Kenya Safari

We did a great safari in Kenya and Tanzania with Good Earth Tours in 2022. We had a private driver/guide (one for each country) for the four of us in a large off road vehicle.
The price was unbeatable by any comparable company. Our lodgings were excellent.

But JMGENO has asked about a private tour, not a group tour.

I had a private safari trip to Kenya and Tanzania arranged by Micato and it was wonderful.

For my southern African safari trips, I have used--and highly recommend--Southern Destinations, a CapeTown-based travel planner who arranges many private trips to East Africa, including Rwanda. They have an 800 number to phone from the US;. You can imagine how great they have been for me as I've used them so many times.....ask for Liesl Matthews if you get in touch.

https://www.southerndestinations.com

No mention of number in jmgeno's party.
I suggest that. you at least contact Good Earth Tours for a price. Our price beat all the others.

ekscrunchy, Perhaps the OP's party is four people, thus it could be a private tour. When we were in Kenya we were a party of five, and thus our tour was a private one (the van could only hold 6 passengers).

Yes, I agree. But many camps put 6 in the vehicle. Or even 8.

But there is no need to book an organized tour. That's the main point I am trying to get across but maybe not doing a great job of explaining.

You are much better off using a safari planner, no matter the amount of people in your group.....
A company like Good Earth, which i think is based in Arusha, also would probably craft a private trip.

Very important point is that you do not want to be in the national parks which are terribly crowded...you want private conservancies, which border the national parks. The photos from the Mara of 12 vehicles surrounding one lioness and her cubs are all taken in the national parks.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/04/travel/masai-mara-safari-overcrowding.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GlE.NmRf.h06Shgb4KY0H&smid=url-share

I'm just passing on what I learned after infinite hours/days of research on this topic..the safari planner works directly with the camps that you choose after long discussions about your budget and what you want to see. They make their money from commissions from the camps so you do not pay more than the rack rate. If the planner is based in one of your destinations, they will meet you, maybe show you around, before you go out into the bush..

I would also recommend a bare minimum of three nights in each camp.

The company ATR has a great website with a ton of information about each camp...I would not recommend booking with them (based in Us, they have to farm out a lot to local operators) but using their site as a planning tool....along with others....

https://atrsafari.com/safari-locations/tanzania/

Craig Beal is very active on safari forums and is the single best source of helpful online advice I've ever found. He is US-based; I would also give him a call, or his partner, Kota... Craig knows safari country incredibly well, having been multiple times to almost every good camp.....it costs nothing to phone planners like this to get an idea of cost, where to go at what time depending on which animals you want to see, etc etc....... I've never booked with him but judging from how helpful he has been to me and many others, I think it's worth a call or e-mail to him, to Southern Destinations, and to Good Earth and anyone else recommended to you by someone knowledgeable. Get a few quotes and then decide.

https://travelbeyond.com/expert/craig-beal/

February should be less pricey than September but it ll depends on where you want to go and if you want to see the migration.

Gorilla trekking needs to be planned well in advance; permits are limited and very expensive. So if you are thinking of this coming February, you need to begin planning as soon as possible as this is pretty last minute..

I envy you and will leave you with a warning: Once Africa gets into your blood, and it will, you will return over and over again.