Animal Tails, the tuskless elephants of Ruaha
When I was a small child my Mother mistakenly took me to the cinema to watch what she thought was a child-friendly film about elephants. It was, in fact, a…
Article in Land Rover Owner
Baring the soul in a high profile magazine was a little daunting. This is tough reading for anyone that loves Land Rovers and at the time accounted for many years…
Botswana self drive tips
Is Botswana a viable self-drive destination… Botswana is an adventurous and challenging driving destination so be prepared for the conditions. The roads vary from sealed tarmac with some pot holes…
Why you need to be thinking about Safari Drive for your next safari
The travel industry is currently going through meltdown and coming through this is going to take time and patience. We will all be rethinking about how we travel and the…
Essentials to Pack
The leatherman is my single most useful and versatile piece of kit – just remember not to put it your hand luggage. As someone who only packs at the last…
8 Pre-Departure Checks
Setting out for the remote bush in Africa needs some preplanning so that you are self-sufficient and in the event of breakdown or incident you have a plan in place.…
Whats has been happening in the Serengeti these past few months?
Its easy to forget that the world has not stopped turning, the sun still rises over the Serengeti Plains, the Zambezi is still pounding through its gorges creating wild spray…
Low Season is best
Why Travel in the Low Season? Firstly its a better experience The “low” season is simply travelling when other people don’t which can be for many reasons. It might be…
Health on the Road
It’s especially important that you take your own health seriously when you are a long way from home in countries that have no National Health service, no Ambulance service, and…
Travel Rescue is a better bet, article in Travel Africa 93
Don’t you just hate paying for travel insurance? I would rather spend the money on a flight over the Okavango Delta or splashing out on the honeymoon suite at Cottars…
How dangerous is the wildlife on a self-drive safari?
Given that many camping areas are completely unfenced and inside National Parks what are the real dangers for a self-drive family in Botswana or Namibia? The answer may surprise you…
Zambia update C19
Paul Barnes reports from Zambia Tourists are now entering Zambia again. It is a requirement that they have a COVID negative test certificate no older than four days prior…
Self Drive Safari Resource
Self Drive Safari Resource is a free content web site that offers, information, planning, inspiration and on the ground knowledge to fully independent travellers that are driving themselves on safari…
10 Ways to Stay Safer
As Andrew Pierre White succinctly put it on a safety video about driving the roads of Africa, the easiest way to stay safe is to …. Slow Down! This simple…
Immunisation
Preparing for your journey departure starts with immunisation because many shots need to be spread out over time.

“MASTA is one of the country’s leading travel health and vaccination specialists.
MASTA (Medical Advisory Service for Travellers Abroad), was established over 35 years ago and now runs the largest network of private travel clinics in the UK.
For those planning to travel abroad we are able to offer a full service of holiday medications including (malaria and travelers’ diarrhoea) and all vaccinations including Yellow Fever.“
Health Clinics
We use the MASTA health clinic as they provide a great service and can even give you an online consultation. Below is an example of the health briefing and immunisation recommendations
Timings for beginning your immunisation are important so you will need to give yourself enough time to fit all the different shots.