A self-drive safari through Botswana and Namibia has been on my bucket list since studying abroad there in 2012. As a sophomore in college, I had taken off to Botswana with four other students and two college professors to study community-based natural resource management in the Okavango Delta. We camped outside various villages in the Okavango Delta for six months as we worked with local managers on data collection and wildlife conservation practices.
These experiences had a lasting impact on me as they introduced one of the most biodiverse places on the planet while giving me the chance to work closely and form friendships with locals. By the end of my semester in Botswana, I had already decided I needed to come back.
Fast forward five years and I was back on a plane headed to Windhoek, Namibia. I had just finished my Master’s degree and was ready to celebrate with a trip back to Africa. After 6-months of planning for a self-drive safari we were eager to get on the road. We picked up our vehicle in Windhoek, Namibia. Another option is to start in Maun, but we decided Windhoek worked better for us since it is a larger city with more resources. We ended up renting a Toyota Hilux equipped with rooftop tents, cooking and camping equipment, and a small refrigerator from a company called Drive South Africa.
We did a quick inspection of the vehicle to make sure everything was in order. While everything looked perfect at first glance, the troubles started almost as soon as we drove off the lot. So, for anyone reading this and looking for some tips for their own self-drive safari, we have come up with a list of six things to keep in mind before and during your adventure.
- Camp for free (or cheap): If you have made it this far into your planning, you probably already know a bit about how camping works in these areas. However, for those of you new to this sort of thing, there are basically three ways to camp while you are on your self-drive safari; lodges, community campgrounds, and dispersed. The latter option allows you to camp for free, while the former two allows you to pay to camp and typically includes other amenities.
- Check tire pressure: Almost immediately we realized the tire pressure was extremely low. So much so that it was impacting our ability to stay on the road.
- Test your compressor: Once we realized the tire pressure was low, we pulled over and got out the air compressor that came with the vehicle. However, the compressor was completely broken and probably hadn’t worked for years. We ended up having to go back to the rental agency and get a new one.
- Make sure you check your spares: You will almost undoubtedly go through at least one or two tires on your self drive safari. Each vehicle is supposed to have two, one on the back and one underneath. However, when it was time to put on our second spare tire of the trip, we realized that the second spare was completely flat.
- Take a look at the fuel tank and make sure it is securely fastened to the car: At one point, when we were driving through the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, we came to a stop and realized we smelled gas. After checking under the car we realized that the gas tank had separated from the chassis and that all of our fuel was spilling into the desert. Thankfully, we were able to capture most of the fuel in bowls and cups, jury rig a fuel line with the hose of one of our hydration packs, and make it into Swakopmund to get the vehicle repaired. We got lucky on this one – it could have been much worse!!
- Be ready for anything and don’t let the little things ruin your trip: About half way through our trip, the back doors of the car stopped opening. We spent the rest of the trip crawling in and out of the windows. We never really figured out how this happened or why we couldn’t fix it. The only recommendation that can be made is to expect the unexpected!
The moral of this story is get insurance! There is a 100% chance of something going wrong with your vehicle at some point during your trip. These vehicles are beaten up and turned around for a new customer very quickly so get all the extra insurance you can!
We hope this helps you as you plan your own self-drive safari! Stay tuned for future posts regarding our detailed itinerary. As always, we welcome any questions/thoughts!
Stay safe and happy travels!
Summer & Jackson
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