rainbowrose

hello
after spending an amazing 3 months in kenya this summer I am desperate to go back to africa so I'm planning another trip for next year.

this time i am visiting a friend in south africa and would also like to go on a safari. so i'm thinking of namibia or botswana which shouldn't be too tricky from cape town.

won't have a huge budget though so can anyone recommend any good companies that do fairly cheap camping safaris in namibia, botswana or both?

i'd also like to go to kenya again but not quite sure how to work that in as it's obviously a fair way away! i just love it though, would be my 4th time there.

thank you x

Gritty

Rainbow,

I did a 4-day camping safari through Etosha NP (in Namibia) with Chameleon Safaris. I had a great time for a budget trip. We camped at the 3 national park rest camps and shared meal prep responsibilities.

I believe that Wild Dog Safaris (or something similar) does similar trips in Namibia as well. I only heard positive things about this company in the various Africa travel forums.

Cardboard Box Travel in Namibia is a great Namibia travel resource.

My general impression is that Botswana isn't very budget-friendly, but I'm guessing that there are some options for you. Anyone else have any advice?

atravelynn

I had a Botswana response worked up, but then I thought it wasn't budget enough, for the same reason Gritty stated.

I've had great dealings with Cardboard Box for Namibia as I've been planning on that destination for a few years and will probably be planning it a few more before I actually go.

Here is what I was going to post on Botswana.

A return to Africa for Namibia, Botswana, and back to Kenya! I'd say you were bitten by the Africa bug.

The only mobile I’ve done in Botswana was through Wilderness. It was an itinerary no longer offered.

Here are the itineraries from Wilderness, along with their much more expensive permanent camps.
http://www.wilderness-safaris.com

Here is a recent report that included a Wilderness mobile.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35089092


Here are some more on a Wilderness mobile.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34821348

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34928477

This is from a Fodorite who sent me an email on Capricorn. I think Wilderness Travel in California uses them (or used them) as their ground operator for mobile camping.

Wilderness Travel in CA is not Wilderness Safaris in Africa.

"...experienced travelers and I couldn't have wanted for better company. We were all in synch. ..."

http://capricornsafaris.com/index.html

"...and they do a good job of stating their philosophy and what they do. The guide was excellent and the hardworking camp staff (6) were very nice as well. I was with only 3 other people, a fellow from Glasgow who had done this trip with the same company over 10(!) times and a couple (she was French and he was English)..."

Masson safaris described
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34684546

Gametrails Botswana
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34701244

Uyaphi has a useful website. This mobile was discussed once. I don’t know if anyone has gone on it and reported back.
http://www.uyaphi.com/safaris/bots/authenticsafari.htm


Go2Africa has a variety of trips, including mobiles in Botswana.
www.go2africa.com

General discussion of mobiles
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34866915

linhelen

Hi, atravelynn...I'm the one you heard from re Capricorn mobile in Botswana. I did have a very good experience with them and I still say worth looking into.

atravelynn

Thanks Linhelen. I knew it was you but since it was in a personal email, I didn't want to name names.

ForgotMyNameAgain

I strongly recommend against Go2Africa. Their knowledge of SA is good, but customer service is horrible if something goes wrong. The prices are not chaep, let alone enough to justify the risk.

Wingi

rainbowrose - We went with Botswana Safaris in 2001 - www.mobilesafaris.com

It cost us £2,000 each for 2 weeks, with flights from London included. It hooked us on safaris!

atravelynn

Forgot,

Since you are peppering this forum with a complaint about Go2Africa, please provide futher details.

I can understand your desire to get the word out if you have been wronged. But without more details than "customer service is horrible," it looks like you are a plant for a competing company. This is especially true with so little history of posts behind your new name.

Please tell us what happened so we can benefit from the knowledge of your unfortunate experience. Some specifics will help your message get across to us.

Sorry for any losses you suffered on your trip. If that awful plane ride you took was during the problem safari, what a fiasco!

rainbowrose

hey guys
just a quick message to say thank you for all your input, lots to think about! i will have a look at all of the links and let you know what i decide to do. i have most definitely caught the africa bug, currently my plans change daily as there is just so much i want to do! thanks again x