Botswana: reviews from our travellers

"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

"Initially even we thought we were slightly bonkers with this ambitious itinerary but after extensive and detailed planning everything went smoothly (with the exception of Elegant Farmstead cancelling our booking at the very last minute in favour of a large group; if this is typical of their attitude maybe they're not suitable for EA's independent travellers).

We had a FANTASTIC time!!!! Whilst some drives were long they were perfectly manageable with two drivers, a flask of coffee and our trusty MP3 player to entertain us. The roadside picnic stations provided good places to stop and eat a bit of lunch – there are plenty of supermarkets in the towns to buy provisions, including a 5 litre bottle of water. Most lodges charge for water (about N$13 for a small bottle) so it makes sense to buy a big one in a supermarket (about N$20) and top up your little bottles from it. There seemed to be far fewer parking guards about than on our previous trips and, we were surprised to see, even petrol station attendants don't seem to expect tips any more.

Garden Lodge provided a gentle start to our marathon trip with good company, tasty food, an excellent boat trip and lots of cats and dogs to play with. Kasane is an interesting little frontier town, buzzing with activity though not the place to stock up for a long trip. Don't be surprised to see a warthog trotting across the road in the middle of town.

The brand new Ngoma lodge is excellent (see review) with loads of animals to see, excellent food and great staff. We highly recommend it. It is one of the few places that provides free water – we promised to take our Ngoma bottles all the way to Cape Town; after many refills they finally met their demise at security in Cape Town airport!

We returned to Garden Lodge to have our car delivered and set off for the border next morning. Crossing the border into Namibia is no problem at all and after stocking up at a supermarket in Katima Mulilo we set off across the Caprivi strip. Roads in the Caprivi are, as Chris's book says, long, straight and can be quite tedious though you need to keep an eye out for wandering cows, goats and dogs (and the occasional human).

Arriving at Ndhovu in the early afternoon, we spent a couple of hours on our deck on the river bird-spotting. Next day we took a trip across to Buffalo (suggest pre-booking if you want to do this) and then drove ourselves to Mahango in the afternoon.

It was a long drive to Ghaub the next day but switching from 'Caprivi time' meant we gained an hour; we had been debating whether the hour was going backwards or forwards and it was only when the guard at the vetinary gate greeted us with a cheery 'Good Morning' that we were certain! After two nights peaceful rest we set off to Okaukeujo. We arrived at Etosha in good time and managed to visit several good waterholes on the drive across the park.

We spent most of the next day in the park and then moved on to the big surprise of the trip; Taleni. We'd wanted to spend two nights at Okaukeujo but had been unable to get a room despite booking very early. Taleni is just outside Etosha and we loved it. It does attract some large groups but the staff use the different dining areas to give couples or family groups privacy and peace.

A comfortable morning's drive brought us to Gocheganas, just south of Windhoek, which proved an unexpected pleasure. We had been booked to stay at Elegant Farmstead but they had cancelled our booking at the very last minute (after we arrived in Namibia). As it turned out Gocheganas fitted in with our itinerary much better and we thought the place was excellent. Thanks to Sabina for organising the change for us; in the days before BlackBerrys and the internet this could have been a major problem but in this case was (almost) painless.

The drive to Bagatelle, for some reason, took longer than anticipated; the roads were good and we'd calculated the distance but it just took longer! However we arrived in comfortable time and enjoyed watching the waterhole, excellent food and company and, of course, the meerkats!

Next, off to Fish River Canyon. Until Keetmanshoop the B1 is a good tar road but you then have to venture onto gravel. The road is bumpy and undulates with the landscape, which is beautiful, and you may even meet a train! The canyon itself is fantastic and there are few people about; such a contrast to its rival in the USA!

We left Canon Lodge in the sunshine and headed for the border with South Africa. The crossing itself was painless though there was a notable diminishment in friendliness of immigration staff on the South African side. Heading down the N7 the weather turned and we found ourselves in rain and/or cloud. As we had plenty of time we went down to Skilpad to see the flowers with which we were disappointed. However, driving back over the mountains they were lovely.

It absolutely tipped it down overnight (not ideal in a room with an iron roof!) and we set off for the marathon drive to Cape Town with some trepidation. Driving over the mountain passes in heavy cloud was 'entertaining' to say the least (particularly when we were held up by major roadworks – waiting time at least 20 minutes). We stopped off in Clanwilliam which we thought a lovely town.

The sun came out as we arrived in Camps Bay. We'd arranged our own accommodation here; there are lots of good guest houses .
The place has clearly been spruced up since the World Cup and there are some excellent new restaurants. We ate at The Codfather – excellent but shellfish is very expensive, Ocean Blue – just as excellent but less pricey, and The Kove – best steak Martin had all trip and great staff. Tuscany Beach was also highly recommended by our guest house.

We did the tourist bit – open top bus tour (don't forget to use the vouchers printed on the back of the ticket!) boat trip and lunch at the V&A – recommend The Greek Fisherman and City Grill Steakhouse – then the bus back to Camps Bay. The following day we drove (yes we hadn't had quite enough!) down to Cape Point where there seemed to be bonteboks around every corner (even on the beach) and few other visitors about.

Finally off to Hermanus and the whales. You really can see them from the coastal path, though the boat trip out to sea is well worthwhile too. The town is lovely and there are some excellent wineries to visit nearby.
Overall, a wonderful trip which we'd wanted to do for years. What's next???????

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

If only travel to Africa was less expensiver!

The name says it all - you are the Africa Experts and although we do shop around we come back time and time again.

Perhaps a minor point is that you should consider regular travellers' previous trips before saying they can't do something" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"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 my 3rd time to Africa and my husband's first. We were celebrating our 25th anniversary and my dream of seeing Victoria Falls. The trip was a dream come true - for both of us. David couldn't imagine how something as large as an adult elephant could be 'hidden' right next to us. And, the guides, wildlife, camps and staff never disappointed us.

Now I just need to figure out a way to take our 3 children (ages 19/21/23) to Africa to show them why I've always said 'imagine we are the zoo and the animals are us'. They roam freely and still give me such joy!!!!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Maruska was excellent in that she had visited some of the camps we stayed in and had other guests whose comments she shared with us.
She took the time to really listen to our wants and needs to what we were looking for and picked out some really good options and helped us pick the best. I will recommend Expert Africa to friends and family.

Thank you Maruska for a fantastic vacation / 25th wedding anniversary!!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"This trip was our first to Africa, but hopefully not our last! We were blown away when we arrived at Muchenje and it proved to be an excellent start to our holiday, the wildlife was exceptional, beyond our expectations, helped by Sinka who where possible made photography easy.

Then we were flown to Okuti and if we thought Muchenje was wonderful we were completely overwhelmed at Okuti. The staff were nothing short of brilliant and our guide Aubrey made sure we saw everything. We we sad to leave Okuti but enjoyed our last camp at Kanana because of the great birdlife on the lagoon.

We asked for three different environments and thats what we got and we enjoyed every minute, a fantastically brilliant trip.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

One of our group had some money stolen, and although we cannot prove where it was taken, I would suggest that future customers are made aware of leaving anything in the vehicles, even for a short amount of time. Even this didn't spoil our holiday." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"I was very pleased with the quality of the service of Expert Africa.

Travelling is my passion and even though I normally book everything myself, I feel that I could not have booked this trip in Botswana without Maruska Adye's help. She really was attentive to all my requests and could advise me regarding my time and budget. I also think that even though this was an expensive trip (Botswana is a very expensive country) I got good value for money, which is very important when travelling. I'd like to thank Maruska and Expert Africa for their help and would certainly ask for their help in future visits to Botswana or other countries in Southern Africa.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

It was difficult for me to coordinate flight schedules with the trip and the best rates I was being ofered with Expert Africa. I know that this would be very difficult but it would be easier if you could also help us with international flights.

All in all, the service was excellent! Congratulations!" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 4 on a Botswana safari

"The trip was varied and gave us a good impression of Namibia and Botswana. Absolute highlights were times spent with Bruno Nebe, the Bushmen , and the excellentt Khowarib lodge." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Our trip was the trip of a lifetime. It more than met all of our expectations, and it was like a dream - a good one. In looking back at the whole thing, everything went almost flawlessly. We did not miss any flights, we were always expected when we arrived, and we felt that our needs were always being met. The items mentioned on the previous items [Ed: see individual reviews, below] did not detract from the magic of the trip, and we never missed any game drives. As I commented to my wife, we never felt bored at any time.

The agent from Wilderness Air who met us at the Maun airport (both times) was extremely helpful and professional. His help was almost essential to our transfer there; he really has to know what he's doing at that airport, which is somewhat chaotic.

On the other hand, we were somewhat confused when we arrived in Johannesburg on the flight from London. They gave instructions towards the end of the flight about whether to go to the transit line, etc. Since we had not checked our bags through, we had to just go through passport control and customs as if we were just going to Johannesburg. We figured it out, and got into the main terminal. Then, we were somewhat clueless about where to go next. A porter came up to us, and asked us where we needed to go. Although we are always cautious about being in unfamiliar airports in other countries, he took us to the right counter for Air Botswana, and we got checked in on time, and to our departure gate. It would have been difficult for us to find the right counter - it was at the very end of many closed counters.

I would recommend that, if possible, some more detailed instructions should be given for navigating the Johannesburg airport. It all went OK, but it was a bit tense. We did better on the way back. The lines were long, but we had plenty of time. Substantial layovers are well advised.

I did check my records. When I went to Botswana, including the Okavango Delta in 1991, the tour operator was Wilderness Safaris. And that was a wonderful trip, too, although the facilities were a lot more primitive.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Your organization did a first-rate job organizing our trip. Although we had no experience with you, I would highly recommend you services. Ms. Adye was excellent." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"I initially used the Bradt guide to research our holiday and then selected Expert Africa from a shortlist of 3 companies -all of which had been given the same brief.

This meant I'd felt we had made good choices for our first trip to Botswana and others commented on what a good balance it was.

So the advice we received ensured we had a very good trip which exceeded expectaions which were alreay high.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I cannot fault the help and advice given by Lucy Copson and Nick Hobbs - nothing was too much trouble and they really made every effort to meet my initila brief and provide alternative options.

Although i didnt choose Africa Travel Resource to book my holiday I did like the ranking system they used, which enabled us to refine our choices and keep within budget. Perhaps something like this would be a useful addition to your site." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"We had an absolutely fantastic time. Nick (with additional help from Lucy in his absence) organised a superb trip for us at very short notice.

We are fairly experienced Africa travellers so we knew what we looking for and we got exactly what we asked for in terms of variety of environments and expert guiding etc (despite understandable limitations on camp availability caused by the very short lead-in/booking time).

I felt Nick quickly understood our objectives (specifically in terms of photographic opportunities, but also in terms of camp ambiance etc) and was very efficient in terms of putting options to us and getting confirmations etc.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not particularly. I was very impressed with the service we received and would be very happy to book again with Expert Africa !" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari