Does anyone have experience with self driving safari in Botswana? I’m planning to go with friends next year and assumed for safety you’d need to go with a tour group. One of our friends has suggested this option.
You hire your own car and drive yourself from lodge to lodge and a guide from the lodge takes you out on safari. This would offer a lot more flexibility which would be useful.
Any thoughts?
Susan
Posted by
479 posts
I flew by small planes to the bush camps, driving would have required hours and extra gas cans. J
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2478 posts
Having been in Botswana last September, I have to say that many of the "roads" were deep sand. Of course, they were in a deep drought, so that could have contributed. But I would not have wanted to be driving in the places we visited. If you can determine that you'll be on paved roads or at least well-traveled gravel roads, then maybe...
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57 posts
Botswana is probably a bit like Australia, more than South Africa: Generally safe, but if you take the wrong turn in the remote parts, a car breakdown or running out of gas and then dying of dehydration or an unfortunate encounter with wildlife is something you have to be wary of. It is more the latter why I would prefer to go with a local guide.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
6282 posts
Back in 2003, I visited three camps in Botswana. The distances between the camps was great and some were not near paved roads; I can’t imagine doing a self drive. I flew between Maun, the Okavango Delta(remote airstrip), Chobe N.P (Kasane Airport) and Mashutu (Limpopo Valley Airport). Some of the flights were on small 12 seater planes and some were on commercial flights.
If you want more flexibility than an organized tour, you might consider working with a specialist agent to put together a custom itinerary. We worked with Bert Duplessis at Fish Eagle Safaris. He booked us at three different camps and arranged all the transfers between the camps. https://fisheaglesafaris.com/