Safari with dh and teen

[LazySusan11]

We've decided that next year dh myself and I and my dsd who is a teen will go on safari.

There's so many choices, would prefer somewhere that has traversing rights privately so there's not too many of us in 1 spot.

If anyone has been please could you tell me where you stayed and any info you might think I need.

Thanks

I'd be tempted to fly to Vic Falls, have a couple of nights there and then head on up to Chobe. It's about 2 hours ish drive. We stayed on the Namibia side of Chobe and did the game drives on the Botswana side which was quite cool crossing the border each time.

Where we stayed was basic compared to Madikwe as we were doing it on the cheap. It was called Camp Chobe if you are interested at all.

First. Go and see A United Kingdom. Amazing (true life) film about marrying as a white woman into an African Kingdom (now Botswana). In 1947.

I love Africa. Travelled solo (and with DS) and did loads of safaris - which just means journey in Swahili.

The best education you can give your kids, however old they are - make sure you are inoculated etc.

You can fly to Kilimanjaro Airport and on to Arusha, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire & Lake Manyara NPs in Tanzania for instance.

The more information I'm given the more confused I get!! Could we do Madikwe - vic falls - Chobe?

Thanks Ifly I'll look at that film

I organised DBILs honeymoon a few years ago. They went to Pilanesberg, but it's not that much further to Madikwe. We joined them for the Chobe leg and this is basically what they did.

Day 1 arrive in JHB, travel to safari
Days 2-3 safari
Day 4 travel to JHB, fly to Vic Falls
Day 5 Vic Falls
Day 6 travel to Chobe
Day 7-8 Chobe.

I think it works pretty easily. You can hire a car and drive from JHB to Madikwe no issue, but I'd recommend getting a driver for VF-Chobe.

Oh, and you can fly from Arusha to Zanzibar. More adventure!

Everything I did and solo too - perfectly safe.

Your kids will love Africa and they love kids too. You will have an amazing time.

Could we fly from Kasane to vic falls?

We're looking at 4 days Madikwe 4 days Chobe but could do vic falls in between or is my geography completely out?! Don't think we're planning on self driving. I don't like being in a car for hours! Just want to get to places relax and see the amazing wildlife

I don't think you can between Vic Falls and Kasane. There's def direct flights to both from JHB so just depends on what you want to do.

We found a tour operator in Kasane who picked us up from the airport and drove us to the Safari lodge. It was about two hours and was like a safari with the amount of animals we saw - we drove through the Zambezi National Park and got some great sightings.

Vic Falls itself is pretty expensive though, it's a cool place to visit but it may suit you better to skip it and fly direct to Kasane.

So it looks like we're decided,

5 nights in Madikwe, 3 nights in Chobe and 2 nights at Vic Falls Zambia side.

I see we can get entry visas on arrival in Zambia, need to get our immunisations.

What else do I need to know?

You can fly to Kilimanjaro Airport and on to Arusha, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire & Lake Manyara NPs in Tanzania for instance

Thats exactly what we did last Sept/October.

We have booked! Thank you all for your input Red & Bo you have been especially helpful.

Clothing..I'm not intending to go dressed as crocodile Dundee but as I usually wear black I need pointing in the right direction regarding clothing. Where can I get some good comfy clothing that won't make my arse look like I'm another hippo?

I am overly invested in not getting bitten by anything especially Tsetse flies so no dark colours shall be worn!

I've read that RID is a good preventive, we need decent binoculars. Is there a website with a decent list without going completely gung-ho safari?

You'll love it!!

I only got one t.fly bite, on my upper arm when I was busy concentrating on watching leopard in a tree. I didn't knock it off my arm in time.

I used strong deet bought off amazon. Two of us went through a bottle and half in 2 weeks.

Check the temperatures at 6 am in the morning when you go out on your first game drive. It can be really chilly so take fleeces and layers. You have plenty of room in the safari vehicle to take off layers when it heats up. Wear chinos and shorts plus T shirts or shirts. A khaki/green/beige colour is best for the bush and most people avoid white. Take trainers or similar. Deet and sun tan cream and a hat are worthwhile! Check what jabs you need and malaria tabs. Don't forget binoculars and animal identification book is useful. I usually get a first aid kit from Boots - just in case. Take cream to reduce the effects of any bites.

I love Vic Falls. We stayed nearby at Tongabezi once. Obviously take clothes you want to relax in when it gets hotter in the middle of the day. Linen works quite well. Swimming kit if you have a pool but you usually get a private area with your room/tent so wear what you want! Most lodges will do laundry. No need to dress for dinner - everywhere is casual.

You can get RID on the safari store.com who also have binocular rental and loads of safari clothes. I'm going to hire from them this summer. They will email you a packing list (though might be a bit Croc Dundee if you took all their recommendations!)

More "great white hunter"! We have seen some amazing get ups! Personally I would take my own binoculars.

Just wanted to say a huge thanks to @RedMetamorphosis for your suggestion of going to Madikwe, we have just returned from the most amazing experience and can't wait to go back! Thanks so much for all your help.