Botswana Safari Company

A Botswana specialist that plans and books the whole trip

Botswana Safari Company is a small safari planner based in South Africa that designs custom itineraries in Botswana and books them with the lodges, camps and charter flights it works with. It does not run its own camps: the site describes itself as "a small, passionate, owner-managed and service-driven travel provider," and the lodges on its trips belong to operators such as Wilderness Safaris, AndBeyond, Great Plains, Desert & Delta, Uncharted Africa and Kwando, whose photos it credits. What it does is put the safari together and, in its words, "manage the entire safari from arrival to departure." Its destination menu is all Botswana: the Okavango Delta and Panhandle, Moremi and Khwai, the Chobe River, Savuti Marsh, Kwando, Linyanti and Selinda, the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pans, the Boteti River, the Central Kalahari, the Mababe River, Northern Tuli and Mashatu, and Tsodilo Hills, with a Victoria Falls day trip on some routes. The about page says the team has been designing personalized safaris to Southern Africa since 2002 and chose to focus on Botswana. The company trades as a division of Thom Media and Travel Pty Ltd.

Sample safaris and prices

The site sorts trips by style (ultra luxury, luxury lodges, comfortable lodges, luxury camping and simple camping) and by price, and every sample is listed as a "Custom Itinerary" to adjust. The homepage shows prices in US dollars:

• Linyanti & Khwai Lodge Safari, 6 nights, US$7 820
• Botswana's Wild Heart, 9 nights, US$9 395
• Pure Wilderness, 6 nights, US$8 650
• Mashatu Tented Camp, 4 nights, US$2 095
• Kalahari Stars, 3 nights in the Central Kalahari (an add-on), US$3 575
• Chief's Island Mokoro and Walking Trail, 4 nights, US$2 695
• Nxai Pan, 3 nights, US$3 395
• Chobe Houseboat, US$775 per person per night
• Wetlands & Rivers Safari, 6 nights, US$4 150
• Overland Lodge Safari, 10 nights, US$4 545
• Saltpans to Wetlands, 6 nights, US$10 175

The Jacana Botswana Safari (8 nights / 9 days, US$8 595, with a 2026 seasonal pricing selector) is set out in full. It opens with 2 nights at Chobe Safari Lodge or Chobe Bush Lodge in Kasane on the Chobe River, including a day trip to Victoria Falls; flies to Rra Dinare in a private 272 km2 concession next to Moremi Game Reserve for 2 nights, with day and night drives in groups of 6 people plus a guide and, at night, a tracker; flies on to Moremi Crossing, a 16 tent camp facing Chief's Island, or Gunns Camp, for 2 nights of drives, walks and mokoro trips; and ends with 2 nights at Tau Pan Camp in the Central Kalahari, which the page says is around 50km from the nearest lodge, before a flight to Maun.

What is included, and what happens on safari

The Jacana page lists the inclusions: accommodation on a shared basis, scheduled activities and all internal charters, all meals, drinks and activities while in the lodges (soft drinks, house wine and beer and local spirits such as gin and Amarula), national park fees, emergency medical evacuation insurance and laundry. Excluded: international flights, visas, compulsory comprehensive insurance, government taxes and levies, gratuities, personal purchases, optional extra activities, pre and post safari arrangements, and fuel or industry increases. Vehicles are light aircraft, 4x4 safari vehicles, motorboats and mokoros.

Activities depend on water levels. The page says mokoros at Rra Dinare are "water level dependent," and that at Moremi Crossing game drives run only when water is low while mokoros, boat cruises and fishing depend on the flood. The homepage says accommodation ranges "from luxurious lodges to simple fly-camp tents," and its lodge list marks Machaba Camp, Mopiri Camp and Duma Tau as family friendly. The site describes the samples as suitable "for singles, couples, families & groups." For timing, the About Botswana page explains the country's "high-revenue, low-volume" tourism policy and says the rainy season runs between November and April, with temperatures building to a peak in October; the menu adds separate travel seasons, tipping and guest information pages.

Booking, protection and support

To book, you send the trip you like, preferred dates and the number and ages of adults and children, and the company returns a detailed quote; a Design My Botswana Safari form covers trips built from scratch. The menu links Booking & Payment and Terms & Conditions pages. The about page says the company is a bonded member of the South African Tourism Services Association, number 2120, and that "our clients receive a financial guarantee against any deposits they make to us." It also promises 24/7 support "on the right time zone."

On price, the why-trust-us page says specials offered online are also offered to the company, so "you pay the same price whether you book yourself online or through us." It adds a clear line on the kind of trip it sells: "If you want to pet a lion or visit an animal park we are not the safari company for you." A portion of every booking goes to conservation, which the site says it donates to the Wilderness Trust, and the menu lists Cheetah Conservation Botswana, Painted Dog Conservation and the Endangered Wildlife Trust.

The owner and manager is Jamie Thom, a former MalaMala game ranger who, the team page says, won the BBC/British Gas Wildlife Photographer of the Year title and later started Jamie Thom Safaris in 2003 to guide photographers across Africa.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The sample prices do not say whether they are per person, although the houseboat is marked per person per night, so ask before comparing. The trip pages do not state a deposit amount, payment schedule or cancellation window; the menu links separate booking and terms pages for those. Group size on game drives is given for Rra Dinare only. A couple of team bios name the Conservation Safari Company, and the site does not explain the connection.

Botswana Safari Company suits travelers who want a lodge-based Botswana safari combining water and dry-country areas, with flights and transfers stitched together by a specialist, and who like seeing sample itineraries with real prices before they enquire. Those looking for a fixed group departure or a budget self-drive will find the focus here is on fly-in lodge and mobile camping trips.