Reviews of safaris to Chobe National Park

"This was our first safari. We stayed firstly in Zambia for the Victoria Falls, and then onto 3 lodges in Botswana. In all a fantastic experience which exceeded my expectations in every way.

In talking to others at our camps I did feel we had made the right decision in going to a national park (Chobe) first to get used to elephants, giraffes and zebras being everywhere, and that didn't fully realise the restrictions that applied within the Park. Consequently we really appreciated the freedom for game-viewing (at night and off road) offered by the second two camps which were on concessions. The concession model also limits the numbers of people who are able to stay in one area. This in turn made it seem we were really out in the wild and added to the experience. It just isn't the same at a National Park.

I didn't expect to be get so close to the animals and also to get involved in the story of the animals - what their behaviour was indicating, the various hunts and stalking, caring for the young, etc. At times I really did feel like I was living in a David Attenborough documentary. Botswana is a efficient African country, with good facilities. You could instantly see the difference between it and Zambia as we crossed the boarder. All the people we met - Zambians and Botswanans were polite, well spoken and helpful. They were all proud of their countries and welcoming.

A safari experience is simply wonderful, and I felt so privileged to be able to view the animals with such informed guides.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Although I have given the feedback on Maruska above, because of her maternity leave, we also had Nick Hobbs as our contact. Nick was also very helpful - and I would give him the same markings as above for Maruska - in particular I was grateful for his advice about what shoes to wear as I was receiving conflicting advice from friends and various websites, and nearly bought a pair of boots which would not have been needed, So a big thank you Nick.

We were also grateful for the assistance we received from Megan Ingoldby - as she really helped us plan our trip during an "early planning stage" phone call. So a big thank you to Expert Africa - both Anne and I thought you were helpful, patient and more importantly accurate. Everything worked like a dream." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"I can't believe that a trip this complex went off without a hitch.

Expert Africa really knows their stuff and made great recommendations. Thanks, Tracy!" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 4 on a South Africa trip

"An excellent, varied trip. The pace was just right.

One of our best trips, mainly due to the easy driving on tarred roads." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"Your arrangements worked well. The contrast between our aid project in Milawi living in very basic conditions and Botwana was rather stark.

I think we would have been more comfortable in less luxury in Botswana but it was a good treat after Milawi - we could have done with 4 days not 6." Read full review: 33 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Everything was excellent but some lodges were phenomenal. Everything went as planned and we saw all the wildlife one could wish to see.

This is our 2nd time with Expert Africa and their service is second to none. They really care about your holiday and try to ensure that your trip matches your needs and expectations. We would have no hesitation in recommending them to our friends. The individual service given by team members esp Maruska and Sabina was exemplary nothing was too much. All my emails and queries answered promptly. The map and info that arrived pre trip was so informative and helpful. Will definitely be using this company again.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No you are truly awesome." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip

"Our first and foremost comment is that Expert Africa is the best!

From helping us plan a dream trip (great job of listening to our needs and wants) to executing all the details without any flaws. The entire trip went very smoothly, allowing us to enjoy the adventure travel without worry.

Their knowledge of Namibia and Botswana is excellent and this allowed them to place us at the best properties and have a great time. I highly recommend Expert Africa to all that plan a to southern part of the Africa continent." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"This was our second trip to Botswana and it was a great experience. Megan understood our needs and gave us very good suggestions for what to choose and where to go (thanks also for the good tip on the Residence in Joburg).

Every single detail was very well organized and we just did not have to worry about anything but enjoying Africa and wildlife." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"Perhaps we should have put Little Kwara fourth and had Chitabe as the last camp. Apart from the 'hotel' side of things at Little Kwara, the trip was absolutely wonderful, and would like to thank Tracy for advising us to take a few nights on the houseboat, and for changing the routing of the camp to suit our final destination. Might have been less hassle leaving from Kasane!!" Read full review: 47 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari

"We had a fabulous time! Unfortunately, this once-in-a-lifetime trip makes us want to go again, and again, and again!

I do hope the concessionaire's are careful not to over build. They are able to charge top dollar because of their high concentration of animals to a low density of visitors. But when vehicles are stacking up, waiting for a 10 to 15-minute turn to see the animals, the concentration is already too high for my tastes. There is something to be said for having more eyes in the field, because you then have more opportunity to make a good sighting. But there needs to be a balance, and we saw many new camps being added, and many camps are increasing the number of guests they can accommodate. As someone going to visit, note not only the number of tents in your camp, but of all the camps within the concession.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
With your booking, Expert Africa has a general interest, basic requests, etc box; it would be nice to be able to customize that for each activity and/or camp to accommodate interests and expectations for different locations.

You guys and gals at Expert Africa are great! Everyone I've dealt with, though primarily Maruska and her sister Saskia when she was still with you, has been most helpful, honest, and pretty-darn-accurate, which I appreciate more than I can express!

Filling out this review has been a nightmare for me. Next time I will type things out elsewhere, and then cut and paste them in, which should work. When I tried to go back to previous page, whatever I'd typed was swallowed. If I hit save, it kicked me out, and I had to start again at the very beginning. I hated having to scroll forward through every page from the beginning, so I tried cheating and leaving the form open, but it would time out, again swallowing whatever I'd typed. It would be nice to be able to open on any page, so I could complete as time and mood allowed. Oh, well.

Sorry it's taken me so long to complete. I know I really appreciated other people's reviews and used the reviews heavily in making my choices--I would also like to see a scale of 1 - 10, because I would've liked to differentiate between good and excellent with a very good. The overall quality of all these camps is at least good, but some were far more excellent than others." Read full review: 34 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"All arrangements worked perfectly, all lodges were great and welcoming, all meals in the lodges were excellent and the whole experience was wonderful." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip