Botswana on a budget
 

I have been told that Botswana is very expensive. I would like to go there, but am wondering if it possible to do a short safari or for example go to the O Delta on a backpackers budget.

Kim-<BR>Go to www.2afrika.com. They have a 5 day Wings Over the Delta for $1495.00 including round trip air from the U.S. Thats about as cheap as I've heard of. I doubt if you could fly there, hire a car in Maun, and drive to the camp sites that cheaply. <BR>That includes all of your meals and flying between camps, which is best. I haven't used that group but we get a lot of positive posts from others who have. <BR>I generally like private 2 person safaris to specific camps and so I haven't used them. Good luck but be prepared for a life long love affair with the country. Liz

I did a huge amount of research for the &quot;budget&quot; trip we took to Botswana. I thought the best value by far was the Wilderness Safaris Mopane safari (around $1800 for 12 days at the time). This is Wilderness safaris only budget safari (they focus on more luxurious options) and they use the very same guides as the more expensive trips. So you get the benefit of a great guide and a great company, but with less cost. Also, they limit their group size to 8--a huge benefit. If you book early and pay with cash you can offen get a better deal than the &quot;rack&quot; rate for this safari. We used Bert from Fish Eagle Safaris and were exceedingly happy with the service he provided.

Oh, I do second everything Shelia said. Look in the back of the Wilderness Safaris booklet, see those special trips, the prices are great. Bert said the new brochure will arrive soon. Some trips are relatively inexpensive.

I agree that Wilderness is a classy outfit. For budget minded folks though I think there are other considerations. The Mopane Safari has been cut back this year, and does not include international airfare. When you think how much the international airfare is, the 2Afrika trip (safari portion), costs about $300.00.<BR>Since I haven't yet used either group, I can't speak for anything about it but the raves I see here. It's about split between Wilderness and 2Afrika as I recall. I'm not putting Wilderness down, it might be the better choice but I'd say to compare and see what others think. Just like to give folks a choice. Liz

Following up on Liz's excellent suggestion, as another source you might wish to contact Beverley Ascieli at [email protected] and give her your ideas. And see what she proposes, and the cost. I've used her before, and her ideas are good and prices reasonable.

Oops! Excuse me please.<BR>I rechecked the 2Afrika site and the trip I recommended included the airfare from Maun. When I looked the other day, I swear I saw (includes international air). Now the site says they are in the process of posting the itineraries. Really strange. I know I saw that but maybe I'm having vivid dreams (haha). So until they finalize the trips I withdraw what I said about price. I thought it was too good to be true. Oh well. Sigh. Liz

Take a look at Karibu Safaris. We traveled to Botswana with them 15 years ago, so I don't think prices would be comparable even if I could remember how much we paid, but it was quite reasonable. The safari was just fabulous! Guests help with the cooking and the setting up and breaking of camp -- lots of fun. The game rangers were really good too. They are still in business and going strong.