Reviews of safaris to Chobe National Park

"Stunning! A huge variety of memorable experiences, diverse lodges and special people made this trip everything we hoped for.

Tracy Lederer take a bow as your help, suggestions, comments and patient answers to our many questions made this trip work as well as it did. Everywhere we stayed added something special to our overall experience and your suggestions of adding a private safari and a trip down to San Camp made a great trip a spectacular experience. Our private safari with Kazuma will always be very special and you may have spoiled us for the future!

We did not know what to expect from Botswana. The old mantra was Botswana was high cost because of low vehicle numbers/tourists. In our experience that is not totally true any more. Chobe around Kisane is so busy from the land and the river that it is unpleasant in places and it looks like development is continuing at pace. Some of the companies who run river trips are aggressive and do not consider the animals or other boats. Having said all of that, seeing the hundreds of elephants on the Chobe River near Kasane and being able to watch them swim makes this still a wonderful place to visit. Moving quietly in boats is a fascinating way to see wildlife from a different perspective. Savute and Khwai are both busy with Khwai being particularly so at times. In Khwai and Savute you can, however, leave the crowds around the lions or the dogs and go off and find your own wonderful wildlife which we could do with our private guide.

The wildlife is not the wide variety of plains animals that you see in Kenya or South Africa. Botswana is not the place for a quick tick-list safari. What you do have is much more intense and lengthy experiences with the animals you see. We found most of the animals to be very relaxed and not bothered by vehicles or boats. The variety of landscapes is breathtaking. The guiding is very, very good in general.

We are used to travelling in a variety of little planes which are used like taxis so they were not a shock. The routes are not finalised until the day before you fly so be prepared for short hops to drop off and pick up other passengers from a variety of dirt air strips. You may not get to leave at a time that suits you. The small planes we took were a mixed bag but the young pilots all seemed professional. The planes could get a little bumpy but nowhere near as bumpy as the road trip would have been!

We did not expect to come away with an understanding of how the different management styles between Botswana and Namibia affected the wildlife and the land. Although explained to us several times we are still struggling with the geography of the Delta! We did not expect to learn so much about the Salt Pans and how everything managed to survive such a harsh environment. We learned so much about animal behaviour by being able to take the time to sit and watch what was going on and have everything explained by well-trained and enthusiastic guides. We listened to the calm debate about the possibility of reintroducing hunting in Botswana. We met some wonderful like-minded travellers and some that were not so pleasant but that is what happens on safaris: you learn when to speak and when to leave subjects alone! We met some really special Batswana people whose enthusiasm for their country is wonderful.

This was a special holiday for us that we had wanted to do for a long time. We have been lucky enough to travel to many African countries, some repeatedly but had never made it to Botswana before. We would llike to return!

A few hints.
- A number of tourists did not realise how cold it can get at night so take clothes you can layer, a puffer jacket or fleece and even gloves and a hat.
- Take a torch and spare batteries.
- Take a kanga or a kikoy with you so that when the temperature gets unbearable you can soak it and wrap it around your neck to keep you cool. It also helps when it is very dusty to cover your mouth and nose.
-Laundry is done almost everywhere so you do not need as many clothes as you think and it is certainly not a fashion show.
-Almost everywhere we stayed provided shampoo, conditioner, soap and mosquito spray so you can save weight on not bringing too much of these.
- Stick to the baggage size /weight recommendations if you are in small planes. They really can not take suitcases! Have something different like a bright ribbon on your handle. We saw one group of around 20 all travelling with the same bags that were just like ours!
- Cross pack with someone you are travelling with in case one bag goes missing somewhere!
- Money: Botswana Pula is not available out of the country. There is no cash machine in the new airport at Kasane. There is a cash machine at a shopping strip in Kasane town so your driver may stop for you if you ask. I do not know about Maun. We carried US dollars cash with us for tipping (with a number of small bills for porters) and we carried more than we thought we would need.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
You are streets ahead of the opposition and I recommend you to anyone and everyone. The knowledge of your staff is first-hand and they always take our likes, dislikes and experiences into account when suggesting holidays. Seems simple but not often done!

Your web site is amazing however too many of your description pages that I was browsing now say that the lodge has not been visited since ... (quite a few years ago) I know it is impossible to keep totally up to date but a lot of pages are well past their use by date so maybe time for some more visits to keep your pages up-to-date and the comments relevant. Chris and I will volunteer to help whenever you like! :D

You do not have Aardwolf or Elephants on your San animal list." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 14 on a Botswana safari

"This was our first safari holiday and our first time in Africa and as such this was an excellent holiday with all expectations met or exceeded and with many surprises on the way. The holiday was very well organised and transfers between the lodges never caused a problem.

We saw all the animals we had hoped to see, and a few more, and despite the early morning starts, the immersion in the world of safaris was both restful and refreshing. Driving in Namibia was unproblematic and the border crossings in and out of Botswana were relatively quick.

My personal highlights: watching giraffes taking on cheetahs at Okonjima; walking to a group of Rhinos at Ongava; the beautiful Tree Top camp at Onguma; fishing in the Okavango at Nxamaresi; and the huge herds of elephants at Nambwa and Garden Lodge." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip

"Our trip was mind blowing.

Richard Ball was instrumental in building the picture in our minds of what the trip could be like and he was definitely spot on about Gomoti Plains Camp! Megan Green delivered a perfect execution throughout including at the very last minute to arrange an additional activity as we were flying out to Africa.

Advice on photography by Chris McIntyre was helpful and really beyond the call of duty.

We thank everyone on the team and we look forward to working with them for our next trip!

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The detailed knowledge that the staff have of the different camps including sightings and camp characteristics distinguishes Expert Africa from the many other operators we approached and really helped us in deciding what to do/where to stay. Their advice on travelling with children was also spot on and very helpful.

Perhaps more focus could be provided as the trip is planned on the safari guides, as they really make the difference to one's trip (even if we appreciate travellers cannot choose who they will be guided by).

Looking forward to the team living up to our newly heightened expectations for our next trip!" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"Awesome trip, ready to go back.

Everyone was friendly. Seen lots of animals.

And Victoria Falls are beautiful." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 3 on a Namibia trip

"Overall this was a very enjoyable safari which blended northern Botswana with the Okavango Delta. We enjoyed many memorable times with the 'cats' - Cheetah, Leopard and Lion, as well as a 'first-time' with a family of Wild Dog (6 adults and 4 pups) and some special times with our all-time favourites - Elephants.
We were a little 'shocked' by the low temperature overnight at the start of our safari (end of July). We normally visit Botswana at the end of September but thought we should experience a different time of year.
Perhaps due to the low temperatures at the start of our safari (it warmed up during our stay) we felt that, perhaps, 11 days was slightly too long and 9 days would have been better.
Throughout our visit we were impressed by the friendliness and cheerfulness of the Botswanian people." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"This was our 5th and best trip." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"Wonderful." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"A trip of a lifetime. We had a tremendous time from the moment we landed in Johannesburg till the moment we left Cape Town. We do encourage people to visit Johannesburg and we stayed at the Monarch Hotel which was very conveniently located close to the train to the airport, close to the mall and also to restaurants. The people we met were nearly all helpful and kind and we felt that our trip added rather than took from the places we visited. Everything was taken care of other than a couple of things.

All the connections worked out but I would strongly recommend you including in the itineary the addresses of locations after a flight. The flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town did not include Jeanne's bag. We spent quite a lot of time waiting and then talking to the lost baggage people about this. They found the bag in Johannesburg and wanted an address to deliver it to us when it arrived. We didn't have the Acorn House address and they didn't have access to the internet or a phone and nor did I. All I could think of was to go to the driver and find out from him. I made the fatal error of leaving the arrivals area to talk to him and then trying to go back to tell the baggage people what the address was. That caused a real problem and I had go through a ridiculous process to get back to Jeanne even though five people watched me walk out of the arrivals area and refused to let me back without special authorization and being escorted through security.. Please include the address in your documentation.

Under the category of things I wished I'd known was the fact that both lodges in the Delta were open to the elements and quite cold at night. We had been warned by our friends it would be cold in the Etosha area, but didn't think there would be the same issue in Botswana. We adapted, by showering when it was warm out and wearing our warmest clothes to bed but it was a surprise." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"Great trip, everything went so well. No glitches.

The connections and transfers were all seamless. Chobe River crossings between Zambia and Botswana was easy.

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We are so impressed with the trip Lucy put together for us. Even though we just saw a small corner of Africa it was truely amazing.

Lucy really listened to what we wanted to do and made it all happen" Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 3 on a Botswana safari

"Megan arranged a wonderful safari for us in Botswana. She listened carefully to our needs and hopes. With her first hand experience of the country she put to a most enjoyable programme with a variety of camps. She was very friendly and extremely efficient replying speedily to our emails.

From our arrival in Maul tour departure from Livingstone the package, including all Border crossings, flowed seamlessly and without difficulty. The various guides who met us organised tickets and visas speedily.

With hindsight two camps were close together but we appreciate that availability and distance may have been a limiting factor. A camp further up into the the delta would have allowed us to compare the wet areas with the dry areas.

In short a great experience. Thank you." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari