Reviews of safaris to Kwando-Linyanti area

"I left Canada November 24, 2021 for an amazing adventure in Botswana. Can you imagine what's happened since?? Omicron's emergence while I was in the bush, and in camps without cell service or wifi (normally a lovely digital detox), was certainly stressful and problematic.

Canada had left me with few options getting home. Even though Expert Africa had not booked my international flights, Megan worked with my boyfriend at home to try to navigate my changed travel. Wifi isn't an option at Kwando properties, but Expert Africa was able to send me messages at each camp. And I was invited to use the computer at Kwara should I need it. A big, big thank you to all who helped me get home. Although still in quarantine, I am reflecting on this most amazing trip with absolutely no regrets.

This is my second trip to Botswana, and second time with Kwando camps. I feel they are a perfect fit for me. Very nice, yet unpretentious. Focus is on wildlife experiences, and locations are second to none. The model of tracker and guide is not the norm, and is exactly what I am after.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No improvement needed" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"Botswana was as amazing as we had imagined...in this ongoing pandemic it was like coming alive again.

Our return to 11 nights in a UK quarantine hotel somewhat detracted from the overall experience but this was no reflection on Botswana or ExpertAfrica.

Maruska's knowledge and patience in planning an itinerary that we would enjoy was invaluable. But her assistance in dealing with the difficulties presented by the Omicron variant, reorganising plans for our return and reassuring our family, was truly appreciated and demonstrated her care and concern.

Many thanks!" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"This was a trip of a lifetime with the fantastic animal watching experiences, so our best ever safari trip. The private concessions with no more than two camps made a huge difference to the quality of the experience. Thoroughly recommend them both.

We had issues returning thanks to the UK Government, but the Splash camp did all they could do to support us and so did Tracy many thanks to her for the support throughout our challenges getting back home.

Kwando did not seem overly concerned with one case going missing at Jo'burg, so we left for Lagoon with just the one bag. We pushed and finally got the second back two days later. So always pack clothes for both travellers in separate cases, fortunately we did.

We felt COVID safe at both camps. The PCR testing on the airstrip went smoothly, for our return. The unexpected lateral flow testing we experienced at Nairobi was chaotic. The LFT at Maun was just an inconvenience in very hot conditions.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None that I can think of." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"A really excellent trip. We had a fantastic time. We were very lucky to be in an early wave of visitors following the removal of Botswana and S Africa from the UK's red list about a month ago. There were very few other tourists there - which made the trip an even bigger "treat".

The stand out thing about safari on a fly-in/out to a private concession (vs fly drive which we have done previously) is that the guides and trackers are dedicated to finding the best vantage point for viewing game and will go off road to do so. We had some amazing sightings which we simply would not have seen if we had been driving ourselves.

The S African leg of the trip was very different from that in the Botswanan bush but still very enjoyable. The strength of the Rand vs GBP made eating out very affordable." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"We had a fantastic trip to Botswana and Namibia. We felt very safe traveling as all camp staff are vaccinated and tested. The guests as well since the airlines won't let you board without a Covid test.

The experience visiting the different parts of the Okavango delta is not to be missed. The amount of animals is amazing.

We also visited two camps in Namibia, our favorite country in Africa. The scenery is out of this world and so varied you never get tired of looking at it.

Expert Africa did a great job helping us plan this trip and Megan was incredibly helpful in working around airline flight cancellations and changes. She also helped us get all of our Covid tests scheduled for country transfers.

This was our second trip with Expert Africa and both went very smoothly.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I can't think of anything you could do better." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari

"We enjoyed our trip to Botswana, had some very good interactions with animals and got some lovely photographs. But even though we took advantage of the special low price we can’t understand the premium it commands.

We found it very interesting comparing Zambia in our opinion for us gives much better value for money. Zambian guides take many years to qualify for each level so seem to have a broader knowledge and understanding of animal behavior allowing us to get much closer to them at times. They also find lots of other things of interest when animals are in hiding.

Walking in Botswana was interesting and super safe, in a very open area, one of the guides is armed.

Walks in Zambia are led by an armed Government scout and a couple of guides into a variety of landscapes looking at small things but when appropriate and safe taking advantage of tracking animals as well." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"This has been our fourth trip to Southern Africa. The excitement of seeing animals in the wild hasn’t worn off. So, it won't be our last. We have become addicts, so to speak.

All three lodges are, in our minds, highly recommendable. But, as I said to my wife, it looks like we saved the best (Kwara Camp) for last. This is not in any way to diminish the experiences we had at Muchenje or Lebala.

It’s no secret that we had spent 12 days in Zimbabwe (organized by a different tour operator who granted us a voucher for a trip cancelled in 2020): 2 days in Harare, 2 in Kanga Camp, 3 in Nyamatusi, and 4 in Somalisa Camp. That was also very enjoyable, but I’m mentioning this here for one specific reason. In Zimbabwe, at mealtime we were always given the chance to have a table by ourselves, whereas in Botswana they followed the tradition of having the guests sit together at one big table. Well, we didn’t get sick, so everything went well, but just as an aside, we sometimes dreaded the kind of small talk we had to engage in when communicating with other guests. Maybe we were just unlucky this time.

This was the first time ever that we did an exclusive fly-in safari, which is very intense. It’s non-stop action, and thanks to the wonderful camps we did not fall victim to a sense of fatigue that we anticipated.

We chose to do it this way because we didn’t have the courage to do self-drive during the corona pandemic. But our worries were not necessary, because everywhere we went, the people dealt with the dangers of corona in impressive ways. Masks were worn by nearly everybody, shops and airports greeted you with a temperature check and hand sanitizer (!). Anyway, under normal circumstances we like to combine the fly-in with a self-drive, and that’s what we have planned on doing next year. In our experience, you get to see a bit more of the people and the land, and spending some time on the road is quite relaxing.



Not really. Everything worked quite smoothly from start to finish, which I can’t say about our daily life in the good old USA. Maybe that’s to be expected in this luxury travel segment, but still, I think it’s worth mentioning.

Since the Lebala airstrip was closed for repairs, Lucy in fact contacted us in Chobe to offer us the opportunity to switch to Kwando Lagoon Camp, since this meant that our ride from the airstrip to Lebala was going to be around 2.5 hours instead of the usual 15 minutes or so. After a short discussion among ourselves we decided to stick to Lebala." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"Our first trip to Botswana was a life changing experience.

It all started off on the right foot with Tracy as our trip specialist. She totally understood what kind of experience we were hoping to get and provided us with options that in the end put together the most perfect itinerary. She also found us deals which helped us to maximize the value for our budget.

There was relaxation, adventure, and variety, and it was all down to the thought through details and logistics.

We did not have any issues at all on our trip and can't recommend Expert Africa enough." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"This was a very complicated trip and overall had very few hiccups. The complications arose because of crossing four borders during a pandemic and the multiple tests we had to have. These were unforeseen at the time we were planning the itinerary. However, it was either that or postpone which we were not willing to do. Maruska guided us through every step of the way and we are and will be eternally grateful for her expertise in planning this trip of a lifetime!

We had no Covid concerns while traveling throughout the entire region. Protocols were well established, everyone wore masks, disinfectant sprays were used liberally, and social distancing observed wherever possible. The staff at all our lodgings was totally committed to our safety and wellbeing. And, although being tested every time we crossed a border was an inconvenience, it added a huge level of confidence that we were healthy." Read full review: 26 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"We were initially worried with respect to Covid and all the related restrictions etc - our trip ended up being the best ever over the past 20 years and 18+ camps visited. Would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about a visit.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service: We were totally thrilled with this trip and give credit to Maruska who helped us navigate thru the Covid issues." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari