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
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.
MT
Email Joe | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
If you are looking for a camping safari, look no further. Ulinda Safari Trails are the best.
My camping safari with Ulinda Safari Trails, was a life time experience. Jane is an excellent guide and off road driver. She knows everything about the natura of the region and delivers this knowledge without any extra blah blah. She is an excellent photographer herself and thus always knew what we needed to take memorable pictures.
The tents and beds were clean, large and comfortable making the nights in the wide with lions roaring, elephants crushing downs trees, hyaenas laughing and hypos splashing through the water simply unforgettable. The food was delicious and more then enough in quantity and always accompanied by a limitless supply of good wine and beer to end the day. All the crew were very polite and always ready to help and to sedisfy our wishes immediately. I cannot wait to go back to Botswana and join Jane again on an other safari to the Kalahari desert or the Chobe game reserve.
TW
Email Tara | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
If you want to unplug, then this is the camping and safari experience for you!
This was my first safari and it surpassed my expectations. I didn't expect to see as many animals as I did. We saw a lion with a fresh zebra kill on our first game drive. Jane and Pini were excellent at spotting animals. Pini spotted a cheetah in Savuti that I could barely make out with my binoculars. Fortunately, it stayed put as we moved closer and saw that there were in fact two male cheetahs. Jane was also very knowledgeable about the birds. I also liked that she didn't chase the animals.
The staff was great at putting up the tents quickly and attending to our needs; such as water for taking a shower or washing clothes. They also cooked delicious meals and even made fresh bread. The tents were quite roomy. There was plenty of space for my gear. The cot was quite comfy to sleep on as well. It was also easy to use the toilet since it was in area attached to the back of the tent. We didn't have the fancy solar charging stations of some of the other companies, but we didn't have any problems charging our stuff in the vehicle.- Just remember to bring a South African adapter.
I felt safe in the tent even when some lions chased a huge herd of zebra nearby our campsite one night in Moremi. (I didn't open the tent, so I have no clue how many zebras were running but you could hear and feel them.) I also liked that our campsites were in the park, so we didn't have to drive far before seeing animals. Sometimes the animals even came to us. Elephants frequently came through our campsite in Khwai. One was directly behind my tent during our break between lunch and afternoon tea! The vehicle was also enclosed which was great on the early morning game drives and for dealing with the wind in Savuti. On quite a few occasions, I overheard safari goers in other vehicles commenting about our, "Warm car," when the safari guides stopped and shared info with each other when passing.
Communication was great. Jane answered all my questions in a very timely manner.
MY
Email Sim Y | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The Safari Tour of my choice in Botswana
My family (me, wife and son) with 4 other friends had a wonderful experience with Ulinda Safaris for 14 days in September of 2019. The safari was led by Jane Bettaney and two other guides namely Ngkosi and Tabs.
This is my 3 safari in Botswana and my second time with Ulinda Safaris. The previous safari was a very private one with only me and my son. We had such a good experience so much so we decided to do it again this time with my wife as well.
This time the safari was even better organized than previous as Jane had taken some recommendations that I had made the last time about improving the facilities for photographers. As well as some prior planning as regards to our photographic needs like dream shots of sunrise and sunset with an animal foreground. With Jane’s experience and not forgetting the other two guides Ngkosi and Tabs as well we managed into position each morning and evening to get our dream shots.
Luck or maybe good guiding by our guides, we were having wonderful experience nearly every day to witness some very unique animal sightings and behavior. Like seeing a large pack of lions something like nearly 30 lions all together in one place and seeing large packs of wild dogs most days and even witnessing wild dogs hunting and making the kill.
The organization of the safari was excellent and things went very smoothly throughout the 14 days. The food was surprising good despite the fact that it was a camping trip, and each meal was something we looked forward to. Jane even setup a surprised birthday party in the bush for my wife’s birthday.
Photography is my passion and on this one trip I captured many more photos that I have ever captured in previous safaris, which I would be proud to hang in my photo gallery.
Thank you Ulinda Safaris.
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.
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.
US
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