Travel reviews by Mr O from France

"Reaching the Kalahari desert after a 24 hour journey, squeezed in a plane seat for hours, and then to suddenly gaze at the immensity surrounding us was a memorable experience!

It was the rainy season but in effect still very dry as they had not had a drop of rain for several weeks.

We got to see a lot, more than I expected, in truth. Transferring to the camp from the airstrip, we were lucky enough to spot a cheetah drinking from the watering hole in front of the camp – great start! The following day was even better as we spotted a female cheetah and her 2 cubs. We watched her for some time as she was busy stalking a springbok, with the little ones in tow, replicating her every move – amazing! We also saw 3 Kalahari lions, and plenty of oryx, bat-eared foxes, black-backed jackals, leopard tortoises, honey-badgers, ostriches…

Our guide Rogers was very good. The San bushman walk was fun and informative.

The camp itself was very comfortable, with such a great atmosphere! Friendly and interesting guests, good food and very nice staff who welcomed us with a song. The platform tents were roomy, well set up (ladies with coloured hair beware of the salt water shower!). There is a deck above the tent where you can sleep under the stars – we slept there 2 out of our 3 nights in Kalahari and it was fantastic."

"After 3 nights in the Kalahari desert, Vumbura looked like the Garden of Eden - lush and green, with a multitude of ponds and animals big and small everywhere. Magical!

When first entering the camp (Vumbura North), we were greeted by the glorious sight of the lagoon.
The rooms are just like on the Wilderness website, huge and luxurious with modern furniture. Ours looked like a picture from an art & deco magazine, with its own outdoor lounge and plunge pool...

Annabelle and Roger were excellent hosts, we always had a good time at dinner with either - I enjoyed sharing a glass (or two!) of wine with Annabelle by the fire after dinner by, and I must thank Roger again for taking such good care of me when I was sick one day.

The food was top class - we were surprised with a dinner in the bush one evening, what a treat to be eating al fresco under the stars!
Service was very good but could be a little uneven at lunchtime, as sometimes there was no staff to be seen in the restaurant area - not a big deal though.

Our guide, Lazarus, was the best guide on our Botswana safari. We had some pretty good sightings with him, including an elephant/lion showdown by sunset, and a female leopard that we followed for about an hour - the height of excitment for everyone in the car! We managed to take some impressive shots of her jumping across a stream."

"We loved the way the rooms have been re-decorated.

The staff was extremely friendly and the food was very good.

The guide was not the best we had on this trip."

"We had 3 great nights at Kaingo before moving on to Mwamba, its sister bushcamp. The chalets are attractive and cosy, boasting an XL outdoor bathtub, and we loved having lunch on our private deck overlooking the Luangwa river. The setting is really picturesque, between the river and an ebony forest.

The 3 hides (hippo, elephant and carmine bee eater) are a fantastic idea and very cleverly designed - all safari camps should have them! Whether you are into photography or not, you can easily spend a few hours there, it is fascinating being able to watch the wildlife so closely and be right in the middle of the action!

Great guiding, great service, can't fault anything.

This camp is primarily a photographer's dream but also perfect for all wild life lovers."

"Mwamba is a fantastic camp, small and homely, where almost everything is outdoor: the bathroom, the bar, the dining room... It really blends in with the bush, without depriving guests of their comfort - we found the chalets rather spacious and well designed, the service was very attentive and the food was amazing for the location (fantastic eggs benedict one morning, how does the chef manage this, I wonder!)

Our stay was made even better by our hospitable and caring host Brent, who is also an excellent and very intuitive guide. Together with our armed scout Gideon, they managed to spot teeny-weeny creatures such as chameleons and lizards in the black of night..! We had some great sightings and were lucky to spot a leopard every night of our stay.

Having previously stayed at Kaingo, Mwamba's sister camp, we walked the short distance between the two camps rather than transfer by jeep. Highly recommended. We were rewarded with the sighting, amongst others, of a honey badger (rarely seen during daytime) who was so intent on digging the ground that we were able to come extremely close and take some great shots."

"Old Mondoro is one of those rare places where nothing could be improved. Its location by the Zambezi is stunning, and the rooms are perfectly designed to enjoy the amazing view (watching an elephant from your outdoor bathtub is a rare treat). The food was wonderful and the service, headed by the ever-present Chris, was always spot on.

There is a variety of activities on both land (drives, night drives, walks) and water (cruising, fishing, canoeing), 2 friendly and helpful hosts, Kayla and Jason, and a great team of guides.

Special mention to the canoeing trip and the tiger fishing - the highlights of our stay!

Excellent camp."

"The chalets are large and clean, very pleasant. The bar area is nice too. Not a lot of choice on the restaurant menu, but the barbequed t-bones were good. There is a very small swimming pool available but we did not get to try it as there were some highly intoxicated gentlemen lounging around... ;-)

Very decent place to spend a night in Lusaka."

"Mwagusi Safari Camp is an extremely comfortable camp, with beautifully designed "bandas" overlooking the dry riverbed of Mwagusi River.

Animals such as elephants, giraffes and baboons can be seen directly from your own, plush living-room complete with hammock and over-stuffed sofas! Great friendly atmosphere, pre-dinner drinks around a roaring fire, delicious dinners under the star, courteous and efficient staff.

The guide we had during our stay was very knowledgeable and tried very hard to show us all the game on our "wish-list"! Ruaha, although very dry and arid at this time of year, is a beautiful place and a wonderful safari destination."

"This has to be the highlight of our trip.

We expected a lot after reading the rave reviews on Beho Beho, and all our expectations were met and actually exceeded! We were looked after like royalties by management, guides and staff alike. The rooms, food/drinks, facilties and guiding were simply outstanding and we can only praise the efforts the Beho Beho staff made to please and surprise us all the time.

The Selous is a beautiful game reserve, teeming with wild life - we even got to see a pack of wild dogs and their pups! This was one of our best stays ever and we bring back with us wonderful memories.

Almost two weeks later, my husband and I are still raving about it...!"

"We enjoyed the beautiful setting of Unguja Lodge, its talcum-powder sand and warm sea! I originally felt a bit concerned about the lack of a proper beach (as other reviewers have mentioned), but this was never a problem (we are more into swimming and snorkelling than sunbathing anyway!). We found it always possible to swim and the coulour of the water was just undescribable!

When the tide was out, it felt like having your own private little beach. Snorkelling was not always good due to the wind, but we did see some nice marine life. The sea-view villas were huge and beautifully designed, and the food (especially the fish/seafood) very nice. Also very good breakfast with a good range from tasty exotic fruit to cooked breakfast. Service was quite relaxed.

Good mix of guests, British, French, German, Dutch. Ralph and Elies are very friendly hosts."

"We loved our 'Arabica' suite, even though we feel we did no spend enough time in it to do it justice! We only had a day and a half in Stonetown and so many things to see... The hotel is well located, but as we have found out, nothing is ever far in Stonetown, it is just a question of finding your way around!

Owners and staff were very pleasant and efficient. The hotel if full of character and takes you back in the days of the Sultans, with wifi, flat-screen TVs and DVD players as a bonus! ;-)

We really enjoyed our short stay in Stonetown (after the initial culture shock!) and were very pleased with our choice of hotel."