Private guide package your

[Erika]

Hello, I am planning to go for a combined journey of approximately 20days to Namibia, Botswana and Victoria falls this November. Mostly for photography, and I am trying to search for a good private guide with a reasonable price during the trip, since I am finding them ridiculously expensive. 
Any suggestions please? 
thank you

[kittykat23uk]

What kind of budget do you have in mind? 

[Treepol]

Welcome to Safaritalk Erica.

 

You could try Francois Visser at Tracking Namibia Safaris.

 

Let him know if you have any specific interests and he will do his best to put a good trip together for you. I've travelled with him twice, he has well maintained vehicles, is a careful driver and has a good knowledge of lodges and price ranges. He has a keen eye and is a good spotter.

 

You could also try Lawsons Birding in South Africa, a very reliable company I have travelled with in the past.

 

How many are in your group? It helps to have 2-4 people to share the cost because Africa is very expensive for solo travellers.

Edited April 25, 2023 by Treepol

[Alex The Lion]

I can only really speak for Botswana;

 

1. A private mobile is going to cost between $800-1000 per day minimum, all in. I know this sounds a lot, though there are a lot of costs that go into this amount:

 

                            - Vehicle costs are around $300 per day

                            - Guide Fee is anywhere from $150-250

                            - You will need to allow for camping costs, chef and camp hand.

                            - Covering overheads of team based in Maun.

                            - Plus the operator needs to make a profit

 

Some guides may be able to reduce these costs if they have their own vehicle, you have no camp staff etc. The cost of fuel currently very high too.

 

I would contact Alwyn Myburgh to see if he could assist in any way, if you PM for his details I can give his number.

 

2. Safari Camp Options. In addition to the cost of the safari camp and charter flights, you be looking at the following costs:

 

                            - Around $300 per day if you want a specific guide.

                            - A private vehicle will start from around $800 per day.

 

To put this into context for a solo traveler at a medium cost lodge like Kwando Lebala in high season. You will have the rack rate of $1500 per night plus a single supplement of around $400. Then add a Private vehicle cost of $850 per day. All in, including some costs for bush flights etc, you will be spending $3000 per day, which for Botswana is still not super expensive.

 

If you are a keen photographer, the mobile will offer limited places where offroading is available, whereas the most expensive private concessions will allow you to follow all the wildlife you need.

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by Alex The Lion

[Atravelynn]

What a great breakdown and comments by @Alex The Lion.   It is tremendously expensive for a private 20-day trip.  Actually Namibia may not be that expensive, but Botswana sure is.

 

Let me throw out the name of a guide I used for a 11-day  private safari for one person in March 2022 in Kgalagadi:   Pieter Hanekom.  https://www.kalaharisafaris.co.za/

While his specialty is Kgalagadi, he goes all over, including where you want to go.  He was reasonably priced, a great spotter, and quite a character in the very best way.  He's also one tough dude, charging into a pride of lions that was attacking our/his vehicle in the middle of the night, trying to pull it apart for fun and ruining the tires.  The lions dispersed and he came out unscathed.

 

Thanks, @Treepolfor your Tracking Namibia suggestion.  I used to use Wild Dog Safaris for Namibia but they did not make it through Covid.

 

Good luck @Erikaand welcome to the forum.  Please let us know if you decide on a certain guide, company, or itinerary.  It's always helpful to know what others are doing.

 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by Atravelynn

[kittykat23uk]

22 minutes ago, Atravelynn said:

What a great breakdown and comments by @Alex The Lion.   It is tremendously expensive for a private 20-day trip.  Actually Namibia may not be that expensive, but Botswana sure is.

 

Let me throw out the name of a guide I used for a 11-day  private safari for one person in March 2022 in Kgalagadi:   Pieter Hanekom.  https://www.kalaharisafaris.co.za/

While his specialty is Kgalagadi, he goes all over, including where you want to go.  He was reasonably priced, a great spotter, and quite a character in the very best way.  He's also one tough dude, charging into a pride of lions that was attacking our/his vehicle in the middle of the night, trying to pull it apart for fun and ruining the tires.  The lions dispersed and he came out unscathed.

 

Thanks, @Treepolfor your Tracking Namibia suggestion.  I used to use Wild Dog Safaris for Namibia but they did not make it through Covid.

 

Good luck @Erikaand welcome to the forum.  Please let us know if you decide on a certain guide, company, or itinerary.  It's always helpful to know what others are doing.

 

 

Unlike @Atravelynn, I would definitely NOT recommend kalahari safaris, my mum and I had the worst experience ever with this company. You can read all about it on here:

Absolutely dreadful company as far as I'm concerned. 

 

 

[Atravelynn]

@kittykat23ukThanks for sharing your 2017 experience with Kalahari Safaris, getting a guide without the knowledge to provide the floral safari you had booked and then receiving no compensation for that shortcoming. 

[kittykat23uk]

No worries, I wouldn't want anyone to have to go through what we experienced with this company. Pieter was clearly out of his depth with the itinerary I had asked for (despite his promises and assurances in the trip planning phase), and the guide he provided was not a qualified safari guide at all. The way he handled our concerns during and after the tour was also not acceptable at all and there was absolutely no comeback despite trying to involve the SA equivalent of the ombudsman.. 

Edited April 25, 2023 by kittykat23uk

[mtanenbaum]

I think you won't need one guide to accompany you for the whole trip as you seem to be thinking. I think you could have a good travel agent put together an itinerary for you and maybe if you want to hit all 3 countries that's going to definitely increase your costs. Which places are your highest priorities? If you are traveling solo try to go in shoulder season and you can often get single supplements waved. I had a great trip to Botswana last year where I combined a camping trip, a trip to Pangolin Photo Lodge in Chobe (from which you can easily do Victoria Falls as a day trip), and also a trip to Tau Pan, in the Botswana desert. I flew between destinations and I was with a different group everywhere I went. Very easy. Trip was arranged by Doug MacDonald in Zimbabwe who was so easy to work with and super helpful in helping me narrow down what I wanted to do. So many choices and not enough money (or time). www.dougmacsafaris.com 

[Atravelynn]

26 minutes ago, mtanenbaum said:

 Trip was arranged by Doug MacDonald in Zimbabwe who was so easy to work with and super helpful in helping me narrow down what I wanted to do. So many choices and not enough money (or time). www.dougmacsafaris.com 

I can second Doug Macdonald.  I've used him 5 times, once as a solo where his company made the ground arrangements, the other times he personally guided 3 or 4 of us.  His prices are fair and he got me a deal when I went alone that was lower than booking direct with the lodge.  I wasn't sure he guided in Namibia, though.  But if you follow mtanenbaum's advice and have different companies for each country (not difficult) then going through Doug's company could work.