Botswana: reviews from our travellers

"Officialdom
With one exception, officialdom was always courteous and polite, if often annoyingly slow.

At the vet fence north of Sehitwa in Botswana, we pulled slowly up to the white stop line on the road in front of the barrier as there were no vehicles in front. A policeman appeared and without explanation demanded a "fine" of 200 pula. He said we should have stopped at a stop sign which was propped up on bricks just a few feet earlier. After a polite stand-off, we left without paying. On discussing this incident at our next lodge, we were told that whilst on the spot fines are legal in Botswana, the amount demanded had been irregular. The consensus of opinion was that this had been a try on.

Suggestions for improvements:

We have been very satisfied, hence our repeat business. Off the cuff, we haven't any suggestions.

Overall
There were occasions when a 4WD vehicle could have been useful (but we don't know the cost).
This was our annual treatment for the 'Africa virus' and it worked very well (actually our eleventh trip to sub-Sahara Africa). Where next?" Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"This was a fantastic holiday.

Botswana is expensive but it really has been worth the extra pennies. Being able to drive off road makes a huge difference over other destinations in Africa. Our wild dog encounters were outstanding - we fell in love with this country & cant wait to return.

The only negative comment was our fellow guests. we have never been anywhere where 95% of our fellow guests showed so little interest or knowledge of what they were viewing e.g no-one knew what a pangolin/aardvark was and showed no interest or excitement in the exceptionally lucky sightings and seemed more interested in the table decorations and the Wine.

Suggestions for improvement:

We cannot think of anything apart from the price!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Botswana safari

"This was our first safari so it needed to be very special, which it was.

We loved the fact all the camps were different and we didnt know what we were going to experience next which was great. Also glad we went to Victoria Falls first rather than last, as it was good to end up at one of the best camps. 2 weeks was a great amount of time to have-would definitely still like a minimum of 10 days with a selection of 2-3 camps plus maybe a coast/beach trip after next time!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari

"We planned our trip a year and a half ahead of our travel date, which allowed us to book all the accommodation that we wanted to stay in at the places we wanted to visit. Maruska is fantastically knowledgeable and very friendly and always tried to match our wishes with the places that she knew would suit us. This proved very much the case with KTC. We were sad that Maruska had moved to New Zealand, by the time we returned, however, we had the pleasure of meeting Chris McIntyre and Tracy Lederer who were also very kind and helpful on our return.

Prior to our departure in addition to Chris' books and the brochure, the literature and the organization of the vouchers and pictures of the places we were staying at, were excellent. We often spent time at airports spotting EA travel tags!!!
We also met other travellers who were equally happy with their EA trip.

We had the most wonderful trip, which surpassed all our expectations. We would definitely recommend Expert Africa to anyone wishing to travel to Africa, particularly for making it such a personally tailored experience. We certainly will be using EA on our next trip!

Just to mention as well we had a very comfortable stay at the Brigadoon in Swakopmund run by a lovely called Margaret ." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip

"Our self-drive loop tour thru Namibia was excellent, and it was extremely helpful to have the help of someone as knowledgeable as Tracy in planning it.

That said, in retrospect I would tweak the itinerary just a bit.

Our stays (after Windhoek) were as follows:

1. Bagatelle Game Ranch, 2 nights. Two nights is too many here, even if the Dune Chalets had been available (and they were not). I think we should have gone straight from Windhoek to #2.

2. Bullsport Guest Farm, 2 nights. I believe this would have been a longer drive from Windhoek (I don't know the road condidtions, of course), but it would have been a nice place to spend three nights.

3. Kulala Desert Lodge, 2 nights. Perfect length of stay, and a visit to the dunes is a must in a Namibia trip, IMO.

4. Swakopmund; Villa Margherita, 2 nights. Nice hotel, but one night would have sufficed.

5. Doro Nawas, 2 nights. Driving to see desert-adapted elephants was excellent. 2 nights is perfect.

6. Ongava Lodge, 1 night. Two nights would have been better, with the full day spent exploring the west/central portion of Etosha.

