Self Drive Adventures - Port Macquarie, New South Wales

Jim White

TLDR: An epic adventure! So good we've booked another!

We wanted to safely experience an off-road African safari experience with animals wandering freely through our camps, and were excited to come across Self Drive Adventures. It's the small details like border crossings, money management, personal safety that make or break a trip in our experience.

With Linda's experience in management consulting, we knew her attention to detail would be exactly what would be needed to have an exceptional, multi-country, month long, self drive adventure that would be exactly what we were after. Linda was extremely responsive throughout the booking and trip preparation stages and provided detailed guides on everything we could possible want such as what to pack, how much money to bring, what to tip, and recipe and shopping list ideas.

Our guide for our month long trip had all the attributes to make for an incredible experience: strong leadership of our 6 car convoy; experience and anticipation so that everything worked as well as it could, including: getting to border crossings before the masses to make for a quick and easy transfer; handling the paperwork for various campsites so we could set up camp after a long day of driving; phenomenal stories of his various adventures, and more.

Our additional animal safari guide had us at "hello" sharing his family history in Botswana, stories growing up in the Okavango Delta and his deep respect for the local culture and love of the animals. He was always up for one more adventure often bending the rules about when to get us back to find a pack of wild dogs, lions or hyena cubs.

Living everyday in the moment focused on where we needed to get to that day, what we were going to make for food, and getting a good night sleep with the animal noises for company was a wonderful detox from everyday urban living especially for the weeks with no cell signal.

We loved it so much we've already signed up for another Self Drive Adventure for next year!

Sue Smith

We have both always loved getting off the beaten track and exploring remote parts of the world, but on our own, not in a tour. When we met Linda and Mike at their stand at the Mystery Creek agricultural show, we changed our minds about travelling independently - we went on the Vietnam tour with them and it was absolutely FANTASTIC! A small group of like-minded and fun people, Superwoman for our tour leader (Hooray for Linda!), our own jeep to drive, an amazing support crew, lots of unexpected extras thrown in, and very well-equipped to deal with any issues. The planning was superb, the food was awesome, and the camaraderie was just fabulous. And that's just talking about Self Drive Adventures! I could rave about the beautiful Vietnamese scenery, people and culture for ever. We can't wait to do another tour with Self Drive Adventures and heartily recommend them to others.

Eli F

Just returned from a 21 days Namibia self drive adventure. The human and nature landscapes of this country are amazing and the organizational talent and dedication of Linda and Mike even more so. Everything was planned and executed to the last detail without any errors, re-routing and 'Change of plan'. SDA is a professional, experienced company which operates and books all accommodation and transport themselves (not just representing of a local tour company) with 'Dynamite Linda' tirelessly in control all the time. If you plan to travel in a small group self drive accommodated tour, look no further.

Lachlan Smith

Have now done two trips with these guys. First was a 40 day odyssey in Namibia and Botswana. A fantastic way to see this part of Africa. Amazing wildlife, some challenging (but not dangerous) 4WD driving, great guides, interesting campsites, amazing sunsets. Second was a couple of weeks in Iceland, driving Arctic Trucks to some fantastic places - volcanic deserts, tectonic rifts, onto glaciers and into many interesting parts of the Icelandic wilderness. So much water in some of the rivers and waterfalls. Looking forward to our third trip, to Costa Rica, coming up in a few weeks!

Our trip to Costa Rica with Self Drive Adventures was a fantastic experience. We were provided with an excellent Toyota Prado 4WD and were able to drive to some amazing parts of the country, through spectacular jungles, mountains and beaches, on some at times challenging roads. Our guides were terrific and our confidence in them allowed us to tackle some sections that were truly memorable. Accommodation was generally in smaller lodges / resorts that felt perfect for their locations. The opportunity to see wildlife in its’ natural habitat and to have small agricultural producers explain their processes was terrific.

Valmai Wainhouse

I can thoroughly recommend Self Drive Adventures .We have had three unforgettable extensive trips with them - to Africa .Madagascar and South America. Each trip was meticulously planned using their long experience of group travel, combined with excellent local knowledge so you get to visit places the average traveller would miss . Good-humoured, flexible leaders encourage independence and allow for individual interests whilst offering unstinting support when necessary. A perfect balance for independent minded travellers.

Robert Rosevear

We have travelled with Self Drive Adventures on three occasions over the past 8 years, including South America, France and Africa. Each trip was well organised, offering a variety of amazing experiences. All trips were in a tag along format, with local guides accompanying us, who provided extensive information about the area. Linda and Mike bring to the holiday a personal relationship and nothing is ever an problem. I highly recommend Self Drive Adventures as your next holiday, you won’t be disappointed.

Kim Duggan

What a fantastic way to see another part of the world! After enjoying camping and 4WDing in Australia we really wanted to experience something similar in the more remote and wild regions of Southern Africa. This was our first trip overseas together and the tag along style suited us perfectly. Being able to do your own vehicle-based camping as well as the option to stay in other styles of accommodation allowed us to have many unique experiences. Other than the bush camping, highlights for us included the tree house on the Okavango River, the opulence of the Victoria Falls Hotel and the warmth and hospitality of the two guesthouses Londingini and Meikes.

Our adventure was like having two weeks of amazing wildlife, including the Okavango Delta and Etosha, followed by two weeks of unforgettable landscapes. Truly a photographic paradise.

We got to see plenty of wildlife up close thanks to the knowledge and experience of our guide Chris in Botswana. Other highlights included visits to the Himba tribe and the bushmen of the Kalahari. The outstanding geology of the west coast, the giant sand dunes in Sossusvlei and amazing sunsets were breathtaking.

The camaraderie of the group added to the trip’s enjoyment each day. Being able to do your own cooking was great. A good opportunity to share meals around the fire and make use of the camp ovens.

Right from our initial meeting with Mike at a 4WD show we felt very comfortable. Linda and Mike make a great team. They accompanied us on our trip and we always felt well informed and confident. Mike’s years of experience in the area is complemented by Linda’s vivaciousness and attention to detail. This ensures a truly wonderful time is had. They provide a unique way of travel that suits small groups allowing them to make the most of every moment. Thanks so much Mike and Linda.

Amanda Cooper

Every day was a new experience, lesson or adventure. And there was very often “icing on the cake”