Safari Net Rates vs Commission: Which Model Suits Your Agency? 7 Tests

Safari net rates are confidential trade prices that a Kenyan operator gives your agency, to which you add your own margin before selling. Under a commission model, the operator sets a retail price and pays or deducts an agreed commission. Net rates give you pricing control; commission gives you simplicity and a ready-made price.

Sense of Adventure is a Nairobi-based ground operator licensed by Kenya’s Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA1/47/C01/77087), and we supply travel agents, tour operators, wholesalers, OTAs and MICE planners on either model. This guide compares safari net rates and commission side by side, works through the same safari priced both ways, and gives you seven practical tests to decide which model suits your agency, your clients and your cash flow.

✅ Safari Net Rates vs Commission: The Quick Answer

• Net model: you receive a confidential land price, add your own margin and set the client price yourself.
• Commission model: the operator sets a retail price and you earn an agreed commission on it.
• Best for net: tour operators, wholesalers, tailor-made specialists and agencies that package flights with land.
• Best for commission: retail agents selling set itineraries, occasional Kenya bookings and agencies that want a ready-made price.
• Never marked up: government park and reserve fees, which are best passed through at cost on their own line.
• Get it in writing: whichever model you choose, confirm rates, inclusions, payment and cancellation terms in writing before you sell.

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What Are Safari Net Rates?

Safari net rates are the price your agency pays the ground operator for the land arrangements, before you add anything for your own business.

Safari net rates are not a discount off a public price that you then pass on. They are the operator’s trade prices for a defined package of services: camps or lodges, vehicles, driver-guides, flights inside Kenya, activities and support on the ground. Your agency then decides the selling price. If you add 15 per cent, you keep 15 per cent; if the market will only bear 10 per cent on that product, that is your call too.

Safari net rates are confidential by nature. They are shared only with registered trade partners, under written terms, and they should never be shown to clients or published online. Our guide to how Kenya safari wholesale rates are built explains each cost line inside a net price.

What sits inside safari net rates

Typical safari net rates from a Kenya operator combine the following lines. Some operators show each line; others give one total per person with park fees shown separately.

• Accommodation: per person per night, by room type, season and board basis.
• Vehicle and driver-guide: per vehicle per day, shared across its passengers.
• Park and reserve fees: per person per day, set by the authorities.
• Domestic flights: per person per sector on scheduled light aircraft.
• Activities: balloon safaris, bush meals, walks and cultural visits.
• Operator margin: planning, 24-hour support, risk and administration.

How the Commission Model Works

Under a commission model, the operator sets the retail price for a safari and your agency earns an agreed commission when the booking is made and paid.

In practice, commission is handled in one of two ways. Either the client pays the operator in full and the operator pays your commission after travel, or, more commonly in trade relationships, your agency collects the full price from the client and pays the operator the retail price less your commission. The second method keeps the client relationship and the money flow with you.

The advantage is simplicity. You do not need to build a selling price, and the retail price is consistent across the market. The trade-off is that your earnings are capped at the agreed commission, and the retail price may not suit how you package or discount. Commission percentages vary by supplier and product, so always agree yours in writing.

Safari Net Rates vs Commission: Side-by-Side Comparison

The table below compares safari net rates and commission on the points that matter most to a busy agency.

Neither model is better in every case. Many agencies use safari net rates for tailor-made and group business and commission for occasional bookings of ready-made itineraries.

The Same Safari Priced Both Ways

A worked example shows how safari net rates and commission produce different earnings and different client prices on the same trip.

The figures below are illustrative units only, not Sense of Adventure rates or any supplier’s rates. Imagine a seven-day safari for two guests, quoted on safari net rates and on commission. Park fees are shown separately because they pass through at cost on both models.

On the net model, your agency earns more here, but the client pays slightly more, so you must be sure the product still sells at that price. On the commission model, the client price is a little lower and fixed, and your earnings are lower but predictable. Change the percentages and the answer changes, which is why the decision should rest on how your agency sells, not on one example.

Expert tip from our Nairobi operations team: before you build a selling price, check whether the quote is per person sharing or per room, and whether park fees are inside or outside the total. Most pricing errors we see between agencies and suppliers come from those two points, not from the margin itself.

Which Model Suits Your Agency? 7 Practical Tests

Work through these seven tests, and the right choice between safari net rates and commission usually becomes clear.

1. Who sets prices in your business? If you build your own packages and brochures, safari net rates fit naturally. If you sell suppliers’ itineraries as they are, commission is simpler.
2. Do you combine flights and land? Agencies that sell one inclusive price with international flights usually prefer net rates.
3. How often do you sell Kenya? Occasional sellers often start on commission; regular sellers gain more from net.
4. How price-sensitive is your market? In very competitive markets, safari net rates let you adjust your margin product by product.
5. What are your legal obligations? In the UK and EU, combining services into one price can make you the package organiser, with financial protection and tax duties. Take local advice.
6. Who collects the client’s money? If your agency collects and pays the supplier, either model works; agree the flow in writing.
7. How much time does your team have? Net pricing needs someone who can build and check a selling price quickly.

When safari net rates work best

Safari net rates work best for tour operators and wholesalers who package Kenya with flights, hotels or other countries, and for tailor-made specialists who design private itineraries. They also suit agencies selling incentive and group programmes, where the client buys a total price and the margin needs to cover your own project management. Our private Kenya safari and luxury Kenya safari ranges are typically sold on safari net rates.

When commission works best

Commission works best for retail agents and online sellers who offer set itineraries at a published price, or who book Kenya only a few times a year. It is also useful when you want to test a new destination without building pricing tools. Set products such as our Masai Mara safari packages are easy to sell this way.

Park Fees and Items That Should Not Be Marked Up

Government park and reserve fees should pass through at cost on both models, because they are set by the authorities and can change.

The Kenya Wildlife Service introduced new conservation fees from 1 October 2025. Non-resident adults now pay USD 90 per day in Amboseli and Lake Nakuru, USD 80 in Nairobi National Park and Tsavo, and USD 70 in Meru and the Aberdares. The Masai Mara National Reserve, managed by Narok County, charges non-resident adults USD 100 per day from January to June and USD 200 from July to December in 2026. Private conservancies set their own fees, which are often included in camp rates.

Confirm current figures with the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Narok County Government before you quote. Our guide to Kenya national park entrance fees for 2026 lists each park. Keeping fees on their own line means that if a fee changes after you confirm, you adjust one line rather than reprice the whole trip.

Expert tip from our Nairobi operations team: if you work on commission, check whether the commission applies to the full retail price or to the land price only. Commission is not normally paid on park fees, and clarifying this early avoids small disputes at invoice stage.

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Confidentiality, Rate Parity and Price Display

Safari net rates come with responsibilities, and most supplier agreements set out how you may display and use them.

• Never publish net rates: show clients only your selling price, never the net figure or the supplier’s rate sheet.
• Respect rate parity: some camps and operators ask that you do not advertise their products below the public price. Terms vary by supplier.
• Do not resell resident rates: East African resident rates apply only to qualifying residents and citizens, usually with proof, and are not trade rates.
• Keep rate sheets internal: share them only with the staff who quote, and remove them from documents sent to clients.
• Use white-label documents: client documents should carry your brand and your price, not the supplier’s.

Commission products carry fewer of these rules than safari net rates, because the retail price is already public. Even so, agree whether you may discount from your own commission to win a booking.

Payments, Deposits and Cash Flow on Safari Net Rates and Commission

The payment flow is usually the same on both models: a deposit to confirm and a balance before arrival, with the main difference being who holds your margin.

Typical practice in Kenya is a deposit to confirm camps and vehicles, with the balance due a set number of days before arrival, often 30 to 60 days. Peak dates, small camps, balloon flights and charter flights can carry stricter rules. Terms vary by supplier and season, so confirm them in writing for every booking. Our client-side guides to safari deposits and payment plans and the safari cancellation policy help you align your own client terms.

