Looking for travel agents for Botswana Safari
 

I am starting planning a Safari for next year, and am looking for suggestions for a travel agent in both Botswana

ellene

Islands in Africa ( http://www.islandsinafrica.com ) is a Jo`burg based company that owns a number of lodges as wells as offering all the normal things a travel agent does.
I have using them twice and have been very impressed with their knowledge, service and pricing.
I have also used Taga Safaris in the past and although the booking/safari went smoothely I was not impressed when I wanted to book another safari

I have booked two safaris with Taga (I worked with Mark) and was very pleased with recommendations and service. They also have an excellent website that you may want to check even if you don't book with them (I think its www.tagasafaris.co.za but if not, you could always use google).

Michael

Hi Ellene,
I used Ultimate African Safari's based in Seattle Wa to book our May 2005 Safari.
Ian Procter is very knowledgeable and spends a great deal of time in the bush each year.
I priced our trip with both US and African based operators and found the US based operators very competively priced.
I also worked with Nicky at Eyes On Africa. She & James are also very knowledgeable and wonderful to work with.
I am in the US so all things considered I choose a US based operator.
Hope this helps..feel free to email me directly if you want more info.
Isn't planning fun....
All the best,
Brenda

As my chosen itinerary included lots of Wilderness Safari places again I used Wilderness Safaris as my operator.

Unfortunately, although they are Africa-based you can't book direct and have to go via an agency, usually in your own country.

After careful consideration I booked through Steppes Africa - a UK agency. Can't recommend them highly enough.

In USA I'd recommend Fish Eagle in Houston who I also communicated with.

If you're looking for an agent IN Botswana to book with directly, I'm afraid I can't offer any recs.

I second Kavey's call on Bert du Plessis, Fish Eagle Safaris, in the US. He's been excellent working with me on our Botswana/Zimbabwe safari Sept 05 - both for service and prices.

Tamsin & Cooke (a small specialized travel company) did an outstanding job organizing a wonderful safari recently for us to Botswana, South Africa, and Vic Falls. Bill Allpress, who is originally from Zimbabwe, has extensive knowledge of all of the various camps, and does a great job finding out what you want and matching the trip precisely to those needs. Very friendly and easy to work with. He can be reached at [email protected].

I just finished booking a trip for my husband an dI and my parents to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Cape Town. We used go2africa.com and specifically worked with Rikke Williams. She was great. She started with a proposed trip, but then we refined it and refined it and refined it once again to get the itinerary that did exactly what we wanted. Very patient, knowledgeable and quick to respond.

I have to agree with Kavey and KathyAZ. My wife and I used Bert with Fish Eagle Safaris. He was excellent. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.

Like 'wallybrenda' we also used Ultimate Africa. They arranged our stay in SA, Zambia, and Botswana. They were excellent and helped us put together a trip which met our destination, experience, and budget requirements.

Do give them a try.
http://www.ultimateafrica.com/index.html

We used Nicky and James at Eyes On Africa (www.eyesonafrica.net). They were awesome and had excellent connections with local operators including and especially Wilderness Camps.

I would strongly suggest that you contact Mark @ Taga Safaris. www.tagasafaris.co.za

Although I am completely capable of putting packages together myself, as I did last year for my Zambian safari, it has been a pleasure dealing with Mark and Celeste at Taga, and despite my own skilled methods at acquiring great pricing, Taga Safaris was able to get it all done for less than I could have done it by myself. A real plus is that they accept American Express, and with my Platinum Card, I am able to basically get free travel insurance, rather than having to spend a few hundred extra on insurance.

TAGA has been doing this for 10+ years and know Southern Africa as well or better than anyone.

Good luck.

rocco -- what do you mean that with your AMEX platinum card you are getting free travel insurance? I did not think that was one of their benefits and had expected to purchase it additionally. We use the AMEX card all the time -- the way we are getting free airfare for this trip -- but I did not know that benefit existed.

As they say...Membership has its rewards! :)

From the following link:

https://www124.americanexpress.com/c...m/benefits.jsp

$500,000 Travel Accident Insurance
Receive insurance coverage when you're traveling anywhere in the world, with up to $500,000 in accidental death and dismemberment coverage at no additional cost. Enrollment is automatic when you purchase Common Carrier Conveyance-plane, train, helicopter, ship, or bus-tickets with the Platinum Card.3

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Baggage Insurance Plan - protection for your checked baggage
You’ll receive coverage against loss of and damage to carry-on baggage when you purchase Common Carrier Conveyance - plane, train, helicopter, ship, or bus-tickets with the Platinum Card. Coverage is for up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage in excess of the common carrier’s coverage.

rocco -- I do not believe they include emergency medical coverage under their plan but I will call them tomorrow. I did see where lost luggage and accidental death are covered but I do not see evacuation and emergency medical. I also did not see trip cancellation or interruption. If it is there, I am interested.