Safari lodges and camps (Botswana 2020)

[Casetee]

Hello 4x4 community forum members

Hope every one is doing well and busy with your next year (2020 ) itineraries,as you maybe away that Botswana bookings and reservations must be done a year in advance as the campsites are all year round fully booked,to avoid last minutes hassle you need to do your bookings like now for next year as camping spaces are limited.We have camping sites available for next year if you are interested send us an email at [email protected] or watts up us on +267 73366178 or visit our website for more information on www.https//leisureandtravelling.com

[desdrake]

I hate it when booking agents book out the sites when booking open. They then only will.release them just before the time if they cannot resell the bookings. It deprives the normal person of the ability to book privately without paying the extra booking agents fee.

[Bassfisher]

I hate it when booking agents book out the sites when booking open. They then only will.release them just before the time if they cannot resell the bookings. It deprives the normal person of the ability to book privately without paying the extra booking agents fee.

“Like”
Yes this is frustrating indeed

[Stan Weakley]

Yes Castee, please explain.

Do you buy up camping in advance in the Botswana Reserves and Parks as soon as bookings open?
Do you then sell them on to enquiring customers as the year continues. If so, at what sort of markup do you sell them at and what do you do with any unsold campsites?

Do any forum members have dealings with Castee and that company and could they please shed some light on how their transaction seemed to have been formulated, with reference to the paragraph above?

[Nambro]

The Bots booking system is actually easy. All or most of the camps are outsourced to private or community operators. These operators sell advanced contingents to booking / travel agencies or tour operators. What is left can be booked directly with them. If you try to book sites directly, you will struggle mainly inside the reserves.
Just use a Maun based travel agent. This system is legitimate. The same is starting to happen in Namibia. Blockbookings/Reservations is the in-thing for big tour operators. The single SADC tourist is not of interest. Jammer meneer....kry vir jou. Foreign currency ..not the shitty rand...is attractive. High nett value tourists and not the stingy locals.

[Bassfisher]

Might be easy, but not attractive to use this new system. And many campsites also say that if a stand can take 8 people, for instance, they will put 8 there. So you might share with others. Also not attractive.
Horses for courses. But this is not my type of course.

[Nambro]

I think the allocation of space is another way to maximise revenue. The price for the block bookings may be high as the Bots government has steep prices for concessions, lodges and campsites especially in the reserves. The travel operators usually only get a small percentage discount from the site operator. The discount will not cover the operational cost of the agent. They usually charge 500 rand for the booking effort as an administrative fee. They need to max the revenue per site. If there is a site that can take 3 cars or 8 people it woul not make sense to have the space allocated to 2 people. The nature reserves in Nam, Bots and Zambia are high in demand and the coutries are seeing it as high income generators as well as job creation. Welcome to the capitalist world. Sad but reality.

[Stan Weakley]

I ask booking and tour agent "Castee" again if they make advance block bookings for camping in Botswana's National Parks. I have some questions they should be able to assist with, if they do indeed do advance block bookings and then sell them on.

[Nambro]

Stan, do you think they will tell you? I do not necesserely think it is block bookings per se. I would rather think it is selling contingents to the highest bidder. Lets wait for the answers....

[Nambro]

Just for interest, I tried the mail addy and website info given in the original post. Does not work. Googled the company. Maun based. Just look at their rates. And they are Travel agency cum Tour operator. There are currently about 7 maun based teavel agents.

[lekhubu943]

Well......seems to be same outfit whose service are being questioned in this thread:

https://www.4x4community.co.za/forum...s-van-Botswana

[Nambro]

I have tried a few recently to get bookings. Some did not even reply. The only guys/girls that where helpfull was NDM Travel. I used them before and got good service from them.

[AboutAfrica]

The Bots booking system is actually easy. All or most of the camps are outsourced to private or community operators. These operators sell advanced contingents to booking / travel agencies or tour operators. What is left can be booked directly with them. If you try to book sites directly, you will struggle mainly inside the reserves.
Just use a Maun based travel agent. This system is legitimate. The same is starting to happen in Namibia. Blockbookings/Reservations is the in-thing for big tour operators. The single SADC tourist is not of interest. Jammer meneer....kry vir jou. Foreign currency ..not the shitty rand...is attractive. High nett value tourists and not the stingy locals.

Blocked bookings has been a thing in Nam for many years already, although mostly among lodging and accommodation. Many lodges though have stopped taking block bookings as it can also end up being risky for them, rooms only being released a month or so before arrival and then having to try and fill them up, losing walk-ins etc. Quite a few lodges have also started making deals etc focusing on locals, a couple of bucks is better than an empty bed, and everybody is feeling the economy.

[Nambro]

Correct. But try lodges in high season. All block booked.
Bots camping is limited and selfdrive is not really liked. Bots has a different tourism strategy. High value tourist vs unwanted muchus like us.

[PAT n WOLF]

Correct. But try lodges in high season. All block booked.
Bots camping is limited and selfdrive is not really liked. Bots has a different tourism strategy. High value tourist vs unwanted muchus like us.

Why make such charged comments. Where is it written that Self drives are not liked, and by who? This kind of comments wont help anything when you use the word UNWANTED, and you dont say by WHO.. Self drives have been doing travelling in Botswana for years and there has never been any indications that they are UNWANTED.

[Nambro]

Pat, it unfortunately is the case, irrespectively of the wording used. Bots is more interested in high value tourism (fact). Selfdrive camping tourism is usually low budget, resulting in limited revenue for the same scenery. Why has there not been an increase in camping facilities in the game reserves. Why are the prices for camping facilities high in comparison to neighbourig countries. Etc. Etc.

[boffen]

Pat, it unfortunately is the case, irrespectively of the wording used. Bots is more interested in high value tourism (fact). Selfdrive camping tourism is usually low budget, resulting in limited revenue for the same scenery. Why has there not been an increase in camping facilities in the game reserves. Why are the prices for camping facilities high in comparison to neighbourig countries. Etc. Etc.

Where is your facts this is just a perceived assumption to say the least come on really talk about something that carries facts

[JLK]

No facts, just look at how many lodges are there and what are their rates vs camping sites. I would not say self drive and camping is discourage , but the revenue to the Country is obviously much more from lodges.

[Nambro]

Sorry boffen, but it was already stated 20 years ago. Make it expensive and the plebs will not come.
Why are there no additional camping facilities in Savute, but plenty of lodges. You go figure it out.

[PAT n WOLF]

Sorry boffen, but it was already stated 20 years ago. Make it expensive and the plebs will not come.
Why are there no additional camping facilities in Savute, but plenty of lodges. You go figure it out.

This is why people needs o USE FACTS than emotions to argue. How many LODGES in Savuti. You used the Phrase,PLENY OF LODGES and they are only 3, and how many Campsites? Isnt that increasing more campsites goes against the LOW IMPACT tourism policy that you stated above.