Reviews of safaris to Okavango Delta Safari Reserves
1005 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Okavango Delta.
Mr D
Witney
"Overall Satisfaction"
I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 2 Oct 2011 and 20 Oct 2011
"The only reason for the rating of Fairly Satisfactory is the flights on SAA and the problem with Mack Air aircraft, otherwise everything was very satisfactory indeed.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Not really; we will be happy to use the Company again when the time comes." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Not really; we will be happy to use the Company again when the time comes." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Good
Mr C & Ms H
Ealing
"Agent Error"
I visited Botswana between 29 Sep 2011 and 10 Oct 2011
"This was the most expensive holiday that myself and my friends had ever undertaken. Therefore, it was very annoying the the first day (of what was a short holiday) was ruined for all of us by a simple ticketing error.
This got the experience off to a very bad start. Once we were all in Botswana, everthing (apart from Grey Matters) met or exceeded our expectations." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari
This got the experience off to a very bad start. Once we were all in Botswana, everthing (apart from Grey Matters) met or exceeded our expectations." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Poor
Mr & Mrs P
Harrow
"Fantastic Holiday"
I visited Namibia and 2 other countries between 21 Sep 2011 and 12 Oct 2011
"Everything we had hoped for!!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
All was perfect." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
All was perfect." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr F & Ms F
London
"Namibia + Botswana"
I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 13 Sep 2011 and 30 Sep 2011
"5*.
A few special mentions for individual excursions:
Turnstone tours - did a trip down to Sandwich Bay with Wayne. This was excellent.
Francois - we had booked the kayaking trip to see the seals. Rather than the lady who normally does it (she was on holiday) we were taken out by Francois, who runs a competing tour (though they seem to share bookings). He was excellent and gave us an incredible day's kayaking. Highly recommended.
Georg Erb (Swakop Tour Company) - recommended by our guest house, this was the best tour we did all trip. Georg is superb and knows everything. He has an excellent afternoon tour itinerary and is absolutely essential if you're in Swakopmund. Please promote him - such an interesting afternoon.
Ballooning - Can't remember the name of the company but we did a balloon trip from Kulala Desert Lodge with John. He was outstanding. Definitely worth the money...loved every minute of it and an excellent breakfast too.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Push people to book things to do in Swakopmund up front. It's a dull place just to hang around...but there are excellent excursions around the town. We met some people who hated the place...but they didn't do anything. Don't let people stay there for 3 nights without booking some things to do..." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 6 on a Namibia trip
A few special mentions for individual excursions:
Turnstone tours - did a trip down to Sandwich Bay with Wayne. This was excellent.
Francois - we had booked the kayaking trip to see the seals. Rather than the lady who normally does it (she was on holiday) we were taken out by Francois, who runs a competing tour (though they seem to share bookings). He was excellent and gave us an incredible day's kayaking. Highly recommended.
Georg Erb (Swakop Tour Company) - recommended by our guest house, this was the best tour we did all trip. Georg is superb and knows everything. He has an excellent afternoon tour itinerary and is absolutely essential if you're in Swakopmund. Please promote him - such an interesting afternoon.
Ballooning - Can't remember the name of the company but we did a balloon trip from Kulala Desert Lodge with John. He was outstanding. Definitely worth the money...loved every minute of it and an excellent breakfast too.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Push people to book things to do in Swakopmund up front. It's a dull place just to hang around...but there are excellent excursions around the town. We met some people who hated the place...but they didn't do anything. Don't let people stay there for 3 nights without booking some things to do..." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 6 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr S & Miss McD
UK
"The Leopards of Botswana"
I visited Botswana between 10 Sep 2011 and 22 Sep 2011
"I had the ggod fortune to email Kathy Kays and give her a list of habitats that we wanted to visit and animals we wished to see. Her selection was spot on so we had a truly memorable trip.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
I think that you might tell your visitors to make sure that they take travel pills if they have a problem with small aircraft. In the dry season the updrafts can be quite powerful at times and make for bumpy rides." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
I think that you might tell your visitors to make sure that they take travel pills if they have a problem with small aircraft. In the dry season the updrafts can be quite powerful at times and make for bumpy rides." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Lapini Ensemble
UK
"A very good holiday"
I visited Namibia and 2 other countries between 3 Sep 2011 and 18 Sep 2011
"An excellent trip - we enjoyed all the places we stayed & everything went smoothly.
We were really helped by the advice we had from Gwynneth - she was knowledgeable and pragmatic about what we could do and what would be most fun." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 5 on a Namibia trip
We were really helped by the advice we had from Gwynneth - she was knowledgeable and pragmatic about what we could do and what would be most fun." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 5 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs M
Wiltshire
"One of the Best!"
I visited Botswana and 2 other countries between 3 Sep 2011 and 17 Sep 2011
"It was a fantastic trip, we enjoyed every moment (apart from me feeling ill on the little planes!). Tracy suggested Susuwe Island Lodge, Tubu Tree and Baines Camp and they could not have been better suggestions, we were delighted with them. They were all a bit different to each other in style and in slightly different habitats so we saw different things, which is what we wanted.
We had a rather lengthy journey from the Royal Livingstone Hotel to Susuwe. We noticed from the map that there is what appears to be a direct road north of the Zambezi and then over a bridge but we were not taken that way, we assumed that it can't be a very good road. However, we learned when we reached Susuwe that it is a good road, a modern bridge and the journey takes 3 hours door to door. It took us 6 hours.
First, 1 hour drive to the Zambezi, checked out of Zambia, speedboat across the river, checked into Botswana, were driven 10 minutes by a woman who was on her mobile the entiire time then transferred to another vehicle and driver - why? He then drove us all the way to meet the vehicle from Susuwe, but we had to check out of Botswana and into Namibia. The journey took twice as long and presumably because of this cost us twice as much, we had to wait at the various immigration and emmigration posts and got another Botswana stamp in the passport to no useful purpose. We would still have been coming back this way of course to Kasane to fly to Tubu Tree, so going there a different way would have made a round trip which would have been more interesting as well as far more convenient. We would like your comments on this please.
When we were offered to change from San Camp to Jacks Camp because of a photo shoot at San we were told there were "a couple" of other guests at Jacks. There were in fact about 12 other guests which is considerably more than "a couple". We immediately thought we shouldn't have changed as if we had been the only proper guests at San we would have had a guide to ourselves, whereas with so many other guests that was not likely. We thought this was very misleading wording by Uncharted Africa.
However, by accident rather than design we did in fact have a - very good - guide to ourselves so were mollified! We were pleased overall that we changed to Jacks, it was quite an experience. Thank you to Megan who pointed out that I was particularly interested in the meerkats and they arranged 2 visits to them into our schedule so that was lovely, and I adored having them crawling over me!
I was amused to read in the Bradt travel guide that there are no meerkats in the Makgadikgadi park. This is plainly not the case!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari
We had a rather lengthy journey from the Royal Livingstone Hotel to Susuwe. We noticed from the map that there is what appears to be a direct road north of the Zambezi and then over a bridge but we were not taken that way, we assumed that it can't be a very good road. However, we learned when we reached Susuwe that it is a good road, a modern bridge and the journey takes 3 hours door to door. It took us 6 hours.
First, 1 hour drive to the Zambezi, checked out of Zambia, speedboat across the river, checked into Botswana, were driven 10 minutes by a woman who was on her mobile the entiire time then transferred to another vehicle and driver - why? He then drove us all the way to meet the vehicle from Susuwe, but we had to check out of Botswana and into Namibia. The journey took twice as long and presumably because of this cost us twice as much, we had to wait at the various immigration and emmigration posts and got another Botswana stamp in the passport to no useful purpose. We would still have been coming back this way of course to Kasane to fly to Tubu Tree, so going there a different way would have made a round trip which would have been more interesting as well as far more convenient. We would like your comments on this please.
When we were offered to change from San Camp to Jacks Camp because of a photo shoot at San we were told there were "a couple" of other guests at Jacks. There were in fact about 12 other guests which is considerably more than "a couple". We immediately thought we shouldn't have changed as if we had been the only proper guests at San we would have had a guide to ourselves, whereas with so many other guests that was not likely. We thought this was very misleading wording by Uncharted Africa.
However, by accident rather than design we did in fact have a - very good - guide to ourselves so were mollified! We were pleased overall that we changed to Jacks, it was quite an experience. Thank you to Megan who pointed out that I was particularly interested in the meerkats and they arranged 2 visits to them into our schedule so that was lovely, and I adored having them crawling over me!
I was amused to read in the Bradt travel guide that there are no meerkats in the Makgadikgadi park. This is plainly not the case!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs H
Lancs
"Our Botswana Experience"
I visited Botswana between 29 Aug 2011 and 9 Sep 2011
"A memorable trip-equal to our experiences in Zambia last year. (No tsetse flies this year!)
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Cannot think of any thing---Thanks" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Cannot think of any thing---Thanks" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
KR family
SW London
""
I visited Botswana between 19 Aug 2011 and 25 Aug 2011
"Looking forward to returning to Botswanna in the future.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
We were given the help that we required. Cannot think of any improvements that are necessary." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
We were given the help that we required. Cannot think of any improvements that are necessary." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr L & Ms S
London
"Whirlwind tour of the Delta"
I visited Botswana between 31 Jul 2011 and 6 Aug 2011
"The whole trip was a big success. We were torn between two camps for 3 nights or three camps for 2 nights each before we went and I am not sure which would be better even with hindsight - maybe just a longer holiday would be the answer.
This was the first time we have been to Africa without either our children and/or friends and being just two has its drawbacks. The possibility of incompatible jeep mates and the relentless socialising with new people (where are you from? which camps are you visiting etc.) was potentially an issue. We are naturally gregarious and generally had good luck with the above but I would bear it in mind in the future given that all the camps seem to go for the single table dining experience.
Your advice on camps seems to have been very good (unless all the camps are this standard) and as the weather warmed up through the week we thought that for perfection we perhaps should have gone one or two weeks later.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:/b
Nothing strikes me. It was all very smooth and professional." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari
This was the first time we have been to Africa without either our children and/or friends and being just two has its drawbacks. The possibility of incompatible jeep mates and the relentless socialising with new people (where are you from? which camps are you visiting etc.) was potentially an issue. We are naturally gregarious and generally had good luck with the above but I would bear it in mind in the future given that all the camps seem to go for the single table dining experience.
Your advice on camps seems to have been very good (unless all the camps are this standard) and as the weather warmed up through the week we thought that for perfection we perhaps should have gone one or two weeks later.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:/b
Nothing strikes me. It was all very smooth and professional." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
1005
reviews of Okavango Delta by travellers since August 2007
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