Reviews of safaris to Okavango Delta Safari Reserves
1011 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Okavango Delta.
Nick & Kate
Sussex
"The ultimate game experience"
I visited Botswana between 22 Oct 2009 and 2 Nov 2009
"1. Botswana delivers the ultimate in high-quality, varied and abundant game viewing, in a beautiful setting. Also, it seemed that all the camps have a policy of ensuring that there are no more than 4 people in a vehicle - often, we had the vehicle to ourselves as a pair.
2. The lodges are run very well, and are also high quality - albeit, they lack any individuality or idiosyncrasies. The Wilderness experience is, therefore, very reliable, but a bit corporate. Nevertheless, it does what it says on the tin, and does it very well.
3. The company needs to be more thoughtful about how it manages interaction between staff and guests. The staff are a constant presence - breakfast, coffee breaks, brunch, tea, pre-dinner drinks, dinner - and, while always lovely people, are not necessarily the most gifted conversationalists (true of quite a few guests, mind you). It can be quite oppressive having to 'manage' the conversation, and it can interfere with one's ability to socialise easily with other guests. One can in theory choose to ignore the staff, but this is hardly British. I understand that safaris are meant to be communal, and that the company doesn't want an atmosphere of servile staff and snooty guests (not at the classic camps, anyway) - but the balance is absolutely not right at the moment.
4. Standards of guiding, while competent and friendly, falll a long way short of the standards we have experienced in Tanzania and Zambia from guides trained in Zimbabwe. The knowledge of the guides is often superficial, and they can get quite flustered by questions which take them out of their comfort zone. Standards of tracking seemed low. There is a need for significant investment in training if the standards are to reach the levels whereby a guide can transform your experience of a game drive.
5. There should be more active management of a variety of options for activities - too often, it was assumed that a day drive was all that was ever wanted.
6. Except at Chitabe, the main meals were very uninspiring as a rule.
7. On the other hand, I have never had such a mosquito free trip! Well done to the camps for making the nights a really relaxing time for sleeping." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
2. The lodges are run very well, and are also high quality - albeit, they lack any individuality or idiosyncrasies. The Wilderness experience is, therefore, very reliable, but a bit corporate. Nevertheless, it does what it says on the tin, and does it very well.
3. The company needs to be more thoughtful about how it manages interaction between staff and guests. The staff are a constant presence - breakfast, coffee breaks, brunch, tea, pre-dinner drinks, dinner - and, while always lovely people, are not necessarily the most gifted conversationalists (true of quite a few guests, mind you). It can be quite oppressive having to 'manage' the conversation, and it can interfere with one's ability to socialise easily with other guests. One can in theory choose to ignore the staff, but this is hardly British. I understand that safaris are meant to be communal, and that the company doesn't want an atmosphere of servile staff and snooty guests (not at the classic camps, anyway) - but the balance is absolutely not right at the moment.
4. Standards of guiding, while competent and friendly, falll a long way short of the standards we have experienced in Tanzania and Zambia from guides trained in Zimbabwe. The knowledge of the guides is often superficial, and they can get quite flustered by questions which take them out of their comfort zone. Standards of tracking seemed low. There is a need for significant investment in training if the standards are to reach the levels whereby a guide can transform your experience of a game drive.
5. There should be more active management of a variety of options for activities - too often, it was assumed that a day drive was all that was ever wanted.
6. Except at Chitabe, the main meals were very uninspiring as a rule.
7. On the other hand, I have never had such a mosquito free trip! Well done to the camps for making the nights a really relaxing time for sleeping." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs W
NHants
"A great 4 camp trip in Botswana"
I visited Botswana between 11 Oct 2009 and 22 Oct 2009
"A very memorable and special experience.The 4 camps provided us with a good contrast and balance. Our expectations were exceeded. All of the camps had happy smiling staff who were always there to help. The standard of food, especially in the Ker & Downey camps was amazing given the location.
The organisation of the holiday arrangements were extremely well managed. At no time were we asked for any paperwork or vouchers. I still have the original vouchers package - I wonder if I could turn up next year with the same documents...............
Overall a wonderful time !" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari
The organisation of the holiday arrangements were extremely well managed. At no time were we asked for any paperwork or vouchers. I still have the original vouchers package - I wonder if I could turn up next year with the same documents...............
Overall a wonderful time !" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Dr W & Ms E
London
""
I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 6 Oct 2009 and 21 Oct 2009
"I think we could have done with only 3 locations in Botswana as Chitabe Lediba and Selinda in many ways were quite similar. We will know for next time!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
All went extremely well and efficiently.
Afterwards we spent 2 weeks on our own in South Africa and I felt the difference straight away, in terms of organisation and things going wrong. We had to bribe a policeman to get off a speeding fine, hit a stray tyre on the road, etc etc." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
All went extremely well and efficiently.
Afterwards we spent 2 weeks on our own in South Africa and I felt the difference straight away, in terms of organisation and things going wrong. We had to bribe a policeman to get off a speeding fine, hit a stray tyre on the road, etc etc." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs W
Wiltshire
"Botswana Holiday"
I visited Botswana between 29 Sep 2009 and 13 Oct 2009
"This was a fantastic holiday.
Botswana is expensive but it really has been worth the extra pennies. Being able to drive off road makes a huge difference over other destinations in Africa. Our wild dog encounters were outstanding - we fell in love with this country & cant wait to return.
The only negative comment was our fellow guests. we have never been anywhere where 95% of our fellow guests showed so little interest or knowledge of what they were viewing e.g no-one knew what a pangolin/aardvark was and showed no interest or excitement in the exceptionally lucky sightings and seemed more interested in the table decorations and the Wine.
Suggestions for improvement:
We cannot think of anything apart from the price!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Botswana safari
Botswana is expensive but it really has been worth the extra pennies. Being able to drive off road makes a huge difference over other destinations in Africa. Our wild dog encounters were outstanding - we fell in love with this country & cant wait to return.
The only negative comment was our fellow guests. we have never been anywhere where 95% of our fellow guests showed so little interest or knowledge of what they were viewing e.g no-one knew what a pangolin/aardvark was and showed no interest or excitement in the exceptionally lucky sightings and seemed more interested in the table decorations and the Wine.
Suggestions for improvement:
We cannot think of anything apart from the price!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Sisters
London
"Zambia/Botswana"
I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 25 Sep 2009 and 11 Oct 2009
"This was our first safari so it needed to be very special, which it was.
We loved the fact all the camps were different and we didnt know what we were going to experience next which was great. Also glad we went to Victoria Falls first rather than last, as it was good to end up at one of the best camps. 2 weeks was a great amount of time to have-would definitely still like a minimum of 10 days with a selection of 2-3 camps plus maybe a coast/beach trip after next time!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari
We loved the fact all the camps were different and we didnt know what we were going to experience next which was great. Also glad we went to Victoria Falls first rather than last, as it was good to end up at one of the best camps. 2 weeks was a great amount of time to have-would definitely still like a minimum of 10 days with a selection of 2-3 camps plus maybe a coast/beach trip after next time!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs VanZylrus
UK
"African Adventure in more ways than one!!!"
I visited Namibia and 2 other countries between 25 Sep 2009 and 18 Oct 2009
"We planned our trip a year and a half ahead of our travel date, which allowed us to book all the accommodation that we wanted to stay in at the places we wanted to visit. Maruska is fantastically knowledgeable and very friendly and always tried to match our wishes with the places that she knew would suit us. This proved very much the case with KTC. We were sad that Maruska had moved to New Zealand, by the time we returned, however, we had the pleasure of meeting Chris McIntyre and Tracy Lederer who were also very kind and helpful on our return.
Prior to our departure in addition to Chris' books and the brochure, the literature and the organization of the vouchers and pictures of the places we were staying at, were excellent. We often spent time at airports spotting EA travel tags!!!
We also met other travellers who were equally happy with their EA trip.
We had the most wonderful trip, which surpassed all our expectations. We would definitely recommend Expert Africa to anyone wishing to travel to Africa, particularly for making it such a personally tailored experience. We certainly will be using EA on our next trip!
Just to mention as well we had a very comfortable stay at the Brigadoon in Swakopmund run by a lovely called Margaret ." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip
Prior to our departure in addition to Chris' books and the brochure, the literature and the organization of the vouchers and pictures of the places we were staying at, were excellent. We often spent time at airports spotting EA travel tags!!!
We also met other travellers who were equally happy with their EA trip.
We had the most wonderful trip, which surpassed all our expectations. We would definitely recommend Expert Africa to anyone wishing to travel to Africa, particularly for making it such a personally tailored experience. We certainly will be using EA on our next trip!
Just to mention as well we had a very comfortable stay at the Brigadoon in Swakopmund run by a lovely called Margaret ." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Ms L & Mr H
USA
"We loved Namibia"
I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 20 Sep 2009 and 10 Oct 2009
"Our self-drive loop tour thru Namibia was excellent, and it was extremely helpful to have the help of someone as knowledgeable as Tracy in planning it.
That said, in retrospect I would tweak the itinerary just a bit.
Our stays (after Windhoek) were as follows:
1. Bagatelle Game Ranch, 2 nights. Two nights is too many here, even if the Dune Chalets had been available (and they were not). I think we should have gone straight from Windhoek to #2.
2. Bullsport Guest Farm, 2 nights. I believe this would have been a longer drive from Windhoek (I don't know the road condidtions, of course), but it would have been a nice place to spend three nights.
3. Kulala Desert Lodge, 2 nights. Perfect length of stay, and a visit to the dunes is a must in a Namibia trip, IMO.
4. Swakopmund; Villa Margherita, 2 nights. Nice hotel, but one night would have sufficed.
5. Doro Nawas, 2 nights. Driving to see desert-adapted elephants was excellent. 2 nights is perfect.
6. Ongava Lodge, 1 night. Two nights would have been better, with the full day spent exploring the west/central portion of Etosha.
7. Etosha Aoba Lodge, 1 night. We arrived here rather late, after a full day driving thru Etosha. Nice, basic accomodation with good food. From here we went early in the morning to explore the eastern part of Etosha, and early afternoon arrived at:
8. The Fort at Fisher's Pan. We had been waitlisted for a second night at Etosha Aoba, but after seeing The Fort's brochure, we decided to stay here instead. Over the top, ridiculous, NOT environmentally friendly. But a lovely view. I would not have enjoyed an extended stay here.
(If we had stayed two nights at Ongava, we might have been able to spend just one night on the eastern side of the park, with the exploration of the eastern side of Etosha being done the day we left Ongava.)
9. Okonjima Main Camp, 1 night. This was such a lovely spot to relax, birdwatch, walk (and view cats!), 2 nights would have been nice.
10. Erongo Wilderness Lodge. This is a great place for walkers, a two night stay is a minimum. But if you're not a walker, there is probably little here for you (except for excellent food!).
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
I would recommend Expert Africa to anyone planning a trip to Africa!
Despite my comments on how I might have changed the itinerary, this trip was nigh unto perfect. Omitting Bagatelle and the second night in Swakop are the only major things I would have done differently (with benefit of hindsight), and I suspect that Tracy knew what she was doing when she planned it the way she did.
My detailed comments above are more for Tracy than the general public, though you are free to share them if you feel it would be appropriate.
Thank you, Tracy, for a wonderful trip!" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip
That said, in retrospect I would tweak the itinerary just a bit.
Our stays (after Windhoek) were as follows:
1. Bagatelle Game Ranch, 2 nights. Two nights is too many here, even if the Dune Chalets had been available (and they were not). I think we should have gone straight from Windhoek to #2.
2. Bullsport Guest Farm, 2 nights. I believe this would have been a longer drive from Windhoek (I don't know the road condidtions, of course), but it would have been a nice place to spend three nights.
3. Kulala Desert Lodge, 2 nights. Perfect length of stay, and a visit to the dunes is a must in a Namibia trip, IMO.
4. Swakopmund; Villa Margherita, 2 nights. Nice hotel, but one night would have sufficed.
5. Doro Nawas, 2 nights. Driving to see desert-adapted elephants was excellent. 2 nights is perfect.
6. Ongava Lodge, 1 night. Two nights would have been better, with the full day spent exploring the west/central portion of Etosha.
7. Etosha Aoba Lodge, 1 night. We arrived here rather late, after a full day driving thru Etosha. Nice, basic accomodation with good food. From here we went early in the morning to explore the eastern part of Etosha, and early afternoon arrived at:
8. The Fort at Fisher's Pan. We had been waitlisted for a second night at Etosha Aoba, but after seeing The Fort's brochure, we decided to stay here instead. Over the top, ridiculous, NOT environmentally friendly. But a lovely view. I would not have enjoyed an extended stay here.
(If we had stayed two nights at Ongava, we might have been able to spend just one night on the eastern side of the park, with the exploration of the eastern side of Etosha being done the day we left Ongava.)
9. Okonjima Main Camp, 1 night. This was such a lovely spot to relax, birdwatch, walk (and view cats!), 2 nights would have been nice.
10. Erongo Wilderness Lodge. This is a great place for walkers, a two night stay is a minimum. But if you're not a walker, there is probably little here for you (except for excellent food!).
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
I would recommend Expert Africa to anyone planning a trip to Africa!
Despite my comments on how I might have changed the itinerary, this trip was nigh unto perfect. Omitting Bagatelle and the second night in Swakop are the only major things I would have done differently (with benefit of hindsight), and I suspect that Tracy knew what she was doing when she planned it the way she did.
My detailed comments above are more for Tracy than the general public, though you are free to share them if you feel it would be appropriate.
Thank you, Tracy, for a wonderful trip!" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs B
Northants
"Our afircan adventure"
I visited Botswana between 10 Sep 2009 and 18 Sep 2009
"This was a trip organised very late in the day, which I think made it all the more exciting. I think we were well advised by Lucy and realistically the holiday provided what it said it would. There was good variety in the camp choice and the stay in each was about right. I think having browsed the Botswana guide also helped the whole experience too.
wilderness apparently always confirm return flights which might be useful to know.
J'burg airport are taking temperatures of all visitors on arrival - a couple of paracetomol might be advisable for anyone with a bug or two to avoid quarantine!
Suggestions for improvements:
Please see comments above.
I never did receive the brochure request!
Pictures of the camps might help, its difficult for first timers to have any idea what to expect. Some guests might appreciate forwarnng that animals know no boundaries and will tent visit.
Chris McIntyre may be interested to know we met a guide working at Little Vumbura called Sam (i guess late 40's) who recalled setting up camp without tents many years ago before Wilderness Safaris. He spoke very warmly of him." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari
wilderness apparently always confirm return flights which might be useful to know.
J'burg airport are taking temperatures of all visitors on arrival - a couple of paracetomol might be advisable for anyone with a bug or two to avoid quarantine!
Suggestions for improvements:
Please see comments above.
I never did receive the brochure request!
Pictures of the camps might help, its difficult for first timers to have any idea what to expect. Some guests might appreciate forwarnng that animals know no boundaries and will tent visit.
Chris McIntyre may be interested to know we met a guide working at Little Vumbura called Sam (i guess late 40's) who recalled setting up camp without tents many years ago before Wilderness Safaris. He spoke very warmly of him." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs T
Guernsey
"Our first safari"
I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 6 Sep 2009 and 16 Sep 2009
"If only I could forget the missing luggage!
However this does not distract from the experience as a whole, which was outstanding. We are not weathy people, we have worked hard and spent the money on a unique experience that will give us many happy memories for the rest of our lives.
I would repeat the trip without hesitation. Thanks to all staff at Expert Africa and at Kwando.
Suggestions for improvements:
No. A great company to deal with. First class service.
(Make it cheaper next time please - but I'm bound to say that)." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari
However this does not distract from the experience as a whole, which was outstanding. We are not weathy people, we have worked hard and spent the money on a unique experience that will give us many happy memories for the rest of our lives.
I would repeat the trip without hesitation. Thanks to all staff at Expert Africa and at Kwando.
Suggestions for improvements:
No. A great company to deal with. First class service.
(Make it cheaper next time please - but I'm bound to say that)." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs M
Bristol
"Botswana & Bazaruto"
I visited Botswana and 2 other countries between 25 Aug 2009 and 10 Sep 2009
"We would like to thank Lucy Copson for helping put together such a wonderful experience.
The choice of camps suited us perfectly." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
The choice of camps suited us perfectly." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
1011
reviews of Okavango Delta by travellers since August 2007
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