Botswana: reviews from our travellers

"This was the perfectly orchestrated trip, introducing us to southern Africa. Maruska's ability to listen and plan an experience for complete strangers is uncanny.

Her recommendations assured us of perfect days, every day. To be met at a remote airfield, an hour late, by a jeep who dropped us at a waiting boat at the side of the river, met at the other side and taken to a hotel, all by kind, proud, and efficient staff is an amazing feat. It never occurred to us to be worried - we just accepted each step as part of our wonderful journey.

Looking back it could have been a series of mishaps - but it was perfect! Graeme never wants to travel anywhere else because we enjoyed sights and experiences we never imagined - endless desert, rich delta, the power and beauty of the animals, the kind and gentle people, and moving music. Thank you for the gift!" Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip

"This was such a great holiday.We were so pleased we tried three camps in different areas and we loved them all. Kwando Safaris who ran the camps should be complemented on their camps, staff, service, food and general all round attention to guests comfort and safari experience.The animal sightings were marvellous and probably better than we had anticipated and the Okavango Delta is just beautiful. The whole trip was a huge success.

Note for Megan.........bet you wish you were at the Durban Trade Fair.....we met several people who worked in the travel industry and were vising different camps and some of them were in Africa for 3 weeks!!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We were completely happy with all aspects of your service. Thank you Megan for your suggestions , for putting together our itinerary ,introducing us to Kwando Safaris and organizing our travel arrangements." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"Botswana was our 5th trip to Africa on safari holiday. We had very high expectations on the basis of outstanding previous experiences. But we returned very disappointed. There were few exciting moments and our memories, quite honestly, are of relative dullness. Our photos convey this; we have relatively few and those which we have are not as good as others taken on previous trips. The meerkats and vic falls were the exception but this was an extremely expensive way to see them!!

There was just no excitement. We were expecting the delta to be lush and teeming with wildlife but in reality it is just a series of islands interspersed with wet bits. We went all the way to Botswana and didn't even see a hippo! And we saw just one elephant in the water. You see more in Kenya! The country is also very flat and visually dull. Even the short flights are boring.

The guides are all very pleasant but come across as bored. Where is the enthusiasm?

It's hard to put it onto words without coming across as overly moany. We regret going, to be honest, as it is an expensive country (why???) and we could have had 4 good other holidays in place of this one. We won't be recommending Botswana to anyone.

This appears to be a country which is cleverly marketed but fails to deliver in reality." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"Thank you. We greatly enjoyed our trip. Everything was well organized and Footsteps and Camp Kalahari were great.

I did however really disliked everything about Sandibe. And my feeling is that other camps / people share this feeling (already knew so). But it didn't spoil my trip as we worked our way around it as much as possible.

All together great memories and glad I chose Expert Africa to help with organizing my trip.

Diederik" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"Our seventh trip to the Okavango and ninth to Africa with Expert Africa. Another epic holiday and another singular example of the result of excellent planning by a team who care and know what they are doing. Our 2013 trip is well into planning. This time we met a number of other guests who had travelled without the benefit of such expert guidance. Many were unprepared, ill equipped and even without essential mandatory inoculations. We gave out a number of your cards!

Thank you again for another fantastic holiday and we only regret that the onset of age may eventually remove us from your mailing list. Meanwhile we will keep spending the kids inheritance!!

For prospective travellers, listen to Expert Africa.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not this time!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"Overall an excellent trip with some nice added extras from the camps as they knew it was our honeymoon.

Nick at expert africa did a great job organising everything, especially considering the changes caused by Air Seychelles dropping their long haul flights." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"Wonderful holiday with fabulous memories" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari

"it could have been perfect. but it wasnt quite
delayed baggage didn't help but that was BA and Air Botswana mixup but five days late ! luckily I had a spare T shirt and bought a hat at Maun.
stolen phone,...at Maun airport in jacket pocket.
baggage hold not checked at Little Kwara strip.. seats not checked either before take off,.. caused me distress and a lot of work for Chan Gu and other staff.. shame really.
in order.. we loved Footsteps , we really liked Little Kwara , Bushbuck River lodge was agood location with helpful cheerful owner..and good value, delicious food there.. Siankaba was a lovely place to end our safari and get ready to leave...the views across the river and the staff were so freindly.. evening cruise is still remembered.

Thanks Maruska for helping to put a good package together" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"was pleased with trip. spending a afternoon at Victoria Falls was enough time. unless you are interested in helicopter rides, bunge cord jumping or other such activities, half a day is plenty to view the falls. be ready to get wet, it is part of the experience. Mack Air was fun.

Flying in small planes is an excellent way to see the delta. All connections were timely except Air Botswana. If you think the big carries are bad, once you wait for 3 hours for an Air Botswana plane in the Maun International airport, they look good.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

keep encouraging people to ready all your literature. reading as you go along or after the fact makes you wish you read it before visiting.

you might considered including ponchos in the package you give to people visiting Victoria Falls. We paid two dollars for thin, throw away ones. I expect they cost pennies. I am all for local people hustling to make money but it might be a nice advertising gimick for you folks." Read full review: 4 nights in Africa; 3 on a Botswana safari

"Given all the flights and different accommodation there was plenty of opportunity for this holiday to go wrong. In the event there was only one potential problem which we narrowly averted - our transfer from the Livingstone to Botswana. At 7pm the evening before our departure we'd not had any transfer instructions. We asked at the desk of The Royal Livingstone who said that all the offices were shut so they couldn't find out any details for us but that most transfers were around 9am. So we went to bed that evening having set our alarms for 7:45. Fortunately my husband got up at 7am to discover a letter under the door telling us we'd be collected at 7:45!

The accommodation was better than we'd expected but, in each instance, had the atmosphere that we'd hoped for so well done to Nick Hobbs and the female (can't rememember her name) who recommended Bazaruto Lodge.

Very impressed by Expert Africa and Wilderness Safaris and would recommend them to anyone thinking of going to Africa." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari