In the days before organised camps and lodges, the traditional safari was a mobile safari – as you would be driven around by a professional guide, your camp's equipment travelling with you. As you move, your camp is taken down and rebuilt in a new site. Mobile safaris vary, but today the more exclusive ones have staff to do the work, spacious tents with private facilities, and fine cuisine.

On more budget trips, everyone gets involved with putting the camp up, taking it down, and cooking around the campfire. At their best – mobile safaris are adventures; a hands-on experience of the wilderness that can reach remote areas where there are no permanent camps. However, they are more strenuous, so don't expect a comfy bed for a siesta. It's possible for a family or a small group of friends to have a private mobile safari, and for this you can design your own itinerary.

See the Wild about Africa for more details of small-group trips in Botswana, many of which are scheduled mobile trips operating within the national parks.

In recent years, with increased travel by light aircraft, most travellers visit Botswana on a fly-in safari. Flight transfers between camps are quick and easy, typically taking only an hour or two from tent to tent. Thus visitors minimise their travelling time, and maximise their time on safari. Using short flights you can hop between different environments in minutes, swiftly covering large distances across difficult terrain – and come to appreciate Botswana's remarkable geography in the process.


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