Botswana: reviews from our travellers

"Many thanks to Maruska who organized such a great trip for us" Read full review: 5 nights in Africa; 4 on a Botswana safari

"The trip was well planned, and delivered what we expected. We had a lovely time.

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One comment. Your warning about forged 200 rand notes came too late as we had already changed our money and we did have some trouble in getting them accepted.

In addition one petrol station would not take 100 rand notes." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip

"We had fantastic safaris and a great trip to Victoria Falls where we would recommend the helicopter ride.

All the arrangements went like clockwork and the transfers were all on time and the staff excellent.

Thank you Expert Africa for making it so enjoyable and trouble free we will certainly recommend you to our friends.

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We were happy with your service and have no specific comments." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 3 on a Botswana safari

"We were a little apprehensive about the trip not knowing quite what to expect but overall it was very enjoyable. My wife was wondering why we had only booked 8 nights but realised once we had been there a few days that getting up at 5.30 every day, being jolted about on the trucks for several hours and the heat meant that it was quite tiring, so 8 nights was just about right.

The wildlife experience was really fantastic and we loved every minute of the game drives dispite being bounced about. The sundowners were magical.

We met lots of friendly people from many different countries during the trip and made a number of friends.



We were surprised at the working conditions for the staff at the camps. From what we discovered the camp catering staff stayed there for 3 months at a time and then had two weeks off we think. The driver seemed to work 3 months on with one month off. Not sure about the spotter. This may be normal by Botswana standards but some of the women we spoke to had young children so being away from them for 3 months at a time seemed hard.

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The only aspect of the trip that caused any concern, apart from the few comments on the camps, was the matter of tips. Most people we spoke to (from different tour compamies) were uncertain about what was normal or expected.

In these situations a lot depends on how much people depend on tips to make a decent wage and this was not clear. Nearly all the staff were friendly and helpful so if they needed the tips we would be happy to give them. While we would want to reward exceptional service in many counties (South Africa as we found which we went on to after Botswana) tell you in most restaurants that a 10% tip is expected at least.

A bit more definite guidance would have been appreciated. The British find tipping a difficult subject at the best of times!

The only aspect of the trip that caused any concern, apart from the few comments on the camps, was the matter of tips. Most people we spoke to (from different tour compamies) were uncertain about what was normal or expected. In these situations a lot depends on how much people depend on tips to make a decent wage and this was not clear.

Nearly all the staff were friendly and helpful so if they needed the tips we would be happy to give them. While we would want to reward exceptional service in many counties (South Africa as we found which we went on to after Botswana) tell you in most restaurants that a 10% tip is expected at least. A bit more definite guidance would have been appreciated. The British find tipping a difficult subject at the best of times!" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"One of the best, if not THE best holiday we've ever had. (Only thing missing was exercise, but not much chance of that.)
Game viewing bit disappointing at Lebala with hindsight but as virgins we still enjoyed it. Rooms and camp very good.
Little Kwara very enjoyable.

Nxabega stood out though, as a superbly-run camp, with a truly wonderful atmosphere. Grant and Dimari really set the benchmark.
Game best at Sandibe but what a miserable dump by comparison to Nx.

The transfer processes worked very well and once we knew the score, we relaxed totally about moving from camp to camp, and this really helped make the whole thing more enjoyable compared to hacking around India or wondering if the planes would fly in South America.

Zimbabwe day trip was worth it although we got stitched up by Zambia immigration, they hadn't given us a multiple-entry, only a double entry visa but this was not clear.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Take note of any unusual situations (eg airstrip down) and set expectations accordingly.
Check game viewing status / concession conditions closer to the off, maybe it would be better to switch (eg Lebala was only worth 2 nights due to so much empty burnt scrub).

Transfer from Livingstone to Lebala took a while; no food on the Proflight transfer, no food opportunities at Livingstone airport (only coffee) or en route (Kasane airport not selling food) so we were starving by the time we got to Lebala; it would have been good to arrange some opportunity to eat or buy food at some point. Maybe include a visit a cafe / restaurant in Kasane town, as there is plenty of time ?" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"Our booking process was marred slightly by the fact that Anna was the person with whom we deal initially but subsequently it seemed to alternate between her and Lucy which meant that communication wasn't as seamless as it might have been.

There was also a problem when we asked over the phone for a quote, but you were under the impression that we were still considering which camps we were interested in and were waiting for us to make the next move." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 4 on a Botswana safari

"We had no previous experience of Botswana and Expert Africa spent considerable time advising us on a suitable selection and variety of camps. We were delighted with the variation of experience in the dry area around Chitabe, the delta at Kwetsani and the Linyanti swamps at Dumatau.

Before our trip we poorly understood that rains in Botswana were out of sync with the floods coming from Angola several months later.

The dry season was a great time to see the game, concentrated around the remaining floods in the delta and in Linyanti swamps.

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Everything was superb and we will recommend Botswana and Expert Africa to all or friends. We plan to return next year." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"Overall, our expectations were exceeded on most fronts. There are 2 minor issues, which bothered us:

1. Tipping. It seemed odd to us to pay between 400-700 dollars pp and day and then be expected to pay another 5-15$ pp and day for the guide and something for the staff.

Of course, everybody emphasizes one does not HAVE to tip, but that does not really make all that much sense. Either tipping is common and therefore expected, i.e. part of a guide's salary - in which case those 5-15$ should simply be added to the bill as a matter of course, and from the outset - or it is not, in which case the practice should be rather discouraged.

2. The song & dance routine upon arrival at the Ker & Downey camps. This is obviously not a serious issue, but rather by the by.

We cringed a little each time we were welcomed by the camp's staff with a welcoming sond and dance routine . Not because the singing and dancing was bad (it wasn't bad at all), but it was a bit too much for us. And we were far from the only one guests who felt that way.
Something for the camps to think about maybe." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"I have nothing but wonderful memories and a couple of thousands photos to keep about my time in Botswana.

There is still so much I want to see and I am already planning the next trip. Yes, it is more expensive than other countries but it is worth it. I have fallen in love with the country and I cannot wait to return.

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Flights directly into Botswana." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 3 on a Botswana safari

"EA as ever had organised everything to perfection, bar the info on how to get to Sususwe, but I forgive them this as everything else was perfect." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip