Lawson’s Custom Southern Africa Tours and Safaris

The Art of Custom Safaris and Southern Africa Tours

Introduction:
Custom Safaris are ideal for those who like flexibility or have special interests. While group tours offer certain benefits, such as price and the opportunity to mix with like-minded people, group travel is not for everyone. Lawson’s are the Custom Safaris specialists, with nearly thirty years of experience in the field. From short Kruger trips to extended multi-week tours, we pride ourselves in being able to offer you a fun, rewarding and memorable custom safari.

The basics of the Custom Safari.
Custom Safaris can be designed for single travellers, couples, families or small groups of friends. Contact us and we’ll take your interests, availability, budget and needs in to account in coming up with a suitable Southern Africa Tours itinerary and price. Our custom-made trips can be based on birding, general wildlife or photography, or a combination of all three. Custom-made tours are ideal for those who like independence and flexibility as there are no other tour participants to take into consideration. You’ll have a dedicated guide to escort you from start to finish, close personal attention being a big feature of a private safari. Our guides are not only experienced in terms of the wildlife, but also have plenty of experience with people, so he or she will bring just the right balance to the tour – they’ll be close and personal but without going overboard, knowing just when to give bit of space and privacy. Indeed, such is the success of our Custom Safaris that we have a loyal group of repeat clients, who often choose to travel with their favourite guide or guides.

Custom Safari itineraries.
There’s lots of choice when designing your Custom Safari! All of our set-departures can be converted into Custom Safaris. These can be tweaked to fit your availability and budget. We also have some Standard Itineraries covering South Africa which are pre-priced to help you get an idea of what we can do. These are just a guide and can be tweaked to suit you. We can also come up with other itineraries based on your interests. Custom-safaris can be fully-guided, self-drive or a combination of the two. They can also be a combination of fully-guided and FIT (Fully Independent Traveller), for example a guided Kruger safari followed by a stay at a private game lodge.

Custom Safaris are a great way to experience Africa! Spend time being hosted by one of our expert guides on a tailor-made safari and just sit back and enjoy the country, birds, wildlife, food and drink – that’s what it’s all about!

Alternative Tour Name: Lawson’s Custom Safaris

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Why book with Lawson’s Birding, Wildlife and Custom Safaris?

In 2020 we are celebrating our 30th year of running birding and wildlife safaris in Africa. So we have plenty of experience in the game, and pride ourselves in creating incredible wildlife holiday experiences for our clients from across the globe. We offer quality wildlife experiences through set-departure and custom safaris, guided by fun and experienced birding and wildlife guides. Like our motto says, "you'll want to return to Africa with us time and time again!" See more on our website.

How does the payment process work?

A deposit will secure your place on the tour, with full payment due 8 weeks before the tour starts. Terms and Conditions apply, we'll give you all the info during the inquiry process.

Is this tour for me?

Lawson's Custom Safaris are based around your needs, wants and budget. Let us know your particular area of interest; any specific places you'd like to visit; your available budget; the time you have available and another other specifics and we'll design a custom safari perfectly suited to you.

What does a tyical day on the tour involve?

The daily program on a custom safari depends on you. Generally, on the days we aren't moving camps, we do a morning activity, followed by a late breakfast, some down time and an afternoon activity. This may vary according to the specific location and logistics - for example in some locations we head out with packed meals to make the most of our time out in the field, only returning to camp after lunch some time; and on days we are moving from location to location they day's program will revolve around the travelling. On some custom tours the participants want to take it a bit slower, with more time spent relaxing in camp, while on others the participants want to maximise their time on safari so we spend more time out in the field - flexibility is what a custom safari is all about!

Is the tour suitabe for children?

If you are travelling with children, a custom safari will be based on suitable accommodations. Bear in mind that many safari lodges don't take very young children, though there are a few that do, and our consultants will be able to design a family orientated itinerary for you. Consult your doctor about health matters relating to travelling with children in Africa.

Credit cards or cash?

In general credit cards are widely accepted in South Africa and across much of Southern Africa, though Diner's Club is the exception (Visa and Master are better options). It is a good idea to have some South African Rands (ZAR) on hand for smaller purchases or times when card machines may not be working. Note that South Africa and Namibia do not accept US Dollars cash, but US Dollars can be used in most of the rest of Africa.

What should I pack?

We send out more detailed packing lists as part of every safari info pack, but basically you'll need comfortable clothing, preferably in neutral colors. In general clothes dry quite quickly for self-washing, and most private places have laundry services, so it's not necessary to over pack. We do recommend some warm gear for all safaris, just in case of cooler weather coming through, and especially for safaris entailing open-vehicle drives. Even at 20 degrees Celsius it can start getting a little chilly on a moving vehicle when you are exposed to the wind. Hats and sunglasses are essential. A torch / flashlight is also essential, and we strongly recommend socks and closed shoes after dark. Adapters - make sure you have the right adapters to be able to charge your devices. The 'universal' adapter does not work in South Africa!

Can we cater for special dietary requirments?

In general yes - when using restaurants you are able to order whatever item on the menu suits you. When using lodges doing their own catering then advanced warning will usually enable them to cater for your needs. Please indicate any special needs to us well in advance. Note that the food is very good in general on our trips so you don't need to indicate that you are vegetarian just because you are worried about what meat may be served - for the most part it's beef, pork, lamb and chicken, though game meat may be available as an option. Speak to our consultants if you have any specific questions.