This is a loaded question, I know. I am just beginning planning an African trip- most Safari time in Botswana- maybe some in SA. I have sent for books and now I need to know where to begin with a travel agent- and /or company. The people I know that have bee to Africa have been on a tour and prefer not to go that route- I think. I want to choose my own camps. Looking in the phone book seems foolish- as not RX. Help!

Certainly looking through this board on Fodor's is a good idea. Search for 'agents' or 'operators' and pick your way through those who specialize in Botswana. Also pay close attention to the dates of the suggestions and the name of the contributor: new ones are more reliable than older ones, and more established contributors may be more reliable than infrequent ones.

On my trip to Botswana earlier this year, I used Eyes on Africa and was very pleased. Nicky was knowledgeable and helpful, and when a problem arose, it was quickly resolved.

&quot;...more established contributors <i>may be</i> more reliable than infrequent ones.&quot;

The italics are mine, because there's good reason to doubt whether some of the very regular contributors are more reliable. Some have been in hot water with Fodor's editors lately. To be generous, the jury could still be out on them, but my judgement is that some of the less frequent contributors are more worthy of consideration because they don't push their opinions to the nth degree. I'll always favour the ones who are not in your face all the time and who can demonstrate more than a year or so's 'on-the-ground' experience of a particular country (in this case, Botswana), as opposed to a lot of book learning. Therefore, if you have the time and patience, it's best to make a quite detailed study of all the postings relating to southern Africa in recent months. You should come up with a shortlist of the best camps as judged by a cross-section of contributors (and not just those who post a lot) as well as some clues on the best specialist agents. As it happens, I agree with 'rizzuto' that US-based Eyes on Africa is worth consideration, though being Australian, I have no experience of them other than what I have read. I'm one of the lucky ones in the choice of agents. When I started my Africa adventures more than 10 years ago, general travel agents in my country left me confused. I spotted a small newspaper advertisement placed by an Africa specialist, and contacted them immediately. I haven't looked back.

John

P.S. I have just received a report from another Australian-based Africa specialist about his latest trip to Africa. It was to Kaingo and Mwamba camps in Zambia's South Luangwa NP. I won't repeat his 15-page report here because I don't have his permission and it would probably break Fodor's rules anyway; suffice to say, though, that he ranked this visit among his best five African experiences. He has been going to Africa since 1988!! That is the kind of in-depth experience I prefer to rely on. For those who may be interested, his four other 'best' experiences were afforded by: his first low-level flight over the Okavango Delta in 1988 (a very simple but quite understandable 'best') ; the Savute marsh; Zibalianja camp in the Selinda Reserve (which he has visited about 25 times!); and Savuti bush camp's woodpile hide.

John

You can find many references to agents on the board, this question has been asked many times. Most of them have a website, in fact I'm sure they consider it essential. From that you should be able to get a sense of them. I'm with Rizzutto in that Nicky at Eyes on Africa has always done a great job for me, and she spends a lot of time in Africa, so is usually well up to date.

Hi!!! some of John's comments stand out......, you need to quickly realize and learn to differente- book knowledge vs actual experience. Some people visit a location for a flying visit (one night or two) and make a big fuss about their opinion/s(bad and good). So, indeed you need to ask different people for different opinions and make your own assessment in relation to your own requirements.

Regardless of your choice of travel agents, you need to tell them what kind of experiences you are looking for. Do your own research of specific camps, time of the year you propose to travel and what you wish to accomplish during YOUR holiday......

I know i was being generic, but, hopefully a start to your research...

Kind regards,
Hari

Napamatt,

I have the cricket on tv right now.....PAK about to be knocked out of the champions trophy and Australia about to knock India out of contention on sunday......

Sorry to take the topic away from Botswana........

Hari

Here are some Southern Africa agents used by Fodorites recently with success. You can pick your own camps and they arrange it. You can do a search for these in the search box above for more info.

Africa Adventure
Destiny Africa
Eyes on Africa

(These are all US based.)

What time of year are you going?

Please keep us posted on the progress of your trip.

To me the mark of a good agent is one that can fix a problem, as Rizzuto mentions.

PS--Were you recently in Brazil? I'm planning an August trip there.

link to this forum's So. Africa trip report index (hey, StetR or someone else, this needs updating with recent reports!):

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34772027

Julian had updated the Southern Africa index and put the reports mostly in chronological order http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34858382

I've used David Anderson Safaris several times. He's been in the business for over 30 years and is the author of the book, &quot;On Safari&quot;. The book is a bit &quot;spendy&quot;, but is an excellent source of info about safaris, safari areas, and the camps/lodges.

<b>I have just received a report from another Australian-based Africa specialist about his latest trip to Africa. It was to Kaingo and Mwamba camps in Zambia's South Luangwa NP. I won't repeat his 15-page report here because I don't have his permission and it would probably break Fodor's rules anyway</b>

John, I think it would be entirely appropriate to post a link to this agent's web site, if you have it ...

<b>my judgement is that some of the less frequent contributors are more worthy of consideration because they don't push their opinions to the nth degree.</b>

I agree, which is why when I was lQQking into a possible Botswana trip I emailed you personally for tips

Bill

zinfanatic:

I posted a questions for a friend re Botswana agents in the US who accepted credit cards for payments on the link below--you can look at those answers if being US based is a factor for you.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34864883

&quot;John, I think it would be entirely appropriate to post a link to this agent's web site, if you have it ...&quot;

Bill, the company site is peregrineadventures.com. Most Australian travellers will know of this high-profile outfit. But the site won't contain my friend's report. As one of their Africa specialists, he has compiled his personal observations for a network of colleagues and friends.

John

That's too bad. I would love to hear about his trip to Kaingo and Mwamba! If you can figure out a way to share it, please do!

I'm not sure why someone would want a US travel agent you get the best rates using an African based travel agent.

I used Go2Africa based in Cape Town, South Africa and got a great deal.

http://www.go2africa.com/

I can very highly recommend Chobe Chilwero lodge. It was outstanding. If you go ask that Gilbert be your game guide. He is extremely knowledgable and friendly.

TAGA out of So. Africa has received favorable mention on this board.

Also you might want to see if any of the tour operators based in Botswana itself get favorable mention on this board:

http://www.safariweb.com/botswana/operator.htm

Based in Botswana, itself........Travel Wild is a local company out of Maun. I have no personal experiences with them, but, have met people who have used their services with satisfaction.

Hari

RBCal:
Someone might want to use a US based agent if s/he lives in the US because they feel comfortable that they have consumer recourses not otherwise available; because many of the Africa based companies want $$ wired rather than using a credit card; and because the prices are not necessartily better depending on the agent's relationship with the desired camps.

The agent I used that is based in South Africa takes credit cards.