Sep 28, 2019 | Adventure Safari, Brave Africa Safari, Game Drive, Most Popular Blogs
Out of dozens, if not hundreds, of safaris, what’s the Brave Africa difference? What makes us stand out and why should you choose to join us on your first, second, third, or hundredth safari? It’s all about our all-day safari experience compared to the traditional African safari experience!
The All-Day Safari Experience
Guests go on a Botswana safari for one reason only: to see Africa’s many amazing animals. They want to go home with incredible photos, unbelievable videos, and memories that will last a lifetime.
That’s why, at Brave Africa, our number one priority is to ensure that you have an unforgettable all-day safari experience.
To make that possible, we take our guests on all-day game drives. This increases your possibility of seeing something astonishing by keeping you out of camp and in the Bush as long as possible—after all, you have a 0% possibility of an amazing animal sighting from inside your tent.
12 to 13 hours in the Bush instead of 6 to 7 hours
Lunch in the Bush means you get to choose amazing views like this one.
At Brave Africa, you get almost double the time in the Bush as you enjoy on a traditional safari.
On our all-day game drives, you head out of camp at sunrise—between 5:30 am and 6:30 am—and you don’t come back until sunset, or slightly after (6:00 pm – 7:00 pm). In total, you get 12 to 13 hours in the Bush every single day you’re on an all-day safari with Brave Africa.
On a traditional African safari, you have 3 to 4 hours on your morning game drive—from sunrise until around 10:00 am. After that, you’re back at camp for almost 6 hours for lunch and an afternoon nap. Then, you’re finally back out in the Bush at 4:00 pm until sunset for another 2 to 3 hours on a game drive.
That’s just 6 to 7 hours in the Bush with the other 6 hours spent at camp.
Cover more ground instead of being stuck near camp.
Your Brave Africa safari vehicle can travel almost 6 hours in one direction before having to turn around, which means you can really explore the bush.
Being out on our all-day game drives also means that your Brave Africa car can travel long distances. Since we don’t have to be back at camp until evening, we can really explore the area, following the animals where they go or even just to enjoy a change of scenery.
However, because traditional safaris require you to be back at camp within a few hours, your area of travel is highly limited. You can’t explore too far from your home base or you won’t make it back for lunch.
A pace you control instead of a set schedule.
If you are enjoying an incredible sighting of a male lion, you don’t have to leave because you’re on a schedule. You can stay as long as you want.
Twelve to 13 hours in the Bush every day doesn’t mean you never have a chance to breathe or relax. Instead, it means the Bush and the animals help decide your day instead of trying to force nature to conform to our schedule.
So, if your game drive is really packed full of animals, you can put off your rest times until there’s a natural break. However, if the day is slow, you can rest early and give more time to your afternoon. Whenever you’re ready for a break, your guide will find a gorgeous spot in the bush—under some shade—where you can rest, relax, eat, drink, and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
On a traditional African safari, your day is scheduled for you. Yes, if you have an incredible sighting you can stay out longer, but there is always time pressure to get back to camp for lunch. Your schedule is controlled by the camp and not by nature, which can make you feel a little more like you’re in a theme park instead of on a Botswana safari.
Why Do You Want All-Day Game Drives?
So, why are all-day game drives what you want when you go on safari?
- Sometimes during the heat of the day—from 10 am until 3 pm—is the best time to see animals. It was during these hours that on one all-day game drive our guests and team ran into a cheetah hanging out and watching some warthogs.
We saw this cheetah around 1 pm during an all-day game drive.
- Botswana is a desert. It’s HOT, especially in the middle of the day. It can easily reach over 40 degrees (C)—over 100 degrees (F)—and that’s hot no matter who you are or where you’re from. Would you rather be roasting in your tent in the middle of the day—few if any camps or lodges in the Bush offer air conditioning in your tent? Or would you rather enjoy the natural air conditioning offered by a moving, open-air vehicle and the chance to see incredible animals?
- A Botswana safari is not cheap. If you’re paying thousands of dollars do you want to pay for an all-day safari or a traditional African safari where you spend half of your time back at camp? You’re basically paying to take a nap instead of paying to spend time with the animals.
Sep 20, 2019 | Adventure Safari, Animals of Botswana, Brave Africa Safari, Game Drive, Most Popular Blogs
We just completed Brave Africa’s very first full safari, and it was incredible! When you imagine the once-in-a-lifetime experiences you’ll have on a Botswana animal safari, we hit every single one.
It was breathtaking.
If you’re looking for the best animal sightings in Botswana, we had them! (more…)
Aug 3, 2019 | Adventure Safari, Brave Africa Safari, Safari Tips
If you’re getting ready to plan your first safari in Botswana, you’re probably concerned about the cost. You’ve heard tales about how Botswana is the most expensive location to safari even as it’s also considered the best.
So, what can you expect when it comes to the cost of a safari in Botswana? Is it only affordable for the wealthy?
We won’t lie and say that going on safari is cheap, but it’s not as expensive as you might think. By choosing the right flights, time of year, and safari experience, you can still have the experience of a lifetime at a price that’s less than you might expect.
Cost of Botswana Safari International Flights
When you first start planning your trip to Africa, you’re probably concerned about the price of plane tickets. After all, it’s expensive to fly short flights. How much more costly is a flight to Botswana?
The U.S. to South Africa — USD $800 – $1400 Round-Trip
If you’re coming from the U.S., there are many options for getting to Johannesburg, South Africa. It all depends on where you’re coming from. In most cases, you’re going to want to make your way to the East Coast.
JFK New York is a popular airport, and right now, flights on Kenya Airways and through Nairobi are just $886 for a round-trip. Going through Los Angeles, you can expect to pay only $1,033 on Qatar Airways through Doha.
Europe to South Africa — USD $663 – $950 Round-Trip
If you’re traveling from Europe, you can expect flights to be a little bit cheaper. From Frankfurt, a flight on Ethiopian Air is just $663 round trip, and on Lufthansa, it’s $916.
Australia to South Africa — USD $1150 – $1500 Round-Trip
From Australia to South Africa, you can expect similar prices as the U.S. Nonstop flights start around $1250 on Qantas Airways.
Flights to Maun — USD $200 – $350 One-Way
Once you make it to South Africa, you then have to take another short international flight—two hours—to get to Maun, Botswana. While Air Botswana is typically your most affordable option, we recommend flying South African Airways for a better guarantee of your flight arriving on time.
Here’s what you can expect to pay to fly to and from Maun, Botswana:
- Johannesburg to Maun: USD $200 – $300 one-way
- Cape Town to Maun: USD $275 – $350 one-way
Flights to Victoria Falls —USD $250 – $319 One-Way
If you decide to visit Victoria Falls before or after your safari, you’ll need flights to or from Victoria Falls:
- Johannesburg to Victoria Falls: USD $250 – $319 one-way
Bush Flights — USD $430 – $600 Round-Trip
Going on safari in Botswana is unique in Africa in terms of travel. While in South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania, it’s common to drive to your safari camp, in Botswana, that’s not the case.
The remoteness of Botswana’s safari destinations means that driving isn’t a choice for most travelers. It would take up too much time and require a four-wheel-drive vehicle. That’s why bush flights are the popular choice for travelers and safari camps alike.
The good news is that there are many options for chartered bush flights, including:
So, what’s the exact cost of Botswana safari bush flights? Your travel agent will, most likely, include it in the total price of your safari. But, if you decide to book your own bush flights in Botswana, we talked to Mack Air to get their 2019/2020 rates.
Maun is your most likely departure point. It’s the most accessible destination to fly to from Johannesburg or Cape Town, which is most likely where you’ll enter Africa for your international flight. The good news is that since Maun is such a popular starting off point, prices are relatively affordable.
- Maun to Xakanaxa: USD $215 per person
- Maun to Khwai: USD $215 per person
- Maun to Savuti: USD $217 per person
However, if you’re coming from or heading to Victoria Falls before or after your safari, then you might use the Kasane airport instead. Due to the airport’s location as well as its less frequent use, flights to and from Kasane are slightly more expensive.
- Kasane to Xakanaxa: USD $372 per person
- Kasane to Khwai: USD $372 per person
- Kasane to Savuti: USD $357 per person
The Cost of a Safari in Botswana
After paying for flights, the only thing you have to worry about is the cost of your safari in Botswana.
The great news about a safari is that it’s all-inclusive. There’s no paying for a hotel and then paying for your food and activities separately. After just a few days, you might not realize how quickly it all adds up.
According to recent surveys of Americans on vacation, each day, on average, you can expect to pay:
- $258 — for a hotel room in a large city such as New York City
- $59 — for a car rental
- $50 — for food
- $100 — all-day activity/tour
That’s a total of $467 per day + $159 per day for every additional person. So, for two people, that equates to $608 per day on average for an international trip. That’s $6,080 for 10-days for a couple.
Now, that price can increase or decrease significantly depending on where you’re heading for a vacation. The more remote the destination or popular the city, the more you can expect to pay.
A safari with Brave Africa isn’t that much more expensive. Our per-person price includes:
- Accommodations
- All meals, snacks, and house beverages (including unlimited alcoholic drinks)
- Laundry
- Road transfers from the nearest airstrip and between our camps
- National park fees
- Emergency medical evacuation insurance
- All-day game drives and professional guiding
For all of that, you can pay as little as $880 per couple per day for a ten-day/nine-night safari in Botswana. That’s barely $270 more per day for a trip of a lifetime.
Total Cost of a Botswana Safari
So, when you add everything up, how much does it cost to go on safari in Botswana for a couple? Let’s add it up.
- International Flights: $2000 per couple
- Maun Flights: $1000 per couple
- Bush Flights: $1000 per couple
- 10-Day Safari: $10,000 per couple (shoulder rack)
Total Cost of a 10-Day Safari in Botswana for Two: USD $14,000
And while that might seem expensive, let’s compare it to a trip to Disney World. This is a fairly decent comparison because you pay a daily fee for all-day activities, aka park tickets and hotels are at a premium on property. We planned a 9-night/10-day vacation and chose the average prices for comparison.
- Hotel: $350/night — $3,150 total
- 10-Day Tickets: $1100 per couple
- 10-Day Dining Plan: $1300 per couple
- International Flights: $2000 per couple
Total Cost of a 10-Day Trip to Disney World in Orlando, FL: USD $7,550
So, would you rather pay half as much and go to Disney World like everyone else or pay a little more and go on a trip that will change your life?
And if you’d like to save some money on flights, we’re writing a blog in a few weeks about using just 80,000 points per person for a round trip flight to South Africa. That’s a $2000 savings! So stay tuned!
Jul 22, 2019 | Adventure Safari, Brave Africa Safari, Game Drive
Imagine waking up just as the sun starts to peek over the horizon right before your first game drive in Botswana. Your tent is cold in the morning chill, but the blankets are soft and warm, keeping your bed a cocoon of comfort. Outside, you can hear life beginning to wake up. Birds are chirping, hippos are lowing, and you can sense the excitement in the air. In less than an hour, you’ll be on a…
As you leave the comfort of bed, the cold air shocks you awake, but that’s okay. It’s exactly what you need to get going. You dress quickly, throwing on layers of warmth because you know the day will heat up quickly, and your stomach bubbles with anticipation.
The stunning view outside your tent.
Just outside your tent, you stop to take in the view. It’s gorgeous. The sky is an array of pink, yellow, and sparkling blue. There’s a gentle breeze on your skin, and though you shiver a little in the crisp air, Botswana has gotten into your blood.
You smile.
You stop at the basins on your tent porch to find steaming water and washcloths waiting for you. The heat seeps into your skin as you sink your hands into the water to dunk the fabric. It’s a little piece of heaven to wash your face neck and arms in the warmth, and it’s the perfect final wake up call. You dunk the cloth again just for the joy of feeling steam on your face. Somehow, it warms up your entire body. Now, you’re ready.
The animals are calling…
Hot steamy water waiting for you when you wake up.
You head over to the main tent for a quick breakfast. A fire pit, hot coffee, muffins, cereal, oatmeal, and more await you. Everyone straggles in at their own pace as the sun continues to creep into the sky, but in only a few minutes, you’re all gathered and ready to go.
The excitement in the air is palpable.
Who knows what could be waiting for you out in the bush, but you can’t wait to find out. Even hot coffee and food can’t keep you occupied for long. Everyone is starting to get antsy, and then, you finally hear the words you’ve been waiting for, “Let’s go!”
LC1 is waiting for you with blankets and ponchos (the poncho blocks the win) to help you stay warm in the open air. You all get comfy, and then your guide takes off, and you’re on your way.
Immediately, there’s magic to uncover in the bush. A few hundred meters from camp, you turn a corner and your guide points out fresh elephant droppings. For a second, you wonder why he’s focused on poo, and then he points a little further in the distance. You look, but there’s nothing there.
The car slows…you look closer.
Suddenly, you see him! It’s a huge bull elephant hidden in the bushes, eating his morning breakfast. You can’t believe you missed him. How could an elephant hide in such small bushes? What a great sighting.
That’s what a game drive in Botswana is all about!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1J_9MD2GTI[/embedyt]
After stopping for a few minutes for pictures and videos, you’re ready to keep exploring, so you move on. A few more minutes of driving, and you hear something in the distance. What could it be? It’s loud and sounds like hooting and screaming?
You get closer and then, right there in the middle of the road, you find a troop of baboons!
Wow!
They’re just hanging out, playing, running, and having a blast as a family. They run up a tree, and your guide pulls forward slightly to give you the perfect view. The baboons are having a great time and so are you. Their interactions are fascinating, how they hang together as a family—a slightly dysfunctional one. Two tweens fight on a nearby branch. The baby of the family hangs out by himself, but dad’s nearby just in case.
Baboon dad and baby.
They don’t slow down the entire twenty minutes you hang out watching them, and you realize that you could stay there for hours, but there’s always something new to see. So, after taking hundreds of pictures (can you really have too many?), you move on again.
And so the day goes over and over again. You run into dozens of different animals: impala, waterbuck, hippos, crocodiles, buffalo, more elephants, birds, zebra, giraffe, and even a sleeping leopard.
Buffalo with birds.
They’re all there—seemingly within touching distance.
Every sighting is unique and incredible. Even if you’ve seen the animal a hundred times before, every time you see them it’s something new. Your guide will point out some behavior or fact at every encounter.
You might learn that baboons and impala live hand-in-hand together, relying on each other for safety from other predators. However, if the baboons get hungry and the impalas aren’t careful, their own babies will be up on the menu. Impala for dinner.
Or you might run into a young zebra and have a question about their lighter coat. Your guide will teach you that it’s important for camouflage at that young age and will grow darker as they get older.
A brown-striped zebra foal.
Your guide spends years in school and in yearly training to learn all there is to know about the Botswana bush—the animals, the plants, the weather, and the landscape. No matter what question you might have, your guide will probably have the answer. That’s what makes a game drive in Botswana with Brave Africa so special.
It’s not just about what you see; it’s about the entire experience. By the time you leave Khwai—three days later—you’ll know everything you need to know.
This is just a sneak peek of a morning on safari in Botswana.
We didn’t delve into what it’s like to eat lunch in the bush or how you’ll end your day, but we hope this short look into going on a game drive in Botswana sparks your imagination. Your experience will be completely unique to you, but we can promise that it will be something you’ll never forget.
Giraffe family.
Sleeping leopard
Jul 14, 2019 | Behind the Scenes, Brave Africa Safari
We have a lot going on, but we wanted to give you the latest update on everything that’s happening at Brave Africa. We’re so excited about everything that’s happening as we get ready for our official Brave Africa launch with our first 10-day/9-night Botswana safari on August 30, 2019!
We’re Crazy Busy
Honestly, there’s not much more that needs to be said. We’re in the final few weeks of getting our safari up and running, and that means we’re running around like crazy and trying to get everything together.
Of course, as with any business, few things go to plan. Instead, you have to roll with a thousand little punches and make things work the best that you can. You also have to realize that there is only so much that you can control. Sometimes, you just have to cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Our U.S. Team Flew to Botswana for Safari Prep
In flight to Maun, Botswana. Here we go!
First and foremost, is the fact that our U.S.-based team flew out to Botswana to meet up with Wina and work on Brave Africa on location. Both our teams have been in near-constant communication over the last few months, but there is something to be said about meeting up in-person, and that’s what this week is about.
Our team flew out of Denver at 4:00 pm on Friday, June 28. Nine hours later—at 10 am local time—they landed in Munich, Germany for a short two-hour layover before taking a one-hour hopper flight to Frankfurt. Then, they had around nine hours in Frankfurt to run around before taking the 10:30 pm flight (local) to Johannesburg.
Running around Frankfurt, Germany for a few hours during our layover.
Pushing 5 bags and 1 giant box up an escalator in Joburg airport.
Twelve hours later, they arrived in Joburg at 9:00 am (local). They then had three hours to check out their luggage and recheck it back in for their two-hour flight to Maun, Botswana. They made it just in time, with only a small amount of airport drama (four gate changes and 4 miles of walking through the airport).
Thirty-six hours of travel later, Wina picked the team up at Maun International Airport in our completed Land Cruiser. And it was worth every second. Check out a little bit about how we made it to Maun on our Getting Here page.
LC 1 and LC 2
LC 1 and LC 2, as we affectionately refer to our two Toyota Land Cruisers, were crazy to see in real life. LC 1 is almost completely done and ready for customers. She’s a beauty! The garage did an amazing job transforming her into a comfortable safari vehicle, and she’s better than we could have imagined.
There are even a few unexpected features that we think we adventure guests are going to love!
- Each row will have two USB ports (one per person) to use while out on safari! So if there’s a charging emergency or you’re draining a battery faster than expected, you won’t have to panic. This is a feature typically only available in photography vehicles, but we’re including it in all of ours.
- We also have a cooler in the front row. This battery-powered cooler will keep your drinks and snacks ice-cold while out on your all-day game drives. The cooler is large enough to easily hold water, beer, soda, juice, and even white wine during your game drives.
- A luggage rack in the back makes air strip pick up super simple. We’ll strap your bags down on the back of the Land Cruiser, covering them securely with a tarp, and keep your bags safe as we go out on your afternoon safari drive before heading back to camp for dinner. This means you won’t miss a minute of your safari to drop off luggage at camp.
There’s so much more to talk about when it comes to our Land Cruisers. For now, enjoy some pictures of LC1 and LC2.
Heres LC1 ready for game drives!
LC1 VS LC2 (in white). Just 12 weeks in the shop separate these two vehicles.
We made LC1 official by adding our logo right before our first game drive!
Between the first two seats, we added a cooler for ice-cold drinks and food on every game drive.
4 USB ports per row in our safari game drive vehicles.
Shopping and Item Delivery for our Botswana Safari
One of the most important things that happened during this trip was that we got everything we needed for camp. Wednesday morning (July 3), our huge shipment from South Africa arrived at the office. We received all the tents along with power, lamps, furniture, cooking supplies, and more. Basically, everything we need to create a comfortable, luxurious, and amazing adventure safari experience. Thanks, Livingstone Supply Co.
However, some of the small details we purchased in Botswana. When we decorate your tents, we want items from local artisans, which is why we hired a bushman based in Maun to create the wooden kists, wooden shower platform, and toilet platform. We love that these items were crafted by a local and we think he did an amazing job. You can check out pictures of our camp on our updated Your Camp page.
Special delivery of all our camp supplies! It was a long day but well worth the time and heat.
First Time Out
At the end of the week, Brave Africa embarked on our first Botswana safari in Khwai. A team-only trip, we tested out all of our supplies to ensure that the Brave Africa safari experience is exactly what we want for our guests. It was the first time we set up a guest tent in the bush, our main tent, and took LC1 out on a short, two-hour game drive. We were in the bush for less than 24 hours in the end, but boy did we get a lot done in that time. We also had some incredible encounters with wildlife in just that short trip, which was a great reminder of why we are doing all of this and why Brave Africa is such a magical experience. We’ll talk about our game drive in the next blog.
For now, check out these camp photos!
Our team setting up our very first guest tent in the Khwai bush. Look at that view!
The tent is all ready to go.
The main tent area set up for breakfast service.
You can’t have a camp without a fire.
Jun 16, 2019 | Adventure Safari, Brave Africa Safari, Most Popular Blogs
If an African safari is on your bucket list, there’s probably one thing you dream about—seeing the animals.
- You want to experience elephants up close and personal.
- You want to watch a lion walk right by your vehicle within touching distance.
- You want to sleep under an African sky and experience a world mostly untouched by time.
That’s what an adventure safari is all about.
What is an Adventure Safari?
An adventure safari is different from your typical safari experience in one simple but profound way—you don’t waste time at camp.
On a traditional safari, you go out on bush drives in the morning and then again in the afternoon. During the middle of the day, you’re back at camp. At this time, you’ll eat lunch and have a few hours to lay by the pool, nap, and twiddle your thumbs.
For some people, that might sound perfect. They want a plunge pool, a TV on the wall, and Internet access at all times. They want a luxury hotel that also happens to offer wildlife viewing like a zoo. But that’s as inauthentic as it gets.
Why would you go to Africa for the same experience you could get at a theme park? You don’t want a horrible experience like this!
A lion hanging out during the middle of the day, right after lunch.
With an adventure safari, the focus is less on luxury and more on experience.
While you’ll still stay in comfort, you also won’t be spending much time at camp when you choose Brave Africa. After waking up right around sunrise, you’ll have a quick breakfast before heading out into the Botswana bush. Then, you’ll stay out all day long on your safari drive, which gives you the most time possible with the wildlife.
Instead of being back at camp, wondering about what’s happening out with the animals, you’ll be out driving around seeing and experiencing more of everything. We go on all-day game drives from morning until night. After all, you came all the way to Africa to see the animals, don’t you want to spend your time with them and not sleeping?
But aren’t the animals most active only in the morning and evenings?
Yes, the early morning hours right around sunrise and evening hours near sunset are some of the best times to see the animals when they’re active, but they don’t return to their homes during the middle of the day. The animals are always out and about no matter what time it is—even under the hot noon sun. So, if you don’t want to miss out on even a second of seeing the animals, then you need to be out exploring.
Three Stops, One Mobile Safari
Brave Africa takes you to three different locations—Xakanxa, Khwai, and Savuti—all without any additional bush flights or travel that takes you away from the African bush.
Another key to an adventure safari is that you don’t just get to experience one location; you get to experience up to three different camps. Instead of having to book a different lodge every time you want to see a unique landscape in Botswana, we take you to diverse landscapes while on safari, which saves you travel time that would otherwise mean spending time away from the animals and on a bush flight.
With Brave Africa, you start at one location (Xakanaxa or Savuti), spend three days there, and then during one of your all-day game drives, we move your camp to the next area, Khwai. After another three days, you move to your last location all without having to lift a finger or leave the bush to get there. Our staff takes care of moving your tent between each camp—tearing it down and getting it set up—while you’re out enjoying the animals.
A Safari Under Canvas
Finally, an adventure safari is all about getting close to the landscape, the animals, and the feel of Africa. That’s why Brave Africa is a safari under canvas. You’ll stay in luxury tents with plush mattresses, flush toilets, and all the typical amenities of a hotel, but at the same time, it won’t feel like any hotel you’ve ever stayed at.
Our bucket shower is a one-of-a-kind experience that you’ll want to brag about when you get home. After all, when else will you have the opportunity to take a shower under an open sky with freshly heated water on demand?
The unforgettable Botswana night sky.
The crystal clear Botswana sky at night is unforgettable!
As for your tent, it keeps you protected from the elements and the animals while still allowing you to be a part of it. A tent means you get to hear the wildlife at night, which is an experience you’ll never forget. It also means that even when you’re at camp, you’ll still feel like you’re on safari.
Is an Adventure Safari Right for You?
So, is an adventure safari with Brave Africa right for you? There are a few questions you need to ask yourself.
- Why are you going on safari? If your goal is to see the animals, be out in the bush, and explore the many different landscapes of Botswana, then an adventure safari is what you want.
- How luxurious do you want your camp to be? If you’re going on safari to take pictures of yourself by the plunge pool, sipping expensive whiskey, and feeding giraffes, Brave Africa isn’t what you want. We try to bring you as close to the African bush as possible with experiences focused on wildlife nut luxury and dedicated to being real, not Instagram setup.
- Do you go on vacation to experience and do as much as possible or to nap? You can nap at home. You spent so much money to go to Botswana on safari, wouldn’t you rather that money be spent on activities than sleeping?
