Our safety conscious approach

Africa is unlike the more conventional destinations that many of us normally choose when we go on holiday. It is a truly wild continent and the potential pitfalls for the inexperienced and unsuspecting traveller are huge. There are a multitude of issues that an independent traveller has to address before undertaking any journey in Africa.

The temptation to try and organise your own self drive safari can result in some very serious consequences – accidents and breakdowns in remote places with no back-up, totally insufficient insurance coverage, perilously ill-judged journey times and route-planning to name but a few.

With Safari Drive, we steer you around these pitfalls and we ensure that the (often excessive) red tape is taken out of your hands, leaving you free to enjoy a wonderful adventure. You can rest assured that Safari Drive’s experienced team is here to advise and inform you on the very best possibilities for a seriously memorable trip, whilst keeping your safety at the forefront of everything we do.

YOUR SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT

Independence and freedom to explore are vital ingredients of your safari but so is your safety. Self driving means you will be taking responsibility for certain aspects of your own safety and you must, therefore, be prepared in advance.

• We ensure that you are properly equipped to handle anything that Africa throws at you;
• We can recommend good driving courses.
• We provide you with a detailed trip handbook.
• You will receive a full in-country briefing before you leave on safari.
• We provide you with air ambulance cover by local medical air rescue teams.
• We check on your progress throughout your journey via regular contact with our teams in each country and with lodge owners and managers.

You can rely on us for maximum support

In the event of a breakdown, we provide you with a replacement vehicle within as short a time as possible. In the unlikely event of a more serious situation, we react quickly and efficiently, formulating solid contingency plans and providing you with maximum possible support.

• Satellite phones

  As part of our commitment to your safety and to give you complete self-assurance, we provide you with a satellite phone, which we include free of charge as part of our service. You simply pay for any call time you might accumulate.

• Easy texts to keep you in touch

  Our satellite phone system is equipped with a texting feature whereby your family and friends can send you texts to your satellite phone while you are away. It’s very straightforward – you just give your satellite phone number to anyone you want to be able to contact you. They then come onto this website and click on the ‘Text a Sat phone’ button on the home page, enter your number, type their message and press send.

• Some frequently asked questions here

Photograph of the buffalo courtesy of Michael Poliza with thanks to Wilderness Safaris