An unanticipated but exciting opportunity to tour southern Africa in April 2026 - advice and input requested

[ShelleyB]

Wow that sounds amazing @BriarFlyer, and I feel like I might be a dog person too!

How did you organise this? Did you just make direct contact with the various lodges and book yourselves in? And how did you organise transport between the lodge locations? How does one find a reliable private driver?

Sorry to jump in ahead of @BriarFlyer, but for us finding private drivers was as simple as contacting the lodge for recommendations. And WhatsApp is widely used for communication. For shorter journeys, the usual RideShare apps (Uber, Bolt etc.) are available and you can check ratings. Suspect many of the Rideshare drivers would do longer trips too.

 

[BriarFlyer]

@ShellyB, that's exactly what I was going to say. Our drivers were organised by the lodges -- they knew the locals and had that all lined up and priced ahead of time so we could budget that in. At Vic Falls the hotels we stayed at also found us drivers. I think we got the card of our first driver, who we liked, and called on him several times. It was never a problem to find a ride and the drivers were a delight.

 

[ShelleyB]

Our experience in Tanzania and Zanzibar was the same. All the drivers we used (some recommended, some we just chose) were reliable and safe. We also kept cards and used same drivers where possible. On long journeys we also found them excellent to chat to and get insight into local life.

 

[RooFlyer]

You've probably seen it @Seat0B but here are my Namibia tips

Thread 'Namibia'

Aug 26, 2024

Just finished a 10 day tour in Namibia and offer these observations/tips. @kpc and @bPeteb also recently visited and may wish to offer theirs.

In no particular order:

* Windhoek is a pretty modern city; not a lot to do here, but a few things in the city centre

* Maerua Mall SE of the city centre is the best place for shopping. Taxi fare was A$1.20 to get there from the city! Taxis are numbered on the side, fixed prices for the several I took to/from city. No Uber here.

* Namibia in general is safe, usual precautions an avoidances . Its also very tidy. I saw...

• RooFlyer
• Replies: 4
• Forum: Destination Guides, Tips & Questions

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• 

 

[Seat0B]

You've probably seen it @Seat0B but here are my Namibia tips

Thread 'Namibia'

Aug 26, 2024

Just finished a 10 day tour in Namibia and offer these observations/tips. @kpc and @bPeteb also recently visited and may wish to offer theirs.

In no particular order:

* Windhoek is a pretty modern city; not a lot to do here, but a few things in the city centre

* Maerua Mall SE of the city centre is the best place for shopping. Taxi fare was A$1.20 to get there from the city! Taxis are numbered on the side, fixed prices for the several I took to/from city. No Uber here.

* Namibia in general is safe, usual precautions an avoidances . Its also very tidy. I saw...

• RooFlyer
• Replies: 4
• Forum: Destination Guides, Tips & Questions

• 
• 

Yes thank you @RooFlyer, and I will be re-reading your TR (and others) now I have planning to do.

 

[BriarFlyer]

Have fun with the planning @Seat0B. And what a splendid reason to be visiting Southern Africa.

 

[Seat0B]

Have fun with the planning @Seat0B. And what a splendid reason to be visiting Southern Africa.

Yes we are very pleased to welcome her into our family. She’s a delight and together they make a great team.