Botswana Private Mobile Safari

19°9’55.9"S 23°45’48.5"E

100% (58 reviews)

Full review Our view Geographics Food & drink Special interests Children Wildlife sightings Communications Sustainability Health & safety Activities Extras

Botswana Private Mobile Safari: Our full report

Our privately-guided mobile safaris in northern Botswana – amazing guiding and surprisingly good value.

If you’re looking for an authentic safari experience in Botswana, our Private Mobile Safaris are an exciting option – and particularly good value for groups of 4-8 people.

We first visited this operation in May 2015 and were hugely impressed by what was on offer. We’d never describe this form of safari as the height of luxury but it is comfortable, clean and a fantastic way of exploring vast areas of northern Botswana. Having the continuity of the same very good guide throughout your safari is a real positive in our opinion.

It’s well worth noting that although we’ve included the Botswana Private Mobile Safari under the Moremi Game Reserve section of the website we can also arrange your Botswana Private Mobile Safari to take in one or a combination of northern Botswana’s other main areas. These include the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Chobe National Park, Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and Nxai Pan National Park.

A Botswana Private Mobile Safari can be arranged for a maximum of 12 travellers in 6 tents. This makes it a flexible option for anyone from a couple looking for an exclusive getaway through to larger families and groups of friends wanting to travel together.

The camp team travel ahead of your party and set everything up, ready for your arrival. Your guide will pick you up from the nearest airstrip, and you’ll begin the drive to your first campsite where the comfortable en-suite tents await. As the name suggests, a mobile safari moves from private campsite to private campsite, spending perhaps two or three nights in each location. On each ‘moving day’ the back up team will again set off ahead of you and have camp set up ready for your arrival at the next port of call.

Each of the mini-meru tents has enough space inside to stand upright and move about freely inside. To help with the mobile element of the safari the tents are more functional than fancy, with simple decoration inside rather than anything ornate.

At the front of each tent is a canvas and mesh verandah. There are a couple of chairs and to the side two canvas washbasins. These are filled first thing in the morning with the wake up call so there is hot water ready for you to freshen up with. They are then filled again while guests are out on morning and afternoon game drive – sometimes with warm water and sometimes with cold depending on the weather.

Inside each tent are a couple of single camp beds, which are comfortable but not luxurious. In between the beds is a table where you’ll find some bug spray both for the room and for your body, as well as a solar lantern. Lending a little warmth to the tents is a rug at the foot of each bed.

On another table in the corner of the tent is a charming homemade wildlife and birding checklist for use during your stay. Here there is also another solar lantern. It has to be said that on our visit these didn’t provide an awful lot of light and we’d highly recommend bringing a head torch on any mobile safari.

At the back of each tent there is an en-suite loo with a long drop toilet, small table, some complimentary toiletries and a bucket shower in one corner. The shower can be filled on request, usually at the end of each day. The water can be heated although in the hotter months many people opt for a cold shower even in the evenings. We found the bucket shower’s capacity to be very good indeed with more than enough water for two people to shower under without requiring a refill. Towels and flannels are provided in each tent.

Away from the guest tents there is a communal dining tent which can really best be described as a canvas and steel framed marquee. This does have side walls which can be put up when the weather requires it but for most of the year the dining tent is open sided with views over the surrounding bush. On our last Botswana Private Mobile Safari we were not only impressed by the fantastic food cooked up over an open campfire and charcoal stove, but also by the immaculate and imaginative napkin origami which greeted us at dinner.

In addition to being where meals are served this is also where guests can relax during the siesta period in the afternoons. The tent’s shade covers comfy couches. There are a few reference books and wildlife magazines scattered around for general perusal too.

On our last Botswana Private Mobile Safari we saw some fantastic game over the two nights we spent in Moremi, with the highlight being two male lions who set up a camp of their own just across the floodplain from us. Activities are primarily vehicle based. This is due to the stricter regulations placed on safaris operating inside the national parks and game reserves of Botswana (i.e. no walking, no driving off-road and no driving after dark is allowed).

If you are keen not to spend all of your time in the vehicle, and wish to do some walking on your safari then let us know. The Botswana Private Mobile Safari can be organised to take in some time in the Khwai Community Concession, situated just between Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park. Walking is possible in this area and there are some lovely private campsites here too.

Additionally, the same team that offers the Botswana Private Mobile Safari also runs the Okavango Walking Safari, for a minimum of four people. If you are looking for a walking-exclusive trip then let us know - this may be a fantastic option to look at too.

Our view

The Botswana Private Mobile Safari is run by one of Botswana’s top young and upcoming guides. It offers excellent value for money and works well for couples and larger groups alike. The safari can be tailor-made to take in a number of different areas of northern Botswana and the camp travels with you. We’d never claim this is the most luxurious form of safari but for those looking for a little bit of adventure a mobile is the most authentic way to see the Okavango Delta and the surrounding areas. We love them.

Chris McIntyre

Botswana expert

Geographics

Location: Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
Ideal length of stay: A Botswana Private Mobile Safari can be tailor-made to suit a stay of three nights or more. Spending three nights on a mobile safari can be a great additional add-on to a standard lodge based safari. Equally an entire trip taking in several areas of northern Botswana could last anything up to 12 nights, taking in perhaps three nights at four campsites. It really is that flexible.
Directions: Most guests arriving on a Botswana Private Mobile Safari will be picked up from the nearest airstrip to their first campsite. However, for those guests who are not keen on flying in light aircraft this safari is one of the few options in northern Botswana where you could drive to your first camp from Maun or Kasane.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Full Board & Activities
Food quality: Given that all of the food on our safari was cooked over an open fire and a gas or charcoal stove it was fantastic. All of the meals were fresh, wholesome and plentiful.

We’d be woken in the morning with a cup of coffee and/or tea left outside of the tent. At the main area a lit campfire would be ready and toast and porridge would be prepared over the flames.

On returning from the morning game drive brunch was served. On our visit this was a fantastic bobotie (local dish) served with fresh bean salad, rice and freshly baked bread.

Before each evening activity tea is served, which during our stay was lemon muffins, which were excellent.

For the evening meal the starter was a butternut soup followed by eland steak on the first night and salmon and cream cheese rollmops followed by roast chicken on the second. Brunch and dinner are accompanied by a couple of different wine choices and beer is available at all times.

The day is finished off with coffee and a few drinks around the campfire.

We really rated the food on the Botswana Private Mobile Safari very highly indeed. It’s not haute cuisine but it hit the spot every time.
Dining style: Group Meals
Dining locations: Outdoor Dining
Further dining info, including room service: Room service is not available.
Drinks included: All drinks on the Botswana Private Mobile Safari are included. Due to limited storage space we’ll ask guests to select their favourite drinks before they travel and then make sure the safari is adequately stocked for your trip.

Special interests

Family holidays: The team behind the Botswana Private Mobile Safari has a lot of experience in family safaris. The owners have a young child of their own and with a minimum age of 6 this is a great option for family safaris.; See ideas for Family holidays

Children

Attitude towards children: Children above the age of 6 are welcome on a Botswana Private Mobile Safari. The camp owners have a young child of their own and extensive experience of running family safaris. They are very good at keeping children entertained.
Property’s age restrictions: No children under 6 years of age.
Special activities & services: There is no special equipment available for children’s safaris but the camp can organise activities such as bow and arrow making, tailor made to children.
Equipment: None
Generally recommended for children: We’d always urge caution when organising a safari where small children are involved. However, given the extensive experience of the team behind the Botswana Private Mobile Safari in organising family safaris we are confident that this is a great option for guests with younger children, perhaps from about 8 years and older.
Notes: All of the tents on a Botswana Private Mobile Safari are at ground level and none of the campsites have fences. The chances of big game walking through camp are very high indeed.

Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Private Mobile

Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Botswana Private Mobile Safari have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.

Giraffe

100% success

Wildebeest

100% success

Elephant

97% success

Lion

97% success

Zebra

95% success

Hippo

89% success

Buffalo

89% success

Spotted Hyena

80% success

Leopard

68% success

Wild dog

56% success

Roan antelope

45% success

Sable antelope

32% success

Cheetah

31% success

White Rhino

8% success

Pangolin

8% success

Black Rhino

4% success

Aardvark

0% success

Communications

Communications: None
TV & radio: None
Water supply: Borehole
Water supply notes: Water for washing clothes and showering is taken from boreholes at various points inside the national parks and game reserves during the safari. The back-up vehicles have large water tanks for storage. Bottled drinking water is provided throughout the safari.

Sustainability

Authentic Botswanan hospitality

Designed to carry a maximum 12 tourists, Botswana Private Mobile Safari (Moremi Game Reserve) offers visitors looking for an authentic experience the chance of living in a mobile house. Run by a young guide from Botswana, the highlight of the camp is providing guests with a culturally immersive. This is achieved through the direct involvement of the owner, as he takes the responsibility to protect Okavango Delta’s cultural heritage by promoting its cultural assets to tourists. Apart from providing guests with a personalized service, the young guide also takes care of visitors’ children to ensure their safety. This, in return, offers visitors a valid representation of Botswanan hospitality. Moreover, under the careful supervision of the owner who makes sure that animals are well-respected, visitors can to get deep into the wildlife and get involved in activities such as lion watching.

As a non-permanent operator, the camp strives to be 100% environmentally friendly. For example, a solar lantern is provided which ensures less use of lights and electricity. Guests have access to long drop ash toilets, as the camp is committed to never leave any rubbish behind.

Each tourists of the Botswana Private Mobile Safari can therefore not only receive a truly authentic safari experience, but also support a locally-owned business – a young, aspiring local guide who can further act as a model for other people in Botswana.

See more great sustainability projects in Botswana

Health & safety

Malarial protection recommended: Yes
Medical care: Your guide will be first-aid trained and there is Medivac system in place for serious incidents. The nearest doctor is in Maun or Kasane and for serious incidents the nearest hospitals are in Maun or Gaborone. Please note that it is only possible to fly out of camp during daylight hours as the bush airstrips do not have any lighting at night.
Dangerous animals: High Risk
Security measures: The guide will be armed and an air horn is provided in the tents in case of medical emergency.
Fire safety: There is a fire extinguisher in the vehicle.

Activities

4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Boat trip
Guided walking safari
Mokoro
Night drive

Extras

Disabled access: Not Possible
Laundry facilities: Included
Money: There is no safe available but also no shops - so guests are advised to travel with any money they might need for tips or gratuities in cash and leave the rest in their bank account.
Accepted payment on location: None