johan rebel

Scary? No way. Much safer than crossing the average street, and a lot more fun. Guides I generally armed, but I much prefer it when they are not. Without firearms no animals will be shot, and the lack of a weapon instills a degree of caution.

Johan

Leopold

Excellent walking safaris are easy to arrange in Tanzania but do not traverse national parks or the Nogorongoro Conservation Area.

willing292

We just returned home from 2 weeks in Kenya. It was incredible. By driving between safari camps, we were able to experience more of Kenya, although it kept us busy. I'd go back tomorrow!

UA Fan

2 weeks? Can I ask how that costed? My 3 day trip was like 600ish.

The trip however was one in which I actually came back more relaxed than I left.

XFed2001

Hi. Am planning a Sept 2015 safaris involving Botswana. Am interested in what kind of routing might be involved if coming from Toronto. I guess the basic question is: does one fly into JNB and then connect and fly into Botswana? Obviously, haven't done much homework yet. Thanks

XFed2001

Hi. Am in Barrie, Ontario and entertaining a safaris next Sept which includes Botswana. Can I ask you which airlines you took to get to Kenya etc? Did you have to stop in Dakar or did you go via Europe? Thanks

GadgetFreak

Probably depends somewhat if you have a preferred carrier. We found a great deal to Zambia connecting in London. You could also likely go to JNB directly from North America and connect from there.

susiesan

XFed2001:The SA travel agent I am working with, Rhino Africa, has us flying from Kruger to Livingstone, 2 day stop at Victoria Falls, then flying Livingstone to Kasane in Botswana. After the 3 night Botswana safari, they have us flying out of Maun to JNB.

I plan to use award points to fly from MCI into CPT and home from JNB. I hope to get the flights on SA from IAD.

SafariCraig

Hi Susie - do you mind sharing your itinerary (just the names of the camps). I am guessing you may be at Chitwa Chitwa or Londolozi in Kruger, and Royal Chundu at Vic Falls. Where are you staying in Botswana?

Craig Beal - owner - Travel Beyond

susiesan

Craig:
Right now this trip is in it's very early planning stages as I don't even have tickets to SA yet. Since we'd go sometime between Sept.-Nov. of 2015 I can't even try get award tickets for another 4-5 months.

Right now the proposal is:
4 nights Capetown
fly from CPT to Kruger for 3 nights Gomo Gomo Game Lodge
fly Kruger to Livingstone, 2 nights Zambezi Sun Hotel
fly Livingstone to Kasane, air transfer to Oddball's Enclave for 3 nights
air transfer Oddball's to Maun, fly to JNB

I'm not so sure I want to go to Oddball's Enclave. It doesn't get very good reviews. I have Rhino Africa looking for alternative camps in that area or maybe in another part of Botswana. I have a budget to work with of $5000pp for everything for 2 weeks and Botswana may not fit in. I have Rhino also looking at a safari in another country nearby as an alternative.

What do you think?

GadgetFreak

Just as a suggestion, we had a great walking Safari in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia.

susiesan

Where was the safari at, which camp? What city in Zambia did you fly into to get to Luangwa Nat'l Park?

GadgetFreak

We flew from LHR to Lusaka on BA. We then transferred to a Zambia Air flight (Dash 8 I recall) to Mfuwe. Mfuwe is very close to the entrance of the park. We used The Bushcamp Company. We spent about half of the time at a bushcamp about 50 or 60 km from the park entrance (Kapamba Camp) and the rest at their lodge near the park entrance. Both were fantastic. As I recall the walking part was only at the bushcamp. I think we stayed in vehicles near the lodge. They also did night expeditions, although only in vehicles. No walking at night.

RCyyz

It depends on where you're going in Botswana. If you're going to the north eastern part of Chobe, you can easily get there from Zimbabwe. (JNB-VFA on SA or BA depending on your alliance of choice.) From VFA there are various transfer options that don't cost very much.

On the other hand, if you're going to the Makgadikgadi Pans you'll likely need completely different arrangements!

If you want a good place to read and get some ideas, I'd suggest these sites:

http://www.expertafrica.com/botswana
http://www.botswanatourism.co.bw
http://www.go2africa.com/map-of-africa

Disclaimer: I am using Go 2 Africa for some of my arrangements and I find them to be excellent so far.

elizadoo

I went to South Africa and Swaziland a few years ago with a friend, and we took our college-bound daughters. We did a self-drive for 18 of my 23 days. I spent a week in Swazi, and the remainder of the time I traversed back roads in and around Kruger and the mountains. I know it seems like a lot of time in the Kruger area (!) but we went from camp to camp, working our way northward, as the geography changes. Also, since I became the de facto driver after my companion got behind the wheel, jammed her foot to the gas pedal, and promptly ran the vehicle along a 20' stretch of acacia bushes, scratching the entire side of the vehicle--I had to pace myself while driving some treacherous hairpin turns and rough spots here and there.

Anyway, I am going back to southern Africa in October for a full month, this time taking my husband. We are using the BA 2-4-1 cert and flying F through LHR into JNB. (On my earlier trip I flew J on AF through CDG, and returned on DL on the 16 hour non-stop flight into ATL).

I am very confident in my abilities because of my previous experiences. My initial plans were to spend some time in South Africa, which is very user-friendly to newcomers and has a wide range of activities and geographic zones. My particular interest is to ride the Blue Train from Pretoria to Cape Town, then drive the Garden Route, stopping at vineyards, national parks with vistas, etc. I hoped to go thru the Sani Pass into Lesotho and stay at Malealea lodge, do an overnight pony trek. Then, my ambitions grew: I added a jaunt to Namibia for a week, then onwards to the Okavango Delta (3 nights), Chobe, then Vic Falls, and then back to JoBurg. I have been doing massive amounts of research up through this evening, which is why I am now on FT.

However, now I am seeing that it will be truly impossible to cover so much territory, even in a month. I don't mean physical distance, because I can fly from point to point, but mentally cover so much territory. When I put together the tours and safaris, it seems that practically every night will be in a new bed. Too much time spent in transit, and not enough to actually sit back and relax. So now I am re-thinking everything--your post has encouraged me to do so--and scaling back, waaaaayyy back. IMHO, I would rather do less and see more, if you know what I mean.

What I did learn from my last trip: I spent 4 nights at an all-inclusive tented camp, and it was worth every penny. I needed that amount of time in one place. My eyes and tracking sensibilities sharpened, adjusting to the setting and environment. Each day was the same, yet different. Also, I learned how to spot animals, how to have the patience to wait, and train myself to observe as my guides had taught me. Then, when I moved on to other places, I could see how much I had improved beyond day one.

I, too, want to see the wide, open plains of Kenya, where the savannah stretches on endlessly. But there are other things I want to see: the lush green hills and ravines of the Garden Route; the rugged, rocky hills of Lesotho, "the Tibet of Africa"; and the dry desert of the Kalahari area, near the Botswana/Namibia/South African border. Which makes me think that anything more than a week of tall, rippling grasses in Kenya might be overkill, even for this nature lover.

Susiean, your itinerary sounds reasonable. I looked into Oddballs, too, but the camp seems to be used by the low-budget, rushed, overland touring groups, and it turned me off.

Thanks for the post and all the thought-provoking responses.