Help with Botswana safari with tour group

Old Apr 29th, 2006, 06:12 PM
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Help with Botswana safari with tour group

I'm looking to go to botswana on safari, but with a group as I will be traveling alone. I can really only go in November or December, which I understand is a hot time. How hot is hot? I was in Cambodia last november and it was HOT there. I'd love recommendations on tours/trips with small groups. I'm interested in taking some great pics - am still a bit of a novice but am trying every day to expand my skills. Thoughts?
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Old Apr 29th, 2006, 10:46 PM
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johan_belgium
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Lisa,

A few little questions just before I give you my opinion?

Which are your intrests? (Larger carnivores/birds/elephants)
How long did you have in mind to stay in Botswana and what's your budget (approximately without the flights)
How serious are you in your photography?

You can still go to the private concessions where you can share a vehicle with other people.

Greetings,

Johan

 
Old Apr 30th, 2006, 05:07 AM
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Hello Lisa,

Travelling solo doesn't necessarily mean you have to go with a group -- I've done all of my Botswana trips as a solo traveller.

I've done some extensive research on the weather on Botswana for our website. Here are the results for November and December:

November: Daytime highs average in the mid to high 30s?C (mid-90s – 100?F). Nighttime lows average in the mid-20s?C (high 60s to low 80s?F). The rains usually arrive around mid-month. Mornings remain clear and hot with blue skies, while afternoon showers occur with increasing frequency. Humidity builds steadily as the rains approach. With the coming of the rains, animals disperse from the permanent water sources. Many of the antelope give birth at this time of year.

December: Temperatures average between 20 – 30?C (68 – 86?F) both day and night, with afternoon rainstorms an increasingly common occurrence. Daytime highs may reach 40?C (104?F), and nighttime lows rarely go below 10?C (50?F). Humidity is about 50-60%, rising after the rains. The bush recovers swiftly from the dryness of winter and thickens rapidly.

Early November will offer the best game-viewing, but will also be hotter (October temperatures regularly climb over 40?C (100?F) in the shade). It will also be very dry and dusty. After the rains you will have less dust, but the animals will disperse as they are no longer tied to permanent water sources.

Best,
Julian
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Old Apr 30th, 2006, 03:23 PM
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Johan

I'm not much into birds -- have been on Safari in Tanzania and loved the big game. I shoot digital, and bought a new digital SLR for cambodia last year. Would love to expand my skills. As for cost, I've seen some digital photography-based safaris that run upwards of $10k, but I was hoping to stay until $6k and have roughly 2 weeks, give or take a few days.
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Old Apr 30th, 2006, 10:26 PM
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Lisa,

Much is already be said by other people.

I would recommend to stay at the following camps in early December (keeping your intrests and budget in mind):

- one night in Johannesburg;
- Kwara (4 nights);
- Chief's camp (5 nights);
- Lebala (4 nights).

Greetings,

Johan
 
Old May 1st, 2006, 03:05 AM
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Clarification noted, Eben!

BTW, Google Earth has finally started supporting Mac OSX 10.3.9 (not just 10.4), so Mac users can now enjoy your great maps along with everyone else.

Cheers,
Julian
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Old May 1st, 2006, 06:41 AM
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santharamhari
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If you can do early November, your options are plenty........as the rains fall the big game in the linyanti/kwando areas move deep into the mopane and are hard to find. So really, as you get further into the green season, i recommend sticking to delta camps like Chiefs/mombo/kwara/chitabe. if you are looking for the big cats.

Hari
 
Old May 1st, 2006, 07:25 AM
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Hello Lisa,

In answer to your photography question: Early November will offer excellent game-viewing, and is quite popular for this reason. As it is the end of the dry season, the animals will be gathered around permanent water sources -- you'll see huge herds of elephant and buffalo. It will also be very dry, dusty, and monochromatic, which may pose problems (both practical and aesthetic) for photography.

I'm also a fairly serious amateur wildlife photographer, and personally I would wait until mid to late November, when things have cooled down a bit and the rains have started. The dust won't be a factor, and there will be a bit of green to lend more contrast to your photos. The animals will be in better condition as well. However, you do run the risk of the occasional afternoon shower, and you won't see the huge herds you would have seen at the end of the dry season.

Cheers,
Julian
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Old May 1st, 2006, 07:42 AM
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Hi Lisa,

Travelling in the green season means that your budget should enable you to do a custom-made independent itinerary -- no need to tie youreself to a group. Quite a few camps also reduce or eliminate their single supplements (the bane of single travellers everywhere) in the green season, offering very good value for money.

In general, I would advise splitting your time between the Delta and the LInyanti. Spending some time in the Kalahari would be ideal and would enable you to observe some unique desert wildlife, but will admittedly stretch your budget.

You may want to consider shortening your trip a bit and using part of your budget for private vehicles, which will help you maximise your photographic opportunities. Private vehicle fees vary from camp to camp, and range from $175 to $350 per day. A mix of shared vehicle time and private vehicle time may offer the best value for your money.

Whether you would prefer to do 2 Delta camps and 1 Linyanti camp or 1 Delta camp and 2 Linyanti camps depends on your interests. Johan's suggestion of Chief's Camp and Kwara for your Delta camps is a good one as it gives you one land-based camp (Chief's) and one mixed-use camp (Kwara) which offers both land and water activities. Chief's is in an area which is known for its predator viewing, and it's particularly good at the time of year you would be travelling. Another mixed-use Delta camp which may be of interest is CCAfrica's Sandibe, as CCA does not charge a single supplement.

People who are particularly keen on wild dog often prefer to spend more time in the Linyanti, where sightings of them are particularly good (though they are seen in the Delta as well). If this is an interest of yours, I would suggest splitting your time between two reserves (e.g. combining Selinda and Lebala).

Cheers,
Julian
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Old May 1st, 2006, 05:23 PM
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LisaNittany,

As the others have written, going alone is really a simple and logical way to travel in Botswana. It is how I usually travel to Africa and Botswana.

If you find you still wish to travel with a group, here are two suggestions.

Wilderness Safaris has a variety of mobile group safaris. They also operate many of the permanent camps that have been mentioned here. I did a Wilderness mobile safari in Botswana and loved it. I also like the permanent camps. Both are good options.

Natural Habitat offers a mobile itinerary most similar to the one I did several years ago with Wilderness. I've done several small group wildlife trips with Natural Habitat, but none to Africa.

For photography, the subject matter in Africa will turn you into a decent photographer with just a little effort. Of course practicing on your part will improve your photos. You will get some great pictures if Botswana is your destination.
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