First Time Safari Help...Use a tour or not?
Aug 22nd, 2016, 10:00 AM
#22
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Thanks Fermi. I do try ha ha!
Jim - the more I think about it, the more I think that Chris will be a good fit for you. He is a pro photographer himself and most of his clients are as well. Tell him I said hello if you call him.
Craig Beal - owner - Travel Beyond
Jim - the more I think about it, the more I think that Chris will be a good fit for you. He is a pro photographer himself and most of his clients are as well. Tell him I said hello if you call him.
Craig Beal - owner - Travel Beyond
Aug 22nd, 2016, 10:00 AM
#23
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Thanks Fermi. I do try ha ha!
Jim - the more I think about it, the more I think that Chris will be a good fit for you. He is a pro photographer himself and most of his clients are as well. Tell him I said hello if you call him.
Craig Beal - owner - Travel Beyond
Jim - the more I think about it, the more I think that Chris will be a good fit for you. He is a pro photographer himself and most of his clients are as well. Tell him I said hello if you call him.
Craig Beal - owner - Travel Beyond
Sep 1st, 2016, 10:13 AM
#26
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You've received great advice above, so I'll simply say that we used Africa Travel Resource and were incredibly pleased. I'd looked at guided tours but ultimately felt they were too limiting. ATR will provide detailed price quotes, so you could ask them to run up the same itinerary for you as a comparison.
The only experience we had with Yellow Zebra was more casual. One of their agents overlapped with us at two camps in Botswana as she was making visits to assess quality. She had great stories and advice and seemed like someone we would be comfortable doing business with.
The only experience we had with Yellow Zebra was more casual. One of their agents overlapped with us at two camps in Botswana as she was making visits to assess quality. She had great stories and advice and seemed like someone we would be comfortable doing business with.
Sep 25th, 2017, 10:06 AM
#27
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Hello all.
A year later our safari has come & gone. All I can say is what a great experience. You cannot call yourself a traveler unless you have been on safari.
After searching high & low for a tour outfitter...even gave brief consideration to doing our own...we settled on Piper & Heath based in San Diego. We chose them because they are based in the USA and felt that if a problem should arise, it would be easier to remedy.
Our trip started in Victoria falls with a 2-night stay at the Ilala Lodge. From there we transferred by light aircraft and spent 3 glorious nights at the Shinde Camp in Botswana. We had daily safaris, boat trips with fishing, and a Mokoro ride at dawn...which is a 2-person canoe. Our guides Bunolo & Relax, were superb, knowledgeable, and made every effort to get close to a wide variety of game. The entire staff at Shinde made us feel welcome, kept us well fed, and made us feel like we had know them our entire lives.
From Shinde, another short, light-airplane flight brought us to Machaba Camp for a 2-night stay. We were fortunate to have Sean as our guide. I was again amazed at the knowledge these professional guides have. From reading tracks to reading the terrain, Sean was eager to find game we hadn't seen in Shinde. The Machaba staff took great care of us. There was always, food, drink and a welcoming committee every time we returned to camp.
From Machaba, we took another light-aircraft flight to Maun, where we were met by our guide, Poppi, who transported us to the Meno a Kwena camp for a 2-night stay. This camp was the most camp-like of the 3 we stayed at. While the tents were luxurious and the meals superb, it just felt more like a "camp". The camp sits on a cliff overlooking the Boteti River. Literally, from your bed, you can watch elephants & zebras watering at the river below you. We took a day-long safari through the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Then it was back to camp for our last evening on safari.
The next day we traveled back to Maun, and boarded a commercial flight to Cape Town. We had 2 nights in Cape Town and 1 night at the Mont Rochelle Hotel in the Franschhoek Valley...which is the wine country of South Africa. Cape Town is a modern, upscale, vibrant city that shouldn't be missed if you travel to South Africa.
While it felt good to wash the safari dust off, and settle into regular rooms, it also left us feeling somber that we were no longer bouncing through the desert in search of wild game. From there it was a long flight home.
Africa sticks with you, and you quickly develop a love for it. The people, the animals, the respect they have for each other. It's truly a life-changing experience.
If you are thinking of going...go! If you are based in the USA, give a call to Chris or Emily at Piper & Heath in San Diego, CA. Even if you don't use their services, they offer a wealth of knowledge.
Go on safari. Put it on your bucket list.
A year later our safari has come & gone. All I can say is what a great experience. You cannot call yourself a traveler unless you have been on safari.
After searching high & low for a tour outfitter...even gave brief consideration to doing our own...we settled on Piper & Heath based in San Diego. We chose them because they are based in the USA and felt that if a problem should arise, it would be easier to remedy.
Our trip started in Victoria falls with a 2-night stay at the Ilala Lodge. From there we transferred by light aircraft and spent 3 glorious nights at the Shinde Camp in Botswana. We had daily safaris, boat trips with fishing, and a Mokoro ride at dawn...which is a 2-person canoe. Our guides Bunolo & Relax, were superb, knowledgeable, and made every effort to get close to a wide variety of game. The entire staff at Shinde made us feel welcome, kept us well fed, and made us feel like we had know them our entire lives.
From Shinde, another short, light-airplane flight brought us to Machaba Camp for a 2-night stay. We were fortunate to have Sean as our guide. I was again amazed at the knowledge these professional guides have. From reading tracks to reading the terrain, Sean was eager to find game we hadn't seen in Shinde. The Machaba staff took great care of us. There was always, food, drink and a welcoming committee every time we returned to camp.
From Machaba, we took another light-aircraft flight to Maun, where we were met by our guide, Poppi, who transported us to the Meno a Kwena camp for a 2-night stay. This camp was the most camp-like of the 3 we stayed at. While the tents were luxurious and the meals superb, it just felt more like a "camp". The camp sits on a cliff overlooking the Boteti River. Literally, from your bed, you can watch elephants & zebras watering at the river below you. We took a day-long safari through the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Then it was back to camp for our last evening on safari.
The next day we traveled back to Maun, and boarded a commercial flight to Cape Town. We had 2 nights in Cape Town and 1 night at the Mont Rochelle Hotel in the Franschhoek Valley...which is the wine country of South Africa. Cape Town is a modern, upscale, vibrant city that shouldn't be missed if you travel to South Africa.
While it felt good to wash the safari dust off, and settle into regular rooms, it also left us feeling somber that we were no longer bouncing through the desert in search of wild game. From there it was a long flight home.
Africa sticks with you, and you quickly develop a love for it. The people, the animals, the respect they have for each other. It's truly a life-changing experience.
If you are thinking of going...go! If you are based in the USA, give a call to Chris or Emily at Piper & Heath in San Diego, CA. Even if you don't use their services, they offer a wealth of knowledge.
Go on safari. Put it on your bucket list.
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