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Traveller reviews

Travel reviews by Mr & Ms B from Florida, US

Review Distribution

Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Terrible

Total number of trips

4

Countries visited

4

Lodges stayed in

36

Excursions taken

0

Our seventh trip to Africa

Zimbabwe and 1 other country between 27 Apr 2024 and 25 May 2024

Trip rating: Excellent
"This was our seventh trip to Africa since 2016, which we decided to split between Zimbabwe and Botswana. Some of our friends have asked us whether we haven’t seen enough of Africa by now. I’m fully aware of the fact that there are countries in Africa that aren’t safe and better avoided, but our answer would be: no, we haven’t. As strange as it may sound, visiting Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Zambia and Kenya has always felt to us like coming home. And this is due not just to the charismatic megafauna that can be experienced here, but to the people living here. In our seven trips we have spent more than half a year in Africa, and we have only experienced a healthy curiosity, kindness and open-mindedness.

That said, as outlined above in the detailed comments on individual camps, this trip wasn’t short on highlights in terms of wildlife sightings, but I would like to add a few general remarks.

Shortly before our trip, President Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe declared a national desaster because of the drought experienced in the previous rainy season. Considering that Zimbabwe has a government with a questionable reputation and a poor economy, we were a bit apprehensive about coming here. But our worries were unfounded. Granted, en route to our first camp, we drove through villages with hundreds of people gathering around big bags of cornmeal donated by the UN. We were told that if this country would be run by a decent and effective government, this desperate step wouldn’t have been necessary.

Given these rather bleak economic circumstances it is all the more astounding that whoever we met along the way was kind-hearted and of good spirits.

Shortly before our trip, Botswana’s president Masisi jokingly threatened to send 10,000 elephants to London’s Hyde Park and 20,000 elephants to Germany, because allegedly, they have too many of them. Without question, there is evidence for human-elephant conflict, but I doubt whether the solution is to allow trophy hunting (Botswana re-introduced trophy hunting in 2019 after a five-year ban).

When I raised this subject in Zimbabwe, everybody had an opinion on this controversial topic, whereas in Botswana, they would rather not talk about it.


Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I have nothing but praise for all the freely given advice before the trip and the organization of the trips themselves."

Arranged By Tom Morris


Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge

Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge

"Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge review"

4 nights Arrived 29 Apr 2024
"After spending more than 40 hours in planes and airports, this camp was a nice way to start our safari in Zimbabwe. For most of our 4 days here, we had the camp to ourselves, and we were the only ones in the safari vehicle.

The camp and our room had gorgeous views of the Savé River. On the first afternoon, we watched several elephant herds cross the river.

The park did not excel in any predator sightings, but there was no shortage of herbivores including plenty of elephants. In fact, the name of the park means “Place of Elephants” in the local Shona language. Due to a history of incursions of poachers from neighboring Mozambique during its civil war the elephants here are more skittish and wary of human presence. In addition, of all the areas we visited on this trip, Gonarezhou had the most scenic landscapes, which sometimes were reminiscent of the American Southwest. And I would like to point out that there are more Baobab trees here than in any other place of Africa that we have visited.

The highlight of our stay was an all-day excursion to the Chilojo Cliffs. Another, albeit different, highlight was a visit to Mahenye Village where we met local families, shopkeepers and health care workers.

Our guide Dumi was very well informed, not just about the local wildlife and trees and plants, but domestic politics and world affairs as well. It was a pleasure to have stimulating conversations with him throughout.

The lodge itself provided magnificent views of the Savé River."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

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

Lodge at the Ancient City (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)

"Lodge at the Ancient City review"

2 nights Arrived 3 May 2024
"Exploring the Great Zimbabwe Ruins was an eye-opening experience. As expected, it did not feature any wildlife sightings, but it was great to learn about the history of the place, for which we have to thank Paul Hubbard (see next section).

We arrived at the entrance of the site at the same time as a busload full of beautiful young ladies who were teachers in training. They all surrounded us enthusiastically and posed with us for selfies. Quite hilarious, and I would venture to say that something like this would never happen so easily in the US or in Europe ...

The lodge itself was more than decent, and the staff allowed my wife to use their office computer to access the internet to take care of a work-related deadline. That saved her day!

For anyone who cares not just about wildlife, but also about the culture and history of a place, this is highly recommended."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Amalinda Lodge

Amalinda Lodge

"Amalinda Lodge review"

3 nights Arrived 5 May 2024
"Once again, still no predators, but we came here for two reasons: to see rhinos and enjoy the unique scenery, made up of beautiful granite kopjes or boulders, and in both departments, the park delivered.

On the first morning, we saw rock paintings that are 13,000 years old, and in the afternoon, we saw white rhinos, tracking them on foot with the help of local rangers who know where they are at any time. This first encounter wasn’t so great, because the two rhinos were not really cooperating with my photographic ambitions, and the harsh sun didn’t really help.

But the next morning, we were in luck: A rhino mom and her baby daughter allowed us to approach them quite closely, I would estimate 3 m.

The lodge was extraordinarily beautiful, and so was our room. The food and service were impeccable."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Somalisa Camp

Somalisa Camp

"Somalisa Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 8 May 2024
"After October 2021, this was our second visit to this camp, and we don’t regret it for one second. Also, we were very pleased that we ended up with the same guide as in 2021, Dophas, who is just phenomenal.

The three days at Somalisa were really memorable. As can be expected in Hwange, there were lots and lots of elephants gathering at the numerous waterholes.

Furthermore, it’s also worth mentioning that this was the only camp where we saw a pack of wild dogs, on the first morning game drive. During the same outing we saw a huge herd of cape buffaloes.

Most importantly, this was the first camp where we had several unforgettable encounters with a pride of 11 lions that is made up of descendants of Cecil, the lion that was killed by an American trophy hunter in 2015. I would also like to emphasize that Dophas anticipated correctly where the lions were going to be, and he parked our vehicle in the right spots to get the best possible angles for photography.

I took more photographs here than in any other camp on this trip, and the lion photos I could take with the help of Dophas easily made my best-of collection.

Needless to say that we would love to return here for a third time, possibly in 2026."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Ilala Lodge

Ilala Lodge

"Ilala Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 11 May 2024
"We were here before in October 2016, at the height of the dry season, when the Falls were just a trickle. It was nice to see them with much more water. In fact, in contrast to 2016, the noise made by the gushing waters could be heard from our lodge. We enjoyed a free shower while visiting them again.

Sure, Zimbabwe needs income from tourism, but I still found it a bit hard to swallow that they charged $50 per person for the entrance fee.

Since 2016, the lodge added a new wing with substantially more rooms. The food here is as flawless as it was in 2016, and one of the nicest features is that in contrast to other accommodations in town the Falls are in walking distance.

On one evening we saw two hippos wandering across the lawn in front of the lodge. I just mention this, because hippos aren’t listed in your wildlife survey."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

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

Lagoon Camp

"Lagoon Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 13 May 2024
"In 2016, on our first trip to Africa, we stayed at Little Kwara Camp in the Okavango Delta, and we have been big fans of Kwando Safaris ever since. Back then, Kwando owned just 6 camps in Botswana, and as a result of merging with another company and also opening genuinely new camps of their own there are now 12 camps with No. 13 to be opened this summer.

Anyway, given our affection for Kwando, we decided to visit three of their camps this year, starting with Lagoon. Like Lebala (see next section), this camp is located in the vast Kwando concession just north of the Okavango Delta. Like Lebala, this camp is at or near the Kwando River, which forms the border to Namibia and its Mudumu and Nkasa & Rupara National Parks.

The room they gave us a Lagoon was spectacular, very spacious and furnished in classic safari style, with a nice view overlooking the Kwando River. Around mid day, several elephants would show up to drink. On one afternoon, a lioness visited the camp as well and inspected our tent very carefully. Unfortunately, I was out on a game drive, but my wife who skipped this one, told me all about it.

On the first game drive we only saw two giraffes, and I thought this was probably the most boring game drive we ever had. Anyway, things started to get much better after this initial disappointment. We had several encounters with two resident male lions who roamed the area and occasionally roared during the night. They were named Golden Boy and Rrabelante (Mr. Belt, because at one point he wore a radio collar). On one morning, Golden Boy was lying 3 m from our vehicle and started roaring. My wife made a video of him and then played it back. Rrabelante who was sleeping 15 m away from the car was alerted to the roaring lion, got up, tried to locate the roaring lion and looked at us in the car. But our guide Stan told Ingrid immediately to stop playing back the video. But this enabled me to get some stunning photographs of the irritated lion in a nice perspective.

Other than that, we saw two cheetah brothers, but they were just lazing around, and on the last morning when Stan, our guide, drove us towards Lebala Camp, we met the lioness again who visited our tent, and she was cavorting with Golden Boy, less then a kilometer from the camp. Due to the early morning light I was able to shoot some beautiful pictures.

It should be mentioned that Lagoon Camp has a reputation for reliable wild dog sightings, but on this visit they were nowhere to be seen.

Our guide Stan could give amazing and fascinating lectures about the wildlife as well as trees and plants, and he didn’t appear to be lecturing."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

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

Lebala Camp

"Lebala Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 16 May 2024
"This was our second visit to this camp, and once again, we were happy to have Elvis as our guide for the second time. Two and a half years ago, this camp was all about mating lions, but this time we were rewarded by an experience that we won’t forget (more on that further below).

Like all Kwando camps, they use a guide/driver plus a tracker who sits in front high above the hood of the car. It has been our experience that this approach often makes a difference when it comes to finding predators. And it needs to be said: None of these camps are cheap, but they are considerably less than those run by Wilderness.

Now, we did see lions here, as well as elephants, tons of giraffes and Red Lechwe antelopes jumping through the rivers and waterways. We also came across the rather rarely seen Sable antelopes. In addition, towards sunset we met the two cheetahs again we saw at Lagoon. This time, they were still lazing around, but at least they posed high on a termite mound.

But a life-punctuating experience was our encounter with two leopards (father and son, I will call them Junior and Senior). As everybody who has been to Africa knows, leopards are very shy and elusive, so they are difficult to find and see. Thus, to see one leopard is almost always a highlight of any safari. But to see two at the same time is exceptional.

Elvis and Hakim (our tracker) found their tracks just shortly after embarking on our morning game drive. We eventually spotted them 2 km away from camp, hiding in dense bushes, about 30 m apart. They were growling and not looking very happy. Our guides explained that they were arguing about their territory.

We watched these two for three and a half hours, starting at around 7 AM. They started walking slowly in parallel, increasing the distance between each other for about 90 min. Then something changed their minds, and they kept walking in parallel but now decreasing the distance between each other. During all of this they sat or lay down numerous times to think about what to do next, or so it seemed. After about three hours, I had them both in one frame. Now they were almost running when, all of a sudden they attacked each other. What followed was a brutal fight of almost a quarter of an hour.

For most of the time it looked lke Junior would have the upper hand, but eventually Senior turned the tables and towered over his son, who lay there defeated. We were literally shaking for fears that one of them would die. But, as it turned out, both of them were wounded, but not seriously. According to Elvis their injuries would heal quickly. He told us that if lions were caught up in a fight like this it would be much more brutal and probably end fatal for one of the combatants, but leopards, being solitary, are more hesitant to cause or receive serious injuries, because that would increase the risk of starving to death.

To summarize, I think we witnessed something that even very few professional photographers or filmmakers get to see during their lifetime. We have to thank our dedicated guide and tracker for finding these two cats in almost impassable terrain."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
4 Rivers

4 Rivers

"4 Rivers review"

3 nights Arrived 19 May 2024
"The camp’s airstrip wasn’t yet functional. Therefore, the plane from Lebala landed at the Kwara airstrip, a 3 h drive away from 4 Rivers. We wouldn’t have minded to do this, because it would have been a game drive, but they transported us there in a small helicopter, which took all of 7 minutes.

On arrival, we were warmly welcomed by ATee, who was our tracker in 2016 at Little Kwara and in 2021 at Splash, and he was camp manager at Tau Pan Camp which we stayed at In 2022. To see people again who have become friends over the years was very nice indeed.

The rooms at 4 Rivers are huge, very comfortable and with a nice veranda and comfortable chairs. The décor of the room was very contemporary and stylish and probably catered more to today’s younger urban crowd. I, for one, prefer the more traditional safari style they still have at Lagoon at Lebala Camps.

That said, this camp just opened less than year a ago, so we imagined to see fewer animals because they may not have enough time to become habituated to human presence. But our worries were unfounded. The camp lived up to the high standards we came to expect from Kwando Safaris.

A final note on this camp: In contrast to other Kwando camps, this one has WiFi in the rooms.

And there’s a final note on all Kwando camps: The communal dinners are being served at 8 or 8:30 pm. Given that on safari, everybody has to get up at 5 am or earlier, this is too late in my opinion.

Also, I don’t really like that they serve dinner at a communal table with up to 18 guests plus the guides of the day. It is completely up to luck whether you will have a decent conversation with fellow travelers. In my experience, most of the time these do not go beyond questions like, where are you from, where have you been before, where are you going next, and how did you get here? We much preferred the way this was handled in Kenya last year: Every party had their own private dinner table. If you happened to meet people on game drives that share your world views, the staff was happy to set up a table for like-minded people.

This isn’t a deal breaker, it’s just a thought."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Riley's Hotel

Riley's Hotel

"Riley's Hotel review"

2 nights Arrived 22 May 2024
"We stayed here for 2 nights and used the opportunity to walk into town to do some last minute shopping for gifts and souvenirs. As expected, this facility couldn’t compete with the luxury provided by the camps we stayed at, but it was a nice place to relax and unwind from the action-packed experiences we had in the last few weeks.

The room was comfortable and had a nice balcony. The restaurant was also very good."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Average
Service
Good
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent

Our 2023 trip to Kenya

Kenya between 16 Sep 2023 and 16 Oct 2023

Trip rating: Excellent
"Before visiting Kenya, we have been to four countries in Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) five times, and each one of those trips were highly enjoyable.

Nonetheless, we figured it was time to check out East Africa for a change. To be honest, we were a little apprehensive about this trip, because many guidebooks or websites tell you that in both Kenya and Tanzania visitor numbers are much higher than in the South of Africa. As the New York Times wrote earlier this year, they witnessed a cheetah hunting and making a kill in the Maasai Mara, and in no time, the poor animal was surrounded by 50 vehicles. Well, even though the number of cars per sighting was, on average, higher than in Southern Africa, we experienced none of such extremes. I guess, we were lucky with the choice of camps and/or locations.

