This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more

Skip to main content

Talk to an expert 1-800-242-2434 Lines open now

User menu

Traveller reviews

Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs B from BC, Canada

Review Distribution

Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Terrible

Total number of trips

1

Countries visited

2

Lodges stayed in

6

Excursions taken

0

My Oct 2008 trip

Botswana and 1 other country between 30 Oct 2008 and 27 Nov 2008

Trip rating: Average
"We felt that the trip to Botswana/Livingstone was extremely expensive.

We were somewhat dismayed that at every turn someone was there with their hands out. It was particularly annoying to have to tip spotters who did not do anything. We much prefer the European systen of tipping only when something special has been done. All the other people we met on the trip felt the same way. Everyone found the tipping part to be very stressful. This was discussed over sundowners with all the other guests. Since these camps are so expensive, at least make tipping an exception and not the rule."

Feedback response

To put this traveller's comments and ratings in perspective, she commented in a subsequent email to us:

"... I have a couple of more comments. I feel bad that our rating is average when it really should say good. Actually if there was a "very good" category we would have used that a lot instead of "good". I hardly ever use "excellent" in any evaluation form because I think it is overused and therefore stops meaning anything. I see a lot of people have checked excellent for everything, which I don't think can be so.

I think maybe the bad review for the Zambezi Sun brought our down to the "average" rating. We were only there for 2 nights, but we were in Botswana for almost 2 weeks.

In general, the Bostwana trip was very very good. If, for example a lounge area in a particular camp wasn't "good" and we put it as "average", it didn't mean that we had less of a good time there. That is the way we looked at the questions.

Thanks Lucy!!"

Arranged By Lucy Copson


Meno A Kwena

Meno A Kwena

"Meno A Kwena review"

3 nights Arrived 30 Oct 2008
"The location is 45 minutes from the main entrance to the park. This meant a long drive just to start game viewing. However, it did give us a good opportunity to the villages and the farms. We would not have seen these otherwise. The accommodation was acceptable but not good. It is very unnerving to walk to the loo in the night. This is totally unacceptable and should be corrected.

The lounge area was very pleasant with an excellent atmosphere. The fact that David was there to talk to was a huge plus!. He should keep his brother, Roger, there as much as possible. There are a great combination of truly authentic safari guides.

Allow us to say that the food was outstanding. It was varied, fresh and expertly cooked. We came to realize just how good the food was when we visited subsequent camps where the food was boring and sometimes poorly cooked. Pity we went to Meno first and not last.

Max, our guide, was fun to be with. He handled both the spotting and the guiding by himself and was excellent at both. We came to wonder later on why the other camps needed 2 people to do these functions."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Average
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Sandibe Safari Lodge

Sandibe Safari Lodge

"Sandibe Safari Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 2 Nov 2008
"The game viewing was excellent. You can't beat a pack of wild dogs killing 3 impala babies. Gee was an excellent guide.

The manager, Sasha, is an extemely efficient and caring person. Sasha went out of her way to help my wife deal with a medical concern.

The food was pleasantly good and available to suit the guests. It is a camp we would return to."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Image alt

Little Kwara

"Little Kwara review"

4 nights Arrived 4 Nov 2008
"The rooms were excellent.

The highlight of our stay was our guide, Charles. We had some wonderful guides this trip, but Charles was head and shoulders above them. I have have been going to game parks for a long time and have never encountered a guide so superb as Charles. He is proof that the spotters are largely superfluous."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Average
Facilities
Average
Lagoon Camp

Lagoon Camp

"Lagoon Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 8 Nov 2008
"The tents were very tired. The zippers were annoying and didn't work very well. We were told they were going to be renovating soon which is much needed. The view over the river was lovely.

Our guide, Vendu was great and our spotter, Big Dog was great also. They both took us through the bush to see 3 cheetah killing an impala. They were both a lot of fun to spend time with.

Another highlight of our stay at Lagoon was the boat trip."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Poor
Food
Average
Facilities
Average
Lebala Camp

Lebala Camp

"Lebala Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 11 Nov 2008
"Lebala was nice but not a camp that we would rush back to.

As a general observation, Kwando camps are doing themselves a disservice by not having roofs on their vehicles and occaionally having 6 guests in their vehicles. We think that Kwando should have the same cars as Selindi and Sandibel camps. We were so impressed with their safari vehicles. They really need roofs!"
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Average
Rooms
Good
Food
Average
Facilities
Good
Avani Victoria Falls

Avani Victoria Falls

"Zambezi Sun review"

2 nights Arrived 14 Nov 2008
"We would never return. This was like being in Las Vegas. The lobby full of groups of 20 to 100 people coming and going. To top it off, there were 5 yelling and whistling locals dressed as warriors in the lobby all the time. It was like a circus.

We did walk to the Livingstone Hotel and found it more peaceful. The prices are outrageous. We did not want to eat in the restaurant at the Zamezi Sun because it was full of groups of noisy tourists and they could not control the monkeys from stealing your food.

We took a taxi into Livingstone each night to eat our meals and that was a very good idea. We did enjoy that."
Poor
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Poor

Location
Excellent
Service
Poor
Activities
Terrible
Rooms
Average
Food
Poor
Facilities
Terrible

Login to Expert Africa

Sign in with password

Sign in with email link


New to Expert Africa? Create an account

Forgotten your details?

It's free & quick to set up

  • Save your wish-list
  • Send us an enquiry
  • Pay online for your trip
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Give us feedback on your trip
  • Full site benefits of the site

Need some help? Talk to our team