bigcountry

hi guys,
i was wondering if anyone had an idea what the approximate cost is for air transfers between the wilderness safari camps in botswana. i will be going from maun to 2 camps and then back to maun. any feedback would be appreciated. thx

Kavey

I think many agents quote the prices for each lodge inclusive of transfer... certainly most don't give a camp by camp breakdown - they receive a quote from WS, add their commission and pass it on to you.

bigcountry

ok thanks, is their way way to book with wilderness safaris direct for camp visits, flights etc? i havent found that to be the case. is their a reason why they make you go through an agent? thx

sandi

bigcountry -

That's the way Wilderness Safaris does business, you cannot book direct with them. By doing it this way, Wilderness and other camp owners (i.e, A&K, Orient Express, etc.) know how many people to expect and arrange to have a plane waiting at Maun to accommodate that number of guests.

As Kavey mentioned, the price quoted by a tour operator includes the air transfer from Maun to the camp and from one camp to another. But on average, each leg runs about $100/person. In cases where you take a flight and also have a road transfer to get to a camp (as is the case for some camps) it is all included in the per person price for your stay as quoted by the tour operator.

If you tried doing this on your own, you'd have to pay for a private charter at a big price. And you're responsible for everything - such as delays, weather, whatever. I don't think you want that responsibility.

Kavey

I think that WS decision not to take direct bookings is down to their choice of business model and also the popularity of their camps - by handling queries and bookings from agents only they can probably operate with significantly less staff than they would need if they had to also deal with bookings direct from customers. Because their camps and operations are well thought of they still get plenty of business this way.

I'd personally prefer to be able to ask questions directly but my agent (Illona at Steppes Africa) is excellent and passes any replies back to me instantly she receives them.