What Offmap Safaris does
Offmap Safaris plans private and tailor-made safaris in East Africa for travellers who want to experience Africa, not simply see it. We work across Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania, and we shape safaris that combine two or more of them into a single route. Our company is Offmap Adventures Limited, and our idea is straightforward: the best safari is not a standard package. It is a safari built around the places, wildlife, people and moments that matter to the person taking it.
That might mean an early morning with mountain gorillas in the Bwindi forest, a game drive across the Maasai Mara at dawn, a slow walk beside a wetland with a local guide, or a few quiet days beside a lake before you fly home. It rarely means all of those at once. Good planning is largely a matter of choosing well.
Why private and tailor-made
A fixed departure asks you to fit around a timetable someone else wrote. A private safari does the opposite. You travel with your own vehicle and guide, at a pace that suits you, and you choose how long to stay with a sighting, when to stop for a photograph and when to simply rest. Small changes of plan become easy rather than awkward.
Tailor-made also means we begin with you, not with a brochure. A honeymoon, a family with teenagers, two friends who want to trek, a solo traveller who has always wanted to see gorillas and a birdwatcher with a long list of species all need different safaris, even in the same country. We would rather understand what you are hoping for and design around it than send you a template with your name on it.
Where we work
Uganda is home to mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga, chimpanzees in Kibale, big game in Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls, and adventure on the Nile at Jinja. It is compact, varied and rewarding for first-time visitors and returning ones alike.
Rwanda is small, well organised and beautiful, with gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, chimpanzees and canopy walks in Nyungwe, savannah wildlife in Akagera and a capital, Kigali, that is easy to enjoy. Its size makes short safaris realistic.
Kenya offers the classic savannah safari, with the Maasai Mara and its Great Migration, elephants beneath Kilimanjaro in Amboseli, and the drier landscapes of Samburu and Tsavo, plus a coast for the end of a safari.
Tanzania brings the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire’s elephants and baobabs, remote parks such as Ruaha and Nyerere, Mount Kilimanjaro and the islands of Zanzibar.
Each country does certain things better than the others, and many of the best safaris cross a border. We help you decide what to combine, and what to leave out.
How planning works
- Tell us what matters. Share your dates or season, who is travelling, what you would love to see and do, and how you like to travel. You can use our planning form, or message us on WhatsApp or by email.
- We shape the route. We turn those ideas into a practical itinerary with sensible distances, the right number of nights in each place, and time for the experiences that matter most to you.
- We refine it together. Your itinerary is a starting point. We adjust the pace, the accommodation, the experiences and the order until it feels right, and we explain the reasoning behind each choice so that you can make the final decisions yourself.
What shapes our advice
Several practical things decide which safari suits you, and we take them seriously. Season matters, because some experiences are far better at certain times of year. Permits matter, because gorilla trekking and chimpanzee habituation are limited daily and often need booking many months ahead. Fitness and mobility matter, because some treks are gentle and others are demanding. So do the size and ages of your party, how many days you have, and how much time you are willing to spend in a vehicle.
We aim to be honest about all of this. If a route is too rushed, a season is a poor match for what you want to see, or an activity is unsuitable, we would rather say so plainly than sell you something that will disappoint.
Travelling responsibly
Much of what makes East Africa special is fragile, and travel here works best when it helps protect what it depends on. Permit and park fees pay for rangers, trackers, veterinary teams and conservation work, and a share of park revenue goes to the communities living beside protected areas. Choosing community-led guides, walks and cultural visits keeps income close to the people who live there. We favour small groups, respectful wildlife viewing, and experiences that are open about where your money goes.
Simple habits help too: follow your guide’s instructions around animals, keep to trails, take your litter with you, ask before photographing people, and stay away from wildlife if you are unwell. Our Responsible Travel page explains more.
What a good safari feels like
We think a good safari should feel unhurried. That means staying long enough in each place to settle in, giving the experiences that matter most to you room to breathe, and mixing the days so that no two feel the same: an active morning followed by a slow afternoon, a forest walk followed by a boat cruise, a long drive broken up by a market or a viewpoint. It also means details handled quietly in the background, from transfers and permits to meals and lodge choices, so that your attention stays on where you are.
Start the conversation
You do not need a finished plan to get in touch. A rough idea, a date range or a single place you have always wanted to see is enough to begin. Tell us what you would like to experience, and we will help you shape the safari.