Reviews of Botswana Private Mobile Safari
(100%) From 22 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Botswana Private Mobile Safari review
Andrew and his team are world class.
We had an amazing 3 nights with them - can't believe the number of animals we saw and also the incredibly high standard of food all cooked on an open fire and in a Dutch oven. Very impressive indeed!
Huge thanks to Andrew, Patrick, Alec, LB and P.
Harkness Mobile Safaris
Our experience met and surpassed all of our expectations. We found our guide/outfitter Andrew to be delightful fellow. He was at once casual, informative, enthusiastic, sharp eyed, a fount of info. His experience level was obviously high for a youngish man.
We easily agreed on our priorities and objectives, and spent little wasted time achieving them. That said, we did not wish to hurry our observations of various details of landscape, birds, and animals. He was willing to linger or give more info on many identifications or behavior questions. We had superb spotting of birds and mammals, thanks in part to his knowledge of places or time of day.
The daily schedule we agreed on suited us well, early out of camp and time mid day to write, identify and journal our findings. He put us close to the cats but always showed respect for the animals space. We never felt overly intrusive. It does take a minute to sit calmly near a huge lion and learn to contain your excitement!
The variety of habitats and landscape views in our itinerary brought a constant feel of eminent discovery. On our slowest day, we probably still saw hundreds of mammals and dozens of new bird and plant species. The tree species alone were a wonder, very different for us in their adaptations.
Although we had several travel days, they were great for us in terms of extended discovery. We had some of our best game spotting on these days, wild dogs and Buffalo eg. We also saw some rarer raptors like a gymkhana attacking a starling nest.
On camp change days, the crew was flawless. We always arrived in a well ordered camp. The cooking and baking was a wonder in itself, with fresh breads and confections daily. Fresh veggies and fruits were a treat, and the exotic game meats were tender and well spiced. Safari guest fared in older days could not possibly have been pampered like this!
Our favorite daily break was the morning tea and sundowner breaks. It felt traditional and gave a moment for the grandeur to sink in, often watching Elephants bathe or Zebra grazing. The sounds of the forest are like none other in the world!
Expert Africa comments
These travellers wanted a really in-depth wildlife experience with a great guide, and were not keen to visit smart fixed camps, so we arranged for our private guide, Andrew, to take them on an extensive and exclusive mobile safari which spent:
3 nights in the Savuti Marsh region of Chobe National Park;
4 nights in the Khwai River area of Moremi;
4 nights in the Moremi Game Reserve.
We're absolutely delighted that they so enjoyed the experience and the different areas.
Moremi and Savuti
I can't speak highly enough of Andrew's safari. Suffice to say I've started to save for the next trip! Andrew runs a very tight ship with great attention to detail. The camp set up is fantastic. His staff are great and the meals were outstanding. The safaris were amazing- I don't think there was one question about an animal or Botswana that Andrew couldn't answer!
The camp at Moremi was in a great location - felt that we were the only people around. Loved listening to the hippos and elephants in the nearby river at night.
Savuti was also great although there were other mobile camps nearby so you could hear other people. Loved the place for the wildlife though.
The only suggestion I would have for Andrew is to have additional blankets in the tents as the nights were freezing - or recommend that guests who feel the cold bring thermals to sleep in 😊
Was very sad saying goodbye to Andrew and the team.
Kalahari mobile Harkness Safari
The Kalahari is a safari lover’s paradise. You share the Kalahari with virtually no-one, occasionally you may see another truck, but if you’re lucky like we were, you have a pride of 12 lions to yourself. We followed the lions for three days morning and evening, watching the adolescents play and stalk. Their curiosity in the truck means they come up to sniff the tyres and flop into the shadow of the truck for shade. It’s a photographers dream, to photograph a big black mained lion as the sun raises will change your photography expectations for ever.
You don’t see wildlife around every corner, so come for the vistas. In April, the grass is long, and shimmering gold, pink, purple and white, the wild flowers are everywhere, and regularly you will see a cheeky black backed jackal trotting through the grass. You make your way slowly from pan to pan, you come out of a corridor of grass, to an open pan, where hundreds of antelope are grazing, the grass is cropped close, there is not another human in sight. The sun is shining, the antelope may look up, snakes basking on the road slide away (best ever safari for snakes), turn the engineer off.. Paradise.
The beauty of the Kalahari was shown to us by Andrew and his team, who are wonderful, we couldn’t have done it without them. Andrew is a great guide with encyclopaedic knowledge and stories, happy to share, but equally happy to just let the view wash over you. Nothing is too much trouble, no idea for the day is too hard…..after 4 days trying we even had a brief glimpse of the elusive Brown Hyena. The distances are huge , we went on 4 all day activities, lunch is provided by the talented Patrick, and the day just rolls by, you have tea and lunch, and chat, and debate, mainly about the animal shaped logs!!
Finally, at the end of the day you are back in camp, the tent is comfortable and welcoming, the water hot and plentiful. After scrubbing up, we sat by the camp fire with our wine and beer, going over the day’s events, waiting for the miraculous food Patrick produces. You are never hungry, and always amazed at what can be produced in the middle of nowhere. If you’re lucky the resident male lion may visit the camp to check you out.
