Ulinda Safari Trails
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1997)
- Member Of:
- HATAB & BOGA
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $400 to $1,360 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CA
Email Rob Graham | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An incredible, fullfilling experience.
I went for a 10 night safari with Ulinda in July of 2017, and it was an experience I won't forget for a very long time. The wildlife was incredible, the food and accommodations were spectacular, and the chance to get away from it all and spend 11 days was exactly what my body and mind needed.
The trip was not without a bit of drama, but Jane acted promptly and made the best of a bad situation, and it all worked out for the best in the end.
Driving around it seemed like most of the tour companies in Botswana use the large, open walled vehicles. And as someone who has been on 5 safaris before, I highly recommend against those types of vehicles. They have no protection from the elements so you freeze in the morning and roast in the afternoon, you get to spend 10+ days crammed in with 11 people you just met, and most importantly, there's nowhere to rest your camera for taking pictures.
Truth be told the vehicle type was the reason I chose Ulinda in the first place, but their accommodations and food totally blew my expectations away. A special shout out to Jane's staff who work really hard all day long to try and make the experience as amazing as possible for the guests.
Pictures from my safari posted on my Instagram: @robnoxious_travels
Email Di and Michael Richardson | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A unique adventure which exceeded expectations.
Our guide, Jane Bettenay, has a wealth of experience and no end of amusing stories which she told around the campfire.
Our cook, Pini, had a wide and varied amount of dishes to suit us all. Everyday she delivered tasty, delicious meals and the rest of Jane's staff were efficient and friendly.
All the campsites were great!
Email Carolyn Field | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing 16 Night private family mobile camping safari
Having used Ulinda Safari Trails in 1995 we had no hesitation booking our safari with Ulinda again this time (with 3 kids in tow this time, aged 16, 18 and 20). Jane runs a very professional business and her 33 years guiding experience is second to none. Her communications were always prompt and she answered all of our questions before the trip. We left the itinerary up to her and were not disappointed. Jane is very patient with early morning sluggishness, she drives with skill and care, she is respectful of the environment and will even stop to pick up other peoples discarded rubbish, she always positions the truck for the best photo opportunity and her staff are amazing. They kept us comfortable and so well fed it was unbelievable what Gase, Victor and Manga could cook up on an open fire place! We saw so much wildlife including 40+ lion, 5 leopard, 4 cheetah, 4 honeybadgers, 1 African wildcat, 7 African Wild dogs as well as 100's of elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, impala, lechwe, steenbok and many kudu, giraffe, waterbuck, tsessebe, baboons, jackal and an amazing array of birds. It was hot in the CKGR to start but as we moved north toward the parks with water it cooled off and the landscapes became greener and more lush. It was still a very comfortable time of year to go, not much rain this year compared to last years floods which just shows no weather patterns (or animal movements) are predictable anymore.
SE
Email Tomas | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding mobile safari in Chobe River, Savuti, Khawi and Moremi national parks Botzwana.
This was my second safari. The first was a lodge safari in South Africa in 2017. The mobile safari with Ulinda Safari Trials exceeded my expectations by far. Comparing with my lodge safari, which was very good, the mobile safari with Jane and her team gave me however a much more genuine feeling of the stunning nature and wildlife in Botzwana. Photography was an very essential factor why I decided for Ulinda and since Jane is a photographer she knows what is needed to place the car right to get the right light etc.
Everything worked perfect from the first contact and on. I can really recommend Ulinda Safari Trials especially if photography is essential.
Email Cicely Havely | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Best.
We thought Botswana would be out of our budget, then a friend with whom we'd travelled in Namibia pointed us to Jane and her company. From the first email contact, we knew we were on the right track. Four of us (two pensioners) booked a ten-day safari that took us from Kasane to Maun, staying in five different locations.
I'm not a natural camper, but the magic of sunrise in the bush and evenings around the camp-fire and under the stars more than made up for quite basic but perfectly adequate sleeping quarters. The tents aren't huge, but they're not cramped either; the bedding is ample and very cosy (starry nights in May are chilly - but no insects) and our en-suite pit toilet (you shovel in a layer of the sandy soil that's been dug out) was really no hardship. We quickly decided that glamping was for softies and would artificially cut you off from the authentic experience that we were enjoying.
And we enjoyed every minute. Because we were four, we had a vehicle to ourselves and could stop and start at the pace that the two avid photographers wanted. Our guide, Spokes Ntshwabi, was superb: quiet, very knowledgeable and charming with it. We had lots of marvellous sightings, many of them all to ourselves as a distinctive part of the Ulinda offering is to get away from the most beaten tracks. (Not that there were ever many other vehicles; these National Parks are huge.)
Back in camp for lunch, a snooze and a shower, then off again. The afternoon game drive always ended with a hefty G'n'T at some scenic spot to watch the sun go down. Then back in the gloaming for a superb dinner, ample (free) wine and yarns round the campfire. The food was always superb. Remember that for the whole 10 days there was nowhere to take on supplies, but we always had fresh vegetables, salads and (for the carnivores) world-class local meats: the beef fillet was the best ever. All that and beautiful fresh bread.
Jane herself is a tireless host. The whole trip was impeccably organised but the effort didn't show. Her team (who cook and manage the assembly and dismantling at every camp site) are charming as well as very hard-working. The three boat trips that were part of the package were all different and unforgettably lovely. Now we have thousands of photos to edit down and thousands of memories to match.
We are all seasoned travellers of many years, but - back in civilisation (which seemed dull in comparison) - we agreed that this was the best.
Thanks, Jane - and everyone
US
Email Judi | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The ultimate camping safari
I had the best photographic trip I've ever had. My goal was to see as many animals (big and small) and birds, as possible; and to photograph them. I can say that my expectations were exceeded. I've done enough animal/bird photography to know that you can't control where the critters are or when they'll appear. However, my guide and staff were so knowledgable and experienced that I had the opportunity to see and photograph incredible encounters with animals and birds.
The meals were cooked over a fire and were deliciousl I'm a vegetarian and I was impressed with the creative and tasty meals I was served.
I mainly communicated by e-mail. My e-mails were answered promptly and my questions were answered.
I truly enjoyed my experience in Botswana, and would highly recommend Ulinda Safari Trails if you want a genuine camping safari in the bush and the chance to experience the wonderful wildlife in the country.
US
Email Joseph Wolfe | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
An outstanding and very memorable experience. Ulinda Safari Trails is the best!
This was not our first safari, having done several in Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa and Botswana, but it has been our most memorable. Jane’s many years of experience makes her safaris outstanding. Ours was a private safari (just my wife and I) with Jane and her staff of three.
We chose Ulinda because of Jane’s experience. She is a photographer and positions the vehicle for best photos and light. Her vehicles are custom made, closed in with a pop up top and seat no more than four. Everyone has a window seat. They are very comfortable, especially on cold mornings and long dusty drives.
We are not campers and Jane has the option of upgrading to a large Meru tent with spring beds and private shower and toilet which we found very comfortable.
Excellent food and good variety. The camp grounds were in spectacular settings. The animal experiences were amazing.
DE
Email Marie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent!
I went with Ulinda Safari Trails on a 10-day safari from Kasane to Maun in September 2018 - a trip that will last long in my memory. Jane and her team did an outstanding job. The four different campsites we stayed in were beautiful and the tents very comfortable (-even with an en-suite pit toilette to them!). We saw so much wildlife and our guides always had a very good intuition where we might be able to view something special. My favourite moments were watching a huge herd of buffalos striding into the sunrise, a lyon family feasting on a buffalo and a hyena stealing the prey of two very disappointed leopards.
The food: Oh, the food! I have no idea how the team managed to cook all these tasty dishes in the bush. But there was a lot of variety and even freshly baked bread. A very nice touch were the Gin and Tonic sundowners and later in the evening beer and wine around the campfire, accompanied by Jane’s amusing stories from her years as a tourguide.
The vehicles were perfect for travelling longer distances between the campsites and the open roof allowed for some 360° views when on game drives. Since there are no more than 4 people in a vehicle, everyone had a window seat.
I highly recommend Jane and her team and hope to return one day! Thanks so much!
CA
Email Violaine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari with Ulinda Safari Trails!
My husband and I went on a 12-day safari in June 2018 with Jane. This was my first safari and an amazing experience. I was not expecting to see so much wildlife. We saw lots of elephants, so enjoyable to watch, beautiful birds, antelopes, zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, hippos, buffalos… We had the chance to watch closely a leopard eating her breakfast in the morning light and several prides of lions, sometimes with cubs fooling around while adults were napping after a good feast. We were also quite lucky to see wild dogs on several occasions (twice seeing the end of an unsuccessful hunt), and honey badgers (one actually crossed our camp site one evening). Not to mention all the mongooses.
The staff did an amazing job, setting up the camp, cooking and doing everything to make sure we were comfortable. The food was plentiful and very good. We enjoyed the luxury camping, mats were comfortable and each tent had its own pit toilet. There is nothing like going outside in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and watch the Milky Way far from the lights of civilization! We also very much appreciated the closed vehicle during chilly mornings, while most of the vehicles from other tours are open.
Jane is a very experienced guide and she is very knowledgeable about the animals we saw. She gave us plenty of time to watch animals. She also has some pretty amazing stories to tell around the camp fire! We highly recommend a safari with Jane and her team!
US
Email Louise | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
As close as it gets to being part of the bush!
This was a once in a lifetime experience! It took us a while to select a safari company, and we are really happy to have picked Ulinda. This was camping, so no frills here, but oh! such an amazing camping experience! The team was seamless, camp was set up magically behind the scenes while we were off to see game. The food was wonderful, the sites were amazing! Everything about our safari made us happy.
Our guide Jane worked hard to give us the best of everything. Again, this is a low key, no frills experience, but how pleasurable! The amazing sundowns, the early drives, the safe sites, the roasted marshmallows... We could not have been better treated! And we saw everything! Except a rhino, but then one doesn't go to Botswana to see rhinos. The good thing was that we were only four people with Jane and her crew. And it helped that our fellow travelers were mellow and like-minded!
If you want to feel the bush and be a part of it, stay away from the fancy lodges, go camping! The mongoose that raid you campsite during siesta, the hippo munching on sausage fruit while you enjoy dinner, the monkeys that come and drink out of your sink... We did boat rides, we saw a leopard on its kill, countless elephants, antelopes, buffaloes, zebras and lions, and honey badgers, and snakes, and giraffes, and birds! So many birds!! Botswana is a fabulous safari location, and camping is the best way to go.
