Reviews of safaris to Central Kalahari Game Reserve

"After teh 4th visit to Botswana I just can say: I will come back." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Botswana safari

"Botswana was fantastic - shame about their airline though..." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"Our 7-night trip to Botswana over Christmas 2012 was excellent. Expert Africa recommended a very good mix of camps and locations, with good contrasts between the vast Central Kalahari and then two quite different locations in the game-rich Okavango Delta. Camps were very high quality throughout, with a few minor areas for improvement which are covered in individual camp reviews.

We definitely felt we were getting good value for our money in each of these places - not only because of the accommodation and guides, but also because of the exclusivity. We rarely saw another vehicle at any point, and never more than one.

We had some concerns about travelling in December, when Botswana is often hot and wet (and when the wetland areas of the delta can be dry with high grass). These proved unfounded - weather was fine throughout, except one grey day, and not uncomfortably hot at game drive times (apart from one very long drive in the Kalahari). Bush fires in the delta actually meant that the grass was short in many areas and game viewing was excellent. And we were able to take boat and mokoro trips in both locations in the delta.

Huge thanks to all at Expert Africa, especially Megan, for the advice and for the quick responses to endless questions!" Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"Thoroughly enjoyable, if tiring.

This trip was planned some 18 months ago and was programmed for May 2012, but medical problems arose and it had to be deferred to Nov. Throughout this process we were encouraged by the patience and consideration of Nick who is a great ambassador for your organization

The bulk of the time was spent in Kwando camps, with whom we have stayed before. They have a quality product, but it is not a good look when their guides have to borrow guests binoculars/reference books to identify a particular bird.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

As long as your staff show the same consideration as Nick when problems arise your customer service satisfaction levels should be high." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Botswana safari

"I really enjoyed my safari trip and was very pleased with all the camps.

I was very happy with the help planning that was provided by Expert Africa. I was very pleased with the honest reviews of camps that were given and if I am ever planning another safari, I will definitely make use of Expert Africa's services. Thanks very much to Elie and Nick.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I was thoroughly impressed by the services provided by Expert Africa and have no suggestions. I began planning my trip very late and was impressed by how helpful everyone was even though I was so late booking." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"Dear Sabina,

Thanks very much for organising such a great holiday again!! Totally different from the dry part of Namibia (Kalahari desert, Namib desert, Damara land, Etosha). This time river deltas, water, green, and also many many animals, and again very nice people. Anybody asking us about our two holidays, we suggest to contact Expert Africa and you. Again, unforgettable.

One topic for your consideration: leaving to our lodge near Rundu, we were stopped at a check point just south of Rundu close to an army base. I stopped the front of my car 1 meter past the stop sign. Anyway, the guy made a big point out of it, a second policeman joined him and I had to come with them to a tent next to the road. Supposedly I would get a fine of NAM $ 1500 for "ignoring the stop sign".

I stayed courteous, said that any fine I'd pay at the police station. Anyway, it was an attempt to get a bribe, but in the end I did not have to pay anything. At another lodge, I heard that a few other tourists had exactly the same experience, at exactly the same check point. Not a big deal, but just that you know this happened.

Again Sabina, thanks very much for your help. It was an unforgettable holiday, again!

Kind regards, Elly and Paul Veth." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip

"So much of this trip was a bit of magic.

From climbing dunes to watching sunrise over the red dunes to watching a group of lions surround our vehicle and literally ROAR at us to watching Cheetahs stalk and kill, to sleeping under the stars, driving for hours on roads and being in this amazing wilderness and not seeing another car for hours and not to forget all the wonderful people we met. Some proprieters of lodges, guests and employees.

Not all of the trip was perfect, but all in all we had an amazing time." Read full review: 26 nights in Africa; 14 on a Botswana safari

"Botswana was our 5th trip to Africa on safari holiday. We had very high expectations on the basis of outstanding previous experiences. But we returned very disappointed. There were few exciting moments and our memories, quite honestly, are of relative dullness. Our photos convey this; we have relatively few and those which we have are not as good as others taken on previous trips. The meerkats and vic falls were the exception but this was an extremely expensive way to see them!!

There was just no excitement. We were expecting the delta to be lush and teeming with wildlife but in reality it is just a series of islands interspersed with wet bits. We went all the way to Botswana and didn't even see a hippo! And we saw just one elephant in the water. You see more in Kenya! The country is also very flat and visually dull. Even the short flights are boring.

The guides are all very pleasant but come across as bored. Where is the enthusiasm?

It's hard to put it onto words without coming across as overly moany. We regret going, to be honest, as it is an expensive country (why???) and we could have had 4 good other holidays in place of this one. We won't be recommending Botswana to anyone.

This appears to be a country which is cleverly marketed but fails to deliver in reality." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"Overall an excellent trip with some nice added extras from the camps as they knew it was our honeymoon.

Nick at expert africa did a great job organising everything, especially considering the changes caused by Air Seychelles dropping their long haul flights." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"Our trip was wonderful. We'd never been to Africa and so had no idea what to expect.

Megan was a pleasure to deal with, took time to understand our goals and provided clear and well thought out options for us to chose from. Just how well she'd designed our trip became clearer as it unfolded. Our trip included a diversity of settings (desert, delta, open plains) that meant we saw a lot of different animals but also has different activities available to us. Im also quite happy she recommended the Victoria Falls Hotel.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not really." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari