Reviews of safaris to Okavango Delta Safari Reserves
1006 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Okavango Delta.
Miss B
Marple
"Fantastic trip to the Delta"
I visited Botswana between 4 Sep 2018 and 14 Sep 2018
"Overall a wonderful trip -- going to be a hard one to beat. After two previous trips to South Africa, we wanted to clarify a few details about how the game drives and lodge logistics were run. e.g. flight times not impacting on game drives, whether we would go straight to dinner from the evening game drive or be allowed to freshen up and requests for quiet rooms with better wildlife viewing. We struggled to clarify these details before the trip, being told that we would go straight to dinner and that our points had been on passed on and the lodges would do their best.
In reality we never had to go straight to dinner (a different set-up from safari in South Africa) with the consequence that we would have packed differently. We also discovered out there that all the intra-lodge delta flights are run between 10am and 1pm, meaning that the morning game drives were cut a little short on every change over day, but were always possible. In terms of room selection, though we were located further from the main areas in both Xaranna and Sandibe, in Xaranna we were placed in a room between a near constantly running fan and a generator -- which did not add to the peace and quiet. There were other room options and we raised it with the lodge, but no action was taken." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari
In reality we never had to go straight to dinner (a different set-up from safari in South Africa) with the consequence that we would have packed differently. We also discovered out there that all the intra-lodge delta flights are run between 10am and 1pm, meaning that the morning game drives were cut a little short on every change over day, but were always possible. In terms of room selection, though we were located further from the main areas in both Xaranna and Sandibe, in Xaranna we were placed in a room between a near constantly running fan and a generator -- which did not add to the peace and quiet. There were other room options and we raised it with the lodge, but no action was taken." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
bazjogone
UK
"My Sep 2018 trip"
I visited Botswana between 2 Sep 2018 and 6 Sep 2018
"Megan was very attentive and helpful, patiently answering all our queries.
No problems with advance organisation" Read full review: 4 nights in Africa; 4 on a Botswana safari
No problems with advance organisation" Read full review: 4 nights in Africa; 4 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Good
Mr & Mrs LN
London
"My Sep 2018 trip"
I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 1 Sep 2018 and 24 Sep 2018
"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
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
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr K
Tonbridge
"botswana delta"
I visited Botswana between 1 Sep 2018 and 18 Sep 2018
"We had a fantastic trip, i was expecting great things, but i was still surprised at how great the trip was .
i would go back tomorrow and the next day,...
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
the trip was wonderful, Im sorry but i do find you website a bit dull, i prefer to go onto other web sites for inspiration and pre-holiday excitement. however that is small and wouldn't stop me using expert africa. the knowledge of the team is phenomenal" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 17 on a Botswana safari
i would go back tomorrow and the next day,...
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
the trip was wonderful, Im sorry but i do find you website a bit dull, i prefer to go onto other web sites for inspiration and pre-holiday excitement. however that is small and wouldn't stop me using expert africa. the knowledge of the team is phenomenal" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 17 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
New to Africa
London
"Zambia and Botswana August 2018"
I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 20 Aug 2018 and 1 Sep 2018
"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!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
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
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!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
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
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs B
Seattle
"Our August 2018 trip"
I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 19 Aug 2018 and 3 Sep 2018
"Expert Africa was great to work with and Ellie was on top of everything."
Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Wendy
Melbourne
"My Aug 2018 trip"
I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 11 Aug 2018 and 13 Sep 2018
"A great 70th birthday trip.
Perhaps erred a bit on the luxurious side, but we didn't really complain." Read full review: 33 nights in Africa; 26 on a Namibia trip
Perhaps erred a bit on the luxurious side, but we didn't really complain." Read full review: 33 nights in Africa; 26 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs H
UK
"Botswana and Victoria Falls August 2018"
I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 8 Aug 2018 and 18 Aug 2018
"An excellent and memorable trip that probably surpassed our expectations. Botswana is a fantastic place to visit."
Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr P & Ms B
London
"Wonderful. Not cheap but worth every penny"
I visited Botswana between 2 Aug 2018 and 20 Aug 2018
"I would really recommend this holiday. Away from all pressures and - as one of the other guests put it - you pay to see the animals and the vegetation on your own. This is a tailor-made experience, away from the crowds of people you find in other safari holidays. You can watch a leopard quietly feeding with no other truck around. This is impossible in most game reserves. In a word: outstanding."
Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr M
Fortis Green
"Amazing week in Botswana"
I visited Botswana between 30 Jul 2018 and 6 Aug 2018
"We had 7 amazing days at 3 camps in an around the delta in August (Gomoti, Machaba and Lebala). Compared to places like the Mara/Kruger/Serengeti, I'd say there was less volume of game (or the plains are less open, so it's harder to see) - sometimes you'd go a couple of days without seeing a lion - so you had to work a bit harder for the sightings. However, the fact that they're all private reserves (or private-ish) means that when you're driving around you are in total isolation, and your sightings can mostly be enjoyed without other vehicles for as long as you like.
Even though there are several reserves and concessions, nothing is fenced - that's great as it makes it truly wild, the downside being that animals can cross the dividing lines but people can't, so you need to go to a few different camps to minimize the probability that the animal you wanted to see crossed the border yesterday and so isn't accessible (this happens quite a bit).
We had great sightings of leopard and wild dogs, saw the big 5 in a single day, had some truly amazing night drives - lion hunts, wildcat, serval, civet, owls galore - and picked up over 100 species of birds in the week. We went on a motor boat trip once, which was very beautiful, really relaxing. We also tried the mokoro, which didn't do much for us (felt quite rickety, and didn't see anything).
In August, the temperature goes from 5 degrees in the morning to close to 30 in the afternoon - that contrast really enhanced the experience as it felt like you were moving from one place to another every day.
All in all, it was by far the most thrilling safari experience I've been on - the tranquility makes it seem so much more wild/natural - and so in future I think I'll be coming back to Botswana rather than Kenya or Tanzania.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
No - Megan was fantastic as always" Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari
Even though there are several reserves and concessions, nothing is fenced - that's great as it makes it truly wild, the downside being that animals can cross the dividing lines but people can't, so you need to go to a few different camps to minimize the probability that the animal you wanted to see crossed the border yesterday and so isn't accessible (this happens quite a bit).
We had great sightings of leopard and wild dogs, saw the big 5 in a single day, had some truly amazing night drives - lion hunts, wildcat, serval, civet, owls galore - and picked up over 100 species of birds in the week. We went on a motor boat trip once, which was very beautiful, really relaxing. We also tried the mokoro, which didn't do much for us (felt quite rickety, and didn't see anything).
In August, the temperature goes from 5 degrees in the morning to close to 30 in the afternoon - that contrast really enhanced the experience as it felt like you were moving from one place to another every day.
All in all, it was by far the most thrilling safari experience I've been on - the tranquility makes it seem so much more wild/natural - and so in future I think I'll be coming back to Botswana rather than Kenya or Tanzania.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
No - Megan was fantastic as always" Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
1006
reviews of Okavango Delta by travellers since August 2007
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