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Botswana
Botswana
Botswana
Botswana
Botswana
Botswana
Botswana

The Okavango's waterways are often crystal clear; great for a tranquil mokoro trip.

The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans are the bed of an ancient lake

All of our fishing in the Okavango is done catch-and-release

Floating papyrus reed beds create a new experience for every boat trip

A leopard will exploit every possible advantage when hunting

Animals in Botswana's protected areas are generally relaxed around safari vehicles

The Gomoti River forms part of Moremi Game Reserve's southern boundary.

Botswana

Botswana: reviews from our travellers

Original reviews written by our most recent Botswana travellers.

Showing 791-800 of 1264
Duration
Arrival date
Mr&Mrs LARSSON
Paris

"Bushmen, Caprivi, Okavango & Vic Falls 2013"

I visited Namibia and 2 other countries between 15 Jul 2013 and 8 Aug 2013
"Our first trip to Namibia (2010), covered central, north, northwest and coastal areas.

This trip (2013) was about 98% new locations covering central, north, northeast, Caprivi, Okavango and Vic Falls, Zimbabwe side.
The most noticeable differences in that span of time were the money exchange, electricity adaptor difference, more people riding bicycles, shopping modernization of cities, availability of 3G services (more mobile phones in daily use)

General travel tips
1. Before leaving Namibia, change your Namibian dollars to another currency: South African Rand, Botswana Pula, Euros, Dollars. They are no longer exchangeable at the Jo'berg airport nor in Paris.
2. The children in Namibia were usually asking for pens, whether or not we took photos. The supplement money for educational supplies in 2013 was used for election campaign spending.
3. Clothing is a great donation to leave with the lodges in the northeastern sector of Namibia and in Botswana. They distribute it to the villages or the lodge workers or in one case to the local churches.
4. Adaptors - Throughout Namibia and Botswana, the large 3-rounded prong South African adaptor is used. We purchased a smaller 3-rounded prong which only works in Zimbabwe. Bring your own charging strip/surge protector if you have multiple devices. Zimbabwe uses the small 3-rounded prong and British adaptors.
5. In your checked luggage through Jo'berg, pack nothing of value, other than clothing, ! It will disappear, guaranteed.
6. Reading material:
The Wildlife of Southern Africa is a definite plus to keep track of sightings (birds, mammals, insects, flowers, trees, etc.) (Vincent Carruthers) at the Windhoeker Buchhandlung across from the Hilton Hotel
"Namibian" daily newspaper - fantastic way to learn about modern Namibian culture and opinions of all ages.
"Zambezi Traveller" free newspaper in the Caprivi/Okavango (Lianshulu Lodge) - regional tips, ideas and covers a wide territory.
7. Pic n Pay grocery store (throughout Namibia) was our favorite, Super Spar is also good for finding lunch items (including an ice chest) when driving between destinations
8. Namibia has frequent, fairly well-maintained picnic spots (tree shade, concrete benches and table), which we used for lunches
9. Languages/Dialects: the smartphone "notes" application is a handy recording device to write down the courtesy words: hello, good morning, thank you, how are you, etc. We encountered 10 different languages/dialects or more over three and a half weeks. Asking a lodge staff member "how to say" is an ice breaker and opens a door to their culture.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Fantastic voyage!

The planning, Expert Africa contact, accommodations, expectations suited our needs to a tee. We made our own flight reservations, which worked out smoothly.

The Namibia/Chris McIntyre guide book was our bible. Thank you for supplying it.

On the review feedback, what does "facilities" include/mean?

We would highly recommend Expert Africa for any future voyages.

Obtaining visas before departure between countries was not totally clear.
The basic information about visas in the travel preparations could be much shorter (e.g., Visas are handled at each border control for Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Show your international driver license and passport at customs. The rental car agency provides you with all of the car details, including chassis number and motor number to fill in the paperwork.)

We paid for a permit into Botswana, but wonder if we could have given them the permit on the windshield. This was unclear in the instructions from Budget/Expert Africa whether to turn it in or buy a new one. This was the Chobe border. This was a more difficult and time consuming border post (a real hassle).

The Mohembo Border Post at Mahango was a breeze with both Namibia and Botswana." Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
The S family
Quebec

"my july 2013 trip"

I visited Botswana between 8 Jul 2013 and 19 Jul 2013
"this trip was simply unforgettable. The combination of our stay in Capetown where our theme was the ocean , and our safari in Botswana felt like making two trips one after the other.

The choice of the three camps by Megan was and excellent one. they presented three different environments, which made it even more interesting. All of our family enjoyed every aspect of the safari experience, everything was perfect. we were also very impressed by how knowledgeable our guides were. Our one and only disappointment, we did not get to see a lion, we will have to go back!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
The A Family
East Gri

"July 2013 trip"

I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 6 Jul 2013 and 15 Jul 2013
"I'm very sincere when I say that it was spectacular! 5 out of 6 of our travelers had previously been on safari and they all agree that this was the best experience they have had on safari in Africa. The wildlife was amazing, as were the camps and all of the people we met. Memories to last a lifetime!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Feedback form could be more specific and less open. The brochure was great! My only suggestion might be to make the link the the brochure more visible on the website as I thought that the brochure was the best tool to decide on a trip (excluding Megan who was very helpful as well).

Otherwise the trip was very well organized and very thorough. There weren't any problems with reservations or transitions whatsoever. It was easy and seamless!" Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
B-C Family
USA

"My Jun 2013 trip"

I visited Namibia and 2 other countries between 28 Jun 2013 and 12 Jul 2013
"The trip was spectacular and worked out very well, perfect mix of places, good amount of time spent everywhere. Desert and rivers provided a good mix of wildlife and scenery, we were never bored looking for animals, always discovering new ones. We also enjoyed seeing the villages and a living museum. A bit more contact with locals would have been nice.

We loved the self drive and the ability to explore things on our own. While expecting a bit more adventure, it was surprisingly comfortable and easy, which was fine.

Maruska was wonderful in putting this together for us, she knew the places well, was very helpful and patient.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Looking up locations on a google map was important to me (especially off the path campgrounds), would be nice to have a google map that showed all places of interest (with lat/longs that one can use to enter in one's own google map search)

As much as we wished to get away, Wifi is becoming important for many travelers, and it would be good to collect that info (uptime and speed) and pass it on to the lodges. Elegant guest house and Mushara had good wifi. Ngepi was slow, Muchenje pretty spotty with several outages. Victoria Safari camp had expensive one, Victoria Falls Hotel had good ones for guests.

For guest support on the road, calling is often hard, it might be useful to have email addresses to contact local agents." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 6 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs J
Australia

"Definately the trip of a lifetime!"

I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 28 Jun 2013 and 10 Jul 2013
"The trip Nick Hobbs and I put together for our family with 3 adult children, far exceeded our expectations.

For me the night in Maun allowed me to be ready, not tired from travel, to appreciate every moment of our camps in the okavango delta.The combination of 3 camps over 8 nights was given the thumbs up by all, as being exactly the right amount of time at each camp and overall. It gave us time to enjoy the wonderful different aspects of 3 areas without a huge amount of travel between. We were able to capture sights of different animals in different surroundings, ie seeing the lions at Duba Plains swim. We were also able to appreciate the things they had in common, their care for the local environment and the future for the animals.

Finishing the trip, in Victoria Falls with an exhilarating Helicopter trip and an amazing time Walking with the Lions aided by Paul our wonderful guide , was perfect. Our extra day, then gave us the chance to wander around the views at the Falls National Park, go to Zambia, explore the town and markets and soak up the ambience on the hotel verandah.

Two travel hiccups, lost luggage and lost phone, were extremely well managed by Nick and the team at Expert Africa. I would highly recommend them to others. Thank you for a special holiday." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs D
Toronto

"Great holiday overall"

I visited Zambia and 1 other country between 24 Jun 2013 and 9 Jul 2013
"We spent one week in Zambia (last week of June) & one week in Botswana (the first week of July). The trip was good.

All transfers and reservations organized by Expert Africa went smoothly without any delays or issues. Thank you Maruska for arranging the logistacs of that trip!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zambia safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mrs K & Mrs T
USA

"My Jun 2013 trip"

I visited Zambia and 2 other countries between 22 Jun 2013 and 12 Jul 2013
"I felt very satisfied with the overall trip. I had an adventure and saw a lot of animals. My only comments is this was a very physical trip. Anyone going needs to be in good health with no physical problems. The weather at night and early in the morning can be very cold so coat, hat and gloves are a must. The camps are tents so there is no heating at night and can be cold, along with open screens the air can blow through. Africa is famous for their beautiful sunsets of red an orange skies, that's from all the dust in the air. So one needs to be aware there is a lot of dirt and dust in the air. Anyone suffering for respiratory problems or asthma might have a real problem. Also camps like Kaingo run on burning wood which is another respiratory problem.

I will always remember my trip to Africa, the kind people, the abundance of animals, and the striking evening sunsets. Thank you for the adventure.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

My only suggestions is to make clients aware of the physical demands and aware of cold and dust problems. For most healthy people this would not be a problem, but anyone with a respiratory condition this might not be the right trip for them." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 15 on a Zambia safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs A
Malaysia

"My Jun 2013 trip"

I visited Zambia and 2 other countries between 21 Jun 2013 and 13 Jul 2013
"Everything Expert Africa arranged worked like clockwork with one exception when a camp messed up the schedule but Proflight sorted it out.

Our only confusion is where your letter to us said that all Zambian departure taxes had been paid by you but this was not accepted ny the airport or your representative at the airport when we flew to Malawi. Consequently after some hassle we paid the equivalent og USD78 in local currency as they only accepy Visa credit cards and I have Master Card. This was an unnecessary trauma that should have been avoided.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not really." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 15 on a Zambia safari
Overall trip
Good
Mrs A
Derbyshire

"A wonderful and memorable trip."

I visited Botswana between 18 Jun 2013 and 29 Jun 2013
"Our trip on the whole was amazing.

We enjoyed all the camps but some more than others. The service was mostly outstanding. Some of the guides stood out as they really had a passion for their work but that sadly highlighted those that were not quite so pro active! The wildlife was mind blowing and went beyond our expectations of visiting Africa! We think Botswana is a prime destination and for us was a trip of a lifetime.

Megan was brilliant in helping us to arrange this trip and we would without a doubt recommend Expert Africa." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs L
Battersea

"Terrific trip to Botswana"

I visited Botswana between 10 Jun 2013 and 27 Jun 2013
"Everywhere we stayed was good . Nothing went wrong and we saw almost all the animals we had hoped to.

Botswana like every where else in Africa is getting busier . Wilderness safaris certainly provides all that one would expect for the money spent and the community out reach programme is admirable, but we felt they are becoming so big a company now that the lose of intimate Africa is noticeable.

Go to Botswana , but try to include some smaller independent camps as well." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Showing 791-800 of 1264
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1264 reviews of Botswana by travellers since August 2007
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