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Botswana is one of Africa’s top safari destinations, renowned for wildlife areas including Moremi Game
Reserve, Chobe National Park and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Covering over 15,000km2 of the country’s
northern regions is the extraordinary Okavango Delta: a lush watery land of papyrus swamps, shallow reed-beds
and floodplains, dotted with islands and laced with a network of channels.
In the days before fly-in trips to opulent safari lodges, the traditional way to safari in Botswana was a
‘mobile safari’. This was usually led by a professional guide and travellers slept in small camps which moved
with the safari.
These days many of our mobile safaris incorporate many of the luxuries of smart safari lodges. They are led
by excellent guides, and offer a very comfortable way to enjoy the full Botswana experience, whilst retaining
a real hint of adventure.
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In contrast to the constant comings and goings of the lodges, a mobile safari offers you a welcome sense of
continuity, and the opportunity to get to know your guide and fellow travelling companions, thus enhancing
your experience.
Here we offer 15 different mobile safari itineraries: a real range of options. To keep these safaris
affordable for solo travellers, we don’t charge single supplements on many of our trips. Similarly, there’s
good news for families: some of these safaris don’t have any age limitations.
Each safari operator has their own safari style. To make the options simpler to understand we have divided
them up into bird categories. Here is a rough guide to get you started...
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Kingfisher Safaris
By utilising mostly private reserves, our kingfisher safaris offer a near-exclusive experience. Private
reserves offer much greater flexibility in their activities. Your guide would be able to drive off the tracks
when searching for game; look for nocturnal wildlife on night drives, and discover the more subtle aspects of
the bush on foot.
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As well as the grand Victoria Falls, the Pygmy Kingfisher Safari explores the private Linyanti and
Selinda reserves, and a private area of the Moremi Game Reserve. The Striped Kingfisher Safari,
visiting the lesser known Nxai Pan area, can easily be added on to the Pygmy Kingfisher Safari or any
fly-in safari to Botswana. The Woodland Kingfisher Safari is limited to the time of year when the
Makgadikgadi National Park and Central Kalahari Game Reserve are at their most productive. Each of these
safaris utilise small, but comfortable, semi-permanent ‘Adventurer’ camps.
In contrast, the relatively luxurious Malachite Kingfisher Safari utilises large en-suite rooms at
‘Discoverer’ camps and visits private reserves in the Okavango Delta, Selinda and Linyanti before ending at
the Victoria Falls.
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Owl Safaris
The overall safari experience and service are key to any owl safari. Despite the camps being truly mobile,
the camp is dismantled and moved to your next destination by a back up team whilst you maximise your wildlife
viewing on game drives, you’ll find your every need catered for. There are no fences between Botswana’s
private reserves or concessions and its national parks, so animals move freely between them. These safaris
utilise private camp sites in some of Botswana’s best wildlife parks with the chance for a night drive or
walking safari in the less restricted community areas. Treats such as bush dinners are often an exciting and
memorable part of any owl safari.
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The Scops Owl Safari offers an affordable way to explore Moremi Game Reserve and the Khwai community
area with a small group of like minded travellers. The longer and more involved Pel’s Fishing Owl
Safari offers a similar experience but also includes the interesting Savuti Marsh and Chobe National Park
before ending at Victoria Falls. The Pearl-spotted Owl Safari has been created to make the most of the
most productive wildlife season in Nxai Pan, Makgadikgadi, the Central Kalahari and Deception Valley in
addition to visiting Moremi Game Reserve. A truly magical way to visit areas of Botswana that can only be
reached on a mobile safari!
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Bee-eater Safaris
Although all the mobile safaris that we offer here are led by top guides, the Bee-eater safaris are managed
and led by the ‘Letaka brothers’ who consider expert guiding to be paramount on any safari. Their Carmine
Bee-eater Safari visits all the top wildlife areas and sites including the Moremi Game Reserve, Khwai
community area, Savuti, Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls.
The Little Bee-eater Safari is a specialist safari concentrating on walking. As usual, you can enjoy
wildlife viewing with your expert guide whilst your luggage is transferred between the base camps by vehicle.
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This safari has no scheduled departures and this itinerary is simply a suggestion of what is possible; longer
trips with driving and/or walking are easy to organise. Each private safari, for a couple, a family or a
small group of friends, will be designed individually to suit you.
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Stork Safaris
These are some of our most lavish mobile trips, generally using large spacious tents, complete en-suite
facilities and delicious three-course meals served on beautifully laid tables.
The Saddle-billed Stork Safari combines the experience of very comfortable mobile camping in Moremi
with a night ‘fly-camping’ on an island – followed by a few nights at Linyanti Bush Camp, one of Botswana’s
top permanent safari camps.
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The Marabou Stork Safari offers a great overview, with mobile camps in Moremi Game Reserve, Khwai and
a private reserve in Chobe, plus a night fly-camping and two nights at the end to enjoy the majestic
Victoria Falls.
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Eagle Safaris
These are our simplest mobile camping safaris. They use a combination of the private Santantadibe Reserve
and sites within the national parks; they are particularly affordable for a family or a group of friends to
explore Botswana. Private departures allow you the flexibility to set your own timetable and choice of daily
activities, as well as the undivided attention of your guide. With no age restrictions, Eagle Safaris are a
great safari option for families; children of all ages are welcome, which is very unusual in Botswana.
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The Long-crested Eagle Safari can be a short safari on its own, or is easily added to any fly-in or
mobile safari. The Martial Eagle Safari combines the remote Central Kalahari Game Reserve and a
private reserve in the Okavango Delta. As an example of a longer safari, the Tawny Eagle Safari
combines the National Parks of Chobe and Moremi with the private Santantadibe Reserve. Each of these
itineraries can be altered to suit you and your groups needs.
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Roller Safaris
The Okavango Delta landscape is a unique concentration of different environments and ecosystems. The
Lilac-breasted Roller Safari visits a semi-permanent mobile camp in one of the Delta’s most
picturesque areas – the private Nxabega Reserve. Nxabega’s floodplains and riverine forest are perfect
territory for leopards, whilst its lagoons and channels can be explored by boat and mokoro (dug-out canoe).
This is combined with a mobile safari visiting Moremi Game Reserve, Savuti Marsh and the Chobe River area,
before ending at the beautiful Matetsi Water Lodge, on the Zambezi, near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
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