We were sad to leave and Andrew and his team. This is our 13th safari, when you get hooked you get properly hooked, and this was by far our best experience, am I allowed to give 11 out of 10.? I’d like to keep the Kalahari and Andrew and his team secret.
If you want an authentic safari experience, April in the Kalahari, with Harkness Safaris is for you. We will definitely be returning.
CKGR PMS Harkness
Andrew is an excellent guide with a superb support team.
He specifically recommended visiting the CKGR in April and we were not disappointed.
This was our second trip with Andrew and we will consider future trips with him.
Moremi and Savute Private mobile camps; Kwara
Our private guide provided a first class experience and service on his private camps
Read more about the whole safariAndrew and his crew- Perfect Mobile Camp
Andrew welcomed us off the light plane flight with an afternoon safari back to camp. We were very lucky to see a male and female lion and then two male lions on our way. The Kwhai area was a lovely change of scenery to the dry Chobe vegetation.
The camp is amazing. Patrick puts out delicious food and the team is very friendly. Enjoyed celebrating Botswana day.
This was the family's favourite experience after trying self drive and lodges. Recommend rangers for safari's every time with as small as numbers as possible to increase chance of more time at sightings and moving on when you want.
Andrew is a great guide- spotting all the animals we wanted to see- this was week 2 of safari for us so we were happy to see more of the same and take our time at each sighting and Andrew found it- Hippos restless, Lion cubs, Leopard, Wild Dogs.
A slight confusion about our travel home was very well handled and it turned out to be the best game drive yet.
Recommend- check one of the mattresses- one was very firm- and have snacks for the afternoon safari drive on arrival- we had left our lodge at 1045, had breakfast at 9 and didn't eat until 6pm- fine for the adults- tough on master 10 and 12.
Sublime Okavango
We knew our trip to the delta would be a beautiful and educational travel experience but we couldn't imagine just how beautiful it actually was until we started to experience it.
We are seasoned campers. We thought we had lived well on previous trips to the bush (in Canada) but we have never had such luxury in such remote wilderness as we did on our mobile camping trip. In fact, we hadn't imagined so much luxury could be created while staying in a tent. All of our needs were met, the meals were extraordinary, the vehicle and all camping equipment (linens, tent, etc) were in immaculate condition. We felt safe and we felt pampered and it was clear that Andrew and his staff wanted us to have a special experience.
Andrew is an interesting and knowledgeable guide who was open to our requests for stops along the way. He was clearly safety conscious and respectful of the animals and the park rules. He gave great attention to detail. His staff were wonderful .
I loved our isolation at the two campsites we stayed at because of the bird activity in the morning and the animal activity so close to us at night. And I would recommend the mobile camping safari to anyone. I would also recommend Andrew Harkness safari to anyone. I would go again next year if I could. Maybe one day.
Truly a sublime experience.
Harkness/Khwai Mobile Camp
This was our second safari with Andrew Harkness and his team (see our review from August 2016). There are several advantages to a private mobile safari:
1. Value - you get a unique experience at very favorable rates;
2. Expert guiding - Andrew is one of the best young guides in Botswana:
3. Food - Again we had the best cuisine prepared by Andrew's crew (over the fire); The quality was better than in any of the "sophisticated" camps:
4. The small details -- Andrew and his team show up on time, do what they say they're going to do, attend to all the small details, and produce a wonderful experience. He also has a wicked sense of humor.
The Khwai Community concession has "self-drive" tourists who can fail to maintain the "bush etiquette", but the wildlife viewing is consistently excellent. Lions, elephants, Painted dogs, leopards et al. We'd recommend combining a Harkness Safari with camps on the private concessions. The overall experience becomes a more authentic safari.
Harkness Mobile Safaris
As we deplaned at the Khwai airstrip after over 24 hours of traveling, we were greeted by the ruggedly handsome and personable Andrew Harkness. Sorry girls, he's happily married with two young sons.
This was the beginning of a fantastic four days in Khwai. As other reviewers have indicated the camp is nicer than many of the permanent camps throughout Africa. Our tent was spacious and the beds were comfortable. Each night Andrew's team formed our towels into a different animal including giraffes, birds, and elephants. There was a separate sitting tent with a trunk housing a full bar, love seat, and chairs to relax at your leisure.
The meals prepared by the team were outstanding. Pippa, Andrew's wife, provides the recipes and coordinates the meals. We are picky eaters and Pippa managed to surpass our expectations. Patrick, the chef, and his capable team execute her recipes that include quiche, vegetable lasagna, curry, and fresh bread baked over the fire. We didn't have to lift a finger. Harkness Mobile Safaris is "glamping" at its finest.
These travellers commented about their private guide:
Experiencing the guiding of Andrew is equivalent to being a treasured guest in someone's home. Every detail of the camp and game drives was outstanding. As other guests noted, the camp and meals are as nice as the high end camps throughout Africa. With our goal of photographing game in the bush, we spent a day following the "wild or painted dogs'. While tracking two female lionesses, Andrew climbed on top of the vehicle with binoculars to assure a photo op. With his vast knowledge of birds, there were many opportunities to photograph birds resting or in flight. While we are not campers, the experience was fantastic and not one to miss.