For instance, we took great care in picking camps that are using open vehicles with a maximum of six passengers and not vehicles with pop-up roofs, let alone minibuses. For a serious photographer, such conditions would seriously limit your freedom to move, and in the case of pop-up roofs you would have to stand up and, often, you would look down on animals. In other words, it would be a nightmare ruining my trip. I realize that the camps we picked are significantly more expensive, but this goes hand in hand with providing better guides, better amenities and facilities, and better service. The good news is that in our experience, the camps in Kenya are not quite as pricey as Botswana accommodations.

One more comment about the number of cars per sighting: The official rules in the Maasai Mara clearly state that the maximum number of vehicles per scene is limited to five (per animal, not animals!). Taken literally, a pride of 8 lions could be visited by 40 cars, and we have witnessed scenes with up to 20 cars. On other occasions, for instance when observing cheetahs or leopards, we have noticed that local wildlife rangers do in fact make sure that there are no more than 5 cars on the scene. Throughout the entire trip, we were blessed with guides that showed great patience and perseverance to stay at a scene for longer. Quite often we were also lucky enough to be the only two guests in the vehicle. The only camp where there were six passengers in a car was Lewa Safari Camp.

As in previous years, I enjoyed recording our wildlife sightings. Overall, we saw more animals here than in any other place in Africa. And our encounters with the big cats were especially noteworthy, because often they were full of drama. I should point out though that we did not see any wild dogs anywhere. Of the four areas visited, the Maasai Mara was, thanks to our guides, and despite the higher number of vehicles, a photographer’s paradise.

What we also appreciated in all five camps was that they allowed each party to have their own tables at mealtimes.

To summarize, this trip was so good that we are almost certain to return to Kenya in the near future."

Feedback response

We are thrilled to hear that these travellers had such a good time in Kenya, although we can respect the challenges with regards to the number of vehicles at a sighting in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The official rule is that no more than five vehicles are allowed at any one sighting, at a minimum distance of 25m, and with a viewing time of no more than 10 minutes if more vehicles are waiting. However we respect that this can be challenging to enforce.

Arranged By Lyndsey Marris


Macushla House

Macushla House

"Macushla House review"

3 nights Arrived 25 Sep 2023
"This was a perfect way to start our safari in Kenya. This small hotel is located in a quiet neighborhood called Karen (after Karen Blixen) Southwest of the city center. It is very close to some popular attractions, such as Nairobi National Park, Giraffe Center, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and the Karen Blixen House and Museum.

We are aware that many people try to avoid Nairobi, but we spent 3 nights here, and we don’t regret it for one second. A big Thank You is owed to our private guides Stanley and Kevin of Southern Cross Safaris who drove us around town and had interesting stories to tell.

Of the four attractions listed above, we only visited the Karen Blixen House, because we figured we would see plenty of animals elsewhere in the country, and we were dead on. Instead, we went to visit the National Museum of Kenya (highly recommended), the National Archives and we did a walking tour through the city center. Very crowded, very noisy, very hectic, but still, it was worth it.

Our hotel with its lovely yard and swimming pool provided the perfect setting for recovering from the city traffic downtown. They even have a pet cat named Sweet Pea, which was trying to make friends with us while having a drink after dinner."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Lewa Safari Camp

Lewa Safari Camp

"Lewa Safari Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 28 Sep 2023
"This camp was our first proper safari destination, and we were picked up by Zion, a Maasai guide. He told us that the focus here is on rhinos and Grevy’s zebras. In fact, they try to keep the numbers of large predators down to foster these critically endangered species.

Nonetheless, we got to see all of the Big Five within 24 hours, which never happened to us before, in any camp.

As mentioned above, the main attraction here are the rhinos, both black and white, and we saw plenty of them. They even have a black rhino named Katui that was hand-reared at this camp. We were unaware of this fact when we first met him on one of our game drives watching him munching on acacia leaves. Then he came very close to our vehicle, and our guide Daniel even petted him! A day later he showed up right in front of our tent.

Our guide Daniel was doing a fantastic job throughout, and he provided some very interesting details, whether on the history of Kenya or the local conservation efforts. For instance, they control the birth rate of lions by administering contraceptive patches to the females. Thus, the lionesses still go into estrus so that they can continue to mate, but they don’t get pregnant.

What’s also very attractive in this camp are the great views of Mount Kenya.

Another remarkable aspect of this camp was that we managed to see lions, elephants, and rhinos in very close proximity.

The rooms, the amenities, the service, and the food in this camp were all very good if not excellent. Unlike other top end camps we visited they even have a nice large swimming pool. But as I stated in a review of our previous trip, luxury is not our priority when traveling to Africa. We are primarily interested in encounters with animals and the people of the country."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Elsa's Kopje

Elsa's Kopje

"Elsa's Kopje review"

3 nights Arrived 1 Oct 2023
"We were picked up by Patrick who drove us for close to four hours through the Kenyan countryside, mostly on paved roads. Driving through villages and small cities was basically one photo opportunity after the other, but Patrick did not seem to be in the mood for stopping. Maybe we should have asked.

According to several resources, this camp is one of the best in all of Kenya. And indeed, we thoroughly enjoyed staying here.

The camp is located on the slopes of a small hill (Elsa’s Kopje!), with all the facilities more or less on the same altitude. As elsewhere, the center of the camp is the reception area, and the individual tents are on one side of the reception area, whereas the bar, restaurant and swimming pool are on the other side. The walkway between these areas is no way strenuous, but it takes longer to get from point A to B than in most other camps.

As in Lewa, we saw all the Big Five here.

Given that this camp gains its fame through the popularity of lioness Elsa (which was hand-reared by Joy Adamson in the 1950s) we saw remarkably few lions here. To be precise, we saw two, one lone male on a night game drive, and then we got a glimpse at the back of another lioness. However, the night game drive was indeed very exciting. Our guide Solomon managed to follow one lonely male lion who was desperate enough to attempt to hunt for buffalo, all by himself. Our guide was seriously worried that he might get injured or even killed during this endeavor. Luckily, although he failed to make a kill, he himself got out of a sticky situation unharmed.

After the three-hour game drive, we returned to camp at around 10 PM, and I would have enjoyed a cold beer, but unfortunately the bar area was already closed. And this is the only, albeit minor, criticism that I would direct at the camp management. They should perhaps consider setting up a refrigerator in the reception area with refreshments.

The rooms, the service, and the guiding were top-notch."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Elephant Pepper Camp

Elephant Pepper Camp

"Elephant Pepper Camp review"

4 nights Arrived 4 Oct 2023
"We kind of anticipated that the Maasai Mara would be the highlight of this safari, which is why we chose to stay 4 nights each at two different camps. The first is, like the other two camps we visited earlier, run by Elewana, and we can honestly recommend this company wholeheartedly. In fact, Elephant Pepper proved to be outstanding in every aspect.

On the way from the airstrip, we were treated to an encounter with a female cheetah plus her two 2 months old cubs. We spent approximately three hours with them before we even saw our tent. So we were late for lunch. Luckily, Ringa, the guide who picked us up from the airstrip, didn’t pay attention to his watch either. We saw this cheetah family several times during our stay, the second time again in the afternoon of our arrival, and the next morning, when she finally had made a kill. During the hunt she had to leave her two cubs behind, and once she dragged her prey into a nearby bush, her first worry was to call for her babies. This went on for several, very long minutes. To see them finally come running and to reunite with their mom was truly worth a sigh of relief.

Another memorable sighting happened on our 3rd afternoon here. Sammy, our guide, found one of the three big prides of lions living in this area, the Acacia pride enjoying the daylight. There were four grown females and four subadult males, and a few meters away there were two sisters with one cub. No matter how he positioned our vehicle, the cub had almost no intention to show her face. Also, the lions were near six giraffes who kept ogling them, but the lions showed hardly any interest in them. So, the lions were just basking in the last rays of the sun, and we were beginning to think this must be the most boring pride of lions we have encountered, and so did the passengers or guides of the other vehicles that one by one left the scene more or less empty-handed. Not so Sammy. He predicted something’s going to happen. And indeed, it did. After watching these sleeping cats for one hour or so, they were waking up all at once, and one by one was moving slowly into the same direction. They got wind of two or three wildebeest at least 1 kilometer away. That was a potential dinner. The lions at first moved very slowly, exchanging glances, but making no sound. At some point, some of them started running, while others staid back and sought cover awaiting the wildebeest running towards them. It was fascinating to watch. Ultimately, the lions didn’t succeed because the wildebeest were just too fast.

The next morning, we saw the two sisters of the Acacia pride again, and this time, the cub was full of energy, wanting to play with her mom and her aunt.

These are just three examples for the many arresting sightings we had at this camp. Another comment is warranted about the food service here. In all five camps the food was delicious and very good or better. But here, the chef was not only remarkable for creating outstanding dishes, he also excelled at creating optical masterpieces.

Finally, I would like to point out that the Maasai Mara is a photographer’s paradise. In four days, I took more than 3,000 pictures in this camp alone."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Little Governors' Camp

Little Governors' Camp

"Little Governors' Camp review"

4 nights Arrived 8 Oct 2023
"This camp is just 31 km southwest of Elephant Peppers. Therefore, we didn’t have to fly here, which was a welcome change.

The camp is situated directly on the West banks of the Mara River. Although it has the word “little” in its name, the camp consists of 17 tents, which is huge by Botswana standards. Most people, whether by air or road, arrive at this camp approaching from the East. Therefore, to reach the camp, you must cross the Mara River by hand-drawn ferry, and you have to climb some steep stairs. You must pass by 6 tents before you reach the reception/restaurant area. 11 more tents are located beyond this area. Initially, we were not too enthralled by this camp. The tents appeared to be too close together (we could overhear a phone conversation by a guest in a neighboring tent). In addition, the car that we were picked up in had very uncomfortable seats, raising the prospect of a backpain waiting to happen.

But we quickly changed our initial opinion. First of all, their safari vehicles were perfectly fine. Second, the neighbors did not have any noisy phone conversations anymore. And third and most importantly, we were blessed by being assigned to our guide Jackson.

This area of the Maasai Mara is home to some celebrity animals, for instance the Marsh pride (of lions) and the Five Brothers (of cheetahs), and we saw them both.

To illustrate just how good the quality of the guiding was here, I would like to describe one remarkable sighting with a lone female leopard. When we arrived at the scene, we found ourselves approaching a dry riverbed, which accommodated approximately 12 cars already. On the other side of the riverbed the leopard was frantically digging a hole, and three cars were hoping for a glimpse of her. Then, all twelve cars were rushing towards us, in the attempt to get to the other side of the riverbed. Not so Jackson. He stayed put, anticipating that the leopard would cross over to “our” side of the riverbed. Ultimately, she did, and we saw her snatching up an unlucky warthog baby.

In addition, we had several encounters with what remained of the world-famous Marsh pride. The Marsh pride was occupying a territory a few kilometers east of camp. While we were there, the pride was consisting of eight lions plus two tiny cubs. Their mom Dada had sustained a deep wound on her side, but she seemed to be doing OK. I only mention that because on our last evening, we saw this pride again, and her wound had been treated by the local vets, illustrating that they do care about their wildlife. According to Jackson, this lioness is a very “brave goal-getter”. In fact, on the second morning we saw her pride, she walked across the plain towards what was left of a buffalo kill they made the night before. It was surrounded by at least 40 or 50 hyenas, fighting for scraps. I don’t pretend to know what was going on in the heads of these animals, but I would have figured that those hyenas could have done serious harm to a lone lioness. But she oozed so much self-confidence that the hyenas were discouraged from attacking her. Anyway, that’s the way I would like to interpret this incredible and breath-taking scene.

The pride’s only fully grown male who goes by the name of Half-Tail hasn’t been seen for days. As Jackson told us, he had lost his friend and coalition partner Logol about a year ago to a tragic territorial fight with a competing group of lions from across the Mara River, in an area known as the Mara Triangle ... When Jackson took us on a tour through this area, we happened to see those guys, bellies full, lying on their backs. And he told us that those roaming lions still had ambitions to take over the Marsh pride. And if they would do that soon, the cubs would probably not survive. I, on the other hand, I would hope that those lions wouldn’t have the courage to cross the Mara River, and with the looming rain season chances are that the river would be too much of a challenge. As almost all cats, lions are very aquaphobic. So, I would wish that those challengers from across the river stay in their neighboorhood and leave the Marsh pride alone ...

Even though the food was not as stellar as in the last camp, it was still excellent. As elsewhere in Kenya, the service was very attentive, friendly and efficient. We also really enjoyed that they even served fresh coffee to our tent at 5:30 or 6 AM before going out for the morning game drive."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Tawi Lodge

Tawi Lodge

"Tawi Lodge review"

3 nights Arrived 12 Oct 2023
"We came here for two reasons: the big tuskers and the views of Kilimanjaro. Regarding the latter, we were incredibly lucky to have clear views of the mountain on two consecutive days lasting from sunrise until about 10 AM and again in the late afternoon. And we didn’t even have to leave the lodge: Our own cottage provided a clear view. The landscape here is totally different from any other place we have seen on this trip, and it is equally beautiful. When turning your back to the mountain, in certain areas Amboseli reminded us of the Etosha pan in Namibia. Very flat and dry plains and a big sky populated by fleecy clouds.

The lodge is located about 5 km outside the National Park, and all the game drives took place within the National Park. And most roads here are in an appalling state of repair. It’s very bumpy, to put it mildly, and our guide Moses had to drive very slowly in many places.

The wildlife here was phenomenal and, as expected, we did see elephants with huge tusks on several occasions. Other than that, there were large numbers of zebras, and plenty of giraffes and various antelopes. I should mention that encounters with predators came up short: This is largely because in National Parks off-road driving is prohibited. On two occasions we saw lions, once a lone male and the second time a whole pride. But in both cases, they were between 200 and 300 meters away, so it wasn’t really worth taking any photographs.

The lodge itself did not quite match the wonderful experiences we had previously. I realize that this is a complaint on a very high level, and we might not feel this way if we had started pour trip here. While the whole complex and the individual cottages were very attractive (they too, have a nice swimming pool), the food service was a bit slow and below the standards we have seen elsewhere in Kenya."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

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

Our Mar-Apr 2022 trip to Namibia and Botswana

Namibia and 1 other country between 9 Mar 2022 and 13 Apr 2022

Trip rating: Excellent
"This has been our fifth trip to Southern Africa and the second that we booked with expertafrica. We spent three weeks self-driving in Namibia and then roughly two weeks on a fly-in safari in northern Botswana. Compared to our 2021 trip, this one featured much more landscape (as can be expected of Namibia) and more interactions with humans. That’s not to say that we didn’t see any less wildlife than on previous trips.

I would like to also emphasize that this trip was the first time that we visited this region at the end of the southern summer, i.e. at the very end of the rain season. Previously we had traveled here only in October (3 times) or July (once). We were pleasantly surprised by all the greenery, and we weren’t bothered by mosquitoes in any significant way. However, I should point out that my wife was often bitten by midges, whereas I wasn’t.

Virtually all guidebooks point out that the dry season is the best time to visit Africa in order to get the best wildlife sightings. I readily admit that the tall grass sometimes impedes tracking down predators, however, as my review of the camps in Botswana shows, we were not really short-changed of lion and cheetah sightings. Overall, except perhaps for leopards (only 2 encounters in 5 weeks) the wildlife sightings were as good as in the dry season, and in some aspects they were even better: To us, the animals appeared to be more relaxed or at least less stressed, due to the availability of food and water.

Everybody we talked to said that the region had a good rainy season. However, during our whole stay, we only had one brief shower (during siesta time in Etosha Heights) and one morning game drive in Nxai Pan, during which we had to wear rain gear and protect our cameras.

All ten safari camps are, in our minds, highly recommendable. And, as it turned out repeatedly, we saved the best (Kwara Camp) for last. This is not in any way to diminish the experiences we had at other camps. They all had their special appeal. However, if asked which are the places we are most likely to revisit again, they are Okonjima, NamibRand, Tau Pan and Kwara Camps.

I would like to add a comment about the flights to the various camps in Botswana. All of them took place on time and, most importantly, got us safely from point A to point B. However, I don’t quite understand why the departure times are only given to us the day before. I understand that for the airlines it can be challenging to come up with an economic way of handling these flights, but isn’t it true that virtually all of these trips are booked months in advance? For instance, on our way from Maun to Kwara Camp, we stopped in Xaranna and then Shinde Camps, whereas on our way back to Maun, it was a direct flight of 25 minutes.

Finally, a comment about Covid-19. Entry requirements with regards to corona changed during our trip: While we had to produce a negative PCR test for our first destination Namibia (to the tune of $250 per person) they lifted that requirement one week after we arrived, and Botswana lifted its requirement for the test before we crossed into Botswana. So did South Africa. The US, on the other hand, still requires a negative PCR test, so we did that in Maun one day before our departure back home. However, no one asked us to produce the paperwork!

I would also like to commend the way the camps in Zimbabwe last year handled the seating arrangements during the meals. They provided separate tables for each party rather than having everybody sit together at one or two tables along with the guides. I sense that this is a delicate issue and that it’s really up to company policy and not expertafrica to decide what’s best. With regards to guests sitting together I much prefer the separate tables arrangement, because in our five trips to Africa so far, our experience has been that the vast majority of conversations one has at these occasions amount to not much more than small talk: Where have you been, and where are going from here? Of course, there are exceptions. For instance, we got to know one couple from Switzerland and, on another trip, a couple from the UK that we really liked to talk to, and then we simply asked the camp staff to set up a table for four instead of two.

And with regards to the guides sharing the dinner: Of course, they deserve to have a gourmet dinner just like the guests, but I would say, they can have it in the quiet of the staff quarters, because in my mind, they deserve a well-earned break because they work hard enough already as it is. Again, in our experience, we had virtually all of the stimulating and significant conversations with them during the game drives, the coffee break and the sundowners, but not during dinner time."

Feedback response

Thanks for these really interesting points, and great to read the report of of a traveller who has been to Africa at different times of the year really enjoying a trip in the 'green season', and commenting that "the wildlife sightings were as good as in the dry season, and in some aspects they were even better".

Looking at the specific point about seating for dinner at camps... there are two broad opinions on this: some travellers love share tables with other travellers at camps, to chat and exchange experiences; others much prefer to eat at separate tables with only their own companion(s), or perhaps with just one or two guests of their choosing.

For those thinking of travelling, we'd comment that if you prefer to eat separately, and not dine communally, then please let us know this as a 'special request' when you book. Then we can let the camps know, and many camps will be able to arrange this for you.

In extremis, tell the camp manager in the morning, and s/he will sometimes be able to organise this for you in the evening.

Arranged By Sabina Hekandjo


Image alt

Casa Piccolo, Namibia (this camp has since closed)

"Casa Piccolo review"

1 night Arrived 9 Mar 2022
"This was our third trip to Namibia, and it has become a tradition to stay at this B&B after our arrival in Windhoek. It is a very cozy place in Klein Windhoek, with a quiet courtyard, buildings painted in a very pleasant dark yellow. It provides excellent breakfast. It’s also in nearly walking distance to two grocery stores where you can stock up on food and supplies, which is particularly helpful for self-drivers, who, by the way, may also appreciate the secure and very generous parking lot. I noticed that this facility is not in expertafrica’s portfolio, but I would recommend to add it.

On our first night in Windhoek we drove a couple of kilometers to Stellenbosch Wine Bar & Bistro to have dinner with patio seating. The dinner was excellent and, if I may say so, way better than the food that we got at Olive Grove Guesthouse or the Olive Exclusive (see below)."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Average
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Safarihoek Lodge

Safarihoek Lodge

"Safarihoek Lodge review"

3 nights Arrived 10 Mar 2022
"This lodge was our first proper safari destination. Originally we had planned to go to the Ongava Reserve, but their camps were either fully booked or closed for renovation. Therefore, with the help of expertafrica we chose this one as an alternative. It is one of several private nature reserves adjacent to Etosha National Park, which we visited in 2016. That was our first game reserve on our first trip to Southern Africa, and we were enthusiastic about it at the time. However, in hindsight it was very much a mixed experience, largely due to the enormous number of self-driving tourists that, quite frequently, misbehaved at some of the waterholes.

This reserve, with a landscape that does not really resembles Etosha NP proper, was a pleasant surprise. Although the camp is easily accessible by self-drivers they do not drive through the reserve themselves but participate in the guided activities.

We came here for one major reason, namely that this park features white and black rhinos. And indeed, we saw both of these species several times, thanks largely to the perseverance of our guide Ramon. Besides seeing all the usual suspects, such as springbok, blue wildebeest, zebras and giraffes, we also had several nice encounters with a coalition of three male lions, and on our second day here, we had an experience that we never had before. On a drive to the western boundary of the reserve we encountered a pride of lions consisting of several adult females, 2 grown-up males, several subadults and 2 cubs, altogether there were like 8 or 9 lions. The males stayed pretty much in the background, but they roared ferociously. The animal closest to us was an adult female next to an adolescent male. Even we could sense that the female was not too happy to see us. She just stood there and gave us a scrutinizing look. After 3 or 4 minutes, she and then the whole rest of the pride decided to turn the tables and they started to chase us! Ramon, our guide, immediately started the engine and got us the hell out of there: First, he drove in reverse (luckily those Toyota Landcruisers appear to be much faster than regular sedans) and then did a 180 degree turn. We and the other two guests in the vehicle were quite eager to hear what he had to say about this.

Well, since he never saw this pride of lions before, he guessed that they probably just moved in from Etosha, and he assumed that they most likely had a bad experience with cars recently. To me that made sense, because according to him, there were rangers operating in the area to protect the resident rhino population. These rangers might not have shown the lions the proper respect, who knows. And now, this was their act of retribution, and Ramon was not convinced that this was just a mock charge. As scary as that might have been it did not prevent us from seeking out lions during the rest of our trip.

I would like to mention another commendable fact: Our guide Ramon consistently managed to position the vehicle in such a way that I could photograph the animals at eye level (rather than from above).

The rooms, the amenities, the service and the food in this camp were all very good if not excellent. But this is not our priority when traveling to Africa. We don’t come here for good food or luxury accommodation, but for encounters with animals and people."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Hoanib Valley Camp

Hoanib Valley Camp

"Hoanib Valley Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 13 Mar 2022
"This camp did not so much impress with its wildlife: We only had a few encounters with giraffes, one oryx sighting and one zebra sighting. Our guide Mamsy told us that a short time ago they had five black rhinos in the area, and while one died of old age, three others were poached during Covid-19, so they have one black rhino left. Very sad. Other than that, there was no sign of either desert-adapted elephants or lions, although we saw tracks of them both.

We still don’t regret coming here, because the area was all the more astounding for its otherworldly landscapes. More than once we felt like being on a different planet. Mamsy was exceptionally knowledgeable and she made sure a visit to a Himba village nearby was one of the highlights of the entire trip.

The camp was, as expected, very luxurious and provided very nice views of the Hoanib valley. On our first morning we drove to the river, and its waters were raging. In the evening of the same day, the water was nearly gone."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Etendeka Mountain Camp

Etendeka Mountain Camp

"Etendeka Mountain Camp review"

2 nights Arrived 16 Mar 2022
"If at all possible we stay at each camp for at least three nights. Due to logistic reasons, we stayed here only for two nights: otherwise we would have to reorganize the whole itinerary. As it turns out, two nights were enough.

The camp is nicely situated, and the landscape was, once more, pretty amazing, but again it came up short on wildlife. We went on a nice walking safari in the morning after our arrival the previous day, and on a game drive that afternoon we did come across a group of 5 lions dozing off in the shade. This would have been a great experience for a first-time safari traveller, but since we have seen plenty of lion action in the past, this was a little underwhelming.

Of all the camps we visited during this trip, this one was the least luxurious one. For instance, the tent was just big enough to accommodate the huge kingsize bed, and the toilet and a bucket shower were located outside. Accordingly, the price of this camp was much more reasonable than in other places. I would like to point out though that the degree of luxury in many other camps tends to be overdone. And the guiding here was of similar quality as in many other places that charge much more.

I would like to point out one more thing. Since we traveled by car, and our next destination was southeast from here, we took a little detour to drive to the rock engravings at Twyfelfontein.

These are several thousand years old, and this has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site. Truly impressive and very much worth it."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location
Good
Service
Average
Activities
Average
Rooms
Average
Food
Good
Facilities
Average
Okonjima Villa

Okonjima Villa

"Okonjima Villa review"

3 nights Arrived 18 Mar 2022
"Although this is a fairly small nature reserve (200 km2), its wildlife is second to none. An absolute highlight was that several of the resident white rhinos visited the waterhole right in front of our camp. And we tracked on foot the next day, an experience not to be missed. In addition, we saw them on several other game drives. Moreover, we saw two leopards who were just lounging around.

The chances of seeing leopards here largely rely on the animals carrying a radio collar, which is not to everybody’s liking. When I enquired about the option to equip them with a GPS sensor our guide Opari told us that in fact they are thinking about it. Needless to say that this would enable the guides to track them much more efficiently.

We ended our stay here with a visit to the Africat Foundation where we also saw five cheetahs close up in a fenced enclosure. However, you wouldn’t know this from the gorgeous pictures I was able to take of them.

The rooms were very spacious and tastefully furnished. And the food was from out of this world."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Olive Grove

Olive Grove

"Olive Grove review"

1 night Arrived 21 Mar 2022
"The room was very much OK, except for the fact that it lacked screens behind the windows. For people who love fresh air at night, this is an absolute no-no. They also have a nice patio.

Dinner was average and nothing to write home about, but the breakfast was fine.

As far as parking is concerned, it’s easy to park your car, but as soon as there is more than one other self-driver, getting out of the premises is a nightmare."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location
Good
Service
Average
Activities
Average
Rooms
Good
Food
Average
Facilities
Average
Dead Valley Lodge

Dead Valley Lodge

"Dead Valley Lodge review"

3 nights Arrived 22 Mar 2022
"This is one of only two lodges “inside” the National Park. I emphasize this because we chose this lodge because we wanted to see the sunrise at Dead Vlei, which is approximately 63 km away. And while the first sixty kilometers are on a paved road, the last 3 km are deep sand, which requires an experienced 4x4 operator. In other words, we booked a guided tour performed by the lodge. However, the lodge is located outside the second entry gate, which opened at 6 AM sharp. We argued with the guide the evening before that given the strict speed limit of 60 km/h, we will never make it in time for the sunrise, which was expected to be at around 7 AM. Well, the guy drove us there at a speed of 90 km/h, so we actually ended up being the first at a couple of minutes after 7 AM.

Anyway, I harp on about this, because there is indeed another lodge inside the second gate. It’s called Sossus Dune Lodge, where we stayed in 2018, and they can drive guests to Dead Vlei starting around 5 or 5:30 AM. Their food may not be as good as that provided by the Dead Valley Lodge, but the rooms are much nicer and provide the better views (in our opinion).

Another point I want to bring up is the way they handled the sundowner they offered us on the first evening after our arrival. Well, it consisted of a short drive to an unremarkable dune 5 minutes away, and they had the guts to charge NAD 700 per person for that endeavor. Compared to the NAD 980 p.p. they charged for the guided sunrise tour (which lasted for about 7 hours and included a lunch) this was outrageous.

Other than that our stay in Sossusvlei was really all we had hoped for. As spectacular as ever, and we’ve been here twice before. Bearing in mind what I said above, I would, however, recommend the Sossus Dune Lodge."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Average
Service
Good
Activities
Average
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Wolwedans Dune Camp

Wolwedans Dune Camp

"Wolwedans Dune Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 25 Mar 2022
"Having been in Sossusvlei twice before, we were curious about the adjacent NamibRand Nature Reserve, and we were really taken in by the stunning vistas this area of the world provides.

It’s somehow similar and yet distinct from the Namib-Naukluft National Park. For one thing, there appears to be more wildlife: Besides oryx and springboks, we also saw giraffes, zebras and red hartebeest here. I would like to point out that it was here that we had the very best oryx sightings of the entire trip. And I would almost say that the landscape here is more varied than that of the neighboring National Park.

We would be very happy to return to this camp for another visit."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Olive Exclusive

Olive Exclusive

"Olive Exclusive review"

1 night Arrived 28 Mar 2022
"This is a really fancy boutique hotel, which after staying in safari camps for several weeks, feels a little unusual. As in neighboring Olive Grove Guesthouse, windows can be opened, but they are not protected by screens.

The food was better than at Olive Grove Guesthouse, but still didn’t reach the stellar quality of some local restaurants."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Average
Activities
Average
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Kalahari Arms Hotel

Kalahari Arms Hotel

"Kalahari Arms Hotel review"

1 night Arrived 29 Mar 2022
"We only stayed here for one night on our journey from Windhoek to Maun. For any travellers planning to drive this distance (approximately 800 km) this is one obvious place to break the journey down in to two stages.

Other than serving as a gateway to the Central Kalahari GR, I cannot speak to whether or not this location is suitable to engage in any safari activities."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location
Average
Service
Good
Activities
Average
Rooms
Average
Food
Average
Facilities
Good
Thamalakane River Lodge

Thamalakane River Lodge

"Thamalakane River Lodge review"

1 night Arrived 30 Mar 2022
"We stayed here one night before and one night after our fly-in safari in both the Delta and the Kalahari Desert. Other than being located a little bit too far from the town, it’s the perfect place to relax and unwind. With its location on the river you get some nice views and the sounds and background noises (frogs and hippos) remind you that you are in Africa.

We knew this place from our trip last year, so we knew what to expect: It’s a perfect little place to relax and unwind. Given its location 20 km from Maun, it’s probably not the place for those interested in shopping or exploring the Maun nightlife."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Average
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Tau Pan Camp

Tau Pan Camp

"Tau Pan Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 31 Mar 2022
"This was our fourth trip to Botswana altogether, but our first visit to this area, and we were really surprised by the landscapes and the sightings. One reason to come here was that this camp, as well as the next one on our trip, belongs to Kwando Safaris, a company that we have learned to appreciate through repeated visits to the Kwara Concession in the Okavango Delta. To summarize, this camp really lived up to our expectations. Another pleasant surprise was that we saw AT again, who in 2016 during our first visit worked was our tracker and in the meantime moved up to be camp manager here.

As for the wildlife, this camp did not provide great variety. Other than herds of oryx, wildebeest, and springbok there were no other herbivores to be seen. On the other hand, this camp really excelled in its lion encounters. We ran into the Tau Pan pride (2 adult females and 6 juvenile lions) several times, twice they came drinking at the waterhole right in front of the camp, and this opportunity made a dream of mine come true, which was to photograph several lions, lined up like ducks, drinking a waterhole.

On another occasion, the same pride performed quite a show when they were agitated by a poisonous snake right next to our vehicle. I could not believe that such powerful predators could so easily be scared by an apparently much less potent animal. However, these lions showed the utmost respect for this little reptile and wandered off to “their” waterhole (see above). Other than that, we came across two male lions who were feasting over a buffalo kill, and black-backed jackals fearlessly tried to join the party.

The camp, the service and food quality leave nothing to be desired, as is expected of Kwando Safaris. We are certain to return here again at some point."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Nxai Pan Camp

Nxai Pan Camp

"Nxai Pan Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 3 Apr 2022
"This camp was most memorable for its landscapes and skies. It was here, at the eighth out of ten camps, that we saw the first elephants on the entire trip. No baby elephants though, only males traveling mostly in small groups. With the exception of seeing one angry male lion guarding his dinner there were no other big cat sightings, although our guides identified leopard tracks. On the other hand, we got a glimpse of the annual migration of what appeared to us huge springbok and zebra herds.

One big highlight was a drive to the Baines’ Baobab trees, which were immortalized by a famous 19th century painting.

It was also here that we had the only heavy rain during the entire trip of five weeks. So, one morning we were wearing rain ponchos and the cameras were protected inside plastic bags that the camp gladly provided.

The camp, the food and the service was on a par with the other camps of the same company."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Meno A Kwena

Meno A Kwena

"Meno A Kwena review"

3 nights Arrived 6 Apr 2022
"The location of this camp is phenomenal. It sits high on the banks of the Boteti River, which regularly flows since 2008. Unfortunately, for any wildlife activities we were here too early. Everybody expected the zebras and other animals to come here a month later.

We saw plenty of elephants (males only) strolling along the Boteti River, but apart from that, wildlife encounters were a little thin. No predators whatsowever, although our guide did his utmost best to track down lions (the tracks were there).

I also need to emphasize that during this time of year, we had to drive about one hour before we got into the actual National Park and see any wildlife.

The camp, on the other hand, was really to our liking. It is built in classic safari style that breathes “Out of Africa”. I should also mention that we ended up in the same tent that Harry and Meghan spent some time in. Not that it matters too much ..."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

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

Kwara Camp

"Kwara Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 9 Apr 2022
"As mentioned elsewhere, this was our fourth trip to Botswana, and we have made it a tradition to come to one of the Kwando Safaris camps in the Kwara Concession last, and as before, we enjoyed every minute of our stay (except for one little detail, see below).

The reason for coming here repeatedly is just due to the fact that during our first visit, we saw a cheetah successfully hunting a reedbuck and, on the same day, a pack of wild dogs making a kill right in front of our the camp. These are once-in-a-lifetime experiences that are hard to duplicate. Not that the other wildlife sightings we had here gave us any reason for complaints. Quite the contrary, during that same first visit we saw a mating dance of saddle-billed storks, we saw elephants crossing the rivers during a boat cruise in the Moremi GR, and we saw lions making faces. Subsequent visits to this camp were similarly spectacular: In 2018 we saw a young female leopard posing for us in a tree (we saw her again last October), and we enjoyed, for the first time, seeing a couple of lions mating (a spectacle we will never forget).

So, how did this camp stack up against the others and previous visits? In a nutshell, we were in seventh heaven, once again, despite the fact that the season was not optimal, according to all the guidebooks. We encountered elephant herds with babies (no such thing in the other camps), we saw plenty of herbivores (except cape buffalo and rhinos), and to top it all off, we met Mr. Special again, an 8-9 year old cheetah that we followed for hours on two consecutive days. On the second day we saw him scanning the neighborhood for a breakfast and plotting his next moves, but unfortunately, we missed witnessing him making the kill. We met him again a few moments after, and saw him having breakfast.

The following day was just as dazzling insofar as we ran into the resident pack of wild dogs which frolicked around a waterhole with splashing water and all that.

The food and the amenities of this camp were as phenomenal as during past visits."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Thamalakane River Lodge

Thamalakane River Lodge

"Thamalakane River Lodge review"

1 night Arrived 12 Apr 2022
"We stayed here one night before and one night after our fly-in safari in both the Delta and the Kalahari Desert. Other than being located a little bit too far from the town, it’s the perfect place to relax and unwind. With its location on the river you get some nice views and the sounds and background noises (frogs and hippos) remind you that you are in Africa.

We knew this place from our trip last year, so we knew what to expect: It’s a perfect little place to relax and unwind. Given its location 20 km from Maun, it’s probably not the place for those interested in shopping or exploring the Maun nightlife."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

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

My Oct 2021 trip

Botswana and 1 other country between 8 Oct 2021 and 20 Oct 2021

Trip rating: Excellent
"This has been our fourth trip to Southern Africa. The excitement of seeing animals in the wild hasn’t worn off. So, it won't be our last. We have become addicts, so to speak.

All three lodges are, in our minds, highly recommendable. But, as I said to my wife, it looks like we saved the best (Kwara Camp) for last. This is not in any way to diminish the experiences we had at Muchenje or Lebala.

It’s no secret that we had spent 12 days in Zimbabwe (organized by a different tour operator who granted us a voucher for a trip cancelled in 2020): 2 days in Harare, 2 in Kanga Camp, 3 in Nyamatusi, and 4 in Somalisa Camp. That was also very enjoyable, but I’m mentioning this here for one specific reason. In Zimbabwe, at mealtime we were always given the chance to have a table by ourselves, whereas in Botswana they followed the tradition of having the guests sit together at one big table. Well, we didn’t get sick, so everything went well, but just as an aside, we sometimes dreaded the kind of small talk we had to engage in when communicating with other guests. Maybe we were just unlucky this time.

This was the first time ever that we did an exclusive fly-in safari, which is very intense. It’s non-stop action, and thanks to the wonderful camps we did not fall victim to a sense of fatigue that we anticipated.

We chose to do it this way because we didn’t have the courage to do self-drive during the corona pandemic. But our worries were not necessary, because everywhere we went, the people dealt with the dangers of corona in impressive ways. Masks were worn by nearly everybody, shops and airports greeted you with a temperature check and hand sanitizer (!). Anyway, under normal circumstances we like to combine the fly-in with a self-drive, and that’s what we have planned on doing next year. In our experience, you get to see a bit more of the people and the land, and spending some time on the road is quite relaxing.



Not really. Everything worked quite smoothly from start to finish, which I can’t say about our daily life in the good old USA. Maybe that’s to be expected in this luxury travel segment, but still, I think it’s worth mentioning.

Since the Lebala airstrip was closed for repairs, Lucy in fact contacted us in Chobe to offer us the opportunity to switch to Kwando Lagoon Camp, since this meant that our ride from the airstrip to Lebala was going to be around 2.5 hours instead of the usual 15 minutes or so. After a short discussion among ourselves we decided to stick to Lebala."

Arranged By Lucy Copson


Batonka Guest Lodge

Batonka Guest Lodge

"Batonka Guest Lodge review"

1 night Arrived 8 Oct 2021
"We stayed here only for one night on the way from Zimbabwe to Botswana, so our insights are limited.

For instance, we didn't take part in any activities that the lodge might have offered. But the decent sized swimming pool was a highly appreciated experience."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Muchenje Safari Lodge

Muchenje Safari Lodge

"Muchenje Safari Lodge review"

3 nights Arrived 9 Oct 2021
"Overall, this lodge excels most with its magnificent location high on an escarpment on the south side of the Chobe River, providing fantastic views over the flood plains.

The game drives were great fun, and so was the cruise on the Chobe River. Due to the pandemic and the concomitant lack of guests we often enjoyed the luxury of being alone in the car or boat with our guide Ali.

One particular sighting really stood out from the rest: A group of five youngish lions showed some interest in a bunch of buffaloes, and they even launched a half-hearted attempt to attack them, but then the tables turned, and the hunters became the hunted. In a few moments, all the lions went into hiding in the bush. No-one got hurt, thankfully.

Another thing I would like to mention is that the guides are prohibited to do off-road driving, which is the rule in National Parks all over Southern Africa. However, our guide more than once disregarded this rule and thus afforded us some sightings that would not have been possible otherwise.

Also, due to the fact that this is a National Park, a small but noticeable number self-drivers were also seen. For instance, the one and only leopard sighting we had was sort of spoiled by the fact that in no time the poor animal was surrounded by 8 jeeps, and some of them actually pushed themselves in front of the queue. Of course, this was not the lodge’s or our guide’s fault.

The rooms were really pleasant, and one thing that we enjoyed very much was the fact that they had air condition, and unlike in even better hotels in the US, it made no noise.

To summarize, our stay was really enjoyable, and I would like to recommend this lodge to anyone coming to Botswana for the first time. I say this also because this lodge is much less expensive than some of the camps in the Okavango Delta."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Lebala Camp

Lebala Camp

"Lebala Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 12 Oct 2021
"Our visit to this camp started in a spectacular way: we saw one leopard on our way from the airstrip to the camp, and another one on our first game drive that afternoon. They both were doing what leopards are known for: hanging out in trees. And unlike our experience in Chobe NP, we were the only guests watching them, so our guide Elvis could drive around and provide the best possible angles for photography.

Other than that, our activities were really focused on lions, and for big cat people like us that was really a joy.

At least one tour operator in the UK rates this camp as the best for lions in all of Africa, based on long-term observations. This was one major reason to visit this camp, and the other one was that we have become fans of Kwando Safaris (see my review of Kwara Camp). While we had plenty of lion sightings, we didn't see any cubs or many females. We happened upon several lion matings, which are always a memorable sight. Our guide Elvis assured us that this camp "has too many lions". According to him there was a territorial "war" going on between competing males, which is why a large pride of females with their cubs retreated into the hinterland.

We also were lucky in meeting one male lion to perform a roar a few meters from our vehicle.

I would also like to mention that, on the morning of our departure, we sat on the veranda of our tent, and out of the blue, a lion pair showed up engaging in a lengthy rendezvous approximately 50 to 60 meters away. In between matings the lioness showed some interest in us and moved closer to the tent. That was the signal for us to retreat back behind our screens. We were in fact picked up by a staff member in a car, although the walking distance between the tent and the main area was perhaps only 100 meters. As soon as we entered the car and slowly drove away, the lioness walked towards the tent, briefly went under the veranda and sniffed it out. But it was of no particular interest to her, as she quickly returned to her loverboy.

Another thing that puts this camp and the others of Kwando Safaris in a different league is that they utilize a driver and a tracker in their cars. Based on our experience, this often increases your chance of finding predators.

The room, the food and the facilities were all exceptional, as we came to expect from Kwando Safaris.

Taken together, I would recommend this camp wholeheartedly, particularly to those with a strong interest in the big cats."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Kwara Camp

Kwara Camp

"Kwara Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 15 Oct 2021
"This was our third visit to the Kwara Concession, and we don’t regret it for one second.

A special touch of this camp is that they actually assigned the two guys to us that we had the pleasure of having as our guides twice before: Big Tom and ATee. And this time they even gave us a “private” safari, even though we hadn’t booked one. Anyway, these two are outstanding, they always went the “extra mile” in providing us the best angles and perspectives without even having to ask.

I realize that I gave the other two camps mostly 5 stars, and if I had the chance I would rank this camp’s rooms and activities with 5+ or 6 stars. The degree of luxury provided was more than we need. For example, the rooms were at least 1.5 if not 2 times larger than anything we had encountered before. And it continues to amaze us how, in the middle of the bush, they can cook such delicious lunches and 4-course dinners.

Anyhow, on to the more important aspects. Our first afternoon activity was hard to beat in terms of highlights. First there was a lioness with her one cub, and they put on quite a show for us. This was followed by a pack of wild dogs who were busy feeding on a reedbuck they stole from a leopard. We watched them for about an hour or so, until not much was left of the animal. To conclude the first day, after sunset we met a leopard “Splashgirl” at a waterhole, and it was particularly nice as we had seen her before in 2018.

In the same context I’d like to mention that we saw a male cheetah we also encountered in 2018 and a lion coalition called the “Zulu boys” that we saw for the first time in 2016!!! Back then they were like 3 or 4 years old, and now, according to our guides, they were having issues with a bunch of challengers.

On our last morning drive, shortly before we had to leave for the airstrip, we encountered a female cheetah with her two cubs who were posing for us on a termite mound.

Another memorable sighting was a tsessebe antelope with her young and another calf that she was babysitting.

I can’t praise this camp enough for the sheer variety and quality of sightings, so much so that we are planning to come back here next year."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Thamalakane River Lodge

Thamalakane River Lodge

"Thamalakane River Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 18 Oct 2021
"We had planned to stay here only for one day, to wind down from all the excitement, but thanks to our airline we had to postpone the return flight by one day.

The rooms, the food and the service were all immaculate, and they arranged a taxi for us to take us into town. And the location on the river provided some really nice views."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

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

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