Botswana: reviews from our travellers

"The whole trip was very well organised by Lucy, went very smoothly in Africa and was very much enjoyed. Unfortunately, our outward BA flight was delayed by over three hours and so we missed our Airlink connecting flight from Johannesburg to Maun but fortunately we were rebooked onto a later flight. Thanks to Lucy for reacting so quickly to our email, warning Airlink of the situation and ensuring Mack Air and our first camp at Lagoon were also aware. The service on the flights to and from Maun on Airlink was very good.

We stayed at four Kwando camps: Lagoon, Lebala, Mma Dinare and Splash. All provided very good and comfortable accommodation, food and facilities, friendly, welcoming and helpful staff; and, most importantly, excellent guiding and tracking, with plenty of time to view what was going on. It was good to be able to drive off road at all the camps which added immeasurably to the sightings; and it was rare for there to be more than one or two vehicles in one place at the same time.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the trip, our fourth with Expert Africa, and it met our objectives in terms of the animals we particularly wanted to see this time (cheetah and wild dogs) although we saw a very broad range of animals and birds." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"If I could give Expert Africa 11 or of 10, I would!

Lucy was fabulous - knowledgeable, careful and a good listener too.

The result was the holiday of a lifetime, filled with memories we will never forget.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Totally professional and nice too! No, I can't find any way to improve." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"We are a family coming together for this trip from five different countries.

Maruska did a fabulous job in organizing us all even with a last minute change. Great advice all round.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Everything ran very smoothly and we will certainly book our next trip with you." Read full review: 3 nights in Africa; 3 on a Botswana safari

"We enjoyed our trip very much, mainly because we hadn't experienced this part of Botswana and Namibia before and that sense of anticipation of what to expect next was always something to look forward to.

The lodges/camps we chose were somewhat remote and transfers between them were actually quite long and a bit tiring. Botswana and Namibia border crossings and immigration were numerous and also tedious in some instances- long queues etc.

Wildlife sightings throughout the trip, apart from Elephants at Camp Kuzuma waterhole, were limited and hence a little disappointing. A visit to the Delta may be on the cards in the future but we would not return to this area." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip

"We were really pleased with the order of our itinerary ... for example, the animal sightings were much better at the second camp, so we might have been a bit disappointed the other way round (and then there were trillions of elephants on Chobe, so the camp sightings wouldn't have felt so special). The different parts of our trip also became more leisurely, so it all felt in the right order.

We had really comfy (and large) beds everywhere we went.

We felt really 'looked after' ... there was always someone expecting us, and greeting us, and we never felt at a loss as to where we should be. Tracy's detailed itinerary also gave us these reassurances.

We had a result at Zimbabwe immigration (around 11am) as there was no queue! Others we met had queued in the heat for 1-2 hours.

Dates on the dollar bills weren't an issue anywhere. We even paid for our Zimbabwe visa with our only $100 note, which was quite old.

At least three people we met lost their luggage in Jo'burg. We were thankfully fine, but it was a great tip to 'cross pack' so each person had clothes in each bag.

Overall, our biggest 'thank you' goes to Tracy Lederer - she was just brilliant throughout the planning and booking process ... knowledgeable, helpful, patient, thorough ... just perfect!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"The trip as a whole worked really well.

The guidance received from Expert Africa was very helpful in deciding which camps we visited and all of them met or exceeded our expectations.

The arrangements in Botswana all worked efficiently." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"We can't thank Maruska and Expert Africa enough for the amazing trip.

We planned for over a year and Maruska was patient and kind enough to answer every single question. Just when we thought it couldn't get any better at one location, it was even better at the next.

The coordination and execution at each point of our journey was flawless. One member of our party even came down with a 24 hour virus during one point of our trip and we were fortunate to be at the same lodge as a group of physicians (we figured Maruska probably took care of that as well).

The safaris were all more than we expected. Not only the animal sightings, but the professionalism and service of the guides, as well as the vehicles were top notch. While the experience was slightly different at each location, overall we were pampered and catered to at each.

It's obvious that the people value tourism and want to ensure you have a great experience.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None - and we have already recommended Expert Africa to several friends and acquaintances based on our experience." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Once again our trip, organised by Expert Africa, went extremely smoothly.

One of our bags went on walkabout for 2 days on our way out but it was recovered fairly efficiently by Mack Air/&Beyond and delivered to our first camp (Savute under Canvas). But not a real problem since we always pack some of each others clothes in each bag.

This was our 4th safari in Botswana and our experience was very enjoyable overall. Everything went as planned and on-schedule, and we saw an incredible number of different animals. In fact, we probably had better sightings of Lion, Leopard, Cheetah and Spotted Hyena than on our previous safaris." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari

"A trip of a lifetime. Namibia and Botswana were different but spectacular in their own ways.

I saw much more wildlife than I expected and so much of it close to. The scenery, sunrises and sunsets were glorious and I feel that I have experienced a proper African safari.

The lodges were excellent with all the facilities I could have wanted. What made the trip so special was the quality of the staff everywhere I went. They were friendly, professional and keen to show their countries at their best. They were fabulous ambassadors for Africa as a whole.

Thank you for arranging such a wonderful experience." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Probably the best safari experience we have had.

We particularly enjoyed the tracking off-road, the stunning game viewing and the very knowledgeable guides and trackers on the 3 concessions we visited. The camps were super, the staff were lovely and the connections by air were seamless.

We got to see our number one priority which was wild dogs and so much more besides. Notable was the number of leopard, elephants, lions and cheetah. Botswana is not the place to see rhino (having been poached heavily in recent years) or crocodiles (of which we saw surprisingly few), but otherwise the game is extensive.

The comparatively high cost of Botswana as a safari destination certainly paid off in terms of a truly memorable trip.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Keep doing what you do.

We found it very useful to be able to look at what sightings had been recorded from various locations, although we have been told some other agencies do not publish this information in case it helps inform poachers. How much truth there is in this, we do not know. But it may be worth looking into what evidence, if any, there is that it poses a risk." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari