Camping and its best
Tony Mobile Safari
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Budget & mid-range)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $3,989 to $10,060 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email MS | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Safari!
No word are sufficient to describe just how awesome safari-ing/camping with Tony and his crew was! If you can, include Savuti in your itinerary...so beautiful, so peaceful. Without a doubt, I will be booking a repeat adventure with this company. Thank you Tony, Eddie, and Ben for a truly unforgettable experience.
Email Kerry | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent guides; a small local company
Re: Safari to Savuti and Chobe (6 days - mostly camping) with Tony Mobile Safari. We were booked with them through another tour operator but I now wish we had found them and booked directly ourselves. It is good to support a smaller, local company and I believe we had a better experience than if we had been booked with a larger, more commercial one. Our guide was Vincent and we also met the owner, Tony, as he was guiding others who camped with us. Vincent was very knowledgeable about the animals and the environment. Vincent and Tony both obviously have a genuine passion for Wildlife conservation. They were very skilled at spotting animals as well. Finally, they both had a unique sense of humour! The staff Jackie, Eddie and Ben were all great, too. The food was very good and the chef even accommodated a request for vegan food! The tents and bedding were warmer and more comfortable than I expected, too. The sleeping pads and bags were actually more comfortable than the beds at the lodges! Everyone was very friendly and the camp felt totally safe, knowing that we had very knowledgeable guides nearby. If your priority is to have as much time seeing the wildlife as possible and you'd like an authentic experience, you should consider camping with Tony Mobile Safari as opposed to booking a more luxurious option.
Email Eric | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Yes Yes Yes
Absolutely wonderful safari. Everything was taken care of and we had a great time. Shout out to Kin and co for making our trip fantastic. We loved the fact that we were sleeping outside and getting a true camping experience in Chobe. Great ready for thousands of elephants!! We cant wait to book our next trip!
Email Caroline | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Six day tour from Kasane to Maun: Excellent safari, fantastic guide, comfortable tents
My partner and I decided to book this safari after seeing so many positive reviews, and also knowing that it is a local company with experienced guides. It was an incredible six day trip! From the start, Tony was always available to answer questions via email and then more easily WhatsApp (and I had a lot of questions!!). Make sure to ask exactly what you are booking - for example, we had the luxury experience, with large tents and ensuite bathrooms (meaning you could easily go at night). We slept on cots with warm sleeping bags and real pillows, plus they also had a small table in our two person tent. Everything was clean and comfortable - I truly slept well every night. As for the safari, we went from Kasane to Maun, with two nights in Chobe, two nights in Savuti (my favorite) and one night in Moremi. On the days where you didn't move locations, you did a long morning drive starting at 6:30 or 7, lasting until nearly lunchtime. Then you took a long mid-day break, so make sure to pack some games or books, or this is a good time to take advantage of the showers they provide (just ask them to prep the water). Finally, you go out for another drive at around 4pm, but this only goes until sunset since you can't be out after dark. On the days you are changing locations, you are in the car all day - a game drive in the morning, then driving 4-6 hours to get to the next park (stopping for picnic lunch), then when you arrive you immediately start a game drive. The road is almost never paved and VERY bumpy, so you're in for a wild ride, and we were never bored! We traveled in May so make sure to pack warm clothes for sleeping, and the mornings can feel very cold when you're driving in open air, so pack hats and gloves. During the day, it was in the 80s, but you are shaded in the car so it never felt really hot. Tony himself is super funny and kept us laughing, but most importantly he is really good at tracking the animals. He was the one to find certain animals first in several cases, including when we found a pride of lions attacking cape buffalo. And since he's a photographer, he really dedicated time to see and learn about the animals and their behavior. He is very passionate about his work and it shows. His team (Eddie and Ben) were so friendly and I'm very impressed by the delicious food they cooked, including meat stews, pastas and vegetables. If I had one piece of advice, I would say that the tour is very chill, and sometimes the plans will change, or timing won't be exact. But everything was great in the end, so we have no complaints, and in fact would recommend this tour over other (more expensive) versions!
Email Mike S | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great, simple safari experience with Tony and team!
Being my first time on safari, I have nothing to compare it against, but Tony and team's 6 day/5 night safari experience was a fantastic one. A great local business you should support versus the fancy lodges that I doubt are locally owned.
Tony communicates with his guests over WhatsApp and email, and is incredibly responsive overall. Tough to set your expectations ahead of time regardless. However, know that you are in good hands, as Tony and team ran a strong operation. He has different tiers of accommodation for his nightly camping, I would just make sure you choose the best unless you are willing to sacrifice things like your own "en-suite" bathroom next to your tent. The tent and adjoining bathroom area were surprisingly nice, and the sleeping arrangement of an inflatable mattress was more comfortable than I thought. Everything from the sleeping bags and pillows seemed to be of quality and clean despite it being used for camping. They had an overhead hanging bucket for the occasional shower as well.
The food that Tony's staff cooked was really good given that we were camping, and it is impressive what they can do. Breakfast typically included cereals and omelettes for example, among other things. Lunch and dinner were all good meals with meat, starches, and vegetables. Safe to say, we never went hungry.
Botswana's safari scene is uniquely abundant with wildlife, and I believe you typically get to see a lot more here than in South Africa for example. I will not give specifics to get your hopes up, but we saw way more than I ever thought (went in May), and we saw those animals in somewhat unique situations (hunting, drinking water, etc.). Our tour went through the parks/reserves of Chobe, Savuti, and Moremi (with only 6 days, Moremi is a bit rushed, would recommend the extra day if offered). Tony's open car allowed for great views, and our small group of 3 people was a great amount for everyone to have easy viewing ability. Tony has a strong ability to track animals using their prints, whichmade for some additional viewings that some of the fancy lodges did not get to see even. Tony is clearly good at what he does, is quite funny, and his passion for the wildlife and photography is obvious. Just someone whose business you absolutely must support as he is into this for all the right reasons.
Some things to consider are that the post-lunch break is sometimes long (though this seems common in the Botswana safari world), so you should bring some activity to do for sure, and use that downtime effectively, unless he considers shortening the break in the future. Also, Tony is not always the most transparent about what animals he sees or what the schedule looks like, so you have to be willing to go with the flow a bit. But I promise you that he has your best interests, and he put on a great tour for us. Botswana is also not well-connected with modern (paved) roads, and there ends up being lots of driving in the 4x4 on sand/dirt roads that are common in the country's parks. So, having patience while being in transit is important to understand. Though the travel time was notable, there was still a ton of time to see the animals in the parks/reserves, and the value of a camping tour with Tony and team is incredible compared to the expensive lodges in the parks.
As long as you can handle the experience of camping (of which I would consider this somewhat more luxurious than typical camping), this safari experience should easily be your top choice.
Email Austin Wedderburn | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The day tour with Tony and his staff were awesome, a must do..
Best tour we have ever done, the best people that made it a day to remember. They made us feel safe, but gave us an awesome up close and personal experience. Really, really enjoyed every minute. Highly recommend you go with these guys.
FR
Email Francis | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unforgettable trip
Best tracker guide ever meet , Best price/quality tent camp & services Tony cut himself in 4 to satisfied us . He is the best tracker I ever meet( this is my 14 Safari ) price/quality is unbeatable
FR
Email Mark Holdefehr | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing Safari Experience
I've been on a few safaris, and Tony is definitely the best guide I've been with. He really knows his wildlife, has great patience, and does everything to please.
He has a great team who are attentive to service, keeping a comfortable camp with great food. Tony is also a great guy with a good sense of humor :)
I highly recommend Tony Mobile Safaris !
Email Jacqueline | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Tony and his team did their best to ensure my travel partner and I were comfortable at all times!
The food and accommodation on this mobile safari exceeded my expectations. Tony makes a lot of jokes, but is well educated on current political and cultural affairs and how they effect the natural environment. Tony is quick to reply in English via WhatsApp and email. The safaro was truly unforgettable.
IL
Email oliver neuwirth | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
tony is perfect
we engoyed graet safari twice with tony, once for 5 days end second for 6 day. evrything was more then perfect. sure recomended !!!!
The experience with Tony is a unique experience, Tony has A lot of experience and he is a very very professional guide. tony makes sure that your experience on the safari will be unforgettable. The camping conditions are very convenient, the food is great. Tony always makes sure the atmosphere during the safari will be great. We got the impression that Tony was much more professional than other instructors we met along the way by far.
Thank you so much Tony for a wonderful trip