Holy crap, you guys.
I just booked a “self-drive” safari for two weeks in the wilds of Namibia and Botswana.
Here’s a little background. My wife, who is an academic, has two conferences coming up in August in Botswana and South Africa. Even just a few months ago the chance simply to travel to Africa seemed way beyond all the possibilities for us, and yet here we are.
Of course, the great draws for travelers to Southern Africa are the landscape and the wildlife, and there was no way we were going to fly 26 hours to the literal other side of the world just to sit in conference rooms at some random hotel for ten days.
The other great draw for me is the opportunity to bomb-ass across the Kalahari desert in a Land Rover, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. Only it’ll be in a Toyota instead, which is just fine. Here are the details so far:
Planning
When we began investigating some options for fully-catered safaris in Botswana the range of options that we found were, well, not cheap. Some of the high-end safari experiences involving private helicopter and plane rides to secluded luxury camps in the Okavango Delta ran upwards of $15,000 per day. That’s Azerbaijani oligarch money.
Even the most basic 3-4 day guided trips were dramatically stretching our budget - a whole lot of money for a very short amount of time. Since we’re the adventurous sort with some off-road and overland experience, we looked into renting a 4x4, buying some good maps and a GPS, and driving ourselves around Botswana. This is easy to do and trucks are readily available right out of Johannesburg. While certainly the cheapest option, it didn’t end up being the best option (as are most things in life, right?).
The safari industry and government bureaucracy conspire to make life complicated for the truly independent overland traveler in Southern Africa. It can be done, but it’s not easily planned from Montana. Entry permits, campsite reservations, taxes, fees, insurance, etc., etc. are all required for the sojourner looking to experience Botswana’s parks and game reserves. The processes are opaque and byzantine. I love logistics, but I only have so many international minutes on my calling plan. And I don’t know jack about Botswana. We needed some expertise.
Enter the middle path - a company that takes care of the logistical details up front, but then hands you the keys to a bad-ass Toyota and says, “Have fun!” The self-drive safari is the Mama Bear of safaris, and I highly recommend Drive Botswana, an incredibly professional, patient, and responsive outfit.
With Andy’s help at Drive Botswana, we’ve put together a once-in-a-lifetime trip in not one, but two countries, with all the permits, taxes, reservations, and routes booked for us ahead of time. The bureaucracy taken care of, we’ll have some freedom to explore and lose ourselves in the best way without worrying over where to lay our heads at night. We have just the right mix of wilderness camping, campsite stays, and hotel and lodge accommodations, including one fully-catered and guided overnight trip in the Okavango Delta.
The cost? I think for the 14 days driving one-way across Namibia and Botswana, with guaranteed access to some of the most incredible off-road tracks and campsites you can find anywhere on the planet, it is very, very reasonable. Just shy of $4500 for the whole thing - comparable to the total price of a good travel fridge, some decent tires, and a custom bumper and high-end winch for the rig at home. The cost does not include our food and fuel on the road, but everything else is covered, including emergency support in the case of break-downs.
Itinerary
As I mentioned above, the self-drive option greatly expanded what was possible in our safari experience. Instead of three days in just one location, we could explore Namibia and Botswana at a leisurely pace for two weeks. We’re desert people (Utah is on our travel calendar twice a year), so we focused on those landscapes.
Starting in Windhoek, Namibia and ending in Maun, Botswana, we have:
- Five nights in Namibia, including the dunes at Sossusvlei and the Namibrand
- Five nights in the Kalahari and the Makgadikgadi Pans (cue the Top Gear theme music)
- Three nights in the Naxi Pans and the Okavango Delta
Drop off the truck, fly from Maun to Gaborone, Botswana’s capital, and get to conferencin’.
The Truck
Oh, yeah. This is a car website after all. Booked for our overlanding pleasure is a Toyota HiLux Double Cab with the 2.5 litre diesel and a roof-top tent, fully equipped with a fridge, diff lock, and long-range fuel tanks. I can’t wait to get out on the sandy two-tracks and commune with the Oryxes and Cheetahs.
What’s Next?
Ok, that’s the outline. Tell me what I need to know.
This is definitely the most ambitious overlanding experience we’ve ever undertaken - both in terms of location and duration. Unfamiliar territory, unfamiliar people, unfamiliar cultures, unfamiliar wildlife, unfamiliar vehicle.
It’s truly terra incognita for both of us, so any advice or ideas you’ve got are welcome. Of course, as the adventure unfolds I’ll be posting more.
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Photo credit Blaine Harrington, via GIS