Reviews of Tubu Tree Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
37 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Tubu Tree Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
"Tubu Tree - Immersed in the bush"
Our guide (Phenyo) provided us with various experiences which included observing a leopard tracking a civet, seeing a hyena with two cubs, a speedboat ride to the hippo pool and a late afternoon mokoro ride. The game was quite plentiful on our drives (elephants, zebras, giraffes and wildebeests) and because the vehicles could off-road, we had some very close encounters. We also had a number of animals visit within feet/yards of our tents (elephants, kudu, baboons, warthogs, steenbok).
Tubu Tree Camp celebrated our special occasions one evening with singing (the choir here was outstanding) and cake after dinner and placed hand crafted cards in our tents. At night we played cards in one of our tents and the manager escorted us to our own tent afterwards.
One small issue we encountered at Tubu Tree was a hammering project that was underway upon our arrival / siesta time...definitely detracted from the ambiance and should have been done while the guests were away on drives. Another issue we encountered with Tubu Tree was the condition of the swimming pool. It was quite hot one afternoon and my sister and I wanted to take a swim, but the water was cloudy and uninviting.
P.S. Be sure to observe the luggage specifications. We traveled to Tubu Tree via a Cessna 206 and our duffle bags (correct size) were a tight fit. Also note that the electricity in the tents is used for lighting and charging cell phones and camera batteries (no hairdryers etc.)" See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia
"Tubu Tree Camp review"
Fantastic range of mixed activities. Drives, boat and Mekoro.
Camp being upgraded and the room was truly stunning (if that is what rocks your boat!).
A couple great leopard sightings and some great interactive elephants.
My only concern is that the upgrade to the camp is adding a number of rooms and it might lose it's intimate feel (and the island might feel a little more crowded on drives)." See all these reviews: 16n in Botswana
"The new Tubu Tree"
The camp has been undergoing an expansion and refurbishment and we had been forewarned of this before we travelled. We had been assured that the works were both quiet and unobtrusive and this proved to be the case which was great. This was my second stay at Tubu and the new tents are even nicer than the old ones. They have opted for a very light colour canvas for the tents and light coloured wooden floors which we really liked because it makes the tents feel more spacious and airy.
Staff were professional but friendly and nothing was too much trouble. The two managers (Rauve and Neuman) had been at the camp for 1 month and a few days respectively and hadn't worked together in the past but you would never have been able to tell had we not asked. They were charming, knowledgeable and a good team. Food was excellent and a lot of thought was put into settings for lunches and dinners. (Our first lunch with table set up in the shallow water just outside camp was amazing and so beautiful. It sure beat a Monday at work!)
Guiding was very good. Our guide was Seretse who was a very engaging chap and found us some great sightings. His love for his work was clear, he was knowledgeable and a lot of fun.
The water levels around camp were higher than on my previous visit which we knew would be the case. The guides did warn us that the water levels meant that some routes were too deep underwater to drive which meant that the area for driving was fairly limited. This did not spoil our enjoyment as there was plenty to see (still a great place to see leopard for example) and it meant that we could do a mokoro trip much closer to camp which was both interesting and relaxing.
It will be interesting to see what Tubu is like when it's 3 new tents plus adjoining Little Tubu have opened. It certainly seems to be a popular camp. Oh well, we'll just have to go back and check it out!!" See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana
"Safari at Tubu Tree"
The rooms were private, spacious and very comfortable and we loved the outdoor showers. The children loved having one to themselves! Special notes arrived on our beds each night, there was always hot and cold drinking water available as well as emergency equipment.
The meals were tasty, beautifully prepared and we ate at a large table all together where it was fun to talk to the other guests.
Our experienced guide at the camp was excellent. He was knowledgeable, tireless, fun and truly a pleasure to spend long hours with in the car. Our children really enjoyed his sense of humour, learned a lot about the local people and asked numerous questions. We saw many different animals and were never rushed to get back to camp.
We all loved our stay at Tubu Tree Camp and would highly recommend it." See all these reviews: 3n in Botswana
"Tubu Tree Camp review"
This camp, and it's staff, didn't feel quite as relaxed as the others but it may have been because leopard had been in the camp and the staff were concerned about guests moving from the rooms to the communal areas. The walkways to the rooms would have benefitted from a boardwalk as walking on the dark sand made everything very dirty. The traditional night on Monday was excellent and had a very traditional feel.
The mekoro ride was very relaxing." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana
"Great safari intro at Tubu Tree"
General game viewing was excellent and we had a great sighting of 2 young Leopards on my third day in camp. We caught up with one of them again on a night drive as well as seeing plenty of nocturnal animals including Civet & Gennet. The concession was beautiful and every corner you turned seemed like you had entered a different wilderness, a truly amazing place.
The Monday night meal around the camp fire was especially fun when the staff sang for us and the food & service was very traditional.
Dan kindly spent some time one afternoon showing myself and another guest how to use photoshop to edit all the photos we were taking. On my last full day i was on my own for the afternoon drive so Dan came out to give me some tips which was much appreciated.
GT was a great guide throughout the trip, seeming to find the balance of what everyone wanted.
I did a Mokoro trip one afternoon though it was about 30 minutes from camp so we enjoyed a bit of a game drive as well. A very relaxing way to spend an evening.
I stayed in room 1 and it was extremely comfortable and had a great view. It was kept extremely clean (by them not me) and the laundry service provided works well.
Overall a great trip!" See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana
"Too short at tubu tree"
The camp is very small and not full when we were there so we did feel that they wanted us to go to bed quite early but that didn't really matter. The tent was very comfortable with an excellent view. As we were there only 2 days they arranged for us to do the boat trip and canoes in one evening which was great too. The outside bar was stunning as was the pool." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana
"A superb camp operated superbly by a young co"
The service was very friendly and the managers made an effort to introduce and get the visitors together. The guide (forgot his name) was excellent and we saw a good variety of animals and birds. The mokoro ride to the pool of hippos was memorable." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 3n in South Africa; 2n in Zambia
"Tubu Tree camp"
Game viewing was top class - we saw leopard nearly every drive, and much more. As well as drives we had a mokoro trip and boat on the waterways.
Evenings around the camp fire were very friendly! Food was excellent and constant!" See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 3n in Zambia; 1n in South Africa
"Second Visit to a Great Camp"
To celebrate a special birthday we spent 4 nights here and loved almost every moment. We had saved by getting our long haul flights using air miles and some of the saving was used to have a private guide and vehicle for the duration. The ultimate privilege and we were blessed with a senior and outstanding guide, GT, shipped over from the Premier camp at Jao. The flexibility this allowed us was fantastic and we had 3 full days plus 2 half days of the most exceptional game drives. We saw leopard in a tree, leopard on a termite mound, leopard on a fallen tree and leopard, leopard leopard..... In addition Hunda was teeming with several breeding herds of elephant and exceptional bird sightings at every turn.
Hein and Eloise are a charming, energetic and most likable couple soon to be married. They run the camp like true professionals but seem to have a minor blind spot with the catering. Breakfast, brunch, teas and sundowner nibbles were great but almost every dinner was a disappointment with often meat that was uncuttable/unchewable, over spiced or had not had the small bones removed. Is there a problem in the kitchen they are unable to solve or does it need more hands on quality control? Since they sat down to eat with us every evening they must have known guests were having problems. We very much hope the 'system' can help them solve this problem because, in every other respect, Tubu is a brilliantly well run camp that we will go back to. Is the burden of also being the concession supply center distracting the management from getting their own camp fully 100%?" See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana
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