The costing categories
A costing sheet groups every cost so nothing is forgotten before you price a tour:
- Accommodation — lodges and camps, per night per room
- Transport & transfers — vehicles, fuel, driver, airport transfers
- Activities & excursions — game drives, guided walks, boat trips
- Park & entry fees — conservancy and national park fees per person per day
- Meals & drinks — included meals not covered by accommodation
- Guide & staff — guide fees, tips budget, staff costs
- Permits & extras — flights, visas, special permits
- Contingency — a buffer for price changes and surprises
From cost to price
Once every cost is in, the sheet works out your price and profit:
- Total direct cost (sum of all categories)
- Cost per traveller (total ÷ number of travellers)
- Margin / markup (as a percentage or fixed amount)
- Taxes and fees
- Selling price per traveller and total selling price
- Profit per traveller and total profit
Using the spreadsheet
The download is an Excel workbook with the arithmetic built in, so the sheet does the working:
- Enter each cost with its quantity and unit cost — line totals and category subtotals compute themselves
- Set the number of travellers once — every per-person figure updates
- Change the margin percentage and watch selling price and profit move with it
- VAT is a single rate cell — set it to 16% if you’re registered, 0 if not
- Costing a new tour means duplicating the sheet tab, not rebuilding the formulas
Worked example
Cost categories (example, 2 travellers)
- Accommodation
- KES 36,000
- Transport & transfers
- KES 20,000
- Activities
- KES 18,000
- Park fees
- KES 12,000
- Total direct cost
- KES 86,000 (KES 43,000 pp)
Cost to price (example)
- Margin
- 20% = KES 17,200
- Selling price
- KES 103,200 (KES 51,600 pp)
- Profit
- KES 17,200 total
How to use it
- Copy the categories, or download the free sheet below.
- Enter every cost under its category — leave nothing out.
- Total the direct cost and divide per traveller.
- Add your margin and taxes to get the selling price.
- Check your profit per traveller — then quote with confidence.
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