In short
- Great Plains is the all inclusive one. Flights, park fees and conservation levies inside the nightly rate, and the best guiding of the four.
- Singita is the top of the market, with private land under almost every lodge and 100 year conservation leases. Also the dearest, by a distance.
- andBeyond has the breadth. Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and far beyond, at more price points than anyone, with reliable standards throughout.
- A&K and Sanctuary are the service answer, and the easiest first safari. Strong properties in the right places, and the best offers of the four.
- Our shorthand: Great Plains for the wildlife, Singita for the land, andBeyond for the range, A&K for the service and the value.
Most luxury East Africa itineraries are built from the camps of 4 groups. Guests rarely ask about them by name, and then spend the whole trip inside their decisions. This is how they actually differ.
At a glance
| What it is best at | Flights and fees | Guide price, from | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Plains | Guiding, photography, conservation land | Flights, park and conservancy fees inside the rate | About USD 2,200 per person per night |
| Singita | Private land, the top of the market | Park and concession fees inside the rate | About USD 2,700 per person per night |
| andBeyond | Breadth, consistency, families | Usually excluded, varies by camp | About USD 800 per person per night |
| A&K and Sanctuary | Service, first safaris, offers | Usually excluded, and clearly stated | About USD 950 per person per night |
Great Plains
Founded by Dereck and Beverly Joubert, who are National Geographic filmmakers before they are hoteliers, and it shows in what the camps are built around. Mara Plains, Mara Nyika and ol Donyo in Kenya, and a long list in Botswana.
Two things set them apart. The guiding, which is trained in house across 2 countries and is the best we work with, and the all inclusive rate. On a Mara Plains stay of 2 nights or more, the return light aircraft flights from Nairobi Wilson, the park and conservancy fees and the Foundation contribution are all inside the nightly figure. That makes a rate that looks high come out close to one that looks lower.
The vehicles are built for photography, carry fewer guests, and the camps are small. Mara Plains has 7 suites. If the wildlife is the reason for the trip, this is the group we steer towards. See Mahali Mzuri against Mara Plains.
Singita
The top of the market in Africa and unapologetic about it. In our region that means Sasakwa, Faru Faru and Sabora on the 350,000 acre Grumeti Reserve in Tanzania, and Kwitonda at the gate of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
What you are buying is land. Singita takes long conservation leases, some of them 100 years, removes the hunting, funds anti poaching and scout training, and then puts 3 or 4 small camps on an area the size of a city. Grumeti went from a shot out hunting block in 2006 to buffalo herds of a thousand today.
Because the land is private, off road driving, night drives and walking are all allowed where the national park forbids them. The rate is roughly double what a very good park lodge costs, and we will say plainly when it is not worth it. We have written at length on whether Sasakwa is worth it.
andBeyond
The broadest of the four, with camps across Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Botswana, South Africa and India. In our region that includes Kichwa Tembo and Bateleur in the Mara Triangle, Suyian in Laikipia, Serengeti Under Canvas, Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge and Ngorongoro Crater Lodge.
Their strength is range and reliability. You can build a whole 2 week journey inside andBeyond at a consistent standard, from a USD 800 tented camp to Crater Lodge at the top, and the training and the guest handling are the same throughout. Their mobile camps under canvas are the best way to follow the herds without paying for a permanent lodge.
What they do not generally do is include the park fees, so a quote that looks competitive needs reading to the end. We show the fees on their own line so you can compare like with like.
A&K and Sanctuary
Abercrombie & Kent has been running Kenya since 1962 and the operation shows it. Sanctuary Retreats, their camp collection, holds Olonana on the Mara river and Kitirua Plains in Amboseli, among others.
Where A&K is strongest is service and logistics. Meet and assist that actually works, transfers that arrive, guides who have been with the company for 20 years and camps that handle a nervous first timer beautifully. For a guest who wants everything handled rather than everything wild, this is the answer.
They also publish the best offers of the four, and we watch them closely. A Sanctuary stay with a long stay or early booking offer applied is frequently the strongest value in a luxury itinerary, and it is one of the few places where you can lift a journey a whole tier without lifting the price.
Where each one actually wins
Choose on the wildlife
- Great Plains for guiding and photography.
- Singita for private land, night drives and walking.
- andBeyond for following the herds under canvas.
- A&K for a first safari where certainty matters more than exclusivity.
Choose on the money
- andBeyond for the widest spread of price points.
- A&K for the best offers, which can be worth a tier.
- Great Plains when you add up the flights and fees rather than the nightly rate.
- Singita when the budget is open and you want the best there is.
What we actually book
Most of our journeys mix them, because no single group holds the best camp in every region. A typical 12 day Kenya and Tanzania itinerary might use a Sanctuary lodge in Amboseli, Great Plains in the Mara and andBeyond in the Serengeti, with Singita only where the guest is asking for the very top.
We are not tied to any of them, which is the point. We hold contracted rates with all 4 and we will tell you when the cheaper one is better for you, because a guest who comes home right is worth more than one booking.
Our verdict
For the wildlife, Great Plains. The guiding is the best of the four and the all inclusive rate means the quote you read is the money you spend.
For the top of the market, Singita. You are buying private land and the rules that come with it, not a better room, and that is worth it on a second safari and rarely on a first.
For range and reliability, andBeyond. You can build a whole journey inside it without a weak night.
For service, offers and an easy first safari, A&K and Sanctuary. On the right offer it is the best value in the luxury market, and we check theirs before anybody else’s.
Written by Abner Ongeri, founder of Ongeri Expeditions in Karen, Nairobi. We stay in every camp we sell and we sell all of these, which is exactly why we will tell you when one is not worth the money. Last checked 2 October 2026.
