Botswana: reviews from our travellers

"Overall we were very pleased with our trip and had an amazing experience. Maruska was extremely helpful and responsive in both planning the trip and in addressing any questions that came up during our trip. She was very patient and thoughtful in answering every question, no matter how minor, and helped craft an itinerary that ended up being exactly what we were looking for." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"Overall the trip was great and very organized. Maruska was great to deal with, really listened to us and gave good suggestions. I liked the itinerary she sent us shortly before we left that gave lots of details about exactly what was happening. There were a few glitches during the trip (canceled flight, driver showed up late) and we had to reach out to Expert Africa on an emergency basis and they were very responsive.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
I would not return to the lodges that we stayed in in Zimbabwe, we didn't have a great experience there. There was a mix up with Khulu Bush Camp and our departure time was moved back and we were never told, that ended up being a very long day and we would have preferred to fly. Two of our travel days were very long and we never got to eat lunch, it was not clear from the itinerary how long they would be. Our Mack Air flights ended up having multiple stops that we weren't aware of, it would have been nice to have more information about those flights." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zimbabwe safari

"We absolutely loved our Botswana safari. The organization was flawless and everything went smoothly and without a glitch.

The combination of the 4 camps worked to make it possible to see everything we'd hoped to see, with each giving us unique and wonderful moments. We really appreciated the trackers at the Kwando camps.

Our guides at Lagoon (Spencer/Gee) and Camp Kalahari (KG) were great, very dedicated. We could tell that for them, guiding and wildlife sightings were a passion, not just a job. As photographers themselves, both Spencer and KG knew how to position the vehicled perfectly, too.

Our guide/tracker team at Lebala (Thabo/KB) were very good, but needed a bit of prodding before they gave us their best effort - but boy, did they come through with the leopard!

We were least impressed with Rogers/Chris at Kwara. Instead of really tracking predators on their own, they took us on 'scenic' drives, showing us the animals that happend to cross our path. Rogers also managed to get us stuck in sand on our first night drive on the way back to camp. After unsuccessfully trying for at least 30 minutes, he had to call the camp for help and we had to be towed out. However, once sightings were called in by other guides, he turned into a combination race driver/hunter and managed to get us to sightings of lions, a cheetah and best of all, Wild dogs - once tracking a pack of three through dense bush and the same evening, a pack of 3 feeding just before the light went.

The helicopter transfers were comfortable and very enjoyable, done in helicopters that seated just 4 including the pilot. Interesting fact: Since there was no room for our luggage, our bags got their own helicopter flights! As soon as we were dropped of at the camps, the pilots flew back, picked up the bags and brought them to us.

We were also very, very glad we had private vehicles for all our game drives, as it allowed my Mum to sit up front in the passenger seat and my Dad in the 1st row." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"Our overall experience was exceptional. Every single part of it!

Maruska took the time to understand what we were looking for and did an unbelievable job putting it all together. From the lodges, to the itinerary, to the little things it was all amazing.

On the flight home our whole family declared they wouldn't have changed a thing. I don't think there is any higher praise." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"Magic.

Thank you so much also for helping deal with the bag panic at the start of the trip, we don't know who was ultimately responsible for getting it to us but thank you to the Expert Africa team, Maggie at Natural Selection in Maun, and Noli and Teo at Camp Kalahari.

Special poo poo to British Airways for landing us 2 hours late and causing the mess in the first place." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"The whole trip ran very smoothly.
Sometimes pre-trip communication could have been more prompt." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"We visited 3 different camps in 9 days (3 at each camp). Since we had no knowledge of what areas to visit in Botswana, Megan from Expert Africa was extremely helpful. The arrangements were perfect with no hassles at all. Little Machaba, Savute Under Canvas and Pelo Camp had great locations, excellent staff and very nice facilities (considering their locations).

We've seen volcanos up close in Iceland and we thought that was our favorite vacation memory until we visited Botswana and saw the amazing African birds and wildlife. I think that a return trip may be forthcoming in a couple of years or so!" Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"Our 10 days in Botswana was better than we could have imagined.

We went just before the high season and it was very dry, but in our four day stay at Splash camp, we could see the difference as the floods started to arrive. There were many highlights and this trip has created lasting memories.

The friendliness of everyone we met was amazing, they work long days but were always smiling and wanting to help." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"We were absolutely thrilled with our trip of a lifetime safari experience. Anton at Expert Africa organised an itinerary which really delivered on all our wishes for this trip. Everything was top notch at the majority of our camps/lodges.

We had an unfortunate experience at one camp - perhaps it was just bad luck - and have delivered our feedback on this separately, for which Anton really listened to and understood our concerns.

Setting this camp side, our overall safari was incredibly good value for money, with all of our rooms extremely comfortable / luxurious, well fed and watered, and most importantly all of the wildlife sightings that we hoped to see. It will be a lot of fun going through our 1,500+ photos!! We will continue to rave in particular about Mma Dinare for years to come - cheetahs, leopard, hyena cubs, wild dogs, lions galore - amazing guide/tracker - just WOW!

Please do consider Expert Africa for your safari needs. They clearly have strong relationships with the camps we visited and we felt well looked after from our first enquiry through to detailed follow-up on our return home.

I am sure that we will be return clients for our next Africa adventures!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not a suggestion but just an additional thank you to Anton. So grateful for all his support - all enquiries, big and small, were met with expertise and willingness to help.

Highly recommend him to anyone considering a Botswana safari!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"AMAZING experience!!!

We worked with Tom to plan our trip, and he was nothing short of exceptional. Patient and attentive, he crafted an itinerary that perfectly matched our interests. Tom's knowledge and creativity were evident in every detail, and he organized the trip flawlessly. From suggesting the overall structure of our journey, selecting the perfect places to stay, arranging transportation, and even accommodating our vegetarian dietary needs, everything was executed perfectly. Not a single glitch occurred throughout the trip, even as we crossed multiple borders and transitioned from a mobile safari to a lodge—everything went smoothly. A truly remarkable job.

This once-in-a-lifetime, bucket-list journey turned out to be such a marvelous success for our entire group (age range: 25-65 years) that we all returned with the desire to do it all over again.

Thank you, Tom, our wonderful guides and support teams, and the lovely people of Botswana for giving us the opportunity to experience the best possible vacation." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari