Win a R10,000 custom trip to Botswana and/or Namibia

Buy a Tracks4Africa Botswana or Namibia Self-Drive Guide Book from the T4A online shop by 28 February 2021 and stand to win a R10,000 custom-designed trip to one (or both!) of these countries by Ultimate Routes.

Botswana and Namibia are accessible enough for the first-time overlander to explore yet offer many gems for the more experienced traveller.  Tracks4Africa has joined forces with Ultimate Routes to unlock these countries’ attractions for one lucky T4A traveller.

Every purchase of a T4A Botswana and/or Namibia Self-Drive Guide Book from the T4A online shop before 28 February 2021 will go into a lucky draw. The prize is a R10,000 voucher for a custom trip designed by Ultimate Routes.

Scroll down for competition rules and to find out how the custom trip is constructed.

A custom designed trip to Botswana and/or Namibia waits to be won. Pictures by Ultimate Routes, this picture by Letitia Le Grange

Designing your trip with Ultimate Routes

Ultimate Routes is the brainchild of Lea and Francois Erasmus, a couple passionate about overlanding in Southern Africa. They specialise in planning and booking self-drive, self-guided trips throughout the region. Whether you enjoy camping in a well-known national park or taking the road less travelled to a wilderness region, they cater for you. In fact, an Ultimate Routes trip is designed to match your dreams while cutting out the hassle.

The winner will get a R10,000 voucher for just such a custom-designed overlanding trip. The dates and destinations are up to you and you have the freedom to choose between Botswana and Namibia or to combine the two countries. What’s more, you can even build on to the trip if you decide you want to go for longer. With Ultimate Routes compiling the itinerary and taking care of all the admin, you as the traveller can just get in your vehicle and set off on your dream adventure.

Do you dream of game viewing in a remote wilderness area?

How the dream trip takes shape

“We invest time in getting to know a client and their requirements, travel style and bucket lists,” explain Lea and Francois. With the information to hand, the dedicated Ultimate Routes duo draw up a route and make preliminary bookings. Accommodation options range from camping and glamping to luxury lodges and safari camps. “Our clients receive a Route Brochure with the itinerary and suggested activities. Once approved, the route is secured and bookings paid.”

For the lucky winner, the full R10,000 will go toward trip costs: campsites, accommodation, park fees, activities, etc. Ultimate Routes is sponsoring all the administrative costs. The winner will receive a comprehensive Trip Itinerary with booking vouchers along with daily route maps. Maps are built in Garmin BaseCamp with Tracks4Africa maps, naturally!

Unforgettable experiences in Botswana and Namibia

Which gems in Botswana and Namibia do they recommend? Lea and Francois say there are simply too many to describe. “We urge clients to select focus areas so they don’t find themselves rushing from A to B to C and not truly experiencing the beautiful landscapes, game, history and culture.”

These are some of the not-to-be-missed destinations, according to Ultimate Routes. “They are best explored in combinations of no more than two or three at a time, depending on the time available.”

Draw on Lea and Francois Erasmus’ insider knowledge to compile a dream trip.

Namibia highlights

Southern Namibia: German hospitality and the quaint culture of Lüderitz and Kolmanskop ghost town), Fish River Canyon and the red dunes of Sossusvlei. A lovely road-tripping destination with many adventure activities available.

Central Namibia: Birding on the Walvis Bay coastline, German hospitality and cuisine in Swakopmund, the Namib-Naukluft National Park with deserted moon landscape and the impressive granite extrusions of the Spitzkoppe.

Northern Namibia: Rocky mountains and dry riverbeds of Kaokoland, Marienfluss and Epupa Falls, desert-adapted game of the Damaraland and Etosha National Park.

Caprivi Strip: Quieter game reserves of the Caprivi, tiger fishing on the Zambezi, exploring the route of three rivers (Kavango, Kwando and Zambezi) in lush reserves with grassy floodplains and scatterings of tree islands.

Etosha National Park offers the chance to view desert-adapted wildlife.

Botswana highlights

Northern Botswana: Wilderness camps in the Moremi Game Reserve, Khwai River camping, the big game experience of Chobe National Park and river cruising on the Chobe River. Day visits to Victoria Falls recommended from here too.

Central Botswana: Central Kalahari Game Reserve with pristine Kalahari veld, roaming game and wilderness camps, Baines’ Baobabs and Nxai Pan National Park for the annual zebra migration in summer, Kubu Island for salt pan island camping and migratory birds at Nata Bird Sanctuary.

Southern Kalahari: Kgalagadi camping, isolated wilderness camps and the chance to see the black-maned lions along with other Kalahari wildlife and birds.

The incomparable Okavango Delta is a bucket list tick.

For an overland trip to either Namibia or Botswana, the Tracks4Africa Self-Drive Guide Books are unmissable. Not only are they packed with information on these countries’ top destinations, they also carry a wealth of advice on vehicle preparation and red tape.

Also read: Namibia and Botswana Grand Tour

Winner of the custom trip

This competition has closed. The winner of the custom trip with Ultimate Routes is Sonja Deetlefs, who bought a Botswana Self-Drive Guide. Something tells us where she’ll be heading on her adventure.

Competition rules and terms

  1. This competition applies only to purchases of the Tracks4Africa Botswana Self-Drive Guide Book and the Tracks4Africa Namibia Self-Drive Guide Book from the Tracks4Africa online shop. This includes bundled product i.e. Botswana and Namibia book combo, as well as Botswana/Namibia book and map combo.
  2. The competition is not open to employees and their family members of Tracks4Africa, Ultimate Routes and their promotion agencies.
  3. The competition runs from 10 December 2020 to 28 February 2021. Only online purchases made in this period will be considered eligible.
  4. A winner will be randomly selected and informed by email in the first week of March. The winner’s name will be published on the Tracks4Africa blogsite.
  5. The winner has a year (until 28 February 2022) to contact Ultimate Routes and finalise their custom trip for travel in 2021 or 2022. Bookings and routes are subsequent to availability of camps/lodges, etc.
  6. Ultimate Routes is not a tour guide, but a planner. This is a self-drive holiday and the winner will be responsible for their own food and fuel costs, as well as associated costs such as visas, travel insurance, etc. The R10,000 will be used to book accommodation and activities in consultation with the winner.
  7. The winner will receive a comprehensive Trip Itinerary with booking vouchers (proof of paid accommodation/activity), along with daily route maps.

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