Botswana: reviews from our travellers

"We had an absolutely fantastic time! Anton's recommendations were excellent! The orchestration of the transfers seamless.
Best thing to say is that we're already starting to think about our next visit to Africa and Expert Africa will be our go-to." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"What a trip! We are so grateful to Sabina and the whole EA team for helping to make this a reality.
We reached out to Sabina a bit last minute, but she was very accommodating. She did a great job understanding our goals for the trip, and suggesting options that aligned with those goals.

Two hiccups in our trip made us especially grateful for the support of Expert Africa. First, our flight from the US was unfortunately cancelled, and the rebooked option got us in one day later. Sabina seamlessly coordinated with our first lodge and flight teams to adjust our schedule.

Secondly, unfortunately due to the heavy rains and flooding in Namibia, Serra Cafema was forced to close temporarily. This happened while we were in country and had limited wifi. Tracy (Sabina was at a site visit) jumped right in, sharing the news and immediately offering alternative options. She negotiated private transport to get to the new camp, all while keeping us informed, but letting us still enjoy the trip. As a result, our trip felt seamless and we didn't have to worry, for which we are so grateful.

The local country knowledge and thorough vetting of hotels (especially the full lodge reports) were incredibly helpful in building our itinerary. The coverage while we were on our trip ensured we were supported when unfortunately some changes were required.

We absolutely recommend Expert Africa, and have in fact already recommended Expert Africa to multiple family and friends.

Thank you Sabina and team!" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"Our safari experience was incredible.

Anton did a great job of organizing our trip and ensuring that it was a huge success.

Every staff member was helpful and kind.

The Ker & Downey safari camps were exceptional." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"This was our 2nd visit to Namibia as a couple and we tried to cover the areas not visited last year. This included starting in Zimbabwe and driving through the Caprivi Strip which was something my husband has always wanted to do. So it was a very different trip to 2024 when we visited the dunes and Fish River Canyon. Parts of it didn't feel like the Namibia we'd seen before, and we really enjoyed the north of the country which feels more like Botswana & Zimbabwe.

The trip was very well organised and everything worked seamlessly. We booked with very little notice and Tracy pulled it together very quickly for us. We also completely reversed our itinerary at the last minute, probably causing hair to be torn out but Tracy never showed it.

We used the Bradt guide constantly and it was always with us. I will try to email in my very small contributions/changes that we found along the way.

I especially loved the north of Namibia this time. It reminded me of my time in Zimbabwe 35 years ago and I was surprised by how little it had changed. I'm a big fan of the rainy season and love visiting in the green season. We were surprised and delighted by how much game we saw, and of course the birds were incredible. The Delta was magical and Shinde was a very good 2nd choice since Kwara didn't have availability. We loved Shinde and had some great sightings.

The lodges were very comfortable, some were luxurious, more so than I would choose on my own, but perfect for us as a couple. Hugh likes more comfort than me and would like to have known in advance which lodges didn't have air conditioning.

Overall it was another great trip. Thank you Expert Africa" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"I cannot fault any aspect of the trip or service. We went knowing it was the 'end of the rainy season' but never saw a raindrop! The only issue with March as a time of year to visit is the grass is high and this restricts sighting of smaller mammals such as Jackal, Warthog, Steinbeck, etc. We did see all of these animals but they are harder to spot and follow in long grass. Overall we had more sightings than expected and have no complaints whatsoever." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"We have always wanted to visit the Okavango Delta and were not disappointed. The wildlife sightings were exceptional, even though we travelled during the green season which is supposed to reduce the amount of sightings.

This was certainly not the case as we were hoping to see Cheetah and Wild Dogs and achieved this dream on the first two days, seeing a pack of 27 Wild Dogs and 4 Cheetah brothers.

We would thoroughly recommend travelling to Botswana in March, the vegetation is beautifully green and lush, there are many birds and insects to watch and the wildlife experiences we had were incredible and way beyond our expectations.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We have travelled with Expert Africa twice and have been delighted by service we have received from you." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Having been to the Delta a couple of times in August, our first objective on this trip was to better understand the difference between the seasons. It might have been clearer had we included a stop in the Delta but hindsight is a wonderful thing and the general feeling of green rather than yellow was very clear at Lagoon Camp as was the extra challenge of finding animals in a much lusher habitat.

The Pans were something different again with the feature being the Zebra, Wildebeest and, in Nxai Pan, Giraffe and Elephant rather than predators which were scarce and difficult to find. Our trip was towards the end of the rainy season and at Jack's Camp, in particular, there was a clear sense of the long migration north being not far away.

Although we were still in rainy season we had very little rain on a very enjoyable trip." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"The overall experience was excellent! Maruska was a wonderful partner in planning the trip and was very responsive to requests or needs we had. Everything works so smoothly: drivers were on time to pick us up; the quality of the guides was superb; the accommodations were good; and, the cars were in good condition.
A few recommendations for future travelers:

• If you have heat sensitivity, make sure you mention it and ask for tents in shaded areas, if it all possible.

• Bring extra money to tip at the lodges – not just drivers, guides and housekeepers – the entire lodge staff expects to be tipped.

• Luggage size and restrictions are not quite as limited as mentioned in the itinerary. As a note: Maruska was so very helpful in tracking down information directly from the airline providers… and, that helped to relieve the stress of restricted weight/size limits, especially, for a six week long trip.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I will be contacting Maruska in the near future to plan another trip to Africa, it was a fabulous experience!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Our trip was special. Everything exceeded expectations, travel was seamless and very well organized.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not really. One thing we would have taken had we known was our gators for the walking safaris as `stuff` really gets into your shoes and socks." Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 4 on a Botswana safari

"We always recommend Expert Africa to friends and acquaintances because from experience we know that we will receive the best advice and the best outcomes. All travel has the potential for hiccups and this is when the rubber hits the road - we know we can count on EA..

We have gone with the knowledge that we will see amazing things, will be well-prepared in what to expect, and happily surprised by the level of care and hospitality we receive.

I don't know how it all seems to come about so effortlessly but am grateful that a vacation with Expert Africa is also an adventure of the best kind." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 16 on a Botswana safari