I am in initial stages of safari travel planning. Botwswana is of primary interest and South Africa is also a possibility. Does anyone have any tips about how to best manage costs for a so
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Cat:Middle East and AfricaForum:0EEAA5DA
Cat:Middle East and AfricaForum:0EEAA5DADiscussion:d293d434-f64e-49f2-8cab-0ffa6352d065
I am in initial stages of safari travel planning. Botwswana is of primary interest and South Africa is also a possibility. Does anyone have any tips about how to best manage costs for a solo traveler? How to avoid or minimize single supplement costs or even being charged a double rate?
My primary interest is seeing animals and scenery. I'm okay with roughing it with tented camps as long as sanitation and food are good and a warm shower is available daily. I am in good shape and am OK with camps and safaris that are more physically active, too. Would prefer to stay away from places that attract families or are too touristy.
In these times, you may be able to have it waived or reduced by asking, especially if you are booking numerous nights with the same company.In fact AndBeyond which operates very lovely accommodations and properties in S. Africa and Botswana has deals such as every 3rd or 4th night is a no Single Supplement.I’ve used AndBeyond in South Africa for Phinda, a cheetah sanctuary with 7 different habitats.It offers lots of activities.I did canoeing--more like kayaking--and 3 white rhino tracking trips, plus cultural visits.Really great, but note it is a fenced reserve, though very large at 55,000+ acres.
Wilderness, which has a big presence in Botswana, also offers deals such as book 5, stay for 7 and such.You must use an agent for any Wilderness properties.
A newer company I’d love to try is Footsteps through Africa.They have especially good deals in the off season, now known as green or emerald season.Here is a chart to show the best wildlife viewing times in different countries and different parks. The average or poor times are less expensive and offer the best shot at reducing or eliminating the SS.
The company with this chart can book Wilderness and they have been helpful to me with single supplements.
You can also join a mobile safari that would not even be roughing it.You may be able to share or at least the SS on mobiles are less.AndBeyond does mobiles, so does Wilderness, Capricorn, Masson’s.I’ve only gone with Wilderness, but would go with any of these.
If you are interested in traveling "on the cheap", might I mention South Africa, one of the most beautiful places on the planet. If one does some planning ahead, you can see all the animals you ever hoped imagined. We got a permit to go to Addo Elephant Park well before our departure date; and subsequently went there for about ten dollars a day. In our rental car we went to Addo and stayed in the Park. In the early morning hours and the late afternoon hours we would head out into the park. We saw all the animals with the exception of the rhino and the hippo. What's more we could stop and watch them for as long as we wished which was a bonus. One morning we stopped at a watering hole and watched one baby elephant play in the water for at least 1/2 hour after which about fifty elephants in herds of varying sizes came for their morning drink. As I was telling my friend how fortunate we would be to see the wild buffalo, about a half dozen walked up a hill and so close to our car that I could have reached out and petted them.NOT A GOOD IDEA!!! We could have taken guided tours in the Park but preferred to take our time. In addition, our unit in the park was positioned so that we could sit in the evening and slowly watch some of the animals in the distance. It was a thrill. Cost:price of a rental car (easy and well marked roads) and accommodations which were about $100/night. During the rest of the trip we got to follow the coastline of S.A. which is as beautiful and wild as I have ever seen. Frequent penguin stops. wine country stops, inland ostrich stops. After years and years of traveling, this was the most varied and interesting trip ever. Happy Travels, Betty
I believe that Wilderness Safaris does have ways of accomodating costs for single traveler. We used Travel Beyond agency to book a camping safari that was near expensive resorts and actually saw their vehicles when out and about. Travel Beyond isn't a budget agency but helped us plan within our budget. I'd reommend talking with them. I have no financial interest at all in you contacting them. Just found similar recommendations helpful when we were doing the search.
I am a single traveler and for the past 6+ years have traveled with the Walking Connection out of Arizona. They have been to Africa many times.. .I have been with them to Africa twice and am planning a third trip with them to Botswana in October 2010. They are a small group, usually 10-15 in the group and their main focus is to really see the country first-hand, not by large tour bus. We have visited schools, small villages and met with the locals, and seen the bush through the Masai's eyes. I believe you would be very comfortable joining them on your trip to Botswana. As they are planning a return trip to Botswana this year, I would suggest you contact JoAnn Taylor at 1-800-295-9255 or www.walkingconnection.com. I know JoAnn will be able to answer all your questions and alleve any anxieties you may have about Africa travel. Good luck!!
I went on a camping safari with Acacia last May. It was an incredible trip. I travel solo. Most of the campers were also solo, so we paired up for our tents. My safari took me to parks in S. Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. Check out Acacia. I found them originally through Go2Africa, but you can get to them on your own. Enjoy!
Try the North African Airlines and see if they have any package deals. I booked with them 7 years ago and did not have to pay a single upcharge. Also look at universites and zoos and see what they have for singles. I feel your pain as to the SS because I'm also a single traveler.
It can be daunting to manage costs in Southern Africa with the sky-is-the-limit luxury travel that is most often associated with Botswana and Namibia. But I assure you it can be done. I just got back from a year in Botswana and was able to take some trips very cheaply. I've found the best deals are really the mobile safaris. Flying from camp to camp is a budget killer and you'll probably get an even more "authentic" experience on a mobile safari as you'll be stopping all around the country to eat and stock up. &Beyond, Wilderness Safaris, and many of the aforementioned companies in this thread can provide a mobile safari that will be awesome (lots of wildlife, good food, good people, awesome landscapes) for a very reasonable price.
