Reviews of Splash Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
98 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Splash Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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96% success
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66% success
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84% success
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80% success
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100% success
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100% success
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99% success
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99% success
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98% success
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87% success
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71% success
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44% success
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34% success
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29% success
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1% success
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1% success
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0% success
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0% success
"Splash Camp review"
Atmosphere not as jolly here. A couple of staff genuinely pleasant, Gift and Innocent.
Mokoro trip very short, but in the safe shallows, apart from seeing some small frogs angolan ridge back etc, not worthwhile. At least the guide had a rifle in case of meeting a hippo.
The weather was particularly hot for two days so siestas were a chance to trying and cool down a bit.
Great spotter, KB, saw the cheetah brothers on my last morning, without seeing any tracks to forewarn us of their return from Khwai concession. A great finish to the safari. Did well tracking/finding leopards as well, one male and one female and had quality time with the female on two visits long to be remembered, along with the sound of her crunching her way through a steenbok's ears!?
Very enjoyable lunch had out in the concession.
Food was variable again. Lamb chops particularly bad. Yet to have Kudu which is delicious, only ever had it in Namibia.
First experience of following three lions tracking and harassing a buffalo. Kept attacking it when the herd allowed. Last seen after 8pm on top of buffalo on the ground trying to further disable it. Achieved the kill overnight, and bare carcass seen the next morning with vultures/yellow billed kites having the last bits. Presumably hyenas had helped the lions strip the carcass so quickly. Three lions would have struggled to eat it all overnight." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana
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Buffalo
6 sightings
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Cheetah
1 sighting
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Elephant
10 sightings
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Hippo
10 sightings
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Leopard
4 sightings
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Lion
10 sightings
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Roan antelope
3 sightings
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Sable antelope
3 sightings
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Spotted Hyena
3 sightings
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Wild dog
1 sighting
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Wildebeest
5 sightings
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Zebra
8 sightings
"Splash Camp review Good game"
The food was very average, and it seems they hadn't been warned that I preferred not to eat meat. On one particular lunchtime a vegetable lasagne was offered (unfortunately, I don't eat cooked lunch), but apart from that there were no vegetarian dishes and the cooking of side vegetables, with which I would have been happy, left a lot to be desired.
The game, though, was more abundant than at 4 Rivers and I had some good sightings, incluidng a leopard, though it seems that I missed a lot of the excitement of previous days. I was also a little disappointed that the guide didn't seem interested in spotting more birds.
I would say that one highlight was the boat outing." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana
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Buffalo
3 sightings
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Elephant
3 sightings
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Giraffe
3 sightings
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Hippo
3 sightings
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Leopard
Multiple sightings
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Lion
3 sightings
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Roan antelope
3 sightings
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Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
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Wildebeest
3 sightings
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Zebra
3 sightings
"Splash Camp review"
Would be good to request a room nearer the main reception as ours was a good hike in sand and our shoes/ feet etc got extremely dirty every time we walked back. We also needed an escort to walk to the far away rooms every night at every camp. Animals were great!
Pride of lions had brought down a giraffe very recently - it was still bloody - and we watched the pride scoffing it - with hyenas, jackals and vultures behind them who were too scared to try and come closer. We also found a pack of wild dogs with puppies and went on the hunt with 3 of them - following at speed in our jeep. Saw them bring down, kill and eat an impala - and then regurgitate the food for the puppies! Also saw 2 cheetah bring down a reedbok - and eat it - but they were too quick in the hunt to video.
Saw lots of animals in general - including an aardwolf, warthogs, striped mongoose, and lots of birds.
Nice place, great room, but long walk to & from reception" See all these reviews: 13n in Botswana
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Buffalo
Multiple sightings
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Cheetah
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
Multiple sightings
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Lion
Multiple sightings
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Roan antelope
Multiple sightings
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Sable antelope
Multiple sightings
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Wild dog
Multiple sightings
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Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Splash Camp review"
The landscape was the most varied of the camps we visited, being set on the edge of the flood plains. There was mopane woodland, dry grasslands, flooded plains that the game trucks had to pass though and the Okavango river system with papyrus beds where we viewed the abundant birdlife from a boat with an elevated platform.
And the game experiences - wow! The first highlight was a lion pride (4 adult females and 4 huge sub-adult males) that took a large adult male giraffe on our first day. For the next 2 days we watched as the pride gradually consumed their kill while protecting it from two other huge male lions; it was amazing to follow that level of lion behaviour. We had several leopard sightings, mostly in trees, and we followed a pair of cheetahs at various times over our stay. We saw several lions on every game drive. An aardwolf peeking out from its den was something we had hoped but not expected to see, along with honey badger and African wild cat.
A boat trip, a makoro ride and night safaris added greatly to the safari experience. Being able to drive after dark is essential so you don't have to stop watching something late afternoon when you are a distance from the camp.
But the highlight of the trip, and the most exciting experience of all our safaris was hunting with a pack of wild dogs. The pack had been sighted on the other side of the reserve, so 3 cars set of from Splash mid-afternoon to find them. We gradually tracked them to an open area where they were resting. After watching them for a short time they suddenly got up and began socialising loudly, the 11 pups asking the 16 adults for food. They set off on the hunt and we followed them in the cars. When they found herds of tsessebi, reedbuck and impala the pace suddenly quickened. The pack split between the herds and accelerated, the cars split and followed them at breakneck speed through the flooded plains.
An incredible experience followed as we rushed to chase the successful hunt and watched as the adults gorged on the impala and ran back to regurgitate the food for the pups. An altogether unbelievable experienced that we haven’t seen before even on film. I am sure it could not have been witnessed at any other safari destination, because of the size of pack, ability to drive after dark, the coordination of brilliant guides and the landscape that made it possible to follow.
Splash was altogether a special camp in a wonderful environment staffed by special people. We loved it." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana
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Buffalo
10 sightings
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Cheetah
8 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
6 sightings
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Lion
10 sightings
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Roan antelope
1 sighting
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Spotted Hyena
10 sightings
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Wild dog
1 sighting
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Wildebeest
10 sightings
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Zebra
10 sightings
"Splash Camp review"
After long games drives it was difficult to get back to our room for showers as we had to be escorted by our guide who was also tired and had other clients to deal with.
We never sat round the camp fire in the evening as were encouraged to get to bed - again because the guides were tired and wanted to get to bed" See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
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Buffalo
10 sightings
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Cheetah
2 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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Lion
10 sightings
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Roan antelope
2 sightings
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Spotted Hyena
7 sightings
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Wild dog
10 sightings
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Wildebeest
10 sightings
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Zebra
10 sightings
"Splash Camp review"
Also due to this group we were also lucky to have our own private game vehicle for all drives apart from the last afternoon when an another lady joined us. Wonderful private Mokoro experience I was with our tracker KB and my husband was with our guide ST. Both our Guide and Tracker were very good.
We had great wild dog encounters including a kill just a few seconds from camp. Was slightly disappointed with lion and leopard sightings." See all these reviews: 17n in Zambia; 3n in Namibia; 3n 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
2 sightings
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Lion
3 sightings
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Roan antelope
Multiple sightings
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Sitatunga
Multiple sightings
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Wild dog
2 sightings
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Wildebeest
10 sightings
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Zebra
10 sightings
"Splash Camp review"
Our overall exposure to wildlife was incredible and we appreciated having a guide (Josiah) and tracker (Eba). We enjoyed Josiah and Eba who took the time everyday to discover experiences, share their knowledge of wildlife and village culture in the delta. Additionally, only the 2 of us were on the drive and the rest of the time there were a total of 4 people. Upon request, we did experience the boat ride and mokoro, which were very nice diversions.
