Reviews of Baines' Camp
(93%) From 8 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Baines' Camp review
There should be a super excellent category for Baines Camp. It was superb.
The staff were very friendly and helpful, the accommodation was excellent, we slept out under the stars each night and on our return from the afternoon drive on the last day bubble baths with bubbly wine had been set up for us. We could not fault it.
On top of which the guide was the best. Marvellous sense of humour, very knowledgeable, and giving us a talk on termite hills while the plane waiting to take us away was sitting on the runway will remain with me for a long time.
This was also the camp with the largest selection of activities - mokoro, speed boat ride, walking with elephants, bush walk plus usual game drives. This was by far the best camp on the trip.
Baines' Camp review
After being at Kalahari Plains camp then Little Vumbura, Baines camp had a lot to live up to. We were not disappointed and although we found the place slightly more staid and traditional than the others it was no less comfortable. the staff once again were impeccable, caring and personable and greatly contributed to our enjoyment.
The highlight was the "walking with Elephants" experience which We would recommend as unmissable if visiting Baines. It is an emotive experience being up so close with such interesting and beautiful animals and one that we will never forget.
Baines' Camp review
Arrived by water as airstrip being renovated. Very good introduction. Elephant experience worth doing. Wifi at this camp. Very comfortable rooms - slept outside on balcony one night. Good food and great guides. Saw leopard with kill up a tree 10 minutes after arrival.
Slight hiccough on departure as airline hadn't informed camp that our departure time had been delayed so we waited 1.5 hours on airstrip with no information (being about an hour from Baines due to other airstrip being repaired, we had no chance to go back). This was remedied next time we flew with a little gift from airline by way of apology.
Baines was the only camp which gave advice about tipping in their in-room brochure but even this wasn't clear as to whether this was per person or in total.
Luxury at Baines' Camp
We had the vehicle to ourselves at Baines', which was great. Our guide was very good and knowledgeable, though it did seem that our tracker was just there for the ride. Good sightings of lions and wild dogs. Nice pool, away from the main camp.
Star beds are great - sleeping under the stars with hippos grunting all around you is quite an experience!
Food was exceptional, with lots of choice. Staff were very friendly. We also loved the nice touches of drinks on arrival back to camp and the watercolour painting set in the room!
Expert Africa comments
We were delighted to read that these guests had a great time at Baines Camp. With regards the comment on the tracker we thought it important to mention that whilst a few camps in Botswana do indeed employ professional trackers to spot and track game, others take with them on drives what are known as escort guides.
We went back to Sanctuary regarding this point made by these guests and they came back to us with the following explanation:
Thank you for the positive feedback and the observation re the tracker. In NG32 the "tracker" is not a "tracker" as we normally understand it, but what is called an "escort guide" who represents the communities, to ensure Sanctuary (Baines parent company) are adhering to their rules etc.
Part of our standard guest briefing includes an explanation of the role of the escort guides, that is they are not employed by Sanctuary but are community trust employees. We will advise the managers to underpin this to guests, in the briefings
We are happy to hear that Sanctuary have reiterated the importance of correctly and adequately explaining the role of escort guides to guests and are satisfied that this will be better communicated to guests in the future.
Wonderful Camp
1 min by jeep from the airstrip (with hyenas and warthogs around) then 30-40 mins by speedboat through narrow channels of reeds to the camp. A delightful location, very comfortable cabin which stayed cool during the day and not too cold overnight, spacious shower room.
Food was good though on the whole the main courses could have been better, and we particularly enjoyed the hot croissants at breakfast.
Justin and Jackie are enthusiastic and sociable managers, we felt very well looked after. Excellent game drives.
Baines' Camp review
Just fabulous! We were tired and dirty when we arrived and it truly was an uplifting moment to be back to a really good shower, a super room to be in and a fabulous soft, duvet! It was certianly more formal than Lebala and Kwara but I think we were ready for that having lived for 8 days in the heat and dust!
Staff, service, food, facilities were all first rate.
Baines' Camp review
Rolling your bed outside to sleep outside was a fantastic experince and not to be missed.
Also loved listening to the hippos walking past our room at night!
Baines' Camp review
Baines' has good accommodation but the location seems to be limited every drive went in the same direction and we saw the same animals in the same places every drive. The guiding wasn't as good as any of the Kwando camps and the boat trip wasn't as good as that at Kwara. We didn't do the makaro trip here.
That said, when we left Kwara we had seen everything we wanted to see except a leopard in daylight and cheetah cubs. On the drive from the airstrip to Baines we saw a leopard in a tree! We saw her again in the afternoon initially on the ground then she went into a different tree.
We did the elephant activity the following morning which was a great experience but considering the cost of that activity plus the cost of the stay at Baines it wasn't really worth it. I would have rather had a couple more days at Kwara.
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
