Reviews of Shinde Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
103 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Shinde Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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74% success
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68% success
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17% success
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58% success
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100% success
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100% success
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100% success
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96% success
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91% success
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64% success
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52% success
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20% success
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16% success
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0% success
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0% success
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0% success
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0% success
"Shinde Camp review"
After watching some elephant and zebra we followed a male lion for quite a while as he strolled along in a driving rainstorm. We also saw two female lions in the grass. After helping another truck unstick itself from a mudhole, we had a late dinner and returned to our well-appointed family tent, which was a main room with king bed, a large bathroom and shower, and another room with twin beds for our two children. The daily schedule was a game drive at 0530 after a 0500 wake-up and quick breakfast snack, then a brunch, siesta, and another game drive after afternoon "tea". After the afternoon drive, dinner was served at 2000.
On our second day we witnessed two male lions fighting over a kill, presumably stolen from pack of wild dogs, that we were able to see at a distance. A leopard was also in the area and we were able to see it from a distance, along with a spotted hyena that was trying to steal the leopard's kill. Our afternoon game drive was cut short on the second day by a crazy thunderstorm that left us soaked through. Though the guides provide ponchos, the trucks at Shinde do not have side curtains and the thunderstorm winds were intense.
On our third day we did a boat safari in the morning. It was a lot of fun navigating the narrow channels, and the guides (America and BT) helped our son fish. We caught several tilapia, which the staff cooked for our dinner. It was delicious - some of the best fish we've ever eaten. On the boat safari, we saw hippos and many birds. The highlight of that afternoon was seeing two wild dogs near the camp.
On our final morning, we traveled to the far side of the concession as someone had spotted female lions and cubs. We found them, sleeping under some bushes, though it delayed our return causing us to be a bit late "checking out" as the next guests had already arrived. Overall, we stuck to the standard schedule, though other guests arranged for "extra" game drives during "siesta" time. Though Shinde offers walking safaris and night safaris, we did not avail ourselves of those. Shinde also has a nice little pool that our kids enjoyed. As I watched the kids at the pool (kids are NOT allowed to be un-escorted at any time), I was able to take photos of the paradise flycatchers in the trees above.
We really enjoyed our stay at Shinde. The staff was welcoming and friendly. We had many wonderful sightings. The staff paid particular attention to our children, even fretting when our daughter, who doesn't eat much, didn't eat much. They had a kids' menu for her to make sure she had someting if the evening group buffet wasn't for her. When they saw that the kids were tired in the evenings, they arranged for us to eat earlier. The food was good and the common areas and our tent were very nice. Our guide was outstanding and tried very hard to show us as much as possible.
A word about the rain. We had been warned that this was the beginning of rainy season. That being said we were also warned about the luggage limitations of the bush planes. In our case, we erred too far on the side of packing light as our "bush plane" was not super-small. In retrospect, it would have been better to pack a bit more to ensure everyone had quick drying shoes and some warmer clothes for dinner. Two weeks before we left, temperatures were 100F+ in Maun. When we arrived, the rains had started and the daytime temperature was in the low 80sF at Shinde and it was damp and cool in the evenings. Though the rain was scattered, the showers were more intense than we anticipated. On the plus side, we got to see many frogs by flashlight on our rainy evening escorted walks to dinner.
Overall, a fantastic experience." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 4n in South Africa; 2n in Zimbabwe
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Elephant
Multiple sightings
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Giraffe
Multiple sightings
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Hippo
Multiple sightings
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Leopard
1 sighting
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Lion
Multiple sightings
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Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
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Wild dog
Multiple sightings
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Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Shinde Camp review"
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Buffalo
10 sightings
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Elephant
10 sightings
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Giraffe
6 sightings
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Hippo
10 sightings
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Leopard
2 sightings
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Lion
10 sightings
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Wild dog
10 sightings
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Wildebeest
10 sightings
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Zebra
10 sightings
"Shinde Camp review"
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Buffalo
10 sightings
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Elephant
10 sightings
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Giraffe
6 sightings
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Hippo
10 sightings
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Leopard
2 sightings
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Lion
2 sightings
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Roan antelope
10 sightings
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Sable antelope
10 sightings
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Wildebeest
10 sightings
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Zebra
10 sightings
"Shinde Camp review"
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Buffalo
1 sighting
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Elephant
Multiple sightings
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Giraffe
Multiple sightings
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Hippo
Multiple sightings
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Lion
1 sighting
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Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Shinde Camp review"
Our Guide (Noah) was outstanding - among the very best we have been fortunate to have on over a dozen safari trips. The food was wholesome rather than special. A choice of main course at dinner would be desirable. We mostly did game drives but also took a boat ride through the lagoon and channels from the camp one afternoon.
We were fortunate to witness a Wild dog hunt on our first game drive (a pack of 16 dogs) and had several sightings of lions and elephants as well as numerous antelope and other game species. Another highlight was watching lions attempting to feed on a hippo carcass, but being being repeatedly chased off it by one of the other hippos." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana
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Elephant
10 sightings
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Giraffe
3 sightings
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Hippo
9 sightings
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Lion
9 sightings
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Sable antelope
1 sighting
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Wild dog
1 sighting
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Wildebeest
9 sightings
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Zebra
10 sightings
"Shinde Camp review"
The staff couldn’t do enough for you. I arrived with an upset stomach and they were very concerned offering to contact a doctor.
They catered a special meal and kept checking I was ok. I was fine following day.
Beautiful location. We fished went on boat excursions and guiding excellent.
Very well managed." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana
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Buffalo
Multiple sightings
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Elephant
Multiple sightings
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Giraffe
Multiple sightings
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Hippo
Multiple sightings
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Leopard
1 sighting
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Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Shinde Camp review"
The food was excellent. A great selection and all very tasty. No porridge at the fire but the breakfasts were just lovely anyway and we have no complaints.
Once again, the staff were lovely, friendly and helpful and remembered all our needs. There is a full laundry service here. No need to wash anything at all ourselves unless we wanted to. No problems with silk either, it was washed and returned ironed perfectly.
Our guide was Kenny. He was very good and made great efforts to find the wildlife, being the first from the camp to find Wild Dogs, which was an amazing experience. I think, however, we both felt that having a tracker at the other camps was a bonus. We had a good rapport with Kenny. He had an interest in photography and I spent one to one time with him trying to help him understand the intricacies of Macro.
Our Mokoro guide was very patient and understanding in trying to help me accomplish photographing a Painted Reed Frog……almost an impossibility on a moving boat 😊
However, I have his patience (and my husband’s) to thank for a great image. Once again we had a little difficulty persuading our guide that we were happy watching the bird life around the Lagoon and other water areas, but we got there.
There was only one ‘public’ loo…….but what a loo this is. The outdoor experience will never be forgotten. There was rarely a wait but this may have been because of easier pathway access to our accommodations. The pathways here were more compacted for easier walking. The whole camp was very lush and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. We came away happy and relaxed.
The Little Extras that were appreciated at this camp:
A pot of tea each at wake up time. Lovely. I got up slightly earlier to shower and dress so that I could enjoy this treat and set myself for a relaxed day.
I was very well looked after with great care and consideration after being stung by a bee on a game drive. The staff’s concern was very touching and very considerate. On return to camp a full medical kit was ready had it been needed.
We were offered use of the Enclave for wildlife watching as there were no other guests using it.
The down side:
I think our major item in this list, was reading the company literature on gratuities. This was in very stark contrast to Expert Africa’s own guidance on the subject. To say we were left in a state of shock to see how much more they recommended, is an understatement. When I told some other guests about this, they were as shocked as we were. I will await your company’s comments.
There were no water bottles handed out here. We used the ones we had been given by Kwando but there wasn’t quite the check on making sure the guests had water. There were less hot towel and cold drink arrival greetings but there was plenty available in central camp." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana
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Elephant
Multiple sightings
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Giraffe
Multiple sightings
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Hippo
Multiple sightings
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Lion
Multiple sightings
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Wild dog
1 sighting
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Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Shinde Camp review"
The game drives produced some wonderful experiences." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
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Buffalo
10 sightings
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Elephant
10 sightings
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Giraffe
10 sightings
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Hippo
10 sightings
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Leopard
2 sightings
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Roan antelope
1 sighting
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Sable antelope
1 sighting
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Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
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Wild dog
10 sightings
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Wildebeest
10 sightings
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Zebra
10 sightings
"Shinde Camp review"
This year (2022) more water is flowing in this NE channel so the camp was particularly good for going out in the various lagoons. Game drives were knowledgeably and well guided, and we were privileged to follow wild dogs on the hunt and see their successful kill, see leopard (and its cub) on a kill, and enjoy excellent sightings of a wide variety of game - particularly good herds of red lechwe and groups of kudu - and superb bird life.
Sadly, the lion pride in the area had left for a neighbouring Concession so we didn't see lion on this part of or trip. Gliding through the swamps and lagoons on a mokoro provided a peaceful and calming contrast to bouncing around on the game drives.
Shinde provided a superb introduction the the Delta and our thanks go to Simon, our guide, and all the camp staff who mad our stay so enjoyable." See all these reviews: 13n in Botswana
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Buffalo
10 sightings
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Elephant
10 sightings
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Giraffe
10 sightings
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Hippo
10 sightings
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Leopard
3 sightings
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Wild dog
10 sightings
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Wildebeest
10 sightings
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Zebra
10 sightings
"Shinde Camp review"
A subtle electric fence keeps elephants out of the camp, and the beautiful walkways through a forest garden lead to nicely spaced tent chalets (staff walk with you at night in case you turn up other animals -- we met a startled, beautiful little bushbuck just outside our tent on the first evening).
The game drives in particular are world class. With only the very few Land Cruisers from the lodge on the roads, you are going to see everything (no "you saw a leopard? I wish we had" at dinner) but never in a crowd. Our truck would pull up next to another, or call in another, and then gracefully move off so everyone gets a great view. And the guides are superb -- intelligent, cordial, and vastly experienced. They know their patch superbly, and they know the animals -- where to look, where to turn, where to stop, and the backstory of each mother leopard or lion pride.
The habitats here are a perfect and varied microcosm and introduction to the delta, with grassland savanna, isolated and clustered stands of beautiful marula and kigelia (sausage) trees, open bush, beautiful pond and hillock pans, and lots of varieties of swamp, river, marsh, pool, papyrus, and reeds. This leads to amazing views of birds and beasts, with huge variety.
Again, I could go on and on, but let me distill it to this: If I had only a few days to spend in Botswana, I would spend them here." See all these reviews: 13n in Botswana; 2n in Namibia; 1n in South Africa
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Buffalo
1 sighting
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Elephant
Multiple sightings
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Giraffe
Multiple sightings
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Hippo
Multiple sightings
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Leopard
Multiple sightings
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Lion
Multiple sightings
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Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
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Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
Holiday styles & special interests in Botswana
From birdwatching breaks to walking holidays, find great ideas for your trip in Botswana.
Other lodges in Okavango Delta Safari Reserves
Alternative places to stay in this same area.