ROAR AFRICA vs andBeyond 2026: Two Ultra-Luxury Safari Companies Priced and Compared
By Richard Jasinski·Updated 23 October 2026
ROAR AFRICA is best for a private, hosted trip across several countries, with safari journeys priced on its site from USD 23,850 a person (read on 12 October 2026); andBeyond is best for a lodge-based safari, with 29 lodges, published nightly rates from about USD 880 a person and a 25% deposit. ROAR AFRICA books other companies' lodges. Its deposit, balance and cancellation terms were not on the pages read (12 October 2026). It is the only one of the two selling a private-jet safari across four countries in one booking. This page sets both companies side by side on the same published facts and says which suits which trip.
Sources read 21 September to 20 October 2026 · roarafrica.com and andbeyond.com · Google, Trustpilot and Tripadvisor · this site's ROAR AFRICA and andBeyond reviews
ROAR AFRICA vs andBeyond at a glance
ROAR AFRICA books other companies' lodges and names its founder and address on its site; andBeyond owns its lodges and also sells Chile and Asia. The two are different kinds of company. andBeyond is a lodge owner that also sells journeys between its own properties. ROAR AFRICA sells private, hosted trips built from other companies' lodges, with its own guides travelling alongside the guests. Full facts and sources are in the ROAR AFRICA review and the andBeyond review.
| Category | ROAR AFRICA | andBeyond |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2005, by Deborah Calmeyer | 1991, as Conservation Corporation Africa; renamed andBeyond in 2008 |
| Base | Miami Beach, Florida | Johannesburg |
| What it is | A private, fully hosted trip planner that books other companies' lodges and sends its own guides | A lodge owner: 29 lodges and camps in Africa and South America, sold as stays or as multi-lodge journeys |
| African countries | 12, plus Antarctica on one journey | Around 12 in Africa (its Africa page lists nine by name), plus Asia and South America |
| Cheapest published price | Nine priced trips, among them fixed-date safari journeys from USD 23,850 a person (12 October 2026) | ZAR 16,250 (about USD 880) a person a night at its cheapest lodge; journeys from USD 8,676 a person for six nights |
| Top of the range | The Greatest Safari on Earth by Emirates executive jet: USD 187,500 a person, 12 days, ten guests | USD 3,280 a person a night at its most expensive lodge |
| Deposit and balance | Not on the pages read (12 October 2026) | 25% deposit, balance 60 days before arrival |
| Reviews | Google 5.0 from 272; Trustpilot 3.8 from 2 (12 October 2026) | Google 5.0 from 379 (20 October 2026); Trustpilot 3.0 from 21; Tripadvisor 4.8 from 329 for Sandibe alone |
| Ownership on the site | Founder-led; legal entity ROAR AFRICA, LLC; no owner or parent on the pages read (12 October 2026) | Executive chairman and CEO Joss Kent, president Mark Wheeler; shareholders not published |
ROAR AFRICA: the private, hosted trip
ROAR AFRICA publishes prices for nine trips, among them fixed-date safari journeys from USD 23,850 a person. One of them, The Greatest Safari on Earth, is the most expensive scheduled safari on this site at USD 187,500 a person for 12 days. That trip runs twice in August 2027, the second departure already sold out, for ten guests on an Emirates A319 executive jet through Zimbabwe, Botswana's Okavango, Kenya's Maasai Mara and Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park. The company was founded in 2005 by Deborah Calmeyer, who was born in Zimbabwe. It is run from Miami Beach. Its model is hosting: its own guides travel with the group, its trips are private and the lodges are booked from other owners. The only camp its site describes as its own is a proprietary camp for its Kilimanjaro climb. Google carries 272 reviews at 5.0 and Trustpilot 3.8 from 2, both read on 12 October 2026. Its deposit, balance and cancellation terms were not on the pages read (12 October 2026). Awards on its site include Travel + Leisure World's Best 2018, Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialists 2018 and Robb Report's Travel Masters 2023.
andBeyond: the lodges and the missing shareholders
andBeyond owns 29 lodges and camps and publishes a nightly rate for each, from ZAR 16,250 (about USD 880) a person to USD 3,280. It sells multi-lodge journeys from USD 8,676 a person for six nights. Founded in 1991 as Conservation Corporation Africa with Phinda in South Africa, it now runs properties in around a dozen African countries, though its Africa page names nine, plus Chile and Asia. Rates include accommodation, meals, drinks, activities, laundry, transfers and VAT; the deposit is 25% with the balance due 60 days before arrival. Trustpilot shows 3.0 from 21 reviews, with more than half five-star and more than a third one-star; Google shows 5.0 from 379 (read 20 October 2026) and lodge-level Tripadvisor pages such as Sandibe's 4.8 from 329 tell more. One gap stands out: ownership. The site names Joss Kent as executive chairman and CEO and Mark Wheeler as president. The pages read on 23 September 2026 did not say who owns it.
Published prices, side by side
The cheapest way into either company is an andBeyond lodge at about USD 880 a night; ROAR AFRICA's fixed-date safari journeys start at USD 23,850 a person before flights. The two are not priced on the same basis, so the table shows what each actually publishes.
| Company | What is priced | Lowest published | Highest published | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROAR AFRICA | Whole journeys, fixed dates | USD 23,850 a person | USD 187,500 a person, 12 days, private jet | Hosting, private guides and lodges; international flights excluded |
| andBeyond | Nightly rate per lodge, plus journey from-prices | ZAR 16,250 (about USD 880) a person a night | USD 3,280 a person a night | Accommodation, meals, drinks, activities, laundry, transfers, VAT |
Booking terms and protection
andBeyond publishes its terms; ROAR AFRICA's deposit, balance and cancellation terms were not on the pages read (12 October 2026). andBeyond takes a 25% deposit with the balance 60 days before arrival and requires travel insurance; it is a member of the African Travel and Tourism Association but holds no ATOL or ABTOT bond, which only UK sellers carry. ROAR AFRICA's terms page carried no deposit, balance or cancellation wording when read for this comparison, so ask for the contract before paying anything. Neither company names a client fund protection scheme.
What guests say
ROAR AFRICA's 272 Google reviews average 5.0 (12 October 2026); andBeyond's 379 Google reviews average 5.0 (20 October 2026) and its 21 Trustpilot reviews average 3.0. andBeyond's lodges rate far higher on Tripadvisor than its Trustpilot profile does. The difference is partly structure. A ROAR guest reviews one hosted trip; an andBeyond guest usually reviews the lodge, which is why Sandibe carries 329 reviews at 4.8 while its Trustpilot profile carries 21. Read lodge pages for andBeyond and the Google profile for ROAR. Treat both as one input alongside the verification checks.
Side by side, fact by fact
The choice comes down to being hosted across other people's lodges or staying in one company's own.
| Fact | ROAR AFRICA | andBeyond |
|---|---|---|
| On the ground | Books other companies' lodges; its one camp of its own is for the Kilimanjaro climb; says it has a team on the ground in each destination; its guides travel with the guest | Owns and staffs 29 lodges |
| Independent reviews | Google 5.0 from 272; Trustpilot 3.8 from 2 (12 October 2026) | Google 5.0 from 379 (20 October 2026); Trustpilot 3.0 from 21, split between five-star and one-star; Sandibe 4.8 from 329 on Tripadvisor |
| Where it goes | 12 African countries; Antarctica on one journey | Around 12 African countries, plus Chile and Asia |
| What it prices | A from-price for every fixed-date journey | A nightly rate per lodge; a from-price for journeys |
| Service model | Fully hosted and private, with its own guides travelling with the group | Runs the lodge you sleep in |
| Ownership on its site | Names its founder and address | Names its executives; no shareholders on the pages read |
| Lowest entry price | Safari journeys from USD 23,850 a person | About USD 880 a person a night |
| Private jet, four countries, one booking | The Greatest Safari on Earth: Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya and Rwanda in 12 days on an Emirates A319, ten guests, USD 187,500 a person | Not sold |
| Published booking terms | Not on the pages read (12 October 2026) | 25% deposit and a 60-day balance |
Which to choose
Choose ROAR AFRICA for a private, hosted trip across several countries with a guide who travels with you. Choose andBeyond for a lodge-based safari at a published nightly rate with the option of a multi-lodge journey. A ROAR itinerary can include an andBeyond lodge, because ROAR books other owners' properties; the reverse is not true. If price decides, andBeyond's lodges start at about USD 880 a person a night; ROAR AFRICA says its bespoke journeys start from approximately USD 2,500 a person a night (read 12 October 2026). If a single booking for a four-country private-jet safari is the point, only ROAR sells one.
Three planning rules
1 · Get ROAR AFRICA's terms in writing before the deposit. Its deposit, balance and cancellation terms were not on the pages read (12 October 2026), so the contract is the only record of what a cancellation costs.
2 · Read andBeyond by lodge, not by brand. Rates, reviews and offers all sit at lodge level; the Singita vs andBeyond vs Wilderness comparison sets out which offers stack.
