I have not tried this outfitter, but they were recommended on the Thorntree forum:
http://www.drivebotswana.com
Drive Botswana, for a self drive trip - they can supply a fully equipped car with all accomodations booked. Seems like a good idea...

Hmm, unless you stay at campsites, hiring a car PLUS paying for camps/lodges can be quite expensive.

Sorry, I did not make that clear - this is for a camping trip - the car and all camping gear, as well as a local (in country) contact in case you need one.

Self drive does have its appeal - it would be interesting to see the country, the villages, and the way folks live, shop, etc, rather than flying over it all. I don't think we will drive (much) this trip, but I would like to some day.

Momliz - I have done a self drive in Botswana, arranged by a UK TA (not Drive Botswana) and here are some practical considerations.

We had a Land Rover Defender 110 for the trip. The vehicle was very well kitted out and in a very good state of repair for its age and mileage. Absolutely cant complain about that.

There were just the 2 of us in the vehicle and over the course of 2 weeks we started to find day-to-day chores tiring. For instance

- The roof tent took a good 10-15 minutes to pack up each morning before setting off. Thats 15 minutes less on the morning drive.
- Getting a fire going after an evening game drive and then cooking food, getting the roof tent ready for the night, washing up after dinner and packing up (and leaving stuff strewn about and not washing up isnt an option) starts to get tiring after a few nights.

This necessity needs to fit into your idea of a holiday.

The ground backup thats provided needs some perspective around it. We were equipped with a satellite phone for emergencies. Our vehicle started to suffer from an engine problem (The engine went into 'limp home' mode and wouldn't let me exceed 1500 rpm) on the Chobe riverfront, about 30km from Kasane. IMHO, it was the best place for a breakdown, as any assistance shouldn't have taken more than an hour or two to arrange and arrive. Turns out that it took 5. We had arranged a rendezvous at Chobe River Lodge and the rescue mechanic arrived 2.5 hours after the planned time. The 30km I had to drive to get to Chobe was the most stressful drive of my life. I didnt want to be speeding in the bush, but needed the assurance that I'd be able to accelerate out of an elephant charge or similar.

Public campsites standards (Khwai, Xakanaka, Ihaha) are quite poor. Savuti was an exception.

Would I do it again - If I had 2 more people and another vehicle travelling with me, then I'd be willing to seriously look into it.

The money saved in my opinion isnt necessarily worth it. A private mobile safari might actually offer better value for money for similar money.

Email me if you have questions.

I have been toying with such an idea. Really think the 2 vehicles with 4 or five persons together is the best option. One thng to consider is taking along a helper/guide/cook. Im sure such people exist in Bots, jus need to find them... maybe he could do a bit of the driving too. I have a friend from Sri Lanka who works as an accountant with one of the big insurance firms in Gabarone. Musttouch base with him and explore this option.

For now I have booked a self drive in SA which will like a practice session.

Regards
Mohammed

Mohammed

I;ve done self drives in SA and Namibia and its much easier. For starters I am always staying in some sort of hotel, guest house or lodge and not camping and dinner etc was always catered for. Often, game drives etc were also arranged, so self-driving was only a means of transportation between lodges. Where I stayed on a self catering basis, there was always a permanent structure with a comfortable bed to return to.

Self driving in Botswana is a whole different animal.

we have gone on many camping trips here in the states, and it is more work than I care to do these days. Plus my aging body prefers a bed at night...
But, we did used to love it, and many people still do.
That's unfortunate about the quality of the campsites. Just because it's cheaper doesn't mean there shouldn't be value.

Hi "amolkarnik"

Thanks your reply and it is very re assuring about SA, where I too am staying in Kruger lodges adn then in B&B's all the way to CT.

However I was "born free" and need to explore the wild unknown so Bots is on my mind and I can't afford the crazy prices for the lodges, so I don't know how but one day I will!

amolkarnik
Don't quite know how to respond to what you said in the posts above. You obviously need to be catered to. There are so many of us that enjoy self drives and can get out of bed 15 minutes earlier for game drives, , set up a rooftop tent quickly so it isn't an issue-I do my ezi awn in 3minutes, and doing the selfcatering thing is all part of the romance-- especially the campfire. Although I will admit that its obvious that Bots Parks doesn't much care for us apparently, with the condition of those abulutions.

Mohammed
search 'scubatv' posts and that will give you a lot of information on Botswana selfdrive. There are so many ways to make a safari inexpensive in botswana. I often stay at inexpensive hotels, guest houses, and chalets enroute, too. If there is a group, I even have found places where it is cheaper then camping occasionally.

luangwablondes - I didnt say I wouldnt do it again or that I didnt enjoy it. I love the freedon of self-driving. Having someone to share the effort of cleaning, cooking etc would have in hindsight made for a much more relaxing and enjoyable experience.

I do envy South Africans who are able to hitch a trailer to their 4*4's and travel in groups. Anyone on here up for a group 4*4 trip?

Hi we went with Safari Drive and they were excellent.

For more info and detail including all the stuff that came with our camping-equipped Landrover, see our trip report at http://wilddogsandenglishmen.wordpress.com

The detailed PDF gives the full details, you can download it from the site.

Hi Momliz
I couldn't recommend a self-drive trip more, we absolutely loved it, and Botswana is challenging, but that's part of the fun. My husband and I came to really enjoy the daily routine tasks, we came away having really 'got back to basics' and it definitely made us closer because you have to work well as a team. we found it a lot of fun, and with some common sense there's ways to do things that make life easier, for example: slow-cooking meals while you're out on your evening game drive so that its all done and ready for when you get back. The campsites are 'basic' but they have everything you need and the whole point is to focus on the amazing wildernesses you're staying in with as least impact on them as possible. However self-drive in Bots is challenging and I'd strongly recommend a practice trip in somewhere like Namibia first, where campsites are fenced so feel secure against game (they aren't in Botswan), the roads are gravel (they are deep sand in Bots), and the campsites in Namibia do have incredible facilities, the ones in Etosha were amazing - but consequently are much busier and when you're sitting by a swimming pool it doesn't feel like African Bush Wilderness. However we would have found Bots overwhelming as a first go. The company we went with (Safari Drive) I think was the same one amolkarnik went with, and we were dismayed at the lack of back-up when we needed it, but we had nothing wrong with our vehicle except our fridge - and overall we were really happy with the service and vehicle. Asco however in Namibia really were terrible and I'd stay well clear of them. We limpeda round Namibia and lost two days in a garage repair shop, only at the end for the manager to refuse to refund us our costs - they were a complete shower of a company. I hope you do get to go one day, its such a tremendous way to experience these places.
WD

Hi - me again - take a look at http://fodors.com/forums/pgMessages....amp;dirtyBit=1
because (although you can definitely do it cheaper than this because we still stayed in a lot of lodges and yet paid for the camping vehicle for the full time, so we doubled-up our costs) a camping safari in botswana still isn't really a 'budget option'. There are definitely cheaper places to go in Botswana, and our operator is definitely on the high end, but it is not like camping in other places which is cheaper. But I suppose the prices are kept high to try and minimise the numbers who can go, to reduce the impact on the environment.
WD