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Unique, varied and dramatic destinations that safari dreams are made of!

The Moremi Game Reserve, Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, the Savuti, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, and the Makgadikgadi Pans, these are destinations that safari dreams are made of! Their unique, varied and dramatic ecosystems are all on offer and you can explore them exclusively with flexibility, from a private mobile camp.

The rationale for having a private mobile is that one can locate it in the very best wildlife areas. There is nothing better than sitting on the veranda of your tent with a book or a pair of binoculars, gazing out over the tranquil scene of wildlife grazing all around the camp and in front of you, seemingly unperturbed by your presence.

Where are the best camps located?

The Okavango Delta is one of the most unique ecosystems in the world, with a vast network of channels and lagoons. Depending on the location, some are water-filled all year round, or some are filled seasonally as the floods rise. It is the largest inland delta in Africa, where the water from the Kunene River in the Angolan Highlands flows into the Kalahari sand rather than into the ocean.

Botswana

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The Explorations Company, where no two journeys have ever been the same

Abutting this there are private concessions where one can have a luxury mobile camp set up along the side of a river. This camp is exclusively for you and your party for anything from a single night through to a longer stay depending on your interests.

As this is a private concession you can take safaris on foot with your expert guide, as well as mokoro (dug-out canoe) safaris along the shallow waterways and boat safaris to see wildlife drinking from the waters. If you are staying several nights, allow us to arrange an adventure for you, where you head out with your guide for a fly-camping experience beneath the stars!  Meanwhile the staff will move the camp to a new location to allow you more variety of landscape and wildlife. Return to the camp for a few more nights to explore the new area.

You have private use of the camp along with private chef, private guide, private vehicles and a phenomenal experience! Activities are flexible according to your wishes.

The Moremi Game Reserve is one of the finest wildlife regions in all of Botswana, lying on the eastern side of the Delta. It is renowned for its wild dog population (Africa’s most elusive and most efficient predator), elephant, buffalo, leopard and lion. There are also rhino now in this region which have been introduced.

There is a huge diversity of vegetation in this reserve which attracts such a vast array of animals and makes this area beautiful and interesting. These range from savannah grasslands, to palm-covered islands, to deep pans and lily covered waterways, woodland and mopane and acacia forests.

There is a variety of luxury mobile camps on offer to suit all tastes. Naturally, you have the very finest guide accompanying you, revealing in great detail the breathtaking landscape and all the magic that occurs within it. One can either have the camp set up within the Moremi Game Reserve itself, where the daily activities revolve around game drives each day, with each day promising and delivering an entirely different experience, or in a private conservancy if you would like to walk as well. There are also options to take mokoro or boat safaris.

This is the finest way of having a totally private, yet active mobile safari. Being in a private concession means that we can arrange as little or as much walking as you would like. There are also exclusive use, static camps in the Okavango Delta where one remains in one location, and the activities on offer include game viewing on foot, by boat, on horseback and by open vehicle.

In the north of Chobe National Park, one can escape the well-worn tourist trails (which can become very crowded) and have a completely private safari which complements a stay in Moremi or the Okavango Delta well!

The greatest attraction of Chobe is that fact that it is home to the greatest concentration of elephant on the African continent! Up to 70 000 elephants can live in Chobe at certain times of the year. This region has fabulous riverine vegetation which is the perfect habitat for leopard. The Chobe River is quite beautiful and offers a unique experience to see elephants swimming and crossing, holding their trunks like periscopes. There is the endemic Chobe puku here and the birdlife is sensational, especially for migrants such as the African skimmer.

Within the national park, the only activity allowed is game drives by open vehicle as well as boat trips in aluminium hulled boats along the Chobe River.

In the southern part of Chobe one can visit the area of the Savuti. This again is entirely different in vegetation and scenery. Again, many of the elephants migrate to this southern region, especially during the dry months and one can see large concentrations of elephant here. There is also an excellent lion population and predators in general.

Without doubt, no safari to Botswana is complete without a visit to the Kalahari Desert. 83% of the country is covered by desert. The most wonderful complement is to add the desert to the bejewelled Okavango Delta, to really deliver a fabulous contrast and experience. Here one gets to see desert-dwelling species of animals, not seen elsewhere, such as the black maned lion, the brown hyena, the springbok and the gemsbok antelope.

This is also where one can have a truly cultural experience in Botswana. Walk with Kalahari Bushmen and learn how they have lived for thousands of years, how they live in harmony with nature.

The mobile camp is erected in the private Khwai concession and one spends the days exploring by vehicle, on foot, on horseback, on quad bike, the magnificent, spellbinding beauty of the Kalahari Desert.

