Travel reviews by Margo from California

"I stayed in this hotel for one night enroute to Botswana from the US. It was perfect since it's attached to the airport and you can just wheel your luggage right over. Also, we were continuing on to CapeTown after Botswana and they were kind enough to let us keep extra luggage there for free which we picked up before the second leg of our trip.

The hotel was very clean and modern and the rate included an excellent breakfast. We also had dinner at the hotel restaurant which was very tasty as well."

"We just returned from a dream vacation which included 4 nights at Sandibe, our favorite of the three camps we visited in the Delta. We loved the fact that there were no fences; the first afternoon we were there we encountered a mother and young elephant right outside our chalet when we left for tea.

The twice daily game drives were amazing--we saw cheetah, lots of leopards, wild dogs, lions, zebra, elephant, giraffes and more. The fact that they're not in a national park means they can go off-road and get close to the animals, which is great for photography. We felt really pampered by & Beyond's service; camp manager Kate saw to our every need, including trying to help arrange a last minute change in our plans.

We especially enjoyed the night drives, something you also can't do in the national parks. We were there when there was very little moon, and we asked to be taken to somewhere open where we could see the stars. Our guide, Shaka, took us to the airstrip where we saw the night sky in all its African glory--one of the highlights of our trip! Shaka was a fabulous guide and had a great sense of humor. The food was uniformly excellent and we got to sample some local dishes such as papa and kudu.

Definitely a great experience that I would highly recommend to anyone considering a trip to Botswana."

"We very much enjoyed our stay at Okuti, although it was my least favorite of the three camps we visited in Botswana. This had nothing to do with the staff or service, but rather the location within the national park. Because of being inside the park, they operate under different rules than the other two camps we visited--i.e. no driving off road, which means you can't get as close to the animals, no night drives, and many more vehicles in the park since it's open to everyone, including people doing their own camping or driving in for the day.

That said, the staff was outstanding--it's a small camp, and very friendly. The food was excellent, served family style at dinner, with the guides and management joining the guests at the dinner table. One of the days we had a day-long game drive in which we were gone for 9 hours and went way out in the park, where we felt much more like we were in a private reserve. That day we saw a huge pod of 45 hippos and had a picnic lunch just outside where they were swimming.

We had an excellent guide, Nando, and enjoyed water activities as well as the game drives. The rooms were beautifully decorated and felt very luxurious. Ker & Downey sees to your every need, including having drinks and snacks in the room."

"We had a lovely stay at Shinde, our last camp in the Delta. We were there for 3 nights, and participated in a number of game drives as well as water activities. The food and service was excellent, with great hospitality and terrific staff. We also had some excellent wildlife sightings, including two leopard cubs who were playing with each other while waiting for mom to return.

Like at Okuti, dinner was communal at a large table, with guides and management staff joining guests and food served family style. No one goes hungry at these camps, since there are three meals a day, tea, and several snack breaks on top of those! Plus cookies in the room!

Since Shinde is on a private reserve, we were able to be out after dark and also go off road, which allows guests to see the animals from closer up. We didn't see as much wildlife at Shinde as at our other camps, but that was just due to the luck of the draw and not the camp itself."

"We had a pleasant stay at Waterberry lodge while at Victoria Falls, although it was not as luxurious as the safari camps in Botswana. The food was of very good quality and service was very good as well.

The food is not as bountiful as at the safari camps but there was plenty to eat and it was freshly prepared. Because the camp is about 30 minutes drive from Livingstone, you do have to pay extra for anything you want to do that involves leaving the lodge, including boat trips on the river, visiting Victoria Falls, the markets, or anything else in the area.

They do provide drivers to take you wherever you want to go but there is extra cost associated with this. Also, they do charge for all drinks, including fruit juice--I hadn't understood that, and they did wind up waiving the charges for the non-alcoholic drinks."