[Smitty]

Afternoon all,

I am planning a trip to Namibia and Botswana that will take in the main highlights of namibia, victoria falls and the delta in Botswana.
I have found a few overland trips that will do this trip in 21 days (its a Cape Town to Livingstone overland tour) which looks very similar to what I wanted to do.

If anyone has any information for this sort of trip in this area such as good overland companies, a specific tour that they have been on, or even just any info about the area, I would love to hear about it. I am currently looking for a reliable tour company so anybody's own experiences with tour companies in this region would be very useful

I am currently planning on undertaking this trip on my own, so I would also be interested in hearing from anyone who might be interested in doing this trip with me (male or female). If we can get a couple of people together we could do it as a private safari rather than an overland trip if that's what you would prefer.
I'm a 30 yr old single hetero male, from north of england.

[xchaotic]

Normally I'm very adventurous and I laugh about things that people usually fear (like losing passport or cc), but even I must warn you that is a dangerous area, unfortunately.
I have an uncle in Southern Africa and when I was last there, I was mugged twice, guys wielding knives etc, and supposedly things have become much worse since then. Finally that was in Johannesburg, and supposedly, it's much worse than that in Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Finally, assuming you are white you will stand out from the crowd a little bit and my personal impression is that you will get assaulted at the slightest hint of possessing anything worth more than £10, which you inevitably will have (say shoes).
Of course to counter that there's probably 95% of very friendly people and most importantly, the most beautiful nature in the world.

I suppose if you go with an organised trip, you're much safer, but I rarely enjoyed trips with a set program as I like to explore things on my own...

[Charlotte88]

Hi I just got back from 8 weeks overlanding with Africatravelco.com. It was fantastic, and the best leg was the Cape Town to Vic Falls one, lots to see and do, not too much time in the truck. The crew were great, the food was very good and the passengers were good fun too. Chobe NP was great, delta was a bit disappointing but overall the whole trip was fantastic.There are loads of other companies going up and down that route too.

[Smitty]

[Smitty]

[Charlotte88]

My experience was as follows: Cape Town I saw someone get mugged and there were warnings in the hotels to be very careful at cash machines but I didn't have any problems myself
Namibia & Botswana I felt very safe
Zimbabwe - I spent 3 days in Vic Falls - yes, you get a lot of hassle from locals wanting your clothes (and your money!) but they are a friendly enough lot, just having a very tough time at the moment. Buy a few things off them and if you have some clothes you don't want, then take them with you
Just follow the usual advice of being careful after dark and not having much cash on you, just in case, and you should be fine. I am going back to Africa soon to travel on my own, as having done the truck trip I have no fears about travelling alone there

[lorrina30]

Hiya,
I've done quite a lot of research into tour companies doing this kind of trip because im going from kenya to cape town in jan.
The one I eventually decided on is called Acacia, I didn't find any negative reviews for them just positive!

[Charlotte88]

Acacia are one of the best - less people and more room than a lot of the trucks. And your own luggage locker too, so I hear. I went with Africa TRavel Co and they were very good too

[Smitty]

[Smitty]

[Charlotte88]

Age range on CT to VF leg was from 17 to 60!! There were 5 people in their 50's and 60's, one (me) in my 40's, the rest in 20's and 30's. Each leg changed as people joined and left. Apparantly older people ie 40+ tend to go south to north and younger ones tend to go north to south. Most of the trucks had the majority of people on their 20's and 30's, very few had any people 40+. It's a young person's trip, despite the cost.

[lorrina30]

Oh dear I got that wrong then im mid 20s & im going north to south!
Don't mind a wide age range though as long as everyone is chilled out & not miserable!!
I personally prefer doing tours most of the time because I like getting to know people really well & making friends for life. When I back packed maybe I was just un-lucky but most people seemed to be moving on at different times to me so every few days I was having to start again & make new friends

[lorrina30]

oh I just re-read your post charlotte, I am going the right way!!

[tweetie_boid]