This accommodation is a mobile camping safari run by a highly skilled guide with his own small company, providing tailor made private non-participation adventure safaris.
You just tell us what parts of Botswana you want to go and when, how many in your private group and we will chat to them to design an itinerary around the best private campsites in the country! This style of mobile camping combines the best of both worlds - the freedom of camping in the bush with no noise or light pollution with the personal service and exclusive game viewing that comes with tailor made travel. Getting you well off the beaten track, you can stay in remote areas of the Okavango such as the edge of Chiefs Island, far out on the pans at places like Kubu Island or even right down in the south in the remote Tuli Block.
You are accompanied by a licensed and highly experienced professional guide who has a camp assistant to set up camp and take care of the catering. Your vehicle will be open sided for good visibility with a shade roof, game viewing seats and long range fuel tanks. The vehicle pulls a trailer with all camping equipment which is left at the campsites once you have arrived in a new location.
The tents are 2.4m bow tents which you can stand up in with built in floors, mosquito gauze on doors and windows and all linen is provided. (pillow and cover, sheets, duvet and cover and towels). Bathroom facilities are shared between tents and are a bush shower and portable loo.
The campsites used are all private an booked on an availability basis. Park entry and camping fees are included. Game drives (or walks or boating if included) are usually early morning and late afternoon. All meals and most drinks are included and all dietary requirements can be catered for but we must know in advance of your preferences. Additional accommodation in lodges or permanent camps can be added to your Matshwane Safari before or after the camping trip.
A typical day on a Matshwane Safari ....
The day starts with the rising of the sun. Your wake-up call will be between 5am and 6am - a gentle knock at the entrance of your tent. A camp hand will be on hand to fill your wash-hand basin with steaming hot water and freshly made tea and coffee will be served around the campfire. Wake up to the warmth of the morning sun at the dawn of a new day. A light breakfast will be served before the early morning game drive. You will enjoy tea, plunger coffee, juice, rusks, fruit, cereal, toast and jams. The best time of day to enjoy game viewing is in the early morning and late afternoon as most animals retreat to the shadows to rest during the heat of the day.
Having spent the morning exploring the surrounding wilderness in search of Botswana's hidden treasures, you will return to camp for lunch which consists of salads, freshly baked bread, cold meats, and pickles. Just as the animals retreat to escape the heat of mid-day, so will you. This is your time to enjoy reading, chatting, relaxing or taking a nap.
Later in the afternoon you will head out into the wilderness once more as the animals awake from their days slumber and gather at the watering holes to quench their unforgiving thirst. As the sun sets on the horizon, one can only marvel at the sheer splendour of an African sunset and with refreshments in hand, toast to the wonder of nature.
On your return to camp, you can enjoy a hot shower under the starry night sky and gather around the warmth of the campfire to relive the day's events and excitement. Enjoy a two-course dinner served with South African wines against the magical backdrop of the African night sky. For dinner you can enjoy things like Chicken Tangine or a Lamb Potjie followed by Banana Mekoros with Chocolate or Caramelised Pineapple with cream. Retreating to the comfort of your tent after enjoying a nightcap around the campfire, you can fall asleep to the calls of the African wilderness.
On moving days, the guide and the camp hand will pack down the camp, then travel to the next camp site and prepare the camp at the next location. When travelling between locations, the route is most commonly through the parks and reserves and is therefore an extension of your daily game drives. A picnic lunch can be enjoyed en-route.
