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
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Email Shara | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful Bush Experience
I can say only good things about my safari with Ulinda in the Nxai Pan and Central Kalahari. Jane runs a very professional outfit with excellent staff to set up camp and cook delicious homemade meals. Even freshly hot homemade bread! The tents are spacious and comfortable. Our campsites were lovely, away from the public campgrounds, providing a real authentic bush feeling. And the vehicle with the pop-up roof was perfect for spotting and taking photos of the wildlife. Jane herself is a wonderful and interesting person who is a pleasure to be around. If you are a solo traveler and debating whether the single supplement is worth it to have a private safari, I encourage you to go for it! My experience this way was purely delightful.
Email George & Sylvia | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
All-round Great Experience
My wife and I have just completed Ulinda's "Classic Safari" - 3 nights at 3 different locations in Botswana. Both still to come down to earth - it was beyond our expectations.
From the time I first contacted Jane Bettenay to the time she farewelled us at the Kazungula Ferry for our onward journey to Zambia dealing with Jane was a pleasure.
Jane met us at Maun Airport and conveyed us to our overnight stay at Thamalakane River Lodge (not part of the Ulinda package) in preparation for the start of our safari with Unlinda the next day.
Originally the safari included stops at Moremi, Savuti and Chobi however due to the severe dry weather we had our first location moved to the Khwai Development Trust area. This change to the itinerary was communicated to us a couple of weeks out from the start and the choice proved excellent.
This safari normally caters for 8 people however we were the only one's so the service level was great, whether it be food, facilities or comfort we were both delighted. I suspect that even with a full party the standards would not drop. I have had some camping experience but my wife has had none during her 65+ years.
As conveyed to Jane when choosing what we wanted from the safari "we just want to see the animals". And we certainly did. And every day produced one or more surprises. Even on the last day in Chobe we we able to observe a Leopard with two cubs drinking no more than 5 minutes drive from our camp site and not another safari party anywhere in sight all because of Jane's knowledge, experience and advice that we be up and into the day at dawn - it sure paid off every morning.
The sunset gin and tonic to end each day and the camp fire discussions at night rounded out, what for us was a holiday that we'll continue to talk about for years.
This was our first trip to Africa. Maybe not our last.
Email John Whitehurst | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond expectations - a first safari experience with a real taste of the bush...
Informative and helpful pre-booking support from Jane Bettenay helped the decision and a first safari started with excitement and hopes. First day in at Khwai Jane found leopard with cub and kill - magical - and an early start the next day was rewarded with two hours or more exclusively watching and photographing the mother and cub at close range from the thoughtfully adapted vehicle. Stunning! None of the 10 days disappointed with many more sightings and special memories of the wildlife and northern Botswana. Kwhai and Chobe river trips were brilliant with more close encounters and wildlife thrills including baby elephants swimming and lions in the sunset.
The 'bush' safari style suited well with evening camp fires, relaxed times and a good level of camp style comforts. Jane, and particularly her staff, were amazing and provided lovely food and much hard work with their individual skills, abilities and friendliness making the experience so rewarding. An great taste of Africa and a hunger for more!
NZ
Email Gloria Shrubsall | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Authentic, well planned, efficiently organised and warmly welcoming with amazing meals!
After many birding and wildlife safaris throughout Africa I recently spent 23 days with three friends on Ulinda Safari Trails 23 day Botswana Safari. This was, without doubt, the most exciting, comfortable, well planned and efficiently run safari and I cannot recommend Jane Bettenay and her team highly enough to those travellers who want to experience a real wildlife adventure visiting Botswana's great national parks. A special feature is Jane's specially designed four wheel drive Toyota Landcruisers with "pop tops" that allow passengers to keep warm in the morning/evening when it can be extremely cold in "open" vehicles and still have unobstructed views when game viewing/photographing. Anyone wanting a taste of the real Africa camping safari should definitely get in touch with Ulinda Safari Trails!!
NZ
Email Gloria Bentley-Reaney | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fun filled,lots of wild life,very experienced operator .highly recommend this company.
Great communication with all aspects before and after trip,plus extremely well priced for the high quality
of this safari.
Loved the closed pop up top comfortable vehicle,great viewing,plus plus for all seasons.Did feel for the folk who paid a small fortune at the lodges to view wild life in freezing open safari vehicles,they looked miserable .
Everything ran like clock work,nice tents with toilet attached,great food and wine,sundowners always in a great spot .
We were a group of four fit seniors,one a birder like Jane,so we got to learn more about local species,we were very lucky to see a lot,thanks to Jane and Glo.
Could not fault anything,Janes driving skills are a legend,and so are some of her experiences in Australia and Africa.
Great team,will try to go again.
Was a great way to truly experience the Okavango.
Our guide Benjamin was awesome. Lovely personality, always answered our questions and tried hard to make the experience all we wished for. For me, there was a bit too much driving. I would have liked to have spent more time at a water stop and waited for stuff to happen there. There were not many animals around, I am not blaming anyone, and the endless driving looking for something was a bit too much. But we are birders, so I guess this would not be every ones choice. Otherwise the service by staff was excellent in every way. The food was really good and we enjoyed ourselves.
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Email colin beard | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
25 day mobile safari in seven camps; an amazing, intimate experience of nature and wildlife
Jane and her two assistants (Victor & Gase) exceeded all our expectations of service, knowledge and diligence. She tirelessly drove ~7 hours each day and presented us with many memorable sights / photo opportunities. She freely shares her profound knowledge of animal and bird habits and sounds, providing an outstanding intimate experience of nature, night and day. She was most attentive to my desires as a photographer, knowing, from being one herself, where to place the vehicle for the best viewpoint: stopping for as long as I wished and alerting me to actual or expected opportunities. The food was varied, excellent and plentiful and the camp experience an unanticipated bonus, particularly the nighttime noises, usually identified by species. I recommend camping with Jane (very comfortable, even for octogenarians) as the ideal way to experience wildlife in Botswana and I would love to return.
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
9 day multiple site safari with family
Last December I contacted Jane about a safari for my family in August. I told her we were adventurous and that we liked camping. I explained that I had read about many of the options in Botswana for safari but was not sure what would be the best places to go, mentioning that we wanted to end in Victoria Falls. From the first response Jane was encouraging and helpful. She came up with an agenda that looked like it would meet our needs. Every question I asked was answered and I felt, even before I met her, that I was in very capable hands.
Jane met us at the airport and off we went. This trip was truly an adventure. We started in the Delta and then to Savuti and ended at Chobi. In each location Jane and her amazing staff set up a comfortable camp where each time we returned it felt like home. The meals were simple and delicious. The time around the campfire each evening was relaxing. Jane has so many wonderful and interesting stories. The animals and the birds were amazing but what made this trip so special was Jane's unvoiced commitment to make sure we saw as much as we could and her determination to make each game drive special and interesting. Jane's knowledge of the plants, animals and birds made each sighting even more interesting.The mokoro canoe trip she planned for us was great as was the boat ride down the Chobi river. When we got to the Zimbabwe border Jane was so helpful in guiding us through the procedure and helped us find the driver we had arranged. I cannot say enough about Jane and her staff and the wonderful adventure. I would say it was a trip of a lifetime but we plan to return soon
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wealth of experience and excellent service
We did a quicky with Ulinda and it was perfectly organized.
Moremi Game Reserve – in ONE day. Yes it can be done with Jane and Sarah and crew.
- “This is not a zoo” – Once in a lifetime experience to sleep within 30 meters to a herd of Hippo’s – they are quite communicative
- Sometimes the road is the goal – being in Moremi
- Thanks to the great service of Jane and her team this will be forever in our mind
- Gin and Tonic as sun-downer
- Many stories by the fire
- Excellent chicken with Mango sauce
Jane was the first female tour operator in Zimbabwe before moving to Botswana. Jane and her daughter Sarah plus crew make a clockwork organized safari with attention to detail.
I would go again with Ulinda - next a bit longer.
NZ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great experience
My wife and I had 2 weeks safari tour with Jane and it was really good. The staff were lovely, the food was excellent but most importantly Jane's knowledge and guiding ability is exceptional. After being in Botswana we went to Tanzania and did another safari with a very adequate guide who did nothing wrong but it was clear to us then that Jane more than just knows what she is doing. If you are a photographer look no further, Jane is an expert, with a camera that looks like it could launch a rocket and she knows how to get in position for the best shots. We are not really photo people but by the time we had finished we had a wonderful collection of a quality that still surprises us.
I liked the fact that in planning the trip I was communicating with the owner rather than someone wanting to do a deal and move on. I was impressed at the range of meals and the consistent quality and I had to ask for a repeat of one meal that I very much enjoyed. Ulinda Tours is more than just a commercial safari and really worth doing.