Instead of self-driving to see wildlife, there’s the option to do a guided safari and camp as you go along. After doing just such a mobile safari in Botswana, Tracks4Africa’s Lizette Swart explains why it could be for you.
Do you dream of seeing the sun set over the Okavango but worry about finding passable routes after the 2025 season’s heavy rains? If you’re not too confident about overlanding on your own – or simply don’t want to deal with setting up camp – a mobile safari could be for you.
What is a mobile safari?
In Botswana, guide operators take guests into the bush on open safari vehicles and set up camp for them. The operator takes care of everything: transport, meals and accommodation. All you have to do is game view and relax.
Typically, there are at least two vehicles: the open safari vehicle (usually a Land Cruiser with three rows of seats) and a support vehicle. Big groups of 18 people may have three game drive vehicles and two support vehicles. While the safari vehicle takes the guests game viewing, the support vehicle sets up camp. There’s a kitchen tent with a chef that cooks for you and a camp attendant who makes your bed and heats water for your bucket shower if needed. Accommodation is in a dome or safari tent, with the option of an en-suite bathroom at the back. The bathroom setup can be modest – just a toilet seat over a bucket – but it means you don’t have to walk through the bush in the dark.
In most cases, a mobile safari is exclusively booked by one group and the itinerary planned around their wishes. It could be a trip to one area, like Chobe, where you stay in one campsite the whole time, or you could travel from area to area. So, while you go out on a game drive in the morning, the support vehicle drives to the next stop to pitch the tents. It transports all the camping gear and luggage, so by the time you arrive, everything is in place.
What is a typical day like?
The idea is to drive out when the sun comes up, so breakfast is served just before dawn. This is often a proper cooked breakfast: porridge, toast, eggs and bacon. We then headed out on a game drive with our guide. Around 10:00, the coffee and rusks came out and we’d have picnic time under a tree. Our guide tried to put us near a waterhole so we could watch the comings and goings. If the safari is booked out for your group, you can request to have coffee and rusks before the drive and a picnic breakfast at tea time.
At noon, we’d return to camp, where the table was set for lunch. In the afternoon we had time to rest before leaving on another game drive, around three hours before sunset. By the time we got back, it was almost time for dinner. This is when I’d have a hot shower to wash off the day’s dust. At 19:00, we’d sit down to dinner. Don’t expect fancy French cuisine, it’s good, old-school food: steak, vegetables and rice or potatoes. There was always dessert and we had the most delicious freshly baked bread every day.
Mobile safari operators cater for vegetarians and will ask about your dietary preferences. However, if you want special food items – say, almond milk or vegan cheese – you must bring this along. It’s often also up to you to bring any alcoholic drinks you want to have on the trip. These arrangements vary from operator to operator, so best to ask when you book.
What did you experience on your mobile safari?
We spent 10 days exploring some of Botswana’s prime wildlife destinations. Our mobile safari was arranged by Go Bold Adventure Tours, but there are various operators in Botswana. The Botswana Guides Association (BOGA) can advise on registered guides. Our trip started with three nights in Khwai, then three nights Savuti and three nights at Ihaha on the Chobe riverfront. We ended with a night in Kasane and a boat trip on the Chobe. In Savuti we stayed at the BOGA campsite, which is exclusive to mobile safari operators. It was really quiet and private.
The amount of game we saw was just incredible! Not only did we see lions, we saw leopards twice a day – and not the same ones either. At Pump Pan, in Savuti, we saw two roan males lock horns in a battle for primacy. On another occasion, our guide, Julius Maswikila of Go Bold, got word of wild dogs on a nearby airstrip and quickly drove us over. That was very special. Another highlight was spending over two hours with a lioness and her three cubs at a waterhole. The mom brought the cubs out of hiding to have a drink and we watched them playing around.
Julius explained that the mom had hid the cubs from two big buffalo bulls that were in the area, to ensure their safety. Once she was comfortable with the situation, she called the cubs and led them to the waterhole. Getting that insight from the guide is a large part of what makes a mobile safari so memorable. Yes, you may see the same animals you do while self-driving, but the guide’s knowledge takes it to the next level. Guides constantly travel in these areas, so they get to know individual prides and where the animals like to go. Based on what they’ve seen previously, they can interpret animal behaviour. That on-the-ground knowledge is invaluable.
What’s it like on the safari vehicle?
The safari vehicle is well set up for a day out. There’s an inverter so you can charge your camera and a fridge to keep cool drinks and bottled water chilled. It also has a canopy on top to shade you from the sun. Although it would be cooler in your own vehicle with air con, the movement of the air while driving does keep you cool. You might hear the guide’s VHF radio every now and again while moving, but when you come to a stop the guide usually turns the radio down.
I was impressed by the Botswana safari guides’ etiquette. They allowed each other time at a sighting and didn’t hog it for themselves – if guests wanted to spend more time, the vehicle got in the back of the queue. Our guide and others we encountered were also polite towards self-drive visitors. They would explain to the other vehicles where to look in order to see the sighting.
Who would enjoy a mobile safari?
A mobile safari is ideal for people who dream of doing an overlanding trip but don’t have the vehicle or the confidence to do it. Everything is taken care of, so you never have to worry about where to get fuel or restock with supplies. So, if you lead a very busy life back home and just want to switch off, it’s a good way to relax. It’s a true holiday – you’re not busy setting up camp, cooking or cleaning.
If you want to take photographs, it’s the way to go. When you’re the one driving and navigating, your hands are always busy. But when you sit on the back of the vehicle, you have your camera in your hands all the time. This makes it much easier to get good photographs. The guides are well trained and know to put the sun behind the vehicle for photographs. They also switch off the vehicle, so you don’t have to contend with the vibration.
On the other hand, if you’re an independent person who likes to be in charge, a mobile safari is probably not for you. Bear in mind that you have to stick with what the group’s doing the entire time. You can’t stay in camp on your own while the rest go out, because the guide is responsible for your safety. You’re also with that one guide the entire time and if you have a personality clash, you just have to make the best of the situation. That said, the guides are well trained and, in the years I organised guided drives for guests in Botswana, they were always happy.
What does a mobile safari cost?
The cost can vary depending on the number of people, the duration and the route. For two people who want to go for four days and cover 1,000km linearly, the cost is going to be very high. But if you’re six people and you plan a circular route over a longer period, the cost per day will come down. As a guideline, mobile safari operators work on around $350 per person sharing a night for a group of four over a period of 8-10 days. If you go to Botswana during the green (wet) season i.e. November to April, you might be able to negotiate a better rate.
The verdict
A mobile safari is suited to travellers who don’t have the vehicle or know-how to tackle an overlanding trip on their own. Even if you’re set up to do it yourself, the guide’s on-the-ground knowledge elevates the experience. If this is your once-in-a-lifetime trip to the bush, a mobile safari offers the best chance at sightings. It’s also handy if your time is limited since you can fly in and don’t have to spend two days each way driving your vehicle there and back. A mobile safari is expensive, but once you factor in the costs of renting a vehicle, fuel costs, park entry fees, hiring a personal guide, etc., it’s not extravagant.
Wondering where to go in Botswana? With detailed descriptions and eye-catching images, our Botswana Self-Drive Guide has the answer. From Kgalagadi to the Okavango and the Tuli block to the Hunter’s Road, you will find information on Botswana’s wonderful wild places.
