Botswana: reviews from our travellers

"The trip was fantastic! Our adviser Maruska Adye really understood the experiences we wanted and our budget. Spending time in both countries was wonderful." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip

"This was the most amazing trip. We saw so much wildlife the highlights being the cheetah the sable and the baby elephant giraffe hippo and lion cubs. We experienced being very close to lions and a little too close to elephants. My only disappointment was not seeing the wild dogs but they had moved out of the area and also not seeing a leopard. Our guides did everything they could to find the leopard and we did spend time tracking but if they don’t want to be found then no amount of searching will get that sighting." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"This was a very enjoyable bucket list trip. It was thoughtfully planned, and everything went smoothly.

My special thanks to Maruska for sharing her breadth of detailed knowledge, for considerable patience, good listening, clear communication, good recommendations, and kind encouragement." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"We had the most amazing family holiday - so many unforgettable moments. Maruska was efficient and helpful from the planning stages through to the completion of our journey. She stepped up to help immensely when our bags had been lost between Kilimanjaro and Joburg Airports. She stepped in and got the Wilderness Safari folks to help follow up with the airport and airlines which was a huge relief for us as we were "off grid" for several days following their loss and felt very stressed about what to do next. Overall - we were thrilled with our time in Africa and thank Expert Africa team for helping to plan such a great trip.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Converting NZD to USD to pay for the trip was daunting - felt hugely expensive. Yes, we requested and planned a high end experience and were aware of the costs, but we definitely felt a big hit to the wallet. When you factor in that we were also giving healthy tips (as suggested, and we felt like with the great service we should do at least the "minimum") on top of the high room rate at each camp ... we felt it even more. Next time we might consider a mix of high vs medium range camps to save some money. Again, not to take away from an incredible trip planned together with Maruska ... thanks" Read full review: 33 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Lucy was a great resource and very helpful in providing detailed information on the different parks and areas. We had a couple of zoom session and we worked together on setting up an itinerary.

Excellent trip from start to finish. Everything went like clockwork with no issues. We had our best sightings on this trip and managed to see wild dogs which was a lot of fun.

Very happy with the experience." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zimbabwe safari

"I am extremely happy with the service Expert Africa have provided for our trip to Shinde. I would gladly book again with them for my next trip. Megan was exceptional with answering all my questions re airport arrivals and transfers." Read full review: 3 nights in Africa; 3 on a Botswana safari

"Our safari in Botswana was incredible from start to finish. Maruska really listened to my initial inquiries, helped us figure out if Botswana was the right destination for us, and then worked to find three different camps that would give us a variety of experiences and locales. I felt like Maruska understood what we were looking for in the trip & personalized her recommendations. That made all the difference!

From the moment we landed at the Maun airport until the moment we returned there, someone was always watching out for us. When one member of our party became ill, the camp contacted Maruska. With Expert Africa on our side, we knew we were in good hands. Fortunately, he recovered quickly, but it was worth every penny to know Expert Africa would have taken care of us if things had gone differently.

Meanwhile, the Botswana safari was everything we hoped for and more. Despite everything going on in the wilderness, because there are not many people, there is a serenity to the experience -- a pace of taking what comes next, of being immersed in the balance of nature's day-to-day existence. We awoke to lions roaring, watched a mother leopard supervise her cub, followed wild dogs on a hunt, shared a watering hole with herd after herd of elephants, and so much more. But it's the overall experience that has stayed with me the most -- just the being there, a visitor is another world.

Thank you to Expert Africa and Maruska for an incredible trip!

I've already recommended Expert Africa and Maruska to two friends! Thank you so much for everything." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"An amazing trip and we are already trying to book a similar trip again next year.

We also met another couple who also booked with Expert Africa (Lucy) and had nothing but praise.

Overall, everything worked out fantastic.

Only negative is cost of BA airfare buying through Expert Africa, to get the ABTA cover. And then BA wanting quite a bit extra to book seats." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"Our trip was excellent! It has soared to number 1 on our list of holidays taken. First safari for us and it exceeded expectations and our expectations were high!

Two different camp experiences but both fantastic and happy we experienced both. We were well cared for the entire trip and really there was nothing for us to do but enjoy ourselves.

Thank you to Tracy for her expertise in planning a fantastic trip of a lifetime!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"We had a great time in Botswana, again!!

Despite us leaving the decision until almost too late (September 2023 for a June 2024 trip), Lucy Copson managed to arrange a wonderful range of camps in the Okavango for us. She managed to book the last available accommodation at the camps despite recovering from a major operation, for which we are immensely grateful.

Lucy has been unfailingly helpful and effective in arranging and communicating with us, despite her illness in the leadup to this 2024 trip. She was equally helpful and effective during the rapidly-changing Covid requirements in the planning and leadup to the 2022 trip.

Our travel documents arrived on time, both times, and had a lot of reassuring details about managing health, travel and other possible difficulties while on safari. We have never needed them, but were very glad to have the details and know that backup plans were in place.

The Expert Africa website is an excellent resource, especially for those of us who like to read about where we are going in great detail. The toll-free number has been a great resource for urgent questions when email is inadequate.

We would recommend Expert Africa and Lucy Copson without hesitation to our friends, and are dreaming already of another safari somewhere in Africa!" Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari