Tailor Made Mobile Tented Safaris
Private Safaris
Safari Lifestyles Tailor Made Mobile Tented Safaris.
These are for small groups or a family, a couple, or even an individual who prefer not join a scheduled safari with other people. You won’t be constrained by a timescale or a route, indeed, you have the complete freedom to leave when you want and travel to anywhere you want…. and you really will be surprised at the price!
We have looked our industry and produced an affordable Mobile Tented Safari to include all accommodation, food, drinks and activities…. and we believe that at last you can do this with a reasonable budget…. so contact us now for more details.
…. this will be an unforgettable expedition
What does all this mean?
Our own mobile safaris offer the same as the schedules do, sometimes even more… our tents are very spacious with en-suite facilities and the game viewer vehicles are up date and well above expectation.
You will stay in private industry campsites in the thick of wildlife areas with no fences… these are private, just for you.
Everything is included, with all accommodation, food, drinks and activities available to you within our rates.
Your camp moves with you from location to location, and staff are there to erect and dismantle everything, so all you do is relax and enjoy a real safari.
Where can you go?
Lodge and Camping combination
You can mix and match where you go to combine a driving route through Botswana whilst staying in private campsites and some lodges on the way…. There are some excellent lodges to stay en-route. See below for regions and some great examples.
Or you can split the trip where you are able start with a lodge safari, perhaps staying in two locations and then we can meet you at a bush airstrip and then continue your safari with a Tailor Made Mobile Tented safari. This way you get the best of both worlds
Mobile Tented Safaris in Botswana operate within the National Parks or Community areas…. The following are the main regions visited…. Click to reach the individual regional page…
Okavango
Moremi
Khwai
Savuti
Chobe
Makgadikgadi
Nxai Pan
Central Kalahari
No two days are the same of course, but there is slight routine to your safari day which starts with an unnatural early morning call….
5am – 6am (depending on the season) –
You will get that awful early morning call from one of the camp hands. It will still be dark and you may awake to the roar of lions in the distance or the chattering of hyena nearby.
This time of the day is crucial as its one of the best times to be out on safari and we aim to get you in the vehicle and out before sunrise.
It may seem like a military exercise, but its worth it…. and besides, you have travelled a long way to get here so its definitely best to make the effort.
Before you leave you will be presented with fresh coffee and a light breakfast of cereals, toast, jams and the rest. The fire will be going so you can sit for a while around this with your coffee on a cold morning.
JUST before sunrise –
This is when you morning game drive starts… you will stop yawning soon enough when you encounter you first elephants etc. Leopards are often seen sunning themselves in the first rays of sunshine on the side of a termite mound.
There is no “plan” so to speak. Your guide will know the area intimately and will have figured out a reasonable route… This may well depend on yesterdays sightings… the directions from which lions were roaring overnight… or where the wild dogs where left sleeping yesterday.
This is a safari so you stop, listen and look…. and just take in the wonders of Africa.
Coffee and snacks are taken with you so you will be able to stop at any time and stretch you legs. Its also possible for a packed lunch to be prepared if you intend to stay out all day
Later on – about 11am –
This is very much a general time but reasonable to assume that you will be back in camp for your rest period when you can freshen up and relax…..
Teas and coffees are available as standard and will be given time to chill out before lunch is served.
The rest of this time you can catch up on some reading, download the 2000 photos you took that morning, recharge you batteries, or do anything you need to do other than just rest.
About 3:30 –
To be honest… its your private safari and you can leave much earlier than this if you want to…. Sometimes its a bit hot though and this time of the day is good to get going…
At about 3:30 you will be served “Tea”…. which are all the refreshments you would expect including some cake etc…
Then its back in the vehicle, all refreshed and ready for you afternoon game drive.
6:30 – 7:30 –
This is African sundowner time when it is essential that you partake in the traditional Gin & Tonic or perhaps a glass of wine whilst you stretch your legs and watch the sun sink below the horizon starting the end of another day in Africa.
Depending on where you are camping and the rules of the area, you may then continue on a night drive or slowly wind your way back to camp.
Back in camp the fire will be roasting away and the bar will be open… you can sit around the campfire and talk about the days activities with your knowledgeable guide.
A sumptuous dinner will be served under moonlit skies and from where you may spot a sneaky hyena….
After dinner drinks are always served around the campfire.
Our standard vehicle is a Toyota land Cruiser Game viewer…. fully kitted. This may sometimes change, however we always use professional safari vehicles.
Our standard offering includes:
Seating for 8 people in the rear (3 rows of seats).
Seats are bucket seats for comfort
Engel Fridge to keep all your drinks cold.
Full canvas safari roof. Charging points for your battery chargers
We mostly use large walk-in “cottage” style tents with a floor size of 3×3 meters… these are very roomy and you can easily stand in them. There is also plenty of space to store any of your luggage.
Inside this main area there are two raised stretcher beds (no sleeping on the floor) with good quality mattresses, duvets, blankets and pillows etc.
We generally think that this inside main area is for sleeping so there really isn’t much else as you don’t really need anything else, but there is a small table etc to rest the evening lamp on.
To the front of this main section is a double door with a full canvas screen as well as full net screen so that you can allow the breeze to come through without keeping the tent open.
The sides come with large netted windows with canvas zip covers.
The rear has again a canvas and net zipped door which leads to an en-suite area where you will find a large bucket shower and a toilet. The shower is filled with hot water on request.
All in all… Its important to remember that this is a safari. the tents are designed to be flexible in configuration so that they can be turned into family units where you can bring you children with safety in mind knowing that they don’t have to be in a separate tent.
These tents are all designed to be packed away within a reasonable amount of time so that they can be moved to your next destination…. therefore there is a limited to their practical size
All being said, you won’t be disappointed with your accommodation.
Classic Northern Route – 10 Nights
Day 1 & 2: Camping in the Xakanaxa/ 3rd Bridge Area of the Moremi & Okavango Delta.
Your safari guide will be there to welcome you on arrival at Maun Airport. The exact departure time from Maun Airport will be advised closer to the time, as this depends on the commercial airlines flight schedules. We expect to leave Maun and begin our journey around lunchtime where we head to Moremi Game Reserve, stopping for a picnic lunch en-route, and arriving at our campsite in time for sundowners.
On this fist day you will be given the option to fly in to your fist campsite area instead of driving in…. This is perhaps much quicker and more relaxing especially if you have just arrived form a long distance international flight.
Day 3 & 4 & 5: Camping in the Khwai Community Area Bordering the Moremi Game Reserve
Following an early breakfast we pack camp and continue our journey to Khwai, stopping for a picnic lunch en-route. The Khwai River forms a boundary between the reserve and the community area. We spend the next three nights camping at a campsite in the community area, exploring the Khwai floodplains on game drives both during the day and at night. Here, you will also enjoy a 2 ½ hour Mokoro Trip exploring the water ways of Khwai which is the most eastern reach of the Okavango river system.
Day 6 & 7 & 8: Camping at Savute within the Chobe National Park
We head further north en-route to Chobe National Park, were we spend the following three nights camping in a wilderness campsite in the Savute region, exploring the desert-like landscape of game drives. Never has there been a better time to visit Savute! The water from the Savute Channel reached the marsh for the first time in 30 years in 2010 winding its way from the North. Savute has for the last 30 years been an extremely dry area and lately its claim to fame has been the lion and elephant interaction as they come for the few drops of water that remain in the waterholes. These dynamics have changed with the arrival of the water …who knows what will happen.
Day 9 & 10: Camping at Chobe River Front within the Chobe National Park
Leaving this parched landscape, we continue our journey north to the contrasting Chobe region of the park. We spend the last two nights camping in a wilderness campsite near the Chobe River, exploring the riverbanks and surrounding flood plains on game drives. On Day 10 you will also enjoy an afternoon boat cruise on the Chobe River which departs from Kasane.
Day 11: Depart
This morning your safari ends
Kalahari and Salt Pans Route – 5 Nights
Day 1 & 2: Camping in Nxai Pan National Park.
Your safari guide will be there to welcome you on arrival at Maun Airport. The exact departure time from Maun Airport will be advised closer to the time, as this depends on the commercial airlines flight schedules. We expect to leave Maun and begin our journey around lunchtime where we head to Nxai Pan National Park
Here you will explore Nxai Pan and enjoy the plains which are often dotted with grazing herds of impala and springbok and plays host to the huge zebra migration. You can also visit the magnificent Baines Baobabs. These regal trees, immortalised by the explorer Baines’ painting, are situated on the edge of an expansive Salt Pan.
Day 3 & 4 & 5: Camping in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve
After an early breakfast, you will depart Nxai Pan for the drive to Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Passarge Valley or deception Valley Region where you will be spending the next 3 nights in a private site miles from anyone or anything else other than the local wildlife.
The length of the drive will depend on which of the valley sites we are staying in for that particular safari.
Here you will be exploring this fascinating area. With 52,800 km² of protected area (the second largest in Africa) set aside, there is plenty of ground to cover and we will be focusing on the areas surround the valleys including the south west region to Tau Pan and other remote regions.
Day 6: Depart
Today you get up for an early breakfast for you journey back to Maun.
This Kalahari and Salt Pans trip can be taken as a standalone or as an extension to the Classic Northern Route above.
