Reviews of Gomoti Plains Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
38 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Gomoti Plains Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
95% success
54% success
42% success
28% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
97% success
94% success
26% success
25% success
21% success
21% success
11% success
6% success
6% success
3% success
"Gomoti Plains Camp 3"
This was a new somewhat more up market camp, with a large number of staff, reflecting the fact that there were 12 tents, two of which were family tents. Again we requested a tent nearest to the main tent and to meet this we were given a family tent. Well we really lived in luxury with a six foot wide bed and a "room"each plus a shower each etc, rather more than expectations but a lovely way to end our safari. The large movable fan in each "room" was very helpful and again charge points in the room, no African 3 pin, and many additional niceties making us feel very privileged. The closeness of the river tributary brought animals very close in to the tents, with some wandering happily through the camp grounds adding to the excitement.
Most of the time we shared the vehicle with a French family of three, they were helpful and accommodating, but he was a smoker, which was not helpful, even though he was careful and discreet.
Staff were not aware of our request for hot water for tea making, but did accommodate the request after some discussion.
This camp was community orientated, but the village was 3hrs drive away, so no chance of a visit. Many of the staff were local to the village, so we did have some discussion about their lives etc.
The amount of food seemed way over the top, but hopefully it did not go to waste and that the staff shared it.
As in every camp the staff were very helpful, keen to please and make adjustments with good diplomatic skills between guests to meet all needs in the best possible way.
A good example was the on the first night we wanted to do the advertised "boat" Safari rather than a game drive or a mokoro ride, as the mokoros were low and difficult for me. The water level was low, so we compromised with a short boat safari and a short vehicle safari, which met the needs of our French friends.
In each camp the game drives were excellent but very bumpy by the very nature of the terrain, so some alternatives were welcome, cooler on water of course.
We enjoyed the small shop at this camp, but there were few really local goods for sale.
The swimming pool was quite big compared to others, but uncomfortably in full sun, with shades over sunbeds but blazing heat when actually in the pool, swimming with an umbrella sunshade has its problems!
I personally appreciated the provision of a 2 step ladder to help get in and out of the vehicle. The vehicle at this camp were much easier to access compared to Linyanti and Khwai, due to the open side from the step, this could be a factor for anyone with disability." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Buffalo
1 sighting
Cheetah
3 sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Giraffe
10 sightings
Hippo
8 sightings
Leopard
4 sightings
Lion
5 sightings
Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
Wildebeest
3 sightings
Zebra
8 sightings
"A Great Camp in an Idyllc Spot"
This camp is great for those who like us who wanted to be in touch with the game...from lions who walked past our tent in the night and elephants who remained outside in the morning and an elephant who tried to join us for dinner one evening!
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The barbeque dinner in the bush was magical and a great touch and you cannot beat an African sky at night.
The game in the area is great though on this occasion we didnt mange to see Rhino or Leopard we saw a lot of other game including two lions and two smaller wild cats a Genet and Serval both beautiful as well as pair of Eagle owls as well as lots of elephant ,giraffe,bufalo,zebra all in the same camera shot on all three days.
The evening boat trip into the canal (water levels permitting we just made it! 12 October) was beautiful for an up and close experience to elephant,buffalo and hippo. 22 hippo in one pool who were not to keen on letting us pass. In addition the birfdlife was exceptional together with a herd of lechwe who passed in front of the boat jumping in and out of the water. Also my partner who is mad for a good sunset was in heaven.
All the guides and staff were great just lovely people.
This place was a highlight of our trip and just a great note to finish on." See all these reviews: 5n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
Buffalo
Multiple sightings
Eland
Multiple sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Giraffe
10 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Lion
2 sightings
Roan antelope
1 sighting
Sable antelope
1 sighting
Wildebeest
1 sighting
Zebra
10 sightings
"Gomoti Plains Camp review "
This is not really a criticism but I got the impression that these four lions and the leopards were the only ones in our area so we were basically seeing the same ones on different occasions. There was different lighting etc so each time was exciting, but in some other areas you can see more of the same species.
There were also many, many elephants including a lot in the camp and around our tent!, hippos, water buffalo, and all the game that predators feed on. The camp is in a great position on the river and the views from the eating area were enchanting. We also loved the mokoro ride (wouldn't do it more than once) and the cruise down the river. We found several of the staff to be very good, others less cheerful or lacking initiative. It was a shame we didn't see cheetah, although I perfectly understand that they are rare in this area. Likewise hyena and wild dogs.
As I say, we enjoyed our stay a lot and the room was comfortable although we have had more luxurious accommodation in other camps. A big plus is that there are power points in the tents for charging phones etc.
As you know, Megan, by extraordinary coincidence we were in the same vehicle as Josh and Rich so some of our views will have been passed on to them. I would say we were lucky to have a tent near the main building because some of the others, including where Josh and Rich were staying, were a bit of a hike. I also have some concern about whether there could be a dangerous situation involving guests trying to get to the main building past elephants (and lions came into the camp one night). I am not sure all guests knew, or were made aware, of how dangerous elephants can be and they were frequently around the main path on our side of the camp. An unfenced camp seems something of a mixed blessing.
We thought the food was not the greatest aspect. There were a lot of bones in an ossobuco dish and nothing really stood out although it was perfectly adequate, as were the wines etc--it is great not to have to bother about buying drinks. The special gala evening with dancing and singing in a location outside the camp was lovely and everybody enjoyed it.
One thing that we had severe doubts about was the ritual of the cook and bar person telling us what was on the menu. Apart from the fact that it was sometimes a bit hard to hear them, it smacked of paternalism to us and most people seemed a bit embarrassed. It was also ridiculous to be told that a merlot had hints of blackberry or whatever! Some of the wait staff were either miserable or a bit incompetent but others were excellent and Chris and Ofiro (sp?) , who took part in the dinners were excellent company. It was great to see the more junior staff taking part with Andrew and Rhona. Frankly we weren't sure about the latter. Andrew is good value in many ways but a bit full-on and Rhona overdoes the chatting you up constantly, especially since she seems to ask the same questions on more than one occasion! I wouldn't want this to get back to them however.
Maintenance is not great, frankly. There was a broken standard lamp in our tent when we arrived and it was still broken when we left, despite mentioning it on a couple of occasions. On the last day the swimming pool was full of leaves and an umbrella was broken. I raised this and Andrew told me it was the wind. However, it would have made a better impression to put up a note saying that or fix the problem! They could do with a second public toilet because there was always a stressful queue before the morning safaris! (This is a common problem I think)
Elliot had a very bad eye problem for the last couple of days which was giving him a great deal of pain. I gave him some ibuprofen which seemed to help, but Andrew kept telling us it was nothing, right up to the last day when he said he would try to free him up to go to a doctor in Maun. Elliot's performance did not suffer however.
This is probably far more than you need and I trust it will not be quoted back to the camp in my name.
Summary--great game drives, excellent alternative events but some problems with organisation, maintenance and food." See all these reviews: 4n in Botswana
Buffalo
Multiple sightings
Eland
Multiple sightings
Elephant
Multiple sightings
Giraffe
Multiple sightings
Hippo
Multiple sightings
Leopard
Multiple sightings
Lion
Multiple sightings
Roan antelope
1 sighting
Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Perfection - classic Okavango"
The camp is well equipped and in good shape given that it is fairly new, food is excellent and everyone is welcoming, kind and discreet. Everything is organised outstandingly, including welcoming back guests from all drives with wet towels and somebody from management checking that all was as expected. Children are welcomed and well looked after by all.
Our stay could not have started better - on how are way from the airstrip to the camp a Bataleur Eagle directed us to a cheetah with cubs who had just hunted a steenbok: this made our arrival to camp late but definitely worth it! This was just the beginning of our wonderful three days with Luckym.
The bush dinner was a wonderful surprise - won't say anymore to avoid spoiling it for other travellers but we were left absolutely speechless.
We saw leopard for 3 days as he was finishing his warthog, white rhino, plenty of lions and ardwolf, porcupine, serval, civet on night drives. Boat trip well worth it. The sounds of wildlife during the night including hippos grunting were fascinating.
This Camp defined our new standards for safari trips - while all other places visited were excellent, this was a superior experience." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia
Buffalo
3 sightings
Cheetah
1 sighting
Elephant
10 sightings
Giraffe
10 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Leopard
4 sightings
Lion
5 sightings
Spotted Hyena
4 sightings
White Rhino
1 sighting
Zebra
5 sightings
"Gomoti Plains Camp review"
Good game viewing on land - saw Rhino, and several leopard (including one trying to hunt a porcupine on a night drive, which was amazing), but no dogs or cheetah.
Motorised boat trip was very beautiful, lots of bird life. Good guides, and really welcoming hosts." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana
Buffalo
5 sightings
Elephant
5 sightings
Giraffe
5 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Leopard
2 sightings
Lion
5 sightings
White Rhino
1 sighting
Wildebeest
3 sightings
Zebra
5 sightings
"Fine dining under 'canvas'"
All the roads were designed and constructed by the guides. Animals come through the camp regularly and freely even close to the swimming pool and tents providing entertainment during the siesta.
The concession covers a wide territory where rhino have been introduced but are difficult to locate. Animals, at the moment, are not as numerous as we had hoped but Motte, our enthusiastic guide, did his best and found some interesting sightings. Highlights were a pride of lion observed devouring a buffalo and a further two lionesses with cubs, The late night game drive was particularly interesting with spring hare, genet and porcupine.
The mokoro trip is highly recommended.
We loved magical bush dinner. To describe it in detail would spoil the magic for others.
Charging facilities for batteries is very good. A green camp using mostly solar power. Reuseabale water bottles are provided for guests.
We loved the checklist booklets of birds and animals.
Despite our very positive comments we found this camp a bit OTT for our taste The introduction to meals/ wines somewhat pretentious. Generally the camp atmosphere lacking a a little in warmth. Perhaps this reflects the newness of the camp." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia
"Gomoti Plains Camp great location"
We had a delightful evening dinner away from the camp and obviously a lot of effort had been put into this.
The food was not as plentiful and varied as most of the camps we have been to in the past. We didn’t like the communal main room/lounge, which seemed cramped for the numbers and was cafe style with overly simple furniture. Breakfasts and lunches were adequate rather than being memorable.
The guide TK was excellent. Really went out of his way to find what we hoped to see." See all these reviews: 13n in Botswana
"Amazing experience at Gomoti Plains"
Plenty of game and a very special trip on a Mokoro." See all these reviews: 3n in Botswana
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