The best game viewing is the early morning and so each day begins at the first hint of dawn with a coffee and light breakfast around the fire. From here we go straight into game-drive, walking safari or boat trip. After several hours of wildlife viewing we stop for a comfort break and have tea, coffee and cookies. Between 10 and 11 am we return to camp where there is time to freshen up with warm water in your standing basins before enjoying a sumptuous brunch consisting of fresh-baked camp bread, baked dishes and cold salads. After brunch there is time to relax, siesta, read a book, shower etc. before heading out in the late afternoon for our game-drive or boat trip. In areas outside of the National Parks we may also return to camp after dark with the use of a spotlight to look for nocturnal game. This is a guideline as to what happens on most exploration days. The course of each day’s events will be determined by local conditions, distribution of birds and mammals, safety and the decision of your guide.

Our vehicles are spacious and comfortable taking a maximum of 9 guests. All our vehicles are fitted with inverters and strip plugs allowing guests to charge batteries whilst on safari with us using the ac charger that came with your appliance. For guests who need to purchase adapters, Botswana uses The Old British M3 3 Pin Type M plug (same as South Africa). These inverters are for necessary items such as camera batteries only, please do not bring draining items which require charging for a long time such as electric toothbrushes etc. The seats are in a three seats per row configuration. There will be a fridge either on the vehicle in order that cold drinks are available to guests at all times on game drive.

Pack these essentials in your hand luggage: ● Flashlight & headlamp ● Binoculars – don’t leave home without them!!! ● A digital camera with spare batteries, battery charger and plenty of memory cards. ● Your personal medication/prescriptions – replacing these in Botswana is not always possible. Bring along a good jacket, scarf, gloves and woolen or fleece headwear if you are travelling in winter as early morning and late evenings are cold on game drives. It can get quite hot during the day so light summer clothing is also a must. The best way to deal with winter is to dress in layers. If you are travelling in summer, a good sweater (jumper) is recommended, as it can get rather cool, especially if you are doing any boat trips as well as a light raincoat. Light trousers and a cool long-sleeved shirt in the evenings in summer will help protect you from the mosquitoes. For the remainder bring light cotton clothing. For walks it is recommended that you bring neutral coloured clothing (beige, khaki, olive, stone etc.) but when travelling in the vehicle, most colours are fine – light colours generally being cooler. Dark blue and black clothing are not recommended. Bring clothing that can be hand washed easily and dried quickly. Bring some good walking shoes and sandals (with sturdy soles to protect you from the large thorns) or thongs/flip flops as you may need to get your feet wet on boating excursions. You may get opportunities to swim, so bring along a swimming outfit. Don’t forget your sun hat! SAFARI PACKLIST Binoculars are probably one of the most important things to bring to Africa. They will enhance your viewing experience tenfold. Try and get at least 8 x 30 magnification. Torch / flashlight - a highly important item - we recommend a good quality headlamp or one of the small, powerful LED type torches. Malaria tablets- if you are going to a malaria area. It is important to consult your doctor for the best prophylactic for the area you are visiting. Good quality sunglasses - tinted fashion glasses are not good in strong light Sun hat. Sun block lotion at a minimum factor 30. Insect repellent e.g. Tabard, Rid, Jungle Juice, etc. Basic medical kit (aspirins, Band-Aids, Imodium, antiseptic cream and Anti-histamine cream etc). Golf-shirts, T-shirts and long-sleeved cotton shirts. Shorts/skirts Long trousers/pants. A sports bra can be a comfortable option on some of the bumpy game drive roads. Good walking shoes (running/tennis shoes are fine). If you are going on a walking safari, make sure you take shoes that are comfortable and already walked in. Sandals. Warm sweater/fleece. Light rain gear for summer months (late November to April). If you are using a telephoto camera, try and make sure you have at least a 200mm lens, but if you can go bigger, up to 400mm, then go for it as you will not be disappointed. Size does count on safari!!! Recharger to charge your camera battery. Make sure you have enough memory cards for your camera. There are a lot of large cards on the market but a suggestion is that you get a few smaller ones, to make up the same amount of memory. This is in case you have a problem with a card in the camera. For example instead of a 16G card you get 2 x 8G. This way you can still keep taking pictures and sort out the problem card back home. Waterproof/dustproof bags/cover for your cameras. If you wear contact lenses, we recommend that you bring along a pair of glasses in case you get irritation from the dust. Personal toiletries (basic amenities supplied by most establishments) Please note that bright colours and white are NOT advised whilst on safari. Please remember that there may be a restriction on luggage limits on your safari

Please see the full single supplement rules on our terms and conditions regarding single traveler but with regard to sharing, no, you will not be expected to share with someone unless you state that you are happy to.

On our travel days we have an early start, pack our bags and leave camp to have breakfast somewhere scenic. Following breakfast we game-drive towards our next camp stopping for tea/coffee and cookies and later for a relaxing lunch under a shady grove of trees. Invariably lunch finds us within a short distance of our camp and we arrive in camp to find our crew has once again erected the camp at our new destination. There is time for a shower before afternoon tea and then it is time to begin our exploration of the area. Please note that this is a rough outline of a travel day and events change from safari to safari depending on the distribution of game, distance between camps, conditions of the roads and the decision of your guide etc. Travel times are a rough indication of the driving time from one camp to another and do not include time taken for breaks and wildlife viewing.

Yes, so long as you follow the safety instructions from your guide regarding not taking food into the tent and zipping your tent up properly then the tents are safe from any ‘intruders’.

On a scheduled departure our maximum number of guests is 7 and we guarantee to run a departure with a minimum of 2 guests. For private tailor-made departures the group size will depend upon the availability of guides and vehicles over the requested dates.

The Letaka Safaris mobiles are all fully inclusive and unless you wish to leave a tip for your guide and crew, you will not require any money whilst on the safari. For those that are doing extensions to Kasane, Vic Falls, Livingstone etc there will be opportunities to visit craft markets and you may wish to bring money for any purchases. US Dollar is the best currency to bring to Africa and can be changed easily in the towns and the main towns also have ATM machines.

Yes we do. We do ask that you advise your agent or ourselves of any special requirements or allergies that you have when you book to give us as much time as possible to prepare the menu for you. Due to the sporadic availability of some items in Maun, we may have to request for certain items from South Africa, particularly for those guests who are gluten intolerant so the more notice you can give us the better as items cannot be sent out once the safari departs Maun but we will always endeavor to accommodate all requirements if given notice. Some specific food stuffs are not available locally.

Botswana is considered a low risk malarial region but please speak with your own Doctor for advice on vaccinations and malaria medication required for visiting Botswana, as you may need additional vaccinations if you are visiting any other countries as part of your itinerary such as Yellow Fever for Zambia.

Obviously nothing can be guaranteed on a safari, that is one of the pleasures as you spend time tracking and looking for some of the elusive animals but the itineraries all state the animals that you can hope to see in the different areas.

For our scheduled departures we have a minimum age of 12 years; this is for the comfort of all guests. We have a minimum of 5 years old on on tailor-made private safaris and can offer a family tent which sleeps 4 people. There is no maximum age on our safaris but please note that a small level of mobility and fitness is required should you wish to do guided walks.

For all safaris that include any charter flights you are restricted to 20kg in total which must be packed in soft luggage as the planes used are small charter planes that are heavily regulated. If you bring above the restricted amount you will be asked to leave items behind or to travel without your luggage so make sure you are within the guidelines. If you do wish to bring extra luggage, you can purchase an additional seat but please advise when confirming a booking.

These guidelines on tipping are strictly for your information, tipping is optional and the amount is entirely up to you but these are the ‘industry standards’: Guides: USD 10.00 per person per day Safari Chef: USD 5.00 per person per day General Staff: USD 5.00 per person per day

For the duration of your time on a Letaka mobile safari you will not have access to cell signal or internet, this is one of the pleasures of an authentic safari, the sounds you hear are the sounds of Africa and you can truly relax without the ties of the outside world.

All of our vehicles are fitted with 220 volt inverters which are linked to Botswana plug sockets for easy charging. We recommend that guests purchase a Botswana converter, these are the same as South Africa, type M3, 3 round pin plugs. We ask that guests use the charging facilities for recharging camera and torch batteries only, please do not bring hairdryers, electric razors or electric toothbrushes for use whilst on safari.

Most passport holders will not require a visa; US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand plus others are all able to obtain 3 month visas upon entry into Botswana at the border or airports. Please use the following link for details of which countries either do or do not require visas: www.botswanaembassy.org which also includes the guidelines for completing the visa application should you be required to have one. **Please note that visa requirements are the responsibility of the traveler.

We supply both bath and hand towels as well as all linen whilst on safari with us however, guests are requested to bring their own personal toiletries. We do supply Eco-friendly shower gel and shampoo whilst on safari.

The camp crew will do laundry upon request on full days in camp but this is dependent upon weather and water availability. We do ask that guests do not include ‘smalls’ with their laundry but should you wish to wash your own, washing powder can be provided; please just speak to your guide the night before to advise for the following day.