Mid-range safaris

Mid-range is where most of this catalogue sits, and for good reason. You get permanent tented camps and established safari lodges with proper beds, en-suite bathrooms, hot water, a pool more often than not, and dining rooms that look out over the bush — without the premium that the top of the market commands.

The properties behind these packages are the long-running names of East African safari: Sopa and Serena lodges, Sarova, Kibo Safari Camp, Kubu Kubu. They are dependable rather than fashionable, they sit in good positions, and they have been running long enough that the service is consistent.

Mid-range also buys flexibility. Because these lodges hold more rooms than the small premium camps, availability is better at short notice and in peak season, which matters if your dates are fixed around school holidays or the migration months.

Seven of the ten Top 10 Research Picks in the Citrus catalogue are mid-range routes. That is not a coincidence — it reflects where the balance of experience and cost actually lands for most travellers.