Mongoose Safaris

The Safari of a Lifetime

At Mongoose, we specialise in just three countries: Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe: it’s the Africa we know and love best – and home to an unparalleled variety of destinations. From the majesty of the Victoria Falls, to the bewitching mystery of the Okavango, to the World Heritage beauty of Mana Pools – and so much else in between – Mongoose offers only tailor made itineraries, each crafted uniquely for your African safari of a lifetime.

With dozens of national parks, and hundreds of camps and lodges to choose from, widely varying prices, and plethora of other activities to consider, planning for a safari is exciting but can be very complex – even bewildering. That’s why we meet all our customers personally – and we only deal with camps, lodges and activity providers who we know personally. In the end, you will have a journey where you’ll be cared for from arrival to departure, and at every point along the way.

If you’d like to take that first step towards a lifechanging journey, please call us or write to us. Or read on here for some examples of the kind of itineraries we can provide.

Itineraries

Every itinerary we prepare is unique – for you.
These are just some ideas – thought starters – of the kind of trips you might consider, and the variety of destinations, places to stay, and budgets.

Hide & Seek Safari

Victoria Falls / Zimbabwe: 9 nights

Classic Africa Safari

Victoria Falls / Zimbabwe / Botswana: 8 nights

Fish Eagle Safari

Victoria Falls / Zambia: 14 nights

Three Rivers Safari

Zambia / Zimbabwe: 9 nights

Zim Sunset Safari

Victoria Falls / Zimbabwe: 11 nights

Wild Cat Safari

Victoria Falls / Zimbabwe: 8 nights

Majestic Safari

Victoria Falls / Zambia / Botswana: 10 nights

Arcadia Safari

Zimbabwe: 9 nights

Matabele Safari

Zimbabwe: 9 nights

Eagle's Nest Safari

Botswana / Victoria Falls (Zambia side) / Kafue: 9 nights

Wildlife

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Explore Destinations

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Team & FAQ

Warwick Olds

Consultant

A Zambian by birth and upbringing, Warwick has also lived in Zimbabwe and travelled widely in the African wild, most especially in Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe as well as Namibia, South Africa and East Africa. Now resident in Vietnam, Warwick travels frequently to Africa. A founder of Mongoose, his particular interests include conservation and sustainable tourism.

Hong Le Yen

Consultant

Vietnamese, Yen lives between Ho Chi Minh City and her second home in Canada. With over 20 years’ experience in the travel business, Yen has journeyed to Africa, including time spent in several of Zimbabwe’s premier parks – Hwange and Mana Pools amongst them. Fluent in both Vietnamese and English, Yen is available to customers in both Asia and North America.

Stuart Grieve

Digital, IT & Consultant

A Capetownian South African by birth, and Dutch citizen, Stuart has travelled across much of Southern Africa and supports Mongoose Safaris on its various digital and web requirements. His particular interests include aerial photography, AI, and within the context of the African wild, the magical world of birds is a particular passion of his.

Francie Jones

Operations Partner

Francie manages our onshore partner in Africa. Along with the Outpost Africa team she brings years of experience in hospitality, tourism and travel consultancy. Having worked in camps in Hwange National Park and hotels in the Victoria Falls, where she now calls home, Francie’s Zimbabwean roots inspire her deep love for Southern Africa’s beautifully wild countries and their hidden gems.

Charlie Higgins

Consultant

Living between the UK and Lebanon, Charlie is British but has spent most of his life overseas. A lifelong passion for mountaineering in wilderness areas took him around southeastern Africa early in his career. Along the way he had some fascinating wildlife encounters, including running into a tiger in Nepal, finding himself face-to-face with a great white pointer shark in Fiji, snorkelling with humpback whales in Niue, and tracking down a troop of mountain gorillas in the Congo.

I am interested in exploring the idea of going on safari: What should I do next?

Please write to us via contacts or give us a call. We will then meet up with you – as we do with all of our customers – to understand better what you are looking for in a holiday, when you might like to travel, approximately how long you might like to travel for, budgets, and other special needs or interests.

Having done the above, we’ll then prepare a proposed itinerary for you. This can then become the basis of further discussion on what you might like more of, less of, etc. Once you are happy, we’ll then proceed to bookings.

Until bookings are confirmed there are no commitments on your side.

What are payment terms?

We charge 30% on confirmation of booking, with the remainder payable 60 days before travel.

Does Mongoose handle air tickets?

We will book all internal transfer flights or road transfers and cost these as part of the itinerary. For flights to and from Africa you can book these yourself, or with our travel partner, Richlands Tours, where Yen – who is also a partner in Mongoose Safaris – will be delighted to assist you.

Is insurance mandatory?

Yes. Before travel you must have comprehensive medical insurance including emergency evacuation cover. The camps and other partners we work with will require the policy number to keep on record in case it is needed.

What vaccinations do I need?

We are not permitted to give medical advice, so would strongly recommend that you speak to a doctor or medical professional to check which vaccinations need for travel, and to get any which you do not already have.

Do I need a visa?

This depends on your nationality, and the countries you visit. Typically visas fall into three categories. A) not needed. B) visa on arrival. C) visa needed before travelling. We will assist you if we can, though this does depend on your nationality. Note: Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe all generally require that your passport should have at least 3 blank pages in it, and have at least 6 months validity from the time of travel.

Can I request special meals?

Normally - yes. The camps hotels we deal with are very used to dealing with vegetarian, vegan and a number of other requirements. When we first meet will ask you flag any special dietary needs, allergies or other requests and make sure the places you visit can cater to these.

Does Mongoose cost more than booking direct?

No! Not all camps accept direct bookings, but regardless of that all our prices are the same as or lower than what you would pay if you booked direct with camps, activity providers, or logistics partners. We guarantee this. If you ever find - on a like-for-like basis (eg same camp, same date etc) - that you can get a better price than what we quote, please give written evidence of this and we will match it and give you a $100 credit on your booking.

Reviews

Magical! Mongoose really focussed on what we looked for in a safari and a holiday, and created a unique itinerary, full of variety. We had camps ranging from really ‘bush’ to luxurious, with stunningly different locations across Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. But constant themes were that service everywhere was impeccable, food excellent, and guiding way beyond anything we could have imagined. Thank you: we’ll be back!

Singapore

My trip to Victoria Falls and Hwange in Zimbabwe exceeded my high expectations. I already knew that I would love the sights and the bush safari experience. I was not so prepared to find myself getting on so seamlessly with my fellow travellers, or to be so fascinated with the animal tracking and astonishingly knowledgeable guiding. I can see that this is the Mongoose ethos. They carefully assessed the interests and wishes of each party member and calibrated the trip accordingly. The result was an experience that was immersive and intensely rewarding, with memories to savour for a lifetime. To go on a safari this good felt like a privilege.

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