Nyala mobile safaris team work
Nyala Mobile Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2024)
- Member Of:
- Botswana Guide Association & Botswana Tourism Organization
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Jennifer Widom | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Disappointing and a bit sketchy
Nyala Mobile Safaris is a relatively new business. Our family of 3 adults booked a 5-day budget mobile safari based on a good price for the comfort level and a handful of excellent reviews. Our overall experience was disappointing, including poor communication throughout and some sketchy aspects. We recommend using a more proven operator; we certainly would in the future. For details read on.
The good: The setup of the camps was as comfortable as advertised, with spacious tents, small cots, a portable bathroom and shower, and other amenities. The food was certainly adequate under the circumstances. The vehicle had some issues but none untoward given the exceptionally bad roads it navigates day in and day out. As advertised, there was plenty of free alcohol, which was useful in taking the edge off the steady stream of difficulties.
The disappointing: Our crew consisted of company-owner Mucheka who was in charge of camping, meals, and other logistics; a certified guide who was in charge of the safari aspects; and a "helper boy." Unfortunately the guide was surprisingly incompetent. Over the entire 5-day safari he found literally zero animals we hadn't spotted on our own, and on multiple occasions he got lost when we were on a game drive without Macheka. It's impossible to know how much more wildlife we would have seen if our guide had participated in the spotting (and how much less time spent driving aimlessly if he knew the way), but wildlife spotting has certainly been the norm for guides during the handful of other safaris we've been on.
The sketchy: We paid for a private safari months in advance and confirmed it with Mucheka several times, yet when we arrived at the airport we were told that "two friends" -- a last-minute booking -- would be joining us for the first half of our trip and were waiting in the safari vehicle. We put our foot down and they did find a second vehicle, driver, and dining table, but for the first 2+ days Macheka was juggling two parallel safaris, presumably to the detriment of both. At the other end, when our post-safari transfer, included in the price, dropped us off, we were told Macheka hadn't paid for it and we needed to fork over $105. The money was recovered in the end but not without effort. Overall, communication with Macheka was challenging and a bit slippery from start to finish; it should have been a warning sign.
Again, we would not use Nyala Mobile Safaris again ourselves and unfortunately cannot recommend the company to others.