We r planning our 3rd African safari for our 25 year anniversary in 2027. We have been to both Botswana / Zambia and East Africa but it was about 20 years ago. We are looking go back to either area for about a 2 week trip and would prefer a tour company that utilizes tented camps rather than lodges. Any recommendations you could provide for tour operators and camps would be greatly appreciated. Also recommendations on when to travel would be also be helpful (we were in Botswana in Nov and EA in June). Thx, Jim S. Chicago
Posted by
Indiana
1087 posts
We just used Travel Beyond, and were very pleased with the service and experiences that they provided. https://travelbeyond.com/
Posted by
9329 posts
We did a fantastic safari tour in Kenya and Tanzania a couple of years ago with Good Earth Tours.
We did it in early August during "The Great Migration." This is the best time for such a safari, it is when many thousands of wildebeests migrate from Tanzania to northern Kenya. They have to cross several rivers and that is special.
Our safari included a tour of Nairobi and stays in five star hotels as well as top rated hotels or tented camps.
Tented Camps are used twice during our tour. While in those camps, you can't leave your double tented lodge at night without calling for escorts that have powerful lights and weapons. While in those camps we could hear the sounds of the wildlife outside, mostly zebras and wildebeests.
Good Earth's prices were great.
It is best to compare at least three before choosing. I compared about 10 before picking ours.
Posted by
Tennessee
1 posts
We just used Foot Slopes Tours, and were very pleased with the service and amazing experiences that they provided. Highly recommend.
Posted by
new york
766 posts
I've gone one quite a few safari trips in the south--SA, Bots, Zimbabwe, Vic Falls.
Each of them has been impeccably planned by Liesl Matthews, of SOUTHERN DESTINATIONS.COM.
Ours were independent trips, not tours.
Posted by
Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico
2168 posts
I went on my first safari last year with Wilderness (https://www.wildernessdestinations.com/). Words cannot convey how fabulous everything was. We did Botswana in July, which I imagine is quite different from November. They have tented camps ranging from rustic to luxurious and everything in between.
We worked with Angela Hannah ([email protected]) to customize the perfect package for us. They went above and beyond my expectations.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
6316 posts
I traveled to South Africa and Botswana in 2003. We used Bert Duplessis at Fish Eagle Safaris to put together a custom itinerary. I am sure you could ask them to put together an itinerary using only tented camps.