 planning Botswana, is Namibia really worth it?
"tangigi3" <Larry.deGuzman@> wrote in message
news:ed0bd14a.0501262128.39dfd960@c om...
> Hi,
>
> I am planning a trip to Botswana and would like to know:
>
> 1)The must see places there and where to stay.
> 2)The amount of time needed for each location.
> 3)If a trip to namibia is worth it.
>
> My budget? $3k something for a decent 9 day trip..is this possible. I
> am not in the mood to rough it up at this time.
>
> Thank you
>
The problem with Botswana is that they market themselves specifically for
the expensive upmarket tourist. The national tourist philosophy is 'fewer
tourists, more expensive venues.' Add to that the fact that most of the
sights to see are either just too damn big to see (there's no 'there' there)
like the Khalahari Grassland or the Okavango or Chobe, or else they are just
too inaccessible to see more than one during a shorter trip.
If I were to spend 9 days seeing either Bots or Namib, I'd rent a 4WD
self-contained rig and drive through Namibia. The scenery changes pretty
regularly, you can get a few nights here and there is a nice lodge for a
reasonable amount, and the trip will fit well within a $3K budget (I'm NOT
including airfare).
If your budget really is inflexible and you want a good african experience,
you can't beat a tour of the eastern part of South Africa (Mpumulanga and
around the Drakensburgs), staying at nice game lodges.
If your heart is set on Bots, then choose a single locale (Okavango, for
example), find a cheaper camp (if that's even possible, within your budget),
see if they have some sort of package deal, and don't plan on moving around
too much.
Good luck, let us know what you find
--riverman
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