Six things that set a Micato quote
You’re weighing one of the most expensive safari fares on the market. These six facts, all from Micato’s own pages, explain most of the number.
The first Micato safari to price
Two countries and four parks in 12 days. It’s the clearest view of what the Micato premium buys.
You want the trip that shows what Micato does, on the route most first-timers want. That’s The Heart of Kenya & Tanzania, 12 days door to door.
In 2027 the land rate runs $24,550 per person sharing in November and January to May, $26,950 from June to October and $27,550 in December. Add $3,000 to $3,250 for the internal flights Micato requires you to buy through it.
- Nairobi2 nightsKempinski Villa Rosa; the Sheldrick elephant orphanage, the Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen’s house and Micato’s AmericaShare center.
- Tarangire1 nightFly Nairobi to Arusha, then on to Tarangire National Park; Tarangire Sopa Lodge.
- Ngorongoro2 nightsO’ldeani Mountain Lodge in the Crater Highlands, with a full day of game drives in the crater.
- Serengeti2 nightsOlduvai Gorge on the way in; game drives and sundowners from Serengeti Explorer.
- Maasai Mara2 nightsFly via Kilimanjaro and Nairobi to Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp; a balloon flight is an optional extra.
- NairobiDay roomA rest day at the Four Points Nairobi Airport before late-evening flights home.
Nights and lodges from Micato’s Heart of Kenya & Tanzania page (October 2026), with weekly departures listed for 2026, 2027 and 2028 and none from mid-March to mid-May.
Four ways to travel with Micato
Most Micato travelers book a Classic Safari. The other three formats exist for groups, specialists and India.
Classic Safaris, small group
Scheduled small-group itineraries in East and Southern Africa, with a Micato Safari Director throughout and departures guaranteed even with one guest.
- From about $20,700 (Tanzania Spectacular, 10 days) to $45,100 (African Splendour, 17 days) on Micato’s departures page
- Three new itineraries: East Africa’s Golden Savannahs, The Great Herds of Kenya & Tanzania and Jewels of South Africa
- The format to price first
Any Classic Safari, made private
Micato will run any Classic itinerary for your group alone, with your own vehicles, Driver-Guides and Safari Director.
- The obvious fit for families and multi-generation groups
- Same itinerary, your dates
- No published private surcharge; ask us for a quote
Private Custom Safaris
Micato designs a safari from scratch for your group. Custom safaris carry different terms from the Classic collection, so get them in writing.
- Useful for gorilla trekking or a beach finish
- Gorilla permits and flights within Africa are priced as separate lines
- Ask for the custom cancellation schedule up front
Micato in India
Micato also runs small-group journeys in India, with extensions to Bhutan, Varanasi and the Maldives.
- Royal Palaces of India and The Soul of India: 16 days, from about $29,500
- Splendours of Northern India: 13 days, from about $25,700
- The Kingdom of Bhutan add-on: 8 days, from about $13,400
What the fare covers, next to three rivals
Every luxury safari says it’s all-inclusive. The rows below are where the bills actually differ.
| Item | Micato: Heart of Kenya & Tanzania | Tauck: Great Migration | A&K: Kenya & Tanzania Safari Adventure | &Beyond Kichwa Tembo (lodge rate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tips | All, by policy | Local guides, porters, servers; Director extra | Ask | Not in listed inclusions |
| Park and reserve fees | All included | Ask | Ask | Not in listed inclusions |
| Flights within Africa | $3,000–$3,250, bought through Micato | On-tour air included | Ask | Airstrip transfers only |
| Meals and drinks | All meals; wine and beer with meals | Ask per trip | Ask per trip | Three meals, house drinks |
| Vehicle | 6 guests in a 9-seat vehicle, roof hatch | 6-passenger open-top, window seats | Not published | 6- and 8-seat semi-open |
| Laundry | Daily valet | Ask | Ask | Included |
| Group | Average 12 | Average 15, maximum 18 | Limit 18 | Camp guests, not a group |
| Who runs the lodges | Third parties | Third parties, ends at &Beyond | Many are A&K Sanctuary | &Beyond itself |
“Ask” means the operator’s page doesn’t say. Tauck’s tipping row is from its general FAQ for land journeys. &Beyond is a lodge company; its column is one camp’s nightly rate, shown because Tauck’s trip ends there.
What Micato costs per day, and why it looks high
Micato’s fare is the bill, not the deposit on a bill. Compare it per day, with the tips and fees the cheaper fares leave out.
| Trip | Days | From | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart of Kenya & Tanzania, low season 2027, with internal flights | 12 | $27,550 | ~$2,296 |
| Heart of Kenya & Tanzania, June–October 2027, with internal flights | 12 | $30,200 | ~$2,517 |
| Tanzania Spectacular (departures page, year not stated) | 10 | $20,700 | ~$2,070 |
| Botswana’s Timeless Wilderness (same) | 12 | $29,800 | ~$2,483 |
| The Micato Grand Safari (same) | 15 | $40,150 | ~$2,677 |
| African Splendour, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania (same) | 17 | $45,100 | ~$2,653 |
From-prices per person sharing, from each operator’s own trip page in October 2026. Tauck and A&K don’t publish the same inclusions, so their gap to Micato narrows once tips and fees are added.
All-in math
What a Micato safari costs you
Our starting estimate is the 2027 low-season Heart of Kenya & Tanzania with its required flights. Tips stay at zero, because Micato includes them. Change any box.
Rates from Micato’s Heart of Kenya & Tanzania page: $24,550 land (November, January to May 2027) plus $3,000 internal flights; single supplement $2,250 in that season. International flights and insurance aren’t included.
Going on safari alone with Micato
Micato is expensive for everyone, but it isn’t punishing for solos.
Traveling solo? Micato charges a single supplement, and it’s published. On the 2027 Heart of Kenya & Tanzania it’s $2,250 in low season, $2,550 from June to October and $2,650 in December.
That’s under 10% of the land rate, which is mild for a luxury safari. Micato doesn’t publish a roommate-matching program, so plan on a room of your own.
The upside for solos is the guarantee. A Classic Safari runs even if you’re the only guest booked, so a quiet departure won’t cancel on you.
Before you book alone
Compare the supplement against Tauck’s solo offers and G Adventures’ no-supplement Classic trips, and read our solo traveler guide.
The 30% deposit and the 120-day line
The deposit and fee schedule are the least luxurious thing about Micato. Read them before you fall for a lodge.
Micato takes 30% at booking, far more than the flat deposits most tour companies ask. On the low-season Heart of Kenya & Tanzania that’s roughly $7,365 per person on the land rate.
The balance is due 120 days before departure. Cancel before that and you lose 20% of the tour rate; between 119 and 60 days, half; inside 59 days, all of it.
Micato “strongly” recommends trip cancellation insurance and doesn’t sell it inside the fare. It doesn’t publish a purchase window, so buy cover the week you pay the deposit; our booking-window guide explains why.
Two smaller rules: rates on Micato’s website are valid through December 15, 2026, and custom safaris carry their own terms.
Cancellation timeline
Slide to the day you might cancel
Micato’s Classic Safari fees next to Tauck’s on its Great Migration trip, before any insurance. Bars show the fee as a share of the fare.
Micato fees are on the total tour rate; Tauck’s are flat amounts, and Tauck lets you cancel free within 10 days of the deposit. Micato strongly recommends cancellation insurance.
Before you pay the deposit
A day in Ngorongoro on the Heart of Kenya & Tanzania
A safari day runs on the animals’ schedule. Micato’s job is everything around it.
Micato’s trips aren’t hikes. The effort is long hours in a vehicle.
Day 6 of the Heart of Kenya & Tanzania is the crater day: a full day of game drives on the crater floor, from O’ldeani Mountain Lodge. Micato doesn’t publish clock times, so take the rhythm below as the shape of the day.
Micato doesn’t publish an activity scale or an accessibility statement. If getting in and out of a high vehicle is hard, say so before you book.
Down into the crater
Your Driver-Guide takes the vehicle, six guests at most, down from the Crater Highlands.
Still on the crater floor
It’s a full-day drive, so you stay below the rim rather than heading back to the lodge.
More drives, then the climb out
Window seats and the roof hatch do the work; guests rotate rows.
Back at O’ldeani Mountain Lodge
Dinner and drinks with meals are in the fare, and so is daily valet laundry.
Kids, luggage and the small print Micato doesn’t publish
The fare is all-inclusive. The policies aren’t all published, so ask before the deposit.
You’re planning for a family or a group with particular needs. Micato publishes less of this than Tauck does, so here’s what’s known.
Children. No minimum age appears on the Micato pages we checked. Its own family articles point families toward a Private Classic safari, with your own vehicles and guides; as Micato puts it, “There are no kids clubs on the savannahs.”
Lodge age rules. Camps set their own. &Beyond’s Kichwa Tembo, for example, opens all activities to 16 and over. Ask us to check every lodge on your itinerary.
Luggage. Micato says strict limits apply on some internal flights and gives the details in your tour documents. It hands out a duffel with your safari gear, which tells you what kind of bag to bring.
Health and access. Micato reserves the right to decline a guest who poses a health or safety risk. For vaccines and medicines, see CDC Travelers’ Health and your doctor.
Booking through us. We charge you no fee. Micato pays travel advisors commission on almost everything except gorilla permits and flights within Africa, and says the client stays the advisor’s.
If you’re bringing young children
Price a Private Classic safari, and compare Tauck’s Bridges family safaris (minimum age 5) in our family tours guide.
The Pinto family, and the One for One promise
A family business with a charity built into the fare. Neither shows up in the price per day, and both shape the trip.
Felix and Jane Pinto, second-generation Kenyans, started Micato in 1966. The family still runs it: Dennis Pinto is Managing Director and set up the New York office nearly 40 years ago, with Joy Phelan-Pinto and Anastasia Pinto as Executive Directors.
Micato doesn’t own its camps. Its terms say the lodgings, transport and guides are third-party providers, which separates it from A&K and from lodge companies such as &Beyond.
The giving is unusually concrete. Through its One for One Commitment, Micato sends a child in Africa to school for every guest who books.
The partner is AmericaShare, a US 501(c)(3) at the Harambee Community Centre in Mukuru, Nairobi, where Micato has worked for more than 30 years. Heart of Kenya & Tanzania guests visit the center on their first days in Nairobi.
Award counts are Micato’s own, from its Why Book Micato page, October 2026.
Micato against its closest rivals
Tauck is the rival most Micato shoppers price next. The matcher adds A&K, the lodge companies and the budget option.
Matcher
Micato, or someone else?
Four questions. The match weighs budget, tipping, who’s traveling and whether the operator should run the camp.
Who Micato suits, and who should book elsewhere
Book it if
- You want one fare that covers the tips, the park fees and the laundry, and never to carry small bills
- A small group and a guaranteed window seat matter more than the daily rate
- You’re traveling solo and want a departure that can’t cancel for lack of guests
- You like knowing your safari sends a child to school
- You’re a family who’ll book a Private Classic safari
Look elsewhere if
- Your budget is under about $2,000 a day; Tauck or A&K cost less on similar routes
- You want to sleep in camps the operator owns; look at A&K or a lodge company
- A 30% deposit and a 120-day final payment don’t suit your plans
- You want walking safaris and remote camps more than classic game drives
- You need published age, accessibility or luggage rules before you inquire
Our take
Micato sells certainty, not access. You pay roughly $2,300 a day and never see another bill on safari.
Start with the Heart of Kenya & Tanzania in low season, and price it per day against Tauck’s Great Migration with the tips and fees added back in.
If owning the camp matters, A&K and the lodge companies in our safari company comparison are the better match.
Then buy the insurance with the deposit. A 30% deposit is a lot to leave uncovered.
Where to go from here: safari countries and rivals
Free · No obligation
Want a Micato safari priced against Tauck and A&K?
Tell us your month and who’s going. We’ll check the season rate, the flight line and the supplement, and put Micato next to one or two rivals on the same parks.
What Micato travelers ask us
How much does a Micato safari cost?
The Heart of Kenya & Tanzania, 12 days, runs $24,550 to $27,550 per person sharing in 2027 depending on the month, plus $3,000 to $3,250 for the internal flights you must buy through Micato. The other Classic Safaris on Micato’s departures page run from about $20,700 (Tanzania Spectacular, 10 days) to $45,100 (African Splendour, 17 days).
Do you tip on a Micato safari?
No. Micato’s policy is “No Tipping, Ever”: gratuities for the Safari Director, Driver-Guides, porters and waiters are in the fare.
Are park fees included with Micato?
Yes. Entrance fees to national parks and game reserves are in the Classic Safari rates, and the Heart of Kenya & Tanzania lists all park, reserve and conservancy fees as included.
How big are Micato safari groups?
Micato says Classic Safari groups average 12. In East Africa it puts no more than six guests in each nine-passenger vehicle, so everyone gets a window seat and roof-hatch access. It doesn’t publish a maximum group size.
What is Micato’s deposit and cancellation policy?
For Classic Safaris: a 30% deposit at booking and the balance 120 days before departure. Cancel 120 or more days out and the fee is 20% of the tour rate; 119 to 60 days, 50%; 59 days or less, 100%. Custom safaris have separate terms.
Does Micato charge a single supplement?
Yes. On the 2027 Heart of Kenya & Tanzania it’s $2,250 to $2,650 depending on the month. Micato doesn’t publish a roommate-matching program.
Who owns Micato Safaris?
The Pinto family, who founded it in Kenya in 1966 and still run it, with a US office in New York. Micato doesn’t own the lodges or camps it uses; its terms say those are third-party providers.
What is the Micato One for One Commitment?
For every guest who books a safari, Micato sends a child in Africa to school, through its charity partner AmericaShare, a US 501(c)(3) that works in the Mukuru community of Nairobi.
Sources · 18 links · checked October 2026
- Micato: The Pinto family
- Micato: Why book Micato (inclusions, One for One, advisors)
- Micato: Why safari with Micato (group size, No Tipping, lodgings)
- Micato: Guaranteed departures, Classic Safaris
- Micato: The Heart of Kenya & Tanzania (2027 rates, itinerary)
- Micato: Vehicles and transportation
- Micato: What’s included
- Micato: Terms and conditions, Classic Safari Collection
- Micato: India journeys
- Micato: 5 reasons to go on a family safari
- Micato: Tips for planning a safari in Kenya with kids
- Micato: Solo safaris
- AmericaShare: Micato guests
- Tauck: Great Migration, Tanzania & Kenya
- Tauck: FAQ (tipping, family ages)
- A&K: Small Group Journeys
- A&K: Guest Protection Program
- &Beyond: Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp brochure