Reviews of Private Mobile

"This was our second mobile safari with Andrew and his support team. The central Kalahari is vast and is a true wilderness with diverse topography and stunning landscapes. We spent six nights exploring Deception Valley and the surrounding area in two mobile camps. The remoteness and wilderness presents a real challenge for finding game but on every drive you always come across the unexpected or something of interest.
Andrew is a very experienced guide and runs a very professional mobile safari experience. The attention to detail ensures you enjoy a great experience both in the bush and back at camp." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana

"We were prepared for an adventure and we were not disappointed. Having tasted a variety of ways to experience the African bush the mobile safari option was both tantalising and slightly edgy.

The advance information was perfectly clear but some our party didn't know exactly what we'd get!

In the end we were not disappointed or shocked, even when at the start of our trip the region experienced rainfall not experienced in many years. We drove for four hours in torrential rain to our camp and arrived to find a swamp. But the local team had done everything they could to ameliorate the worst.There was no panic and when the rain did eventually stop within a few hours 'normal service' was restored.

Our time with the guide [Andrew] was really first class. His knowledge and experience was excellent and he responded to our interests, needs and wishes throughout.

Andrew was great. He was knowledgable and enthusiastic and his experience was obvious. We had a great rapport with Andrew. We felt able to make our interests and preferences clear to him and he responded accordingly. His knowledge of Nxai Pan is obvious and he was able to provide us with a useful perspective of the geography and history of the wider Okavango region. He has built an excellent support team around him and can't compliment them enough.

Their service we received from the support team at the camp was truly outstanding. We cannot compliment the quality - especially the food - enough.

In the end the challenging start [due to the rain] only contributed to the feeling that we were treated to the adventure that we'd hoped for, albeit that at the time" See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana

"We thoroughly enjoyed what was our first experience of this kind of camp. The tents were warm, dry and comfortable; the camp was well run and the staff were outstanding.

This sort of safari gives you a clear feeling of really being in the wild: listening to the roar of the lions at night and hearing the pounding hooves of zebra as they stampede. At the same time the knowledge and care taken by all the staff gave us confidence in our safety.

We found it really impressive that the chef was able to produce such a range of high quality food on little more than a campfire. The menu was imaginative, the food delicious and well-presented.

At Nxai Pan the range of wildlife we saw was not large. Loads of zebra, wildebeest and springbok but only one sighting of any big cats. A variety of birds aplenty, though.

Travelling around the pans was interesting and we all enjoyed our visit to Baines Baobabs - a must.

Our journey from Maun was made in a torrential downpour of several hours and we arrived at the camp cold and wet. The camp - which had been set up in the dry the day before - was partly underwater and all very muddy. It is of particular credit to the staff team that they were able to manage this difficult situation and to provide us with such an enjoyable stay.

The campsite dried out over the next few days but we are now fully aware that Botswana in the rainy season can be very wet!

Andrew [The guide & host] was calm, patient and confident in the challenging circumstances of our journey to Nxai Pan in torrential rain. He coped well with the very difficult driving conditions where rutted roads and become tick with mud. He managed the team at the camp well.

He was a good host and an excellent guide. He provided interesting and informative context to what we were experiencing on the game drives. He listened to what we said and was able to use his great knowledge to answer our questions. At sundown he made a mean gin and tonic.

Even though he could have done some revision on the way to the airstrip when taking us to our onward flight, we would have no hesitation in travelling with him again!" See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana

"Andrew is an excellent host, driver & guide. He is very knowlegeable & works hard to give you a varied experience by taking you into different environments.

We thoroughly enjoyed the food offered in his camp. We were amazed by it's variety & high quality when only a fire is available for cooking.

This is a mobile safari so clearly can't offer the luxury of many of the lodges. That said the tent & beds were perfectly comfortable & we had a daily bucket shower in lovely warm water. If you feel that a traditional safari is something you would like to try then this would be for you." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana

"We had an amazing experience with Andrew and his team.

Brilliantly organised and led by a man whose personal experience of the country and its wildlife is fantastic.

We have been on quite a few safaris and this is as good as it gets for us." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana

"A mobile safari is a glamping trip with special experiences associated with the greater proximity with the surroundings and wildlife. Andrew drives slowly through the areas we visited giving plenty of time to do your own spotting.

Yes there is a drop toilet and a bucket shower, but there is also excellent three course dinner well cooked and served on tablecloth, by the fire. We experienced nocturnal visits from a lion in camp, and also heard all the action of a kill by lions adjacent to the camp, including galloping of zebra, braying of the zebra and the roars of the lion. Not seeing anything added to the experience.

Andrew is a compassionate and interesting guide, and driving through Moremi National Park instead of flying over it gave us a different viewpoint on the Okavengo." See all these reviews: 13n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"The four days we spent with Andrew in the Savuti area in the mobile camp rates as the highlight of our trip, a truly tremendous 'bush' experience (and I speak from many years experience living and working in Africa). Andrew is an intuitive and extremely knowledgeable guide, very personable and great to spend time with in the bush. He has an extensive experience and knowledge of the area, and its flora and fauna.

Everything was well organised and he has a dedicated team that looked after us extremely well in camp. Meals provided from the wood fire were excellent and compared more than favourably with more sophisticated kitchens. Really just a lovely set-up in the bush and we felt safe and secure, despite the nightly visits of the hyena to our outside washbowls (!) and the leopard passing by.

Game viewing was superb and again many of the sights were due to the diligence and expertise of Andrew. Each day we visited four 3 week-old lion cubs he 'discovered' hidden in bushes by their mother and on our last day were privileged to watch them being moved by the lioness to a fresh hiding place - something one so rarely can witness.

We saw both the Savuti marsh pride and the north pride, with Andrew explaining how the prides have changed over the years with new male leadership. Watched animal activity and behaviour at the various natural pans and artificial waterholes and learned so much about the different species.

A fantastic and most enjoyable part of our trip." See all these reviews: 13n in Botswana

"Put simply, this was the most amazing and satisfying part of our whole trip to Botswana. To qualify our point of view, we are experienced campers and off-road travelers who've spent hundreds of nights sleeping outdoors, running wild rivers, and camping in remote and difficult environments. *But* we never do this with African game all about, and we never enjoy privation, hard accommodation, or bad-to-average food. You might not want this safari if you need a fence around your camp, a semi-permanent tent/chalet on a stilted platform with indoor plumbing, and a choice of motorboat, makoro, walking, and driving safaris (this is an overland safari). You might like it a great deal, though, if you want to experience what a real safari was like for Teddy Roosevelt or Ernest Hemingway. In fact, replace the trucks with horses and oxcarts, and you're traveling like Stanley and Livingstone. But you may be eating far far better, and your guide will certainly be among the very best there's ever been.

Andrew, our guide, and his wonderful staff made our 9-day, three-camp trip through the Moremi, Khwai, and Chobe/Savuti areas absolutely astonishing. Andrew is remarkable for his superb tact, kindness, and knowledge of the bush (he's been guiding for 20 years, has walked across the entire delta five times, and seems to know each and every copse, grove, pool, and dirt-track intersection in the northern half of Botswana). He would smell the wind, glance at a paw-track beside the truck, and turn off into the bush to carefully find a lounging lactating lioness; the next day he would circle into the area from another direction and find her four cubs superbly hidden in a dense acacia bush, then happily sit with us as we laughed at their kitten-dreaming yawns and paw-wiggles until they finally came out to play.

He knew the country in such detail that we were the only people at a remote forest watering hole where 60 or 70b thirsty elephants continued to materialize all afternoon (you siesta on the road during 'move days' from camp to camp). We had a superb view of delighted, frolicking elephant babies and rambunctious big males diving and rolling in the mud. And the whole time Andrew was serving lunch and snacks, tea and beverages, and keeping a constant eye on the bush behind the truck that shielded our 'director chairs' from thirsty elephants who materialize, always soundlessly, as if weightless, and file down for their turn to drink and spray and mud-bathe. There is no guarantee you'd see the same things we did, but his knowledge and skill got us *separate* sightings of all four phases of a wild dog hunt -- the sunset 'geeing up' of the pack, excited puppies, lounging grinning adults; the next afternoon the long loose excitedly-loping pack on the search for game; the next morning the galloping, flowing, splitting, pincer-ing flow of dogs streaking rapidly across the veld, and finally the mercifully brief flurry of the kill, this last from about 3 m away, where we could see the grins, the tail-wags, the sharing and reassuring and puppy-calling.

Andrew would stop and point, and we would see anything from a tiny jewel-like bee-eater to a camouflaged kudu to the luggage-like imprint a croc made resting in the road. Or a hovering kingfisher, balancing bateleur, a soaring kite. or scolding hornbills around a hidden civet, serval, or hawk-eagle. A tiny Slender Mongoose proudly holding his snake prey -- and then comically dragging it off as birds dive-bombed him into the bush. Andrew knew every call, song, smell, paw print, bush, bug, and sound. He knew what was safe (a huge herd of bucolic buffalo) and what was not (a moody, malignant solitary bull). He could tell us everything from the African history to the plate tectonics that have shaped the delta and desert and their inhabitants.

Let's talk frankly about two phrases that might put you off this experience *but shouldn't* (for most people): "bucket shower" and "long-drop toilet." We have experienced every variety of camp life; this is camp living at its most discreet and comfortable. The overhanging back verandah beyond the zippered canvas rear door of your big Meru tent (Google some images) is walled round with canvas to make an en-suite bathroom. The 'bucket' is a big canvas/ironframe tank hanging from a sturdy rope over a comfortable mat on a porous fabric floor; the bucket has a lovely standard shower head underneath, with a quarter-turn valve, and the water that comes out is the perfect fire-warmed (but not hot) temp for a soothing post-siesta shower. The "long-drop toilet"? Picture a tall, clean, comfortable, warmly-varnished wood box above a perfectly square-dug deep hole in the earth, with a tidy bucket of clean-smelling campfire ash and sand standing by. The least odorous, least embarrassing, least uncomfortable toilet system in the world.

Safety in the day? Andrew is 100% vigilant and calmly shares safety tips and pointers. We never had the least concern. What about at night? The staff hang out paraffin (clean kerosene) lamps all about. You are given torches (flashlights) and asked to stay in your tent after bedtime washing up, which is easily and comfortably done. The first night we were apprehensive at all the noises (hippos laughing, zebras whistling, lions roaring, elephants trumpeting, jackals shrieking, and a million crazy birds), but after two nights my wife was asking to sleep next to the screened front door to better see anything that might go by in the moonlight.

Discomforts? No air con? But each day, Andrew and staff arranged chairs in deep shade but open breeze for siesta time, and a camp divan in the shady lounge near the ice chest, open to passing breezes. No running water? But each time you wake up or come back to camp, they fill the canvas washbasins standing on your verandah with clean, fire-warmed water. There's an endless supply of cold, bottled drinking water; the bar and other beverages are copious and varied. The laundry service is hand-washed, line-dried, and ironed -- with an ember-heated flatiron. For discomforts, honestly, the only possible note might be that the camp stretcher-beds (cots to us Yanks) have only about a 3-inch foam mattress -- but crisp clean sheets, a lovely cozy duvet, and a wooly blanket made sleeping a pleasure for us.

And the food? You will never believe it is all cooked over a wood fire, even after they show you. If you ate this well in a restaurant, you would be amazed. Varied, beautifully baked cakes, tarts, chocolate confections and savory tartlets. Heavenly mains, wonderfully-paired and sauced veg, fresh-baked artisanal loaves, and superb desserts (frozen panna cotta in vanilla custard on our 9th night out)! The breakfast toast, porridge, cereal, juice, eggs, bacon, and flapjack/pancake/bush scones are amazing, and the teatime treats and sundowner snacks are as delicious and varied as at our 5-star fixed lodge.

As I say, this safari was our favorite. Was nine days too much? No. We could easily have enjoyed twelve -- but others might like just three or six. No, it is not for everyone. But if it's right for you, it may be the best and most real experience of Africa you can possibly have." See all these reviews: 15n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"The camp was erected just for us! The tents, which have ensuite facilities, are simple but very comfortable.

There was plenty of water at the perfect temperature from the bucket shower. The camp team looked after us well and produced amazing food from an extraordinarily simple kitchen.

The Savuti Marsh area was very scenic with rocky hills, yellow flowering acacias and pink kalahari apple leaf trees.

We were fortunate to come across a male Leopard, who started hunting Impala before dark. We also saw a pride of lions on a Wildebeest kill at at waterhole. Their presence made for some interesting interaction with Elephants as most of the herd were too nervous to come forward to drink.

We had sightings of Wild Cat, Eland, Greater Kudu, Tsessebe, Steenbok, Honey Badger, Yellow Mongoose and Rock Monitor.

Andrew was a great guide and helped us to find very young Lion cubs too." See all these reviews: 19n in Botswana

"We loved our private mobile safari. Our tent was placed just in front of a pond where elephants and hippos frequently paid a visit. A very idillic set up.

Being in a tent you cannot expect the same comfort as a camp room. The bed could have been slightly softer, the washing facilities more convenient, and the space is not a lot. BUT, you cannot beat the experience of being immersed in the nature.

Andrew, our guide and the owner of the mobile safari, is a lovely Scottish-turned-Botswanan, and made us feel special. Very attentive, as well as fun and extremely knowledgeable about animals and safaris. He built a support team that makes the the experience work impeccably. The food is very good, the tents and facilities kept very clean, the laundry washed and ironed. You could not believe you are camping.

The activities are all about safari. Andrew drives the jeep and spots animals (no idea how) while giving a lot of info. We saw incredible things, including a leopard climbing a tree to hunt a squirrel (which incredibly survived!). You go out for safaris twice a day - early morning and afternoon. As you basically sit in a car for hours, Andrew creates moments to break for a tea or a short walk.

If you don’t like sitting in a car, you will struggle, but will also miss incredible sightings as in a walking safari you may not be able to cover a large area looking for animals.

The mobile safari is unique, and being private there are no other guests, which I loved. Staying in a camp is certainly more comfortable, but less special. We stayed first in the mobile safari and then in a camp - and I think that’s the right sequence.

All in all, I loved our time with Andrew and his crew, and I highly recommend it." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 6n in Tanzania