Reviews of safaris to Kalahari's Salt Pans

"Having been to the Delta a couple of times in August, our first objective on this trip was to better understand the difference between the seasons. It might have been clearer had we included a stop in the Delta but hindsight is a wonderful thing and the general feeling of green rather than yellow was very clear at Lagoon Camp as was the extra challenge of finding animals in a much lusher habitat.

The Pans were something different again with the feature being the Zebra, Wildebeest and, in Nxai Pan, Giraffe and Elephant rather than predators which were scarce and difficult to find. Our trip was towards the end of the rainy season and at Jack's Camp, in particular, there was a clear sense of the long migration north being not far away.

Although we were still in rainy season we had very little rain on a very enjoyable trip." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"We always recommend Expert Africa to friends and acquaintances because from experience we know that we will receive the best advice and the best outcomes. All travel has the potential for hiccups and this is when the rubber hits the road - we know we can count on EA..

We have gone with the knowledge that we will see amazing things, will be well-prepared in what to expect, and happily surprised by the level of care and hospitality we receive.

I don't know how it all seems to come about so effortlessly but am grateful that a vacation with Expert Africa is also an adventure of the best kind." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 16 on a Botswana safari

"This time we wanted to experience the rainy season in Botswana and that was exactly what happened.

EA prepared us very well and provided everything we needed to have a memorable trip. In fact, we recommended EA to fellow travellers who were less fortunate in their preparations.

We started planning our next EA trip on the plane home." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"A first visit to Botswana in green season and generally a success - we knew that the viewing may be more challenging at this time of year, but the trade off is lush greens, flowers and fewer vehicles on the sightings.

It was great to see Botswana in a different light, albeit we never got any rain and moody skies! Climate change makes the seasonal rains far more unpredictable.

On the downside, low season meant fewer camp mates, and chatting around the table is part of the fun of safari, plus last minute camp changes due to maintenance was not something we had expected nor want again - a free upgrade is not always a positive.

Great service from Lucy and the Expert Africa team once again." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"This was a great trip. The arrangements worked perfectly and as planned. the three camps we visited were different in terms of location, of course, but all maintained the Kwando reputation for great guiding, excellent food and extremely friendly and knowledgeable staff." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"Botswana was a very different experience than my previous trip to Tanzania. Upon reflection, I liked it better. There were fewer vehicles around so the experience of the landscape and the animals felt very private. And at the same time, the trip was in no way "roughing it in the bush".

The camps were wonderful and comfortable, and the food was very good. Of particular note was the delicious homemade breads, cakes and muffins.

If I have any suggestions, it would be that there is an opportunity for expansion that could be explored. I had some mobility issues on this trip so was probably paying more attention than normally I might. And I should be clear that the staff accommodated my limitations brilliantly! I had been to Africa before and was confident I could get in and out of the vehicles and walk to the cabins/tents. However, the vehicles were much different--higher and without open sides. I certainly had difficulty getting in and out. (The staff found a step stool at the first two camps, which worked.) At the third camp, the vehicle had a flip down ladder, which was much more stable and allowed easy access. At two of the camps, the rugs, although lovely, did not lie flat, creating a trip hazard. At Splash, the antelope rug was between the bath and the bathroom and the staff removed it for my stay. And all of the cabins were at quite a distance from the lodge.

I think that if the company looked at what they offered through the lens of a person with some (not major) mobility issues, they may be able to market to this group, who may not normally think they could go on a safari. I would suggest that anyone who can step into a bathtub can get into the vehicles, if there is a stepstool provided or there is a flip down ladder. There could be a question about mobility when booking and those people could be booked in the nearer cabins. And the facilities should look for trip hazards and other challenges such as low or very heavy chairs.

With those minor tweaks, the trips would work for individuals with some mobility issues." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"We explored going to Africa with numerous outfitters and specifically selected Expert Africa because of Megan and how she explained the variety of experiences! She was attentive, patient and friendly! She explained each experience in detail and catered to exactly what we wanted for this trip. Her detailing was on point- she was accurate in her depictions of each activity. And, they lived up to her high praises. She held our hand through packing and preparing for the trip as well!

The book provided and pamphlet were all extremely useful in preparing and learning about the trip!" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"We had the most amazing family holiday - so many unforgettable moments. Maruska was efficient and helpful from the planning stages through to the completion of our journey. She stepped up to help immensely when our bags had been lost between Kilimanjaro and Joburg Airports. She stepped in and got the Wilderness Safari folks to help follow up with the airport and airlines which was a huge relief for us as we were "off grid" for several days following their loss and felt very stressed about what to do next. Overall - we were thrilled with our time in Africa and thank Expert Africa team for helping to plan such a great trip.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Converting NZD to USD to pay for the trip was daunting - felt hugely expensive. Yes, we requested and planned a high end experience and were aware of the costs, but we definitely felt a big hit to the wallet. When you factor in that we were also giving healthy tips (as suggested, and we felt like with the great service we should do at least the "minimum") on top of the high room rate at each camp ... we felt it even more. Next time we might consider a mix of high vs medium range camps to save some money. Again, not to take away from an incredible trip planned together with Maruska ... thanks" Read full review: 33 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"We absolutely loved our Botswana safari. The organization was flawless and everything went smoothly and without a glitch.

The combination of the 4 camps worked to make it possible to see everything we'd hoped to see, with each giving us unique and wonderful moments. We really appreciated the trackers at the Kwando camps.

Our guides at Lagoon (Spencer/Gee) and Camp Kalahari (KG) were great, very dedicated. We could tell that for them, guiding and wildlife sightings were a passion, not just a job. As photographers themselves, both Spencer and KG knew how to position the vehicled perfectly, too.

Our guide/tracker team at Lebala (Thabo/KB) were very good, but needed a bit of prodding before they gave us their best effort - but boy, did they come through with the leopard!

We were least impressed with Rogers/Chris at Kwara. Instead of really tracking predators on their own, they took us on 'scenic' drives, showing us the animals that happend to cross our path. Rogers also managed to get us stuck in sand on our first night drive on the way back to camp. After unsuccessfully trying for at least 30 minutes, he had to call the camp for help and we had to be towed out. However, once sightings were called in by other guides, he turned into a combination race driver/hunter and managed to get us to sightings of lions, a cheetah and best of all, Wild dogs - once tracking a pack of three through dense bush and the same evening, a pack of 3 feeding just before the light went.

The helicopter transfers were comfortable and very enjoyable, done in helicopters that seated just 4 including the pilot. Interesting fact: Since there was no room for our luggage, our bags got their own helicopter flights! As soon as we were dropped of at the camps, the pilots flew back, picked up the bags and brought them to us.

We were also very, very glad we had private vehicles for all our game drives, as it allowed my Mum to sit up front in the passenger seat and my Dad in the 1st row." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"Magic.

Thank you so much also for helping deal with the bag panic at the start of the trip, we don't know who was ultimately responsible for getting it to us but thank you to the Expert Africa team, Maggie at Natural Selection in Maun, and Noli and Teo at Camp Kalahari.

Special poo poo to British Airways for landing us 2 hours late and causing the mess in the first place." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari