Local expertise
Every guide on our roster has 15+ years across East Africa. No foreign brokers, no junior hand-offs, no guides who've only seen the Mara on a screen.
Why travellers choose Imara
We don't sell package tours. Every safari is drafted from a blank page by a Nairobi-based team that calls East Africa home, and supported around the clock from departure to return.
KATO & TRA Licensed100% TailoredEast Africa Experts
5.0/5
145 verified
5.0(77)
4.9(68)
Operating across
Kenya · Tanzania · Uganda · Rwanda + Zanzibar
By the Numbers
What we have to show for it
A veteran team, distilled into four facts.
15+
Years Experience
Veteran team · Imara est. 2022
200+
Travellers Hosted
Across four countries
5.0
Average Rating
TripAdvisor + Google
4
East African Countries
Kenya · TZ · UG · RW
Our Promises
Six things we won't compromise on
These aren't marketing claims. They're written on the wall of our Nairobi office, and the team is held to them on every trip.
Personal itineraries
Every trip is drafted from a blank page, conversationally, around your dates and your pace. No package tours sit on our shelf waiting to be sold.
24/7 on-trip support
Real Nairobi humans, never a chatbot script. WhatsApp, email or phone, your choice, twenty-four hours a day from departure to return.
Transparent pricing
One quote, all-in. Park fees, transfers, taxes, dietary needs, all included from day one. No surprises sprung on you at the lodge desk.
Flexible booking
Free date changes up to 120 days before departure, low deposits, transparent cancellation terms. Life happens; we adapt.
Conservation-aligned
Partnerships with community conservancies in the Mara, Laikipia and Samburu, eco-certified camps, ranger-funded conservancy fees on every trip.
Our Process
A better safari starts before you book
We slow the planning down just enough to avoid expensive mistakes: the wrong camp, the wrong month, too many transfers, a pace that looks fine on paper and exhausting in real life.
- 01
We listen first
A safari designer asks about your pace, comfort level, wildlife priorities, food preferences, mobility needs, and budget bracket before suggesting a single lodge.
- 02
We design around the season
Routes are built around the migration calendar, the long and short rains, road conditions, park fee changes, flight schedules, and quieter conservancy windows.
- 03
We stay close on the ground
Your guide and the Nairobi operations team coordinate transfers, lodge check-ins, route changes, and small surprises from touchdown to airport farewell.
The Difference
Imara vs. the typical operator
Most safari companies can book beds and vehicles. The real value is knowing what to include, what to skip, and how to protect the whole trip when something shifts.
Imara
Typical operator
Itinerary design
Drafted from a blank page around your brief
Pulled from a catalogue of pre-built tours
Team
Nairobi-based, locally owned, family-run
Foreign sales team selling Kenya from afar
Lodge rates
Direct partnerships, no middlemen
Wholesale rates with broker mark-ups
On-trip support
24/7 from a real Nairobi human
Office hours only, sometimes a chatbot
Date changes
Free up to 120 days before departure
Penalty fees on most amendments
Conservation
Community conservancy fees on every trip
Optional add-on or not mentioned
Pricing
One quote, all-in, no hidden fees
Base price plus surprise extras
Licensed and Bonded
Recognised by the bodies that matter
Click view certificate & member no. to open the official KATO and TRA documents, alongside our live traveller ratings.
KATO Bonded Member
Kenya Association of Tour Operators
TRA Licensed Operator
Tourism Regulatory Authority of Kenya
Santa Imara Africa Safaris Limited (trading as Imara Africa Safaris) · Registered in Nairobi, Kenya. Our KATO bonded-member number and TRA licence details appear on the official certificate above — click to view and verify.
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