Cash flow on safari net rates

With safari net rates, your agency collects the full selling price from the client and pays the operator only the net amount. Your margin stays in your account from the start. This makes timing important: set your client deposit and balance dates earlier than your supplier’s dates, so that you never pay a supplier before the client has paid you.

Cash flow on commission

With commission, your agency either keeps its commission when paying the operator, or receives it afterwards if the client paid the supplier directly. Agree which method applies, the date commission is paid and how cancellations affect it. Commission on a cancelled booking normally follows the cancellation charges actually retained, but this varies by supplier.

Currency, Margins and Risk

Most safari net rates for international markets are quoted in US dollars, so agencies selling in other currencies carry exchange-rate risk on both models.

If you sell in pounds, euros, rupees or ringgit, the amount you pay the operator can change between quotation and balance. On the net model, you can build a small currency buffer into your margin. On the commission model, you can fix the exchange rate at deposit or invoice the client in US dollars. Ask your bank about forward contracts for large group payments.

When you set a margin on safari net rates, other risks to price in are card and bank charges, the cost of your own staff time on long tailor-made proposals, and the risk of late changes. A margin that looks generous on paper can shrink quickly on a trip with several amendments.

How to Compare Safari Net Rates From Different Suppliers

Compare safari net rates line by line, because two quotes for the same route can differ for good reasons.

1. Check the dates, room types and number of guests are the same.
2. Compare named camps and where they are: inside the reserve, outside the gate or in a conservancy.
3. Compare board basis: full board, game package or all-inclusive.
4. Compare vehicle use: private or shared, Land Cruiser or van, guests per vehicle.
5. Count park days and check the fee for each park and month.
6. Check flights, transfers and activities on both quotes.
7. Compare deposit, balance and cancellation terms.

Our guide to full board vs all-inclusive safari rates explains why board basis changes the price. Be wary of safari net rates far below the market without explanation; missing park fees, shared vehicles sold as private or an unlicensed supplier are common causes. The Tourism Regulatory Authority licenses tour operators in Kenya, and membership of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators is a further check.

How Sense of Adventure Works With Net and Commission Partners

Sense of Adventure offers B2B safari net rates or commissionable rates, with terms confirmed in writing, so you can choose the model that suits each part of your business.

• Fast quotations: we reply to trade requests within 24 hours with current rates or an itemised quote.
• Seasonal offers: shared with partners when camps release them.
• Dedicated trade desk: one team for quotes, confirmations and real-time operational updates.
• White-label documents: itineraries and vouchers under your agency’s brand.
• Ground handling: meet and greet at JKIA and Wilson Airport, pop-up roof Land Cruisers and safari vans, English-speaking driver-guides and park entry.
• Safety: complimentary AMREF Flying Doctors emergency evacuation cover on every safari.

You can browse itineraries available at trade rates in our B2B trade portfolio, from short Mara trips to multi-park circuits such as the Kenya Highlights Safari. We cover Kenya and Tanzania, with Zanzibar, Uganda and Rwanda extensions. For the wider partnership picture, see our guide to working with a Kenya B2B safari operator or our travel agents page.

Remind every client to obtain an approved Electronic Travel Authorisation from the official Kenya eTA portal before travel, whether you sell on safari net rates or commission.

Safari Net Rates FAQs

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Call or WhatsApp: +254 799 160 081 · Email: info@senseofadventure.co.ke

Related Trade Guides

• › Kenya DMC for Travel Agents: B2B Rates and Ground Handling
• › Kenya Safari Wholesale Rates: How Trade Pricing Works
• › Kenya B2B Safari Operator: Services, Rates and How to Partner
• › Kenya DMC: What a Destination Management Company Does
• › Kenya Tour Operator for Travel Agents

Official licensing & park resources: Tourism Regulatory Authority ↗ · Kenya Wildlife Service ↗