Botswana: reviews from our travellers

"We have always loved the bush and we will always return. The bush restores ones sole. It is always a privilege to be part of an adventure like experiencing Sable Alley.

We rate this camp as one of our better camps we have experienced in Botswana. (We have had the privilege to experienced premier camps etc)

Overall experience; trip as a whole:

Keep up the good work.

As it is always a pleasure dealing with someone who makes you feel that they are in control and they know exactly what you want." Read full review: 4 nights in Africa; 4 on a Botswana safari

"Great trip, everything went so well. No glitches.

The connections and transfers were all seamless. Chobe River crossings between Zambia and Botswana was easy.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We are so impressed with the trip Lucy put together for us. Even though we just saw a small corner of Africa it was truely amazing.

Lucy really listened to what we wanted to do and made it all happen" Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 3 on a Botswana safari

"Megan arranged a wonderful safari for us in Botswana. She listened carefully to our needs and hopes. With her first hand experience of the country she put to a most enjoyable programme with a variety of camps. She was very friendly and extremely efficient replying speedily to our emails.

From our arrival in Maul tour departure from Livingstone the package, including all Border crossings, flowed seamlessly and without difficulty. The various guides who met us organised tickets and visas speedily.

With hindsight two camps were close together but we appreciate that availability and distance may have been a limiting factor. A camp further up into the the delta would have allowed us to compare the wet areas with the dry areas.

In short a great experience. Thank you." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"Botswana was a delight.
The best game drives we have ever had" Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"We had a wonderful safari and our love for Botswana is as strong as ever.

Re the camps themselves, the luxury and style we experienced at several (mainly Duba Suites and Mombo) rather eclipsed the feel of being ‘in the bush’. We prefer something more simple - less luxury and less grand accommodation. Therefore we may head off next time to Zambia or Tanzania.

We presume the companies owning the camps are marketing the USA market and that the luxury is designed to attract many first timers who would otherwise not visit. Quite a few guests we met were Americans who had not been to Africa before and just wanted to ‘tick off’ the big five. And not interested in birds or trees/plants. There is a danger of a Disneyland type situation." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Botswana safari

"Great trip - efficiently arranged by Tracy, who knows her stuff and got us good rates. Will use Expert Africa again next year. Very satisfied." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"We thoroughly enjoyed our trip.

the only part where we were disappointed was with the transfer arrangements between Muchenje Lodge and Victoria Falls but this feedback form does not provide the opportunity to comment." Read full review: 25 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"the trip was wonderful as always" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"We had an absolutely amazing trip: it was a truly unforgettable experience that we loved every minute of.

We saw and did so much within just two weeks: the desert, dunes and mountains of Namibia; the San; the Vic Falls; the Delta; Cape Town and Table Mountain; the flights over the desert and delta; brilliant game sightings including all the Big 5.

Namibia is an incredible country with amazing scenery, fascinating culture, superb wildlife and huge open spaces - the shortest drive we had from the gate to the main building in five lodges was about half an hour! It was a pleasure to drive in, with the straight, empty roads, and even better to fly over. Botswana complemented it perfectly: it was wonderful to go from the desert and mountains of Namibia to the Chobe river and Okavango Delta and see animals and go on game drives in a completely different environment.

Flying from Sossuvlei to Damaraland made this all possible: as well as being one of the highlights of the trip, it saved us 10 hours on the road and having to stop in Swakopmund. This meant we could fit more in within the time we had and massively reduced the total amount of time we spent driving. Our driver in Namibia, Shorty, drove very safely and was an integral part of our trip - our best sightings of giraffes were with him, driving out of Gocheganas and Okonjima!

What stood out most, though, was all the people we met and the wonderful welcome we received at all the lodges, which really made everything that much more special. We especially appreciated how great everyone was with our kids.

The service from both Expert Africa and Wilderness Safaris was outstanding and could not be faulted in any way. All the arrangements ran like clockwork. Given we had a total of 10 flights (from leaving Sri Lanka to returning), 9 lodges and 18 activities, this was quite an achievement and testament to exceptional efficiency and attention to detail. There was always someone waiting to collect us at the appointed time; all the lodges were expecting us and had our room ready; all the activities were booked.

I am so grateful to Maruska for her advice, assistance and organisation. I first contacted her about two years in advance and must have sent over a hundred emails in total. She always replied immediately with helpful and detailed answers that displayed her detailed knowledge of the area and determination to make sure we would be happy with every aspect of the trip. She simply could not have done any more.

If we are lucky enough to be able to go back to Africa , we should certainly use Expert Africa again and will recommend them to all our friends.

Thank you for organsing a simply brilliant adventure: we have brought back memories that will last a lifetime.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service: This was the first time I had ever booked a trip / holiday through an agent - which I imagine may be true for many of your clients. Although Maruska was ever-willing to give quotes for as many different options as I wanted and to suggest ways to cut costs if required, I would have appreciated at least a rough idea of what was costing what in the overall quote.

I wonder whether it might be possible to give an indication of the cost of different lodges on your website (even if this is just a code such as $$ or $$$ etc) so clients can see how expensive different lodges are and how costs in different countries compare. Some indication of how the costs of different modes of transport compare would also be useful." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip

"I bought this trip for my wife's 60th birthday and it was an inspired choice. We usually back-pack so this was exceptionally easy - especially the transfer at the Botswana - Zambia border. Note that the driver told me that I couldn't get a KAZA visa at this border crossing, mentioned in the very good Bradt guide you provided. This was not correct and we were issued one when I enquired. Great choice of lodgings and really loved Okajima, River Dance and Garden Lodge.

Josh clearly explained to me the type of trip we were booked on, particularly that we were not including some of the major game parks, so we were very clear on what we would be experiencing and he sent me a new map free of charge when we found a minor mistake on the first one.

I'm impressed with the service by both Expert Africa and your local agents. Your instructions/information are excellent.

Minor points are raised where applicable in the accommodation reviews, but they in no way spoilt our trip.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Other than the points raised above, no." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip