Mobile Safaris

A mobile safari is a journey rather than a stay. Your camp moves with you — or ahead of you — through wild country, so that you sleep where the animals are rather than where the lodges happen to be.

How it works

A support crew sets up camp at each stop, often travelling ahead so tents, bucket showers and dinner are ready when you arrive. You travel between sites by vehicle, on foot or by boat, staying two or three nights in each. The result is a trip that covers several habitats with the same guide throughout — which is one of its great advantages.

How comfortable is it?

That depends on the operator. Mobile safaris range from participation trips with small dome tents, where guests help put up camp, to fully serviced camps with walk-in canvas tents, proper beds, en-suite bucket showers and chemical toilets. Fly camps — a night or two away from a main camp, sleeping under a mosquito net or in a simple tent — are the simplest of all and, for many people, the most memorable.

Who it suits

• Travelers who want remoteness and a sense of journey.
• Groups of friends or families who can book the whole camp privately.
• Anyone who prefers the same guide for the whole trip.

Where to go

• Botswana — the classic mobile safari country, linking Moremi, Savuti, Chobe and the Kalahari.
• Northern Tanzania — seasonal camps follow the great migration across the Serengeti.
• Zambia — fly camps and walking trails in South and North Luangwa.