Reviews of safaris to Okavango Delta Safari Reserves
1027 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Okavango Delta.
"My June 2018 trip"
All the connections worked out but I would strongly recommend you including in the itineary the addresses of locations after a flight. The flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town did not include Jeanne's bag. We spent quite a lot of time waiting and then talking to the lost baggage people about this. They found the bag in Johannesburg and wanted an address to deliver it to us when it arrived. We didn't have the Acorn House address and they didn't have access to the internet or a phone and nor did I. All I could think of was to go to the driver and find out from him. I made the fatal error of leaving the arrivals area to talk to him and then trying to go back to tell the baggage people what the address was. That caused a real problem and I had go through a ridiculous process to get back to Jeanne even though five people watched me walk out of the arrivals area and refused to let me back without special authorization and being escorted through security.. Please include the address in your documentation.
Under the category of things I wished I'd known was the fact that both lodges in the Delta were open to the elements and quite cold at night. We had been warned by our friends it would be cold in the Etosha area, but didn't think there would be the same issue in Botswana. We adapted, by showering when it was warm out and wearing our warmest clothes to bed but it was a surprise." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari
"A fantastic, memorable safari"
All the lodges we stayed at were different and worked very well as a complete package.
We would not hesitate to use Expert Africa again" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
"June 2018 trip"
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
no" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari
"A good holiday and well organised"
It was unfortunate that we only spent one night at Little Kwara due to my wife's illness and missed all the game drives, as they may well have compensated to some extent for the disappointing accomodation, but who knows!
We would have liked to have been told that Little Kwara was about to close as this probably was the reason it was so rundown, we may then have decided to change to another lodge." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari
"Victoria Falls, Sandibe, "
Botswana and its people are inspiring and the scenery and wildlife experience, spectacular.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
None.
This is our second trip with Expert Africa and probably not our last.we have already recommended EA to others in the UK and abroad." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
"My May 2018 trip"
Victoria Falls was a great way to start the holiday. The Wilderness Safari camps at Little Vumbura and particularly Chitabe Lediba were fantastic, giving us a great combination of water and land based activities. We are big fans of Wilderness Safaris - their camps are obviously not cheap but are truly spectacular.
Chobe was also a good way to relax at the end of the holiday. We have done several safaris before but Botswana is without doubt the most spectacular destination - the wildlife, bird life, scenery and landscapes and the people are wonderful.
We hope to return one day and will definitely use Expert Africa." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari
"My May 2018 trip"
From our arrival in Maul tour departure from Livingstone the package, including all Border crossings, flowed seamlessly and without difficulty. The various guides who met us organised tickets and visas speedily.
With hindsight two camps were close together but we appreciate that availability and distance may have been a limiting factor. A camp further up into the the delta would have allowed us to compare the wet areas with the dry areas.
In short a great experience. Thank you." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari
"My May 2018 trip"
The best game drives we have ever had" Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari
"Excellent"
Re the camps themselves, the luxury and style we experienced at several (mainly Duba Suites and Mombo) rather eclipsed the feel of being ‘in the bush’. We prefer something more simple - less luxury and less grand accommodation. Therefore we may head off next time to Zambia or Tanzania.
We presume the companies owning the camps are marketing the USA market and that the luxury is designed to attract many first timers who would otherwise not visit. Quite a few guests we met were Americans who had not been to Africa before and just wanted to ‘tick off’ the big five. And not interested in birds or trees/plants. There is a danger of a Disneyland type situation." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Botswana safari
"A Perfect Trip"
We saw and did so much within just two weeks: the desert, dunes and mountains of Namibia; the San; the Vic Falls; the Delta; Cape Town and Table Mountain; the flights over the desert and delta; brilliant game sightings including all the Big 5.
Namibia is an incredible country with amazing scenery, fascinating culture, superb wildlife and huge open spaces - the shortest drive we had from the gate to the main building in five lodges was about half an hour! It was a pleasure to drive in, with the straight, empty roads, and even better to fly over. Botswana complemented it perfectly: it was wonderful to go from the desert and mountains of Namibia to the Chobe river and Okavango Delta and see animals and go on game drives in a completely different environment.
Flying from Sossuvlei to Damaraland made this all possible: as well as being one of the highlights of the trip, it saved us 10 hours on the road and having to stop in Swakopmund. This meant we could fit more in within the time we had and massively reduced the total amount of time we spent driving. Our driver in Namibia, Shorty, drove very safely and was an integral part of our trip - our best sightings of giraffes were with him, driving out of Gocheganas and Okonjima!
What stood out most, though, was all the people we met and the wonderful welcome we received at all the lodges, which really made everything that much more special. We especially appreciated how great everyone was with our kids.
The service from both Expert Africa and Wilderness Safaris was outstanding and could not be faulted in any way. All the arrangements ran like clockwork. Given we had a total of 10 flights (from leaving Sri Lanka to returning), 9 lodges and 18 activities, this was quite an achievement and testament to exceptional efficiency and attention to detail. There was always someone waiting to collect us at the appointed time; all the lodges were expecting us and had our room ready; all the activities were booked.
I am so grateful to Maruska for her advice, assistance and organisation. I first contacted her about two years in advance and must have sent over a hundred emails in total. She always replied immediately with helpful and detailed answers that displayed her detailed knowledge of the area and determination to make sure we would be happy with every aspect of the trip. She simply could not have done any more.
If we are lucky enough to be able to go back to Africa , we should certainly use Expert Africa again and will recommend them to all our friends.
Thank you for organsing a simply brilliant adventure: we have brought back memories that will last a lifetime.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service: This was the first time I had ever booked a trip / holiday through an agent - which I imagine may be true for many of your clients. Although Maruska was ever-willing to give quotes for as many different options as I wanted and to suggest ways to cut costs if required, I would have appreciated at least a rough idea of what was costing what in the overall quote.
I wonder whether it might be possible to give an indication of the cost of different lodges on your website (even if this is just a code such as $$ or $$$ etc) so clients can see how expensive different lodges are and how costs in different countries compare. Some indication of how the costs of different modes of transport compare would also be useful." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip

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