SAFARIS REDEFINED


Mobile connections


Beating through the bush on a sturdy 4X4 is the traditional way to view wildlife, but other 'modes of transport' guarantee a more intimate and adrenalin-inducing experience


Fly-in Safaris – Small lightweight aircraft provide visitors with a fast way of accessing remote camps. Most fl y-in safaris operate from Maun, where viewing the Okavango Delta and its wildlife from the air provides an excitingly different perspective. Most of the Delta camps have private landing strips with fully-catered accommodation in chalets or fi xed tents.


Mobile Safaris – Several mobile safari companies operate from Maun and Kasane. Options include high-end luxury, fully-serviced trips where advance staff set up the camp and do all the cooking, etc, to the budget option where guests do a lot of the work themselves. Mobile safaris see the camp constructed and then dismantled for the move to the next place. Experienced guides travel with the group.


Self-Drive Safaris – The more adventurous can rent a 4x4. While this option offers fl exibility it also requires planning and preparation, providing one's own camping equipment, factoring food and fuel stops, learning the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of camping in the wild, and coping with harsh driving conditions. In national parks, accommodation is in government campsites which must be booked through the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP).


Mokoro Safaris – A Mokoro (dug out canoe) is the best way to experience the Okavango Delta. Trips can last from a few hours to several days, with all supplies being carried in the boat. Travellers camp on small islands along the way. The ‘poler’, who also acts as a guide, negotiates the seemingly endless and exceedingly beautiful waterways of the Delta.


MOUNTAIN BIKING SAFARIS WALKING SAFARIS HORSEBACK SAFARIS FISHING SAFARIS


Fishing Safaris – The Okavango Panhandle offers excellent fi shing, particularly tiger fi shing. Specialist fi shing operators can put together a variety of trips in locations along the Delta’s waterways and lagoons. Accommodation is in tents or in the many fi xed lodges running along the Panhandle. Fishing safaris can also be arranged on the Chobe or Limpopo Rivers.


SELLING TIP


Walking Safaris – Travellers keen on a more active bush experience can opt for a walking safari, offered by some, but not all, camps and lodges. These are conducted by a professional guide who will point out animal tracks, insects and the fl ora and fauna of the area. Walking safaris provide an intense, up-close and personal experience.


Mountain Biking Safaris – Best experienced in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve and the Tuli area, where the terrain is suited to mountain biking in the bush. Bikers explore inspiring landscapes and animal sightings from the saddle.


Quad Bike Safaris – There is an indescribable feel- ing of freedom and excitement that comes from


'JET LAG' IS NOT AN ISSUE ‐ BOTSWANA IS ONLY GMT+2


quad biking the seemingly endless salt pans of the Makgadikgadi. There are also a variety of quad bike trails in the Kgalagadi sands.


Horseback Safaris – An active and exhilarating way to explore Botswana's wilderness is on horseback. Horses can move through rough and changing terrain with ease and give opportunities for game viewing close up. Horseback safaris are available in the Okavango and Tuli areas. Profi ciency in horse riding is a requirement and riders must be able to keep pace with the group. Some operators accommodate non-riding members of the party with vehicle safaris.


Elephant-back Safaris – Abu Camp offers a full elephant-back safari option. This upmarket lodge, situated on a lagoon deep in the Delta, gives guests the opportunity to walk and interact with, as well as ride, trained elephants. It is also possible to interact and walk with elephants (although not ride) at Sanctuary’s Stanley’s and Baines camps in the Delta.


Helicopter Safaris – Several camps now offer the opportunity to view the Delta from a helicopter. With the doors taken off, this is the ultimate thrill-seeker’s safari! Operators take care not to disturb or frighten the wildlife. •


www.botswanatourism.com 9


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12