2026, from the Uncompromised Travel safari camp owners table. No score and no rank. Natural Selection did not pay to be on this page and is not a partner of Uncompromised Travel. Photos are stock images from Pexels and do not show the company's camps. How this site earns · How we work.