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Understanding Your Tanzania Safari Payment Schedule
Last updated: June 2026
One of the most common questions we receive from hunters planning a Tanzania safari is:
"What exactly do I pay, and when do I pay it?"
The confusion is understandable. A Tanzania hunting safari involves several different payments made at different stages of the process. Some payments secure your safari dates, others cover government requirements, and some only become payable after the hunt has concluded.
This guide explains the process as simply as possible so you know exactly what to expect from the day you book your safari until your trophies arrive home.
Our goal is simple: complete transparency so that hunters understand exactly where their money goes and when each payment becomes due.
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Once you decide to book your Tanzania hunting safari, an initial deposit is required.
This deposit secures:
Deposits may be paid via wire transfer to our Bank of America account or through a secure Stripe payment link. Hunters choosing to pay by credit card through Stripe should note that a 3% convenience fee applies.
Deposit amounts are calculated based on the overall value of the safari and are designed to secure the hunting dates, government licence allocations, camp reservations, and the planning required for your hunt.
At this stage, no trophy fees are payable.
Think of this payment as reserving your safari and allowing preparations to begin.
Approximately 75 days before your safari begins, the remaining balance of your safari costs becomes due.
Depending on your safari package, this may include:
Many hunters mistakenly believe this payment includes trophy fees. It does not. Trophy fees are handled separately after the hunt and are only calculated once your safari has concluded.
In some cases, the amount due at the 75-day stage may differ slightly from the original safari proposal. This is often because details of the hunt have evolved during the planning process. For example, hunters may decide to:
Prior to the payment becoming due, these items will be discussed and agreed upon between the hunter, Game Hunting Safaris, and the outfitter. A final invoice will then be issued reflecting the agreed arrangements for the safari.
The 75-day payment timeline exists for a reason.
At this stage, the outfitter must begin securing various permits, licences, and documentation required for your hunt. This may include:
While most applications proceed smoothly, we believe it is always better to have additional time available should any clarification, amendment, or administrative follow-up be required.
Ensuring that payments are made on schedule helps prevent unnecessary delays and allows all documentation to be prepared well before your departure.
Think of this payment as moving your safari from the planning stage into the final preparation stage, where permits, licences, travel arrangements, and hunt logistics are being finalized ahead of your arrival in Tanzania.
As with your initial deposit, payments may be made to Game Hunting Safaris via wire transfer to our Bank of America account or through a secure Stripe payment link. Hunters choosing to pay by credit card through Stripe should note that a 3% convenience fee applies.
Tanzania hunting safaris are often booked many months, and sometimes several years, before the hunt takes place. During this period, the Tanzanian government may amend licence fees, conservation fees, permit costs, or official trophy fee schedules.
Should any government-mandated changes occur between the date of booking and the date of your safari, hunters will be notified as soon as the information becomes available.
Any adjustments resulting directly from changes to government regulations, licence fees, permit costs, or official trophy fee schedules will be reflected accordingly.
While such changes are uncommon, they are outside the control of both Game Hunting Safaris and the outfitter and apply equally to all operators conducting hunts in Tanzania.
As the safari approaches and final costs have been confirmed, hunters will also be asked to review and sign the hunting agreement between themselves and the outfitter.
This agreement is designed to ensure that all parties clearly understand their respective rights and responsibilities before the safari begins.
While agreements vary between outfitters, they typically cover matters such as:
Game Hunting Safaris encourages all hunters to carefully review these documents and raise any questions well in advance of departure.
The goal is not to create complexity, but to ensure that expectations are clear and that everyone arrives in camp fully informed and prepared for the safari ahead.
In Tanzania, it is standard practice for outfitters to request a trophy fee deposit before the safari begins.
This deposit helps protect the outfitter against the significant costs associated with operating a Tanzania hunting concession and securing quota allocations based on the species expected to be hunted.
The amount requested is typically based on the estimated trophy fees associated with your proposed hunting package and target species. At Game Hunting Safaris, we understand that hunters often have concerns about making large payments before a safari begins.
For this reason, we have successfully negotiated arrangements on behalf of many of our clients whereby trophy fee deposits are held in escrow rather than being paid directly to the outfitter before the hunt.
This approach can provide additional peace of mind for hunters while still protecting the legitimate operational requirements of the outfitter. Every safari is different, and trophy fee deposit arrangements should be discussed and agreed upon before booking. Trophy fee deposits are not additional costs and do not represent a second payment.
Depending on the safari package purchased, certain trophy fees may already be included in the hunt, while others may only become payable if additional animals are taken during the safari.
For example, a hunter may book a Buffalo Hunting in Tanzania safari that includes one buffalo, but later decide to add a Lion Hunting in Tanzania opportunity where quota is available. The purpose of the trophy fee deposit is simply to provide security against those potential trophy fee obligations and to facilitate the final reconciliation of the safari account at the conclusion of the hunt.
Any amounts held in escrow are credited against the final account once all trophy fees and applicable charges have been agreed and settled. For hunters wishing to learn more about escrow arrangements and safari payment protection, we have created a dedicated guide explaining how these structures work in practice.
By this stage, your safari payments, permits, licences, and travel arrangements should largely be in place. Attention now turns to ensuring that you arrive in Tanzania fully prepared for your hunt.
Depending on your circumstances, preparations may include:
While most major safari costs will already have been addressed, hunters are encouraged to travel with a reasonable amount of cash for incidental expenses that may arise during their journey.
Depending on your travel arrangements, this may include:
Small denomination US Dollar notes are often particularly useful when travelling through Tanzania. Many experienced hunters also prefer to carry some cash for unexpected expenses that may arise during international travel.
Before travelling, hunters should also take the time to review any recommended medical requirements for Tanzania. Depending on your travel route and personal circumstances, this may include:
Medical requirements can change over time, so we recommend consulting your physician or travel clinic well before departure.
The goal is simple: arrive in Tanzania with all paperwork, travel arrangements, financial preparations, and medical requirements in place so that you can focus on enjoying your safari.
Once your safari begins, the focus shifts away from paperwork and payments and onto the hunt itself.
Throughout the safari, your Professional Hunter will maintain a detailed record of all animals harvested, together with any applicable trophy fees.
These records are updated daily and form the basis of the final safari account prepared at the conclusion of the hunt.
Hunters are encouraged to review the daily hunting register with their Professional Hunter to ensure that all entries are accurate and understood. At this stage, no additional trophy fee payments are normally required.
Instead, the purpose of the record-keeping process is to ensure complete transparency between the hunter, the outfitter, and the relevant government authorities.
Depending on the species hunted, records may include:
This process is particularly important on larger Dangerous Game Hunts where multiple species, permits, and trophy fees may be involved.
The goal is simple: to ensure that there are no surprises when the final trophy fee statement is prepared at the end of the hunt.
On the final evening of the safari, or shortly before departure, the hunter, Professional Hunter, and outfitter will review the safari account together.
At this stage, all animals harvested during the safari, together with any applicable trophy fees and agreed charges, are reconciled and confirmed.
The purpose of this process is to ensure that everyone is in agreement regarding the final account before the safari concludes.
Where trophy fee deposits have been held in escrow through Game Hunting Safaris, the hunter may instruct Game Hunting Safaris to release the agreed funds directly to the outfitter following reconciliation of the account.
If the final trophy fee account is less than the amount being held in escrow, the remaining balance will be refunded to the hunter, less any applicable bank charges, transfer fees, or escrow-related transaction costs.
In the event that trophy fees exceed the amount being held in escrow, the difference will be settled in accordance with the arrangements agreed between the hunter, Game Hunting Safaris, and the outfitter.
This process provides transparency for all parties while ensuring that outfitters are paid promptly and hunters maintain visibility over how their funds are being applied.
By the time the safari concludes, the goal is for all trophy fee matters to have been fully reviewed, agreed, and settled, allowing hunters to focus on the next stage of the process: preparing their trophies for export.
During the safari, trophies are professionally field prepared and recorded by the outfitter. Following the conclusion of the hunt, trophies are transferred for dip and pack, veterinary inspections, export documentation, and preparation for international shipment.
These services are typically arranged and managed by the outfitter and their appointed service providers, who work closely together to ensure that all regulatory requirements are met before export.
Once costs have been confirmed, the hunter will receive the relevant invoices for the services performed.
Depending on the arrangements agreed with the outfitter, these costs may either be paid directly by the hunter to the relevant service providers, or paid initially by the outfitter and subsequently recovered from the hunter.
Because every safari and shipment is different, timelines and costs can vary depending on the species hunted, destination country, shipping method, and regulatory requirements.
Once trophies have been exported from Tanzania, the import process begins in the hunter's home country. Depending on the destination, this may involve customs clearance, import permits, taxidermy, and final delivery arrangements.
These services are coordinated between the hunter, the outfitter's appointed service providers, shipping agents, import specialists, and taxidermists.
As with export costs, the associated fees are invoiced directly to the hunter by the service providers involved. In some cases, and depending on the arrangements agreed with the outfitter, certain costs may initially be settled by the outfitter on the hunter's behalf and recovered once final invoices have been received.
At this stage, the safari payment process has been completed, and the hunter's attention turns to the export, import, and eventual delivery of their trophies.