August
17
2010
By Dan Achber
When I suggest the concept of a mobile safari to people, the comment I get is, “is that like a camping trip? I really don’t want to have to sleep in a tent and cook my own food.” It usually takes a while to properly explain the idea so I figured I’d set the record straight once and for all.
The word safari is originally from Swahili and literally means “a journey” and a mobile safari is just that; a journey. It is, in a way, a throwback to the real roots of safari, when the bush was limitless and you took your camp with you. Make no mistake though, these are not the camping trips you remember from your childhood. Instead, it’s an intense, personal, tailored immersion into the raw African wilderness.
To be sure, you will stay in a tent, but the tent is more like a movable hotel room than the cramped nylon affairs of your youth. Complete with real beds with fine linen, en suite bathrooms with toilets that flush, amazing food and equally amazing service, you’ll never have to lift a finger. You’ll arrive to find your camp set up at a new location every few days, with sumptuous meals, fine wine and enough gin and tonic on hand to keep even the most jaded traveler happy.
For my money, one of the best in the business is Uncharted Africa who operate in Botswana. Their mobile expeditions range from the centre of the Kalahari Desert up to the lush waterways of the Okavango Delta and even into the remote north west of the country, where a lucky few get to accompany the San Bushmen on their traditional hunts. They run mobiles for groups as small as two people and as many as 12, and children of all ages are welcome.
Rather than a big game highlight reel, the trip is intended to expose the intricacies of the landscape you travel through (though of course, no safari is complete without its fair share of large animals, be they trunked, furry or fanged). Uncharted's guides are outstanding and will provide you with one of the most holistic and immersive safari experiences you can have. Trust me, after this you’ll leave Africa wanting to come back as soon and as often as you can.
Dan Achber gave up the snail lifestyle to come and plan trips for you from a Toronto desk. The appropriate way to honour such a sacrifice would be to give him a shout and get planning. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter if you like what you read.