In the Makgadikgadi Pans there is also the possibility to fly camp beneath the stars at night, or even go out on a quad biking safari or a horse riding safari for a few days.

What sort of accommodation is available?

Our luxury private mobile camps are very comfortable, with traditional Meru tents and a central area which includes a day bed, small library and a well-stocked drinks cabinet. The tents have en suite bathrooms with bucket shower. All meals are freshly prepared by your own personal chef.  If the weather permits, meals will be served outside beneath a bejewelled sky. The food is superb.

The tents are large and roomy, with extremely comfortable beds and quality linen. Tents usually have lovely verandas where you can sit and look out across the plains.

And of course, it is fabulous to sit around the fire pit in the evenings, before or after your meal, reflecting on the day’s exciting myriad of activities and events witnessed.

In the Kalahari, the spacious and romantic 5m-diameter bell tents are set up for you in the private concession, (5m diameter) blending with their surroundings and having little impact on the local area.

The beds are comfortable double or twin beds and have real duvets, pillows and mattresses. The tents are lit with small solar lanterns. The en suites have copper basins and flushing toilets, and bucket showers which are filled with warm water.

What activities are available?

  • Exploring the channels and lagoons of the Delta in Mokoros or boats
  • Walking in private concessions,
  • Game drives
  • Fly camping under the stars
  • Horseback safaris
  • Professional photography guides and tutors
  • Quad biking
  • Cultural interactions

Are Botswana mobile camps suitable for family safaris?

Most definitely, although some camps have lower age limits. Generally, we would recommend keeping to no more than three nights in a mobile camp if you are taking very young children, moving on to a private villa with a swimming pool afterward. There are rivers that are safe to swim in, too. We can always provide camp nannies.

When is the best time to take a safari to Botswana?

The Okavango Delta and Moremi (which occupies around 40% the Delta) has very definite seasons due to the flood from the Angolan highlands. In reality, one can actually visit at any time of year and various seasons ensure different experiences, depending on your preferences and interests.

The rainy season is from November through to March, but in our opinion, these are some of the best months to visit the Okavango Delta. We really need to have a conversation with you to discuss in detail based on our experiences from living in the Delta ourselves.

For Chobe, one can visit year-round with the exception of October which is extremely hot. Again the main rainy months are January and February.

In the Kalahari Desert, the best months to visit are March to October. However, for the adventurous, it is still possible to visit from November through to February. These months most definitely have their attraction and beauty, for example, the wildflowers and masses of flamingos can be seen! However it can rain and one can get stuck, so these are conversations to be had beforehand!

Conservation

Botswana has many opportunities to become involved in conservation, either through a hands-on experience or making a donation to a vital conservation in the region of which you are travelling. Ask us for more information about how you can make a difference as a part of your safari to Botswana.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is a mobile safari safe?

Yes! All of our private mobile safaris have 24-hour guards and you have all your tent crew, too. There is a fire made at night which keeps animals at bay, so you are completely safe.

What about battery charging?

Yes, all your batteries can be recharged for you.

Can our laundry be washed?

Laundry is undertaken on all these mobile camps, as long as the weather allows. This greatly reduces the amount of luggage you need to pack too!

What will the food be like?

Given sufficient notice, we can cater to all dietary requirements. You will be amazed at the quality of the food given the limited conditions and facilities the chefs have! Please also let us know if you have any particular brand of drink you favour and we will do our best to accommodate your requests!

 

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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour and catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore – Dream – Discover - Mark Twain - You can view clips of some of our own favourite discoveries here.


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100% Tailor Made

- Utterly designed and tailored around you and your requirements

- Totally unique every time you travel with us

- The very best hand picked guides which can make the difference between a  good and an outstanding holiday

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Priceless Knowledge

- Established over 30 years ago we have been around longer than most

- Our specialists come from, have lived in or travelled extensively in the regions we cover

- Unparalleled knowledge provides you with the best possible experience

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Making a difference

- Philanthropy is our philosophy

- Our founding principle is to always ‘put something back’

- An amount from each holiday is donated to our selected conservation and humanitarian charities


Would you like to know more?

Our team can help prepare a unique itinerary that best suits your personal interests  – no pressure, just
support and advice. Please complete your information and we will be in touch in no time.

As a guide, the cost of our extraordinary and utterly bespoke journeys tends to start from $1200 per person per day excluding international flights.

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Explore with The Explorations Company

By Marcela Kunova - 20th April 2017

Nicola Shepherd, founder and CEO of The Exploration Company, organises unusual trips for HNW and UHNW clients ranging from birthday parties at an Indian Maharajah's palace to reliving Sir Vivian Fuchs's 1950s expedition to the South Pole. Citywealth caught ...

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