How to Spend your safari budget wisely
The game viewing experiences at a waterhole are often the same whether you are paying £500 a night staying in lodge or £25 a night staying in a campsite and…
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…
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…
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…
Free Spirit article in Travel Africa 92
When you have to explain to someone who has never been to Africa what you do and why driving your own vehicle on safari is the best experience and it’s…
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…
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…
Catering & Shopping
Nowadays most African towns have good quality supermarkets where all your food shopping can be done. In some countries the bottle shop is separate so you may have to shop…
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…
Why Tanzania is a tough self drive destination
Self drivers in Tanzania struggle with finding decent vehicles, making National Parks bookings and the high prices everywhere. Whilst there are the traditional car hire companies out of the main…
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…
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…
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…
Planning
This section covers the many different aspects you need to think about early on at the planning stages of your journey. Research the regions, check the guide books and look at the maps. Mistakes made at this time are very hard to put right later on.
Journey Planning Principles
- The main thing is not to try and cover too much ground.
- Add extra time for the “Africa” factor, you will need it
- Allow time at the start to get over the flight, briefings, shopping etc
- First days driving should be short to allow extra time to set up camp
- Most journeys work best as a mix of camping and lodges
- Use lodges/hotels in towns for security and ease
- Two or three nights camping followed by lodge nights works well
- Try to use owner run and operated lodges.
- Generally, camp more at the start of the journey
- Self-drive trips are very tiring so slow down as the journey progresses
- Build in a few days mini holiday at the end to wind down and relax
- The trip will never be long enough so try to go for as long as possible