7. Etosha Aoba Lodge, 1 night. We arrived here rather late, after a full day driving thru Etosha. Nice, basic accomodation with good food. From here we went early in the morning to explore the eastern part of Etosha, and early afternoon arrived at:

8. The Fort at Fisher's Pan. We had been waitlisted for a second night at Etosha Aoba, but after seeing The Fort's brochure, we decided to stay here instead. Over the top, ridiculous, NOT environmentally friendly. But a lovely view. I would not have enjoyed an extended stay here.
(If we had stayed two nights at Ongava, we might have been able to spend just one night on the eastern side of the park, with the exploration of the eastern side of Etosha being done the day we left Ongava.)

9. Okonjima Main Camp, 1 night. This was such a lovely spot to relax, birdwatch, walk (and view cats!), 2 nights would have been nice.

10. Erongo Wilderness Lodge. This is a great place for walkers, a two night stay is a minimum. But if you're not a walker, there is probably little here for you (except for excellent food!).

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I would recommend Expert Africa to anyone planning a trip to Africa!

Despite my comments on how I might have changed the itinerary, this trip was nigh unto perfect. Omitting Bagatelle and the second night in Swakop are the only major things I would have done differently (with benefit of hindsight), and I suspect that Tracy knew what she was doing when she planned it the way she did.

My detailed comments above are more for Tracy than the general public, though you are free to share them if you feel it would be appropriate.

Thank you, Tracy, for a wonderful trip!" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"This was a trip organised very late in the day, which I think made it all the more exciting. I think we were well advised by Lucy and realistically the holiday provided what it said it would. There was good variety in the camp choice and the stay in each was about right. I think having browsed the Botswana guide also helped the whole experience too.

wilderness apparently always confirm return flights which might be useful to know.

J'burg airport are taking temperatures of all visitors on arrival - a couple of paracetomol might be advisable for anyone with a bug or two to avoid quarantine!

Suggestions for improvements:

Please see comments above.

I never did receive the brochure request!

Pictures of the camps might help, its difficult for first timers to have any idea what to expect. Some guests might appreciate forwarnng that animals know no boundaries and will tent visit.

Chris McIntyre may be interested to know we met a guide working at Little Vumbura called Sam (i guess late 40's) who recalled setting up camp without tents many years ago before Wilderness Safaris. He spoke very warmly of him." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"If only I could forget the missing luggage!

However this does not distract from the experience as a whole, which was outstanding. We are not weathy people, we have worked hard and spent the money on a unique experience that will give us many happy memories for the rest of our lives.

I would repeat the trip without hesitation. Thanks to all staff at Expert Africa and at Kwando.

Suggestions for improvements:

No. A great company to deal with. First class service.

(Make it cheaper next time please - but I'm bound to say that)." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"We would like to thank Lucy Copson for helping put together such a wonderful experience.

The choice of camps suited us perfectly." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"We were impressed with the organisation and genuinely friendly welcome from everyone we met in Botswana, Zambia & Zimbabwe.

Well done to the teams at Expert Africa, Kwando Safari & Wilderness Safaris. Everything went perfectly from the moment we left London to our return 10 days later. We jsut wish we could have stayed longer!

Suggestions for improvements:

Keep up the good work.

This was our first organised trip (we're normally spur of the moment backpackers) but we didn't feel constrained by having everything laid on. This holiday was a total VIP experience and fabulous from start to finish. Thank you." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"This was our third trip to Namibia, and we had a great time. The organisation by Expert Africa was very good, and recommendations, by and large, were very reliable.

Suggestions for improvements:

Could provide advice about reclaiming tax on gifts - we are unable to cash the cheque we received at Windhoek Airport with our UK bank account.

Could remind travellers along the Capriva strip about the time difference - we were an hour late for our Susuwe pickup" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip