Reviews of Private Mobile
Wildlife sightings and reviews
69 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Private Mobile and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Fantastic experience with Andrew"
I enjoyed waking up each morning from my comfortable bed as the staff gently called good morning and filled our basin with warm water. Andrew is a very knowledgeable guide that led us on driving and walking safaris. I was amazed at the daily fresh bread and gourmet meals prepared on the campfire.
In the evening, the stars and milky way captured our attention as we sat around the campfire and listened to the discordant metallic ting of bell frogs, roar of fighting impala, grunts of hippos, and huffing of lions.
The trip was both relaxing and exhilarating with sensory overload." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana
"Mobile Safari"
Andrew was able to find hidden animals, birds, and plants, track animals, and share history of the area, country and continent. He catered to everyone’s interests with ease and congeniality. The transportation, accommodations, amenities and staff were also top notch. We have never had our clothes not only washed but ironed! I don’t even own an iron, let alone one that is heated with coals.
Everything had attention to detail about it, for example, the fancy jams every morning at breakfast, the fancy cookies at morning tea, the nightly bush babies in our beds, the hot water at morning and night and the cool water in the afternoon, etc, etc. I cannot start to say how incredible the food was. Every meal was a gourmet feast. I do not know how Alex managed the complexity of cooking the many delights we enjoyed over the campfire. We all gained weight on his delicious meals as nothing could be turned down. We were so fortunate to see such a huge variety of animals including many babies.
Andrew was very astute about safety, and kept us informed of daily events/activities." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana
"Botswana Private Mobile Safari review"
Next we drove to Savuti. The camp team expertly packed up camp and managed to get ahead of us and set up the new site. We, meanwhile, meandered through different landscapes on our route which meant that we saw a variety of wildlife. For the first time we saw hills. The camp site was in a beautiful, quiet position. The channel was dry but there were still many animals to see.
We enjoyed sitting by two cheetahs as they rested and seeing three male lion brothers laying out together early in the morning. But most unusual for us was to see several Carmine bee eaters escort our vehicle across the grasslands so that they could catch the insects we disturbed. One night whilst drinking by the camp fire we had a visit from two lionesses. We followed Andrew’s instructions and sat still. Eventually they skirted around us and exited the camp, it was the closest we had been to lions when not in a vehicle.
We all considered this to be the best way to experience a safari, we felt close to nature and enjoyed a wonderful guide. We thoroughly recommend this safari." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana
"Botswana Private Mobile Safari review"
Your recommendation of Andrew was brilliant: he was a great guide and we loved his approach with his mobile safari, the staff and the meals, and particularly the campsites he took us to, their remoteness and beauty. We had amazing luck seeing most of the bigger mammals in the first couple of days - the great sightings carried on through to the very end of the trip with Andrew.
He was also great at birding, my recent passion, so we had funwith that too." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana
"Botswana Private Mobile Safari review"
Everything was top! The tents, the location, the service, the food, the safari....etc...
We had a very authentic feeling. With Andrew we had a very real safari experience, alone in the middle of Moreni NP.
When we go back to Botswana we will certainly do it again!" See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana
"Simply the best"
I am not someone who likes camping so I was a little apprehensive before we got there, although I wanted to have this experience. The tent was spacious with hangers and shelving and the beds were comfortable. The attached bathroom is also spacious and the long drop loo has a comfortable enclosed seat. I would definitely say its glamping not camping!
The guys would usually top up the water canister for the shower before we had our afternoon snack. They always checked you were not using the bathroom before they went in and they kept everywhere looking neat and tidy. We even had various towel sculptures each day on our beds. All of the staff were friendly and polite and Andrew was a great host.
Andrew knew both the Savuti Marsh area and Moremi Kwai Concessions. He is very respectful of the animals and is relaxed and patient. He doesn't race around rushing from A to B like many of the other guides seemed to do. It was therefore much more comfortable in the truck as we tracked the animals. It was also nice that he did not use the radio, so it was very quiet and felt like there was nobody else around.
My husband enjoys bird watching and Andrew was very knowledgeable about them as well as the animals. We saw 113 species of birds during our stay as well as leopards, lions, wild dogs and more.
We decided on a private safari after reading some blogs and reviews and it did not disappoint. We felt very well looked after by Andrew and his team. We found we had flexibility to do what we wanted, although Andrew would make suggestions in relation to what we wanted to see, he is very easy going. Our mid morning tea break and sun downer stops were always accompanied by one of Patrick's creations, amazing. These breaks were usually taken in a hidden spot where we could view the animals and birds.
If you want to do something out of the ordinary, even if you don’t like camping, I would recommend doing this. It’s a fantastic experience.
Thank you Andrew and your team we had a fantastic time and loved every minute of it." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 5n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
"Botswana Private Mobile Safari review"
We had an amazing 3 nights with them - can't believe the number of animals we saw and also the incredibly high standard of food all cooked on an open fire and in a Dutch oven. Very impressive indeed!
Huge thanks to Andrew, Patrick, Alec, LB and P." See all these reviews: 5n in Botswana; 4n in Namibia; 2n in Zimbabwe
"Mobile safari, moremi, khwai, savute"
Harkness safari, doesn’t have wifi or room fridges, it has drop loos and bucket showers. You eat under the stars, fabulous food cooked by Patrick, who miraculously provides you with fresh bread, breakfast buns, luxurious salads and three course meals every day, in the middle of the bush. The wine flows , the chat flows, and is only halted by the nightly visitors coming through camp.
Lions roaring, wild dogs hunting impala by the kitchen tent, hyena giggling and cackling while jogging through the camp to a kill, jackals looking for wild dog scraps. We have never seen so many honey badgers in daylight, some times in pairs, some times alone, always trotting off on their business, little stripy tanks! If you go to Botswana just for the wild life you won’t be disappointed, Andrew has a trackers eye, and a guides knowledge, and a brits sense of humour. He knows where to look so your experience is always intimate and memorable.
If like me you come for the environment, the drive from Khwai to Savute is spectacular. The long drive is broken up as the vista changing from rivers, to open plains, to desert. Moremi, Khwai and Savute are different from each other, all worth visiting. You don’t have to be adventurous for a private mobile safari, Andrew and his team will look after every little detail, but you do have to love wildlife, its everywhere and its close!" See all these reviews: 17n in Botswana
"Harkness Mobile Safaris"
We easily agreed on our priorities and objectives, and spent little wasted time achieving them. That said, we did not wish to hurry our observations of various details of landscape, birds, and animals. He was willing to linger or give more info on many identifications or behavior questions. We had superb spotting of birds and mammals, thanks in part to his knowledge of places or time of day.
The daily schedule we agreed on suited us well, early out of camp and time mid day to write, identify and journal our findings. He put us close to the cats but always showed respect for the animals space. We never felt overly intrusive. It does take a minute to sit calmly near a huge lion and learn to contain your excitement!
The variety of habitats and landscape views in our itinerary brought a constant feel of eminent discovery. On our slowest day, we probably still saw hundreds of mammals and dozens of new bird and plant species. The tree species alone were a wonder, very different for us in their adaptations.
Although we had several travel days, they were great for us in terms of extended discovery. We had some of our best game spotting on these days, wild dogs and Buffalo eg. We also saw some rarer raptors like a gymkhana attacking a starling nest.
On camp change days, the crew was flawless. We always arrived in a well ordered camp. The cooking and baking was a wonder in itself, with fresh breads and confections daily. Fresh veggies and fruits were a treat, and the exotic game meats were tender and well spiced. Safari guest fared in older days could not possibly have been pampered like this!
Our favorite daily break was the morning tea and sundowner breaks. It felt traditional and gave a moment for the grandeur to sink in, often watching Elephants bathe or Zebra grazing. The sounds of the forest are like none other in the world!" See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
3 nights in the Savuti Marsh region of Chobe National Park;
4 nights in the Khwai River area of Moremi;
4 nights in the Moremi Game Reserve.
We're absolutely delighted that they so enjoyed the experience and the different areas.
"Moremi and Savuti"
The camp at Moremi was in a great location - felt that we were the only people around. Loved listening to the hippos and elephants in the nearby river at night.
Savuti was also great although there were other mobile camps nearby so you could hear other people. Loved the place for the wildlife though.
The only suggestion I would have for Andrew is to have additional blankets in the tents as the nights were freezing - or recommend that guests who feel the cold bring thermals to sleep in 😊
Was very sad saying goodbye to Andrew and the team." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 3n in South Africa; 2n in Zimbabwe
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