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What is a Mobile Safari?


Reminiscent of the expeditions undertaken by early explorers, mobile safaris led by professional guides offer a fascinating off-the-beaten track alternative to camp or lodge-based itineraries. This is Africa the old-fashioned way, exploring some of Africa's most remote corners by day and sleeping under canvas by night.

Most mobile safaris are scheduled itineraries, though it is certainly possible to arrange a custom mobile - please visit the Custom Mobile Safari page if you are interested in exploring this option.

Our scheduled mobiles never have more than 8 guests, ensuring an exclusive experience with ample personal attention from the guide and staff. Departures are frequent and only 2 guests are needed to guarantee a departure. Pricing for our scheduled mobiles (other than those based at permanent camps and lodges) is constant year-round, making them tremendous value for money.

Throughout your trip you will be accompanied by your professional guide, who will introduce you to the bush and its inhabitants. The guides on our mobile safaris are passionate about sharing their knowledge and experience; staying with the same guide enables him to learn about your interests and focus on the things that appeal to you.

If you have a particular interest such as birding or photography, you may want to request a specialist guide. For more details, please see the Specialist Private Guide page, or contact us for additional information.

A typical mobile safari runs between 7 and 12 nights, spending 2 to 3 nights at each campsite. Some itineraries mix lodge and mobile accommodation, whereas others are purely mobile experiences. Please visit our Mobile Safari Itinerary page for a closer look at our mobile itineraries.

If you wish to extend your time on safari or to add some time in one of Africa's vibrant cities, we are happy to arrange a customised extension to your mobile safari.

Life on a Mobile Safari Mobile safaris vary widely in their comfort level, from basic participation safaris where guests are required to partake in daily camp chores to serviced luxury safaris with a staff to manage the camp. All of Timeless Africa's mobile itineraries are fully serviced and very comfortable.

We offer two types of scheduled mobile safari, both designed to re-create the atmosphere of the classic journeys undertaken in the days of the great explorers. Discoverer Safaris offer the ultimate in mobile luxury, combining permanent camps with exclusive mobile camps in exclusive, pristine private wilderness areas. Adventurer Safaris offer a classic mobile safari experience, combining time in private concessions with exploration of the finest game-viewing areas in national parks and reserves. For a summary of the differences between them, please see the Discoverer and Adventurer section at the bottom of this page.

Regardless of which type you choose, you will be accompanied throughout your journey by camp staff who will set up the camp, cook inventive meals over the campfire, and transport everything from one campsite to the next. As a guest, your only 'job' is enjoying the experience of being in the bush and soaking up the magical atmosphere created by fascinating animal encounters, showering under the stars, late-night conversations around a crackling campfire, and the soft glow of paraffin lanterns.

We also offer a small number of scheduled fly-in mobile safaris based in permanent tented camps and lodges. On these trips you have your own guide throughout your trip, but share the camps and lodges with other guests.

Living, Sleeping, and Dining Your camp will be erected before you arrive, so if you wish you can head straight to your tent to relax after your journey. The tents used on our mobile safaris have been designed to create a sense of stepping back in time. Though the specifics vary, accommodation usually consists of roomy walk-in tents with mesh 'windows,' twin beds with crisp linens and warm duvets.

Our more luxurious itineraries include en-suite bathrooms with hot bucket showers, whereas our more adventurous itineraries have shared bathrooms and may include a night of fly-camping on a bedroll under the stars.

In addition to spacious guest tents, your mobile camp will have a comfortable central mess tent for dining and relaxation. There will often be a small library for your enjoyment. The camp's bar is well-stocked with a wide range of alcoholic and alcohol-free options to quench your thirst, and inventive, delicious two or three-course meals are prepared by your camp chef over an open fire.

Transportation The journey itself is a key part of the mobile safari experience. Travel between campsites can be by plane, 4x4, or boat/mokoro. Flying by private chartered aircraft is the ideal way to appreciate Africa's vast landscapes and complex ecosystems. It provides a bird's-eye perspective for the more intimate encounters you will have on the ground, and enables you to move swiftly between far-flung places.

Spending time on the ground enables you to appreciate the subtle changes in the environment as you move from one area to the next. Some itineraries include relatively long drives (2 to 6 hours); this may seem like a long time, but these drives normally take place as all-day game viewing excursions within national parks and reserves with a picnic lunch en route.

Travelling by boat or mokoro provides an entirely different perspective, illuminating the role water plays in shaping the environment and the lives of its inhabitants. Aquatic animals such as hippos and crocodiles take on an entirely new dimension when seen from the water, and transportation by boat offers the best opportunities to see the elusive sitatunga. Your experience on the water can range from being poled silently through the reeds in a mokoro (traditional dugout canoe) in Botswana to canoeing yourself along the mighty Zambezi River in Zimbabwe.

Activities Activities on a mobile safari vary depending on your itinerary and whether you stay in private concessions as well as national parks. Morning and afternoon game-drives in 4x4 vehicles are the main focus of most mobile itineraries. In addition to game-drives, bush walks and boat or mokoro trips from the campsite can be offered. If you spend time in a private concession, you will also have the opportunity to do more extensive walking trails as well as night drives, which are forbidden within most national parks.

If you visit some of the more remote regions of Botswana and Namibia, you may also have the opportunity to meet indigenous people and learn about their culture and lifestyle. If spending time with the San Bushmen is of particular interest to you, it is possible to arrange a custom mobile to a remote community in the Western Kalahari where some people continue to pursue a traditional lifestyle - please see the Kalahari park page for more information.

Discoverer and Adventurer Safaris

  DISCOVERER ADVENTURER
STAFF Guide, chef and 2 or 3 camp hands. Guide and chef. An additional camp hand for more than 4 guests.
PRIVATE AREAS
  • In Botswana, all wildlife areas are private (except Chobe River cruises and Livingstone).
  • In Namibia, the majority of wildlife areas are private (except Etosha National Park, Sossusvlei, and Swakopmund).
  • In Botswana the majority of wildlife areas on each safari are private (except the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Nxai Pan National Park. Chobe National Park, Chobe River cruises, and Livingstone).
  • In Namibia, the majority of wildlife areas are private (except Etosha National Park, Sossusvlei, and Swakopmund).
  • CAMPSITES All campsites are private. All campsites are private.
    TENTS Large, uniquely designed hexagonal 'meru-style' walk-in tents with brass 12V bedside lanterns and tent finishes. Private veranda attached to front of tent. Beds face the front for spectacular views. Canvas wardrobe behind beds; crisp, pure cotton linens and down duvets on comfortable beds. All grooming amenities. Laundry service.
    The exterior of a unique hexagonal Discoverer tent in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.
    © Mike Myers larger image

    The morning sun illuminates the comfortable interior of a Discoverer mobile safari tent in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.
    © Mike Myers larger image
    Spacious 3m x 3m walk-in dome tents with 3 large windows and door flap with black mosquito gauze netting. Private veranda attached to front of each tent. Camping stretchers with bedroll, pure cotton linens, and feather duvets. Small side table with tin basins, large towels and a tin 12V lamp.
    A domed Adenturer mobile safari tent in the Khwai area of the Okavango Delta, Botswana.
    © Mike Myers larger image

    The simple but comfortable interior of an Adventurer mobile safari tent.
    © Dana Allen larger image
    BATHROOMS En-suite bathrooms with brass bucket shower and flush toilet. Table with brass hand basins, mirror, and amenities.
    The en-suite bathrooms of Discoverer mobile safari tents include hot and cold water taps.
    © Dana Allen larger image
    One spacious shower enclosure per 4 guests with a tin bucket shower and a table with basin, mirror and amenities. One large toilet enclosure per 4 guests with a flush toilet and table with tin basin, mirror and amenities.
    The staff fill the shared bucket showers in Adventurer mobile safari camps with hot water on demand.
    © Mike Myers larger image
    CAMP LAYOUT The main area is a large 7m x 5m dining tent with a full bar table and camp chairs with rich, dark teak wood finishes. Basic library for guests' enjoyment. Camp lit by hurricane lanterns and campfire.
    Dining at a Discoverer mobile safari camp includes stunning wilderness views.
    © Dana Allen larger image
    The main area is a 5m x 5m dining tent with metal and canvas camp chairs (most meals are held under the stars). Camp lit by hurricane lanterns and campfire.
    Dinner at an Adventurer mobile safari camp comes with a view from comfortable canvas folding chairs.
    © Dana Allen larger image
    FOOD Delicious meals incorporating fresh ingredients are prepared by the camp chef. Serviced three-course dinners are enjoyed under the African stars at an elegant table lit by hurricane lanterns. Meals are often prepared in front of the guests on an open fire. Tasty, fresh meals are prepared by the camp chef, often on an open fire, and enjoyed at a table set with stainless steel tableware under the stars. Dinners usually have three courses though they will sometimes have two.
    DRINKS Large selection of soft drinks, beers, mineral water, fruit juices, teas, coffees, house wines and port/sherry. A generous selection of liquors is provided (premium brands at additional cost). A good selection of soft drinks, beers, mineral water, fruit juices, teas, coffees and house wines (at dinner). Amarula liqueur and gin are provided for traditional safari drinks.
    VEHICLES In Botswana: 4x4 extended Land Rover with open sides and roof (closable) and 12v cigarette charger connections. Small vehicle library provides field and nature guides. In Namibia: air-conditioned 4x4 extended Land Rover, with pop-top roof, opening windows, and 12v cigarette charger connection. Small vehicle library as in Botswana. In Botswana: 4x4 extended Land Rover with open sides and roof (closable) and 12v cigarette charger connections. Small vehicle library provides field and nature guides.In Namibia: air-conditioned 4x4 extended Land Rover, with pop-top roof, opening windows, and 12v cigarette charger connection. Small vehicle library as in Botswana.


    Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions you may have about our mobile safaris.