What our customers from around the world have to say about us:
We picked Drive Botswana to organize our holiday because we wanted a safe African experience where we could drive ourselves, see lots of wildlife and not have to rely on guides. Andy organized a great adventure for us. We collected an excellent vehicle in Windhoek and followed a circuit through the Central Kalahari, Moremi and Chobe National Parks and back to Windhoek via the Caprivi Strip. About half our nights were camping - the isolated sites in the Central Kalahari were especially appealing. The other nights were spent in some carefully chosen and interesting lodges. We saw lots of birds and animals, the highlight being lions chasing impala right in front of us at Third Bridge campsite. This was one of our most successful holidays.
I have traveled to over 100 countries, usually independently, and cannot say enough good things about Andy and DriveBotswana! The communication, e.g., information and responding to questions, was EXCELLENT and very impressive. Also, the itinerary he planned for us and our self-drive journey of ~4000 miles was perfect with just the right mix of camping and very comfortable lodges along with a great variety of terrain, side trips and experiences. GREAT in every way and happy to recommend them for anyone for African adventures
After a wonderful driving holiday in South Africa the previous year, we wanted more - more Africa, more wildlife, more freedom, more adventure and more variety. We found all that and more with the help of Drive Botswana.
I had initially been quite nervous about the idea of a self-drive holiday as various guided safari companies had done their best to dissuade me but, buoyed by Andy's no-nonsense advice and my husband's assurances that he was happy with the driving side of it, I put the finishing touches to Andy's suggested itinerary and booked us up. It was marvellous - we saw so much of the country and had so many different experiences. From quad-biking and camping on the salt pans; seeing Victoria Falls; a sunset cruise on the Chobe River spotting animals and birds from water level (magical); safari game viewing at our own pace in our own car; a mokoro trip in the Okavango delta. But as well as the highlight trips, just driving round the country in our own car was great. We could stop where and when we wanted and felt totally at ease with the itinerary and GPS to make sure we didn't get lost or forget something.
I loved the lodges that were chosen for us when we were not camping - not big multi-national "chain" type hotels full of tour groups but smaller more intimate hotels with beautiful river frontages, pools, lovely chalets, pleasant staff and interesting fellow guests including monkeys, bushbucks and mongoose! I loved the fact that our pre-paid excursions were similarly small and personal. On the river cruise, there were 4 of us on a small boat which could nip ahead of the huge behemoths crowded with 40 or more tourists! On the salt pans we were incredibly lucky to be the only guests out on the pan with a guide and chef to look after us!
Self-driving is the way to go. We were able to sit and watch 3 lionesses long after the lodge vehicles had taken their regulation 10 shots and moved on and, when we were the only car there, they woke up, walked around, played with each other, groomed, walked right past us to go to the waterhole - basically put on our own private lion show. It was gorgeous and we still refer to them as "our" lionesses! It was, quite simply, our best ever holiday.
We had been planning a self-drive safari in Botswana for several years. We first tried to organise it by ourselves, but soon realised that it was challenge. We thought that a organised trip with a tour operator would be much too expensive. This was an mistake. As we began to get discouraged, fortunately we found the Drive Botswana website and emailed with a quotation request. The next day we had a suggestion for an itinerary. We modified it over the next month and had all bookings made for a really fantastic and consistent itinerary. Each campsite Drive Botswana booked for us was the best situated, the different activities he organized were all very interesting, such things that we never would have done by ourselves. All of their advice was very relevant. We could even contact them during the trip to ask about road conditions.
I and my fiancee had been trying for many years to arrange a self-drive trip in Botswana, after many other self-drive experiences in Africa. Too expensive, too dangerous, difficulties to book parks and campsites, etc. In August 2008 we made it, thanks to Drive Botswana and an accurate preparation! The Botswana experience is a unique-in-a-life one! Ours exceeded any best expectations. Wonderful country, incredibly friendly people, extremely safe, astonishing game, and not crowded. There are places to leave the heart, people to give the heart to, an excuse to go again soon and regain your heart! And all the fear vanished, thanks to the excellent support from Drive Botswana and the accurate preparation. Not extremely expensive, absolutely safe if you know what to do/not to do, relaxing if you are well prepared. So we made our 5000 km around Botswana at the best! Andy and the Drive Botswana staff made an excellent job for safely making our dream to become a reality. Extremely competent, warm, honest, knowing Botswana from direct experiences, supportive for any needs, questions, observations and doubts …a safe reliable back up for any possible inconvenience out there in the bush. Very well conceived itinerary, perfectly fitting what we expected and wanted to go/see. Definitively, Drive Botswana is the reliable choice for who wants to safely experience Botswana at its best!.....
We had a truly memorable and incredible adventure thanks to Andy and the Drive Botswana team. It is not often you take a holiday and spend weeks and weeks afterwards wishing you were back out there. The preparation of a tailor made route for us that accommodated all of our requests was excellent, and we were left in no doubt that the organisation overall was first class.
We had a great balance of camping combined with the odd night of luxury in some exceptional tented camps and lodges that were hand selected for us by Drive Botswana. The experience of Botswana is one you can't forget and we were rewarded with an abundance of wildlife throughout our 2 week tour of the country. The roads take some getting used to, but after a while you really do feel like a wild adventurer, and have some of the skills to go with it.
The closeness that a self drive brings to wildlife cannot be overstated and makes it so special.... sometimes you find the lion or the elephant that nobody else has seen and nobody else is likely to see. You are the driver, the tracker and the film crew and it is really quite exciting at times. The nights are the real highlight when you are sitting around your camp fire reminiscing about the great things you saw that day or are just watching the stars or sometimes the animals from the rooftop tent. We would recommend the Drive Botswana experience to anybody!
Our experience with Drive Botswana has been very positive. Andy was very helpful recommending the itinerary that fitted best with our interests and taking care of all the reservations, maps and directions. Very soon we realised Drive Botswana is a company to trust. The trip was a memorable adventurous for us: Meno Kwena, Deception Valley in Central Kalahari, Makgadikgadi Pans, Victoria Falls, BwaBwata in Namibia’s Caprivi strip, Chobe, Ihaha, Linyanti, Savuti and Khwai (a very special tented camp). We had some minor problems and Andy was available to help us. Altogether an unforgettable trip.
It is not supposed to rain in Botswana in June. At least it hadn't in 60 years. Call it global climate change or just plain bad luck but we copped it bucketing down and apart from being fascinating seeing the beautiful Botswana bush in the rain, we were soaked through along with all our gear, and to cap it off we had a small vehicle problem. Drive Botswana to the rescue, and I am talking full response with organising a base to dry out and wait for the more usual sunshine and warmth for which Botswana is so well known. It turned a potential disaster into a pretty good laugh. Knowing the support was there was a tremendous benefit to us as we made our way through Botswana and southern Zambia. In addition, the advisories on our chosen routes were first class and the suggested things to see off the beaten track showed that Drive Botswana know their country well, and they know what folks like us want to see. For the traveller who wants to do the business independently but have a professional and caring back up to smooth the odd hurdle, we cannot recommend Drive Botswana highly enough. A first class operation from the first contact to the end of our 5 week trip.
It has been a life time ambition to visit Botswana and view its wonderful wildlife at close hand. After leaving it rather late to book, we decided to leave it in the hands of Drive Botswana to see if they could arrange a suitable itinerary for us, we were not disappointed. Andy and the team at Drive Botswana organised perfection. Everything was outstanding, from the fully equipped off road vehicle, luxury lodges, camp sites, accurate directions and finest details of all the maps. The balance between luxury lodging and wilderness camping was just right, giving us an altogether fantastic time. Botswana itself was spectacular with wonderful scenery, marvellous people and tremendous wild life. The only regret we have is that we did not spend enough time in Botswana, but look forward to the time when we can let Drive Botswana organise another tour for us. Thanks to everyone at Drive Botswana.
We had a unique journey in Botswana. Everything was very well organized by Drive Botswana. We had a nice combination of camping in the national parks and more comfortable nights in very nice lodges. We got perfect maps and descriptions for each day from Drive Botswana. So we always knew which way to go and what to do and see. Our car was equipped with everything you might think of and it was suitable for all the road conditions. So we never had problems although we were 4x4 and camping 'newbies'. Botswana is simply incredible. The wildlife-sightings by car, by boat, by plane and on foot was the best we ever had. We totally recommend Botswana for a bit adventurous trip for nature enthusiasts. We would like to thank Drive Botswana and espacially Andy for organizing such an impressive safari.
