Botswana: reviews from our travellers

"Overall, we were very, very satisfied with our first safari.

The advice we received from Maruska at Expert Africa was spot on and prevented us from making common mistakes, such as trying to fit to many camps into our allotted time.

Communication with Expert Africa was always accurate and timely and all of the lodging, flights, and transfers were expertly organized and came off without a hitch. We would be happy to use their services again and we will recommend them to our friends and colleagues." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"An amazing safari experience. Surpassed all expectations.

The expanse of the Botswana wilderness and the African sky is impressive as were the number and variety of wildlife.

An experience of a lifetime and would go back for more!" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"We had such a super trip! Having just spent a week at Kruger Park, I was worried the kids would be 'safari-ed" out, but it turns out that each location had a special charm and offered us something new and exciting.

Though we 'saw' a sleeping lion in Kruger, we saw a whole pride of lions walk by our car in Chobe. Thought we 'saw' a leopard in Kruger, we saw a leopard in a tree trying to protect a kill from hyenas underneath. We loved the sounds of the Delta - the natural heartbeat of birds and frogs and so on that greeted us every morning and night. We loved the service of our lodges -- we felt very taken care of.

Mostly, I really appreciated that all the logistics were so smooth -- the pick-ups (and, in particular, border transfers) were on time and professional. The shuttle services (Wilderness safaris, African Odyssey, etc) were excellent. Having meals and inclusive private safaris added to the trip cost, of course, but were essential for traveling with a family and making it care-free.

Our favorite part of the trip was assuredly Machaba Camp -- my youngest son (age 3) hit it off with our guide (Moreri) and we are still missing him! Mostly, they were so accommodating with times and meals, that we relaxed into our vacation in a very real way. Thanks for making all these logistics so smooth!!!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Honestly, it was excellent and I would recommend your services again -- worth the pennies to have all those logistics sorted out. We had a great time!

I might just add two small things - I might have missed the part about Ilala being in USD, and USD prices. Since we were coming from South Africa, this obviously seemed more pricey to us than we were expecting (and the only part of our trip that was not all-inclusive) and we could only get USD from the ATMs. Not a huge problem, but might be good to have included that in the trip info (perhaps I missed it - if so, sorry).

Also, we were essentially bribed at the VFAirport...the guys asked us if we wanted to upgrade to business class for $200 and when I agreed, he said it had to be in cash. Ugh -- by this point, he had already booked the tickets so we had no real choice, but it was clear I was not going to be getting a receipt for that one. I am sure he saw our American passports. I felt very duped, but since everyone else had been so honest and helpful our entire trip (and since the VFA airport is so beautifully new and professional!), this took me by surprise. Folks should be on the lookout for scams like this (especially as Americans).

Otherwise, super duper trip!!! Happy to answer any other questions." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 5 on a Botswana safari

"Of course it is dificult to predict the exact conditions at a camp be (for ex. when the flood arrives). It would be helpful to at least indicate the range of various conditions.

We expected Tubu to be partly flooded ("mixed"). In fact it was even drier than Chitabe (we saw more hippos in Chitabe than in Tubu). Perhaps you can add a history of previous years when the flood has arrived at the various camps, so that every traveller gets has a reliable Information about the past years.

It also was not so clear that there was absolutely no wifi at the camps. This should be indicated more clearly." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Amazing. A trip of a life time" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"The combination of the friendly staffs and spirit of Africa and just being in the safari mode was wonderful and trumps all the small quibbles.

Seeing a leopard mother and her cub playing a small distance away and seeing a cheetah close up in the wild are hard experiences to match. Thus, we had a fabulous experience overall.

If the ceiling fans can be added at Little Kwara and the flights can be adjusted to take vacationers directly to their spots (instead of flying them more than 90 minutes out of the way), the review could have been even more positive." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"We had an incredible experience - a real trip of a lifetime.

From the second I reached out to Expert Africa to help with our plans, everything was very easy, smooth, and professional. Nick did a wonderful job figuring out what kind of camps we wanted and what our priorities were and the combination of our two camps was a really good choice for us - and very different experiences.

Furthermore, when we got to each camp, everything was flawlessly ready and set up for us. Thank you!!" Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"A unique experience that will live long in the memory" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"It was excellent, brilliantly organised and managed.

In retrospect we should have chosen Sabyinyo in Rwanda, Ngorongoro Crater in the Crater. I would have preferred to stay at the Hyatt in Dar - or an alternative to the Serena - it was a shocker.

I had concerns about Little Kwara before I went and these were confirmed. I would not stay with a Kwando facility on a return to Africa." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari