Our Fleet/Vehicles

Your Safari Vehicle: African conditions are incredibly diverse and we travel in custom built safari trucks that allow us to be completely self sufficient on safari. Our reliable fleet of safari trucks have proven themselves to be the best safari vehicles in Southern Africa.

Safari Trucks

We have put years of safari experience into the design of the Sunway Safaris trucks. Sunway trucks are built to comply with the latest South African transport and safety regulations. Your comfort is catered for with individual seats (with safety belts), ample legroom and large vertical sliding windows for unobstructed viewing and photography.

There are roof hatches for excellent "open" views and an integral cab and passenger compartment so contact with the driver is easy. Each truck also has large packing compartments, a built in kitchen, freezer, drinking water tank, interior lights and a gas stove (to minimise use of wood and destruction of forest areas). There is also a pullout set of steps into the passenger compartment, making access for clients easier.
We also use minibuses for some small group safaris. All of our vehicles are bought new and serviced by Mercedes and Toyota agents, thus ensuring trouble free touring with backup support in practically every town in Southern Africa.

We have an operations office in Maun, Botswana, where our 4 wheel drive vehicles are based. For the national parks of Botswana we use these custom built 4WDs, with individual "bucket" seats, with trailers for the equipment. (We also use supply vehicles for Botswana camping groups of more than 9 clients.) Game viewing from an “open” vehicle is the best way to go for Botswana – small groups in Land Rovers and Land Cruisers have the best wildlife sightings!

Land Cruisers

These custom built game viewing vehicles are the first of their kind in Botswana. Each new vehicle has a built in “roll cage” that conforms to the latest safety standards of South Africa, and each individual bucket seat has a lap belt. The vehicles are constructed by a registered coach builder and ensure structural integrity of the passenger cabin in the unlikely event of a roll. 


Passenger safety is a priority to us all. Sunway Safaris believes that by operating the safest game viewing vehicles possible, we set an industry benchmark which conforms to international passenger carrying vehicle legal requirements. We have set a high standard of vehicle construction, so that Sunway clients have peace of mind when it comes to the safety of the vehicles that they travel in.

Mini-Buses

Where road conditions allow, such as South Africa, Namibia and parts of Botswana we may also use minibuses. On 5% of tours we may use minibuses with 12 seats and air conditioning (with trailer for equipment and baggage). The safaris often have several long days of travel providing for a beautiful journey on the way to exciting and varied destinations.

Mokoro

The mokoro, or wooden dugout canoe, is the traditional means of transport for the people of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. (Plural is mekoro). It is propelled through the waters of the delta by standing in the stern and pushing through the shallow water with a pole. The pole or “ngashi” that is used to push the mokoro along is commonly made from the Silver Terminalia tree (Terminalia Sericea). Mekoro are traditionally made by digging out the trunk of a large straight tree, such as a Sausage tree (Kigelia Africana). Modern mekoro, however, are increasingly made of fibre-glass. Due to the increased pressure on the environment, Sunway has initiated a project in the Ditsipie area of the Okavango Delta where we encourage polers to use fibreglass mekoro. For more information on this project, please see our Responsible Tourism page.

For the adventure seeker, gliding through the Okavango Delta in a mokoro with a local guide, is the essence of the Okavango experience. Slipping silently through the water as you explore the maze of shallow waterways watching out for wildlife and marvelling at the birdlife. We have two people per mokoro, with a poler guide and your personal sleeping bag and luggage. We then have several other mekoro to carry the camping equipment into the wilderness. A typical Okavango excursion is 3 days and 2 nights wild camping. During this time you will have a unique opportunity to learn about the Okavango people’s traditions and life style. Ask your poler questions, because while their English may be limited they have a wealth of knowledge.

Walking

Exploring a place on foot is always going to get you closer to the environment and give you that opportunity to experience the region in a different way. Be it a full day trek with day packs in the Drakensberg (South Africa), walking along a mountain stream path to the foot of the escarpment, or morning bush walk in South Luangwa (Zambia) with local parks ranger, looking for elephants and hippo, walking will always be a highlight of your safari. On all Sunway trips we include several walking excursions which will be led by one of the Sunway tour leaders.

Any walks we do may require you to carry a small backpack with your own water bottle, packed lunch and jacket only. As all the trails we use are either well maintained or relatively clear and flat we recommend you bring a pair of comfortable walking shoes or light weight boots.

Boats

Imagine sailing across crystal clear ocean bay in a traditional Mozambiquan dhow surrounded by dolphins, or gliding gently towards a herd of drinking elephants in the Chobe National Park (Botswana). Sometimes taking to the water is the best way to see a place, or the only way to even reach a destination. Because Sunway groups are small, where possible, we will always have exclusive use of boats, canoes, kayaks, and dhows.