Our cabin was roomy, excellent and we loved the outdoor shower. The food was exceptional and the staff was friendly, helpful, and regularly performed extra touches. For example, there was an unexpected dinner under the stars one night, and they provided warm blankets and water bottles for the very cold morning rides." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana
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Buffalo
Multiple sightings
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Cheetah
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
Multiple sightings
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Lion
Multiple sightings
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Roan antelope
1 sighting
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Sitatunga
1 sighting
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Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
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Wild dog
Multiple sightings
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Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Splash Camp review"
The accommodation was superb." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana; 4n in Namibia; 3n in Zambia
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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
3 sightings
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Lion
Multiple sightings
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Roan antelope
1 sighting
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Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
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Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Splash Camp review"
The food was great, it's amazing how they can rustle it all up in the middle of nowhere.
Just sitting on the deck of our room in the afternoon, with impala and warthogs snuffling about by our feet and ten different species out at the watering hole, in an everchanging parade, was magical to witness.
We were lucky enough to see a cheetah hunt, wild dogs chasing and a standoff between lions and buffalo. When the guides are excited too, you know you are witnessing something special. There were also lots of babies about - hyena, lion cubs, hippo and elephants." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana
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Buffalo
10 sightings
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Cheetah
3 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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Lion
10 sightings
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Roan antelope
1 sighting
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Sitatunga
2 sightings
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Spotted Hyena
5 sightings
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Wild dog
3 sightings
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Wildebeest
10 sightings
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Zebra
10 sightings
"Splash Camp review"
All team members - camp managers, assistants, chefs, cleaners, etc - are very welcoming, extremely professional, nice, listening and answering any needs you can have. They are also very careful about all safety and security aspects. We saw it as very nice that all team members are made visible - for example, the junior waiters get to present the menu for dinner.
Finally, we were asked multiple times for our open and honest feedback, and we did perceive this as a strong and honest will to improve even further - knowing that the quality of the overall experience is already extremely high!
Wildlife is extremely abundant. We saw countless and extremely varied animals.
It is simply magical to arrive at the Camp and see elephants, giraffes and zebras only a few dozens of meters away, in the plain in front of the main area, after having already seen pelicans, ostrichs, warthogs, etc on the way from the airstrip. And then the safari excursions bring it to a higher level, with extremely knowledgeable guides and trackers. They are able to spot so many animals, as well as perfectly explain the animals habits, ways of life, and how they track them. It is also very pleasant also to be maximum 6 guests in a car, and staying with the same guide, tracker, and guests during the stay. One small potential point for improvement would be that, beyond the obvious stars of the show (lions, leopards, elephants, buffalos, hyenas, wild dogs, hyenas, hippos, etc - which we were lucky to see all during our stay), guides potentially spend some more time also on looking for and providing explanations on plants and smaller animals, like birds, reptiles, small rodents, insects, as these are also of interest. We for example got some explanation on termites and their role in the ecosystem and the food chain, which was also great. Same principle of taking more time at a slower pace to see birds during the boat tour would be appreciated. Finally, we had a 30-minute tour on a mokoro, which either should have been longer, in another location; or simply replaced by an additional game drive.
The accommodation at the camp, both common area and bedrooms, is very beautiful, very clean, well organised, and very comfortable. Everything is carefully thought of in the smallest details. And even if some people might regard this as an inconvenient, we loved having no network, allowing for a digital detox and nice discussions with the other guests.
Food was relatively simple dishes, but always nicely presented and tasting good, with many drinks, hot and cold, being available all day long.
Transfers are organised extremely smoothly and in a very efficient manner, allowing to spend the maximum amount of time to enjoy the camp and wildlife.
Finally, one request to Expert Africa: we wished you could have mentioned the baby & mum charity that Splash support before we left home. This would have allowed us to bring some baby items with us, that we no longer need, and would have been useful in Botswana." See all these reviews: 5n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe; 1n in South Africa
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Buffalo
5 sightings
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Elephant
10 sightings
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Giraffe
10 sightings
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Hippo
5 sightings
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Leopard
3 sightings
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Lion
2 sightings
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Sitatunga
1 sighting
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Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
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Wild dog
1 sighting
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Wildebeest
5 sightings
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Zebra
10 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.