When you book your trip to Africa, you will see that lodges and hotels that you stay at will all have different inclusions, so a very common question that comes up is, “Whats the difference between full board and fully inclusive?”

Please, please, please…. check what is included in your booking, BEFORE you travel. Actually, check what’s included before you confirm your booking!

If you are combining different accommodation, for example, a city overnight on arrival in Arusha, Tanzania, followed by a nine-night safari at three different camps, and ending off for a week relaxing on the sandy shores of Zanzibar at the end of your trip, your inclusions at each lodge is highly likely to be very different from one another.

So, let’s break it down so you can find out what’s included:

What’s Included on a Full Board Basis vs a Fully Inclusive Basis?

BB = bed & breakfast (only your accommodation and breakfast) DBB = dinner, bed (accommodation), and breakfast FB = full board. This usually includes accommodation and breakfast, lunch and dinner. FI = fully inclusive. This usually includes accommodation, all of your meals, high teas, two scheduled game activities per day, teas & coffees, local beverages and laundry.

Now, these are the TRADITIONAL definitions.

Now, you do get lodges and other properties who change it to include/ exclude what they want and do not call it by the correct terminology.

Which honestly does cause confusion and can create problems.

How?

Let’s say Mr & Mrs Smith are booked on an itinerary where all of the properties (lodges) are on a full board basis.

The first lodge (on a full board basis) includes game drives and local drinks on their full board basis rate. Lovely for the couple.

Then Mr & Mrs Smith go to their second lodge, also booked on a full board basis.

But this lodge includes the ‘correct’ things in their full board rate ie only accommodation and breakfast, and dinner. No game activities, drinks or high tea is included. So now, Mr & Mrs Smith are not happy, they complain, and they want the rest of the lodges to be sorted out so that the receive the same things.

But that’s not how it works.

You will get what you have paid for – it isn’t the lodge’s error that this wasn’t explained clearly to the traveller.

But in actual fact, the travellers more than likely haven’t read through all of their documents thoroughly, OR their agent didn’t explain that there is a difference and that the different lodges have different inclusions.

How do you, as the traveller, solve this?

As a traveller, you must ask your travel agent EXACTLY what is included. You MUST also read your travel document that your agent will send you before your travel.

Yes, they are usally long, but they have all of the information and details that you need for your safari.

If you want the rest of the lodges to include all these extras, then you will need to pay to upgrade your services from full board to fully inclusive.

So, what’s the difference between full board and fully inclusive?

Fully inclusive includes just about everything (except premium brand drinks) and full board includes accommodation, breakfast and dinner.

This is also one of the reasons why lodges that offer fully inclusive rates, can be quite expensive.

So please read your documents carefully and if you don’t understand or agree with something, check with your travel agent before you jump on that plane and fly to Africa.