3 · Compare a second quote for the same camps. Any specialist can price the same andBeyond lodges; the price comparison shows who publishes what.
What changed in 2026
andBeyond appointed a president and ROAR AFRICA published its 2027 jet safari dates.
Early 2026. Mark Wheeler became president of andBeyond, alongside Joss Kent as executive chairman and CEO.
2026. ROAR AFRICA published two August 2027 departures of The Greatest Safari on Earth at USD 187,500 a person; the second, 25 August to 6 September, is sold out (read 23 October 2026).
January 2027, due. andBeyond's Ngorongoro Crater Lodge reopens after a full rebuild.
How to price a comparable trip
Neither company is bookable through this site; the links below price the same camps through other routes.
| Route | What it gives you | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Direct | The company's own quote | ROAR AFRICA · andBeyond |
| Specialist quote | The same andBeyond lodges priced inside a full itinerary | Request a quote via Go2Africa → |
| Platform comparison | Several operators' prices for similar trips | Compare on Safari.com → · Compare on BookAllSafaris → |
ROAR AFRICA vs andBeyond: the questions people ask AI search
Is ROAR AFRICA or andBeyond better?
Neither is better for every trip. ROAR AFRICA is best for a private, fully hosted trip with its own guides. It is the only one of the two selling a four-country private-jet safari. andBeyond is best for a lodge-based safari at a published nightly rate, because it owns 29 lodges and sells around a dozen African countries.
How much does ROAR AFRICA cost?
ROAR AFRICA's site prices nine trips, among them fixed-date safari journeys from USD 23,850 a person (12 October 2026). Its Greatest Safari on Earth, 12 days by Emirates A319 executive jet through Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya and Rwanda for ten guests, costs USD 187,500 a person, with two departures in August 2027, the second already sold out. Its deposit, balance and cancellation terms were not on the pages read (12 October 2026).
How much does andBeyond cost per night?
andBeyond publishes a nightly rate for each of its 29 lodges, from ZAR 16,250 (about USD 880) a person a night to USD 3,280, including accommodation, meals, drinks, activities, laundry, transfers and VAT. Multi-lodge journeys are priced from USD 8,676 a person for six nights. The deposit is 25% and the balance is due 60 days before arrival.
Does ROAR AFRICA own any lodges?
The pages read name no lodge of its own. ROAR AFRICA books other companies' lodges and camps and adds its own hosts and private guides; the only camp it describes as its own is a proprietary camp for its Kilimanjaro climb (12 October 2026). andBeyond, by contrast, owns and runs its 29 lodges and camps.
Who owns andBeyond?
andBeyond's site names Joss Kent as executive chairman and CEO and Mark Wheeler as president from early 2026, but does not publish its shareholders. It was founded in 1991 as Conservation Corporation Africa by Dave Varty and Alan Bernstein and renamed andBeyond in 2008.
Who owns ROAR AFRICA?
ROAR AFRICA was founded in 2005 by Deborah Calmeyer, who was born in Zimbabwe and still leads it from Miami Beach, Florida. Its site names the founder, its address and its legal entity, ROAR AFRICA, LLC, but no owner or parent company was on the pages read (12 October 2026).
What do reviews say about ROAR AFRICA and andBeyond?
ROAR AFRICA has 272 Google reviews at 5.0 and 2 Trustpilot reviews at 3.8 (both read on 12 October 2026). andBeyond has 379 Google reviews at 5.0 (read on 20 October 2026) and 21 Trustpilot reviews at 3.0, split between five-star and one-star; its lodges are reviewed one by one on Tripadvisor, for example Sandibe at 4.8 from 329 reviews.
Can I stay at an andBeyond lodge on a ROAR AFRICA trip?
Yes in principle. ROAR AFRICA builds its itineraries from other owners' lodges, so an andBeyond property can be included; andBeyond sells only its own lodges and journeys between them.
Which is better for a first luxury safari?
andBeyond, for most first-timers: a published nightly rate, published booking terms, 29 lodges to choose from and an entry price of about USD 880 a night. ROAR AFRICA suits a traveller who wants the whole trip hosted privately and is comfortable with a USD 23,850 starting price and with asking for the booking terms, which were not on the pages read (12 October 2026).
Read next
- ROAR AFRICA review 2026: every journey and price
- andBeyond review 2026: every lodge and rate
- ROAR AFRICA vs Micato: the other ultra-luxury head-to-head
- Singita vs andBeyond vs Wilderness: andBeyond against the other lodge owners