Travel reviews by Mr C & Mrs H from Canada
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
2
Lodges stayed in
4
Excursions taken
0
My Feb 2014 trip
Botswana and 1 other country between 27 Feb 2014 and 8 Mar 2014
"In a word, the trip was superb - and Maruska Adye had a lot to do with it.
It's important, we think, to compliment Maruska on every aspect of her work with us. From the time we first contacted Expert Africa by email, to the phone conversations we had, to the numerous questions we sent - Maruska's responses were quick (ridiculously quick in some cases - we couldn't believe how attentive she was) and always helpful. We felt all along - and our trip was two years in the making - that we were being treated not simply as faceless clients, but as individuals with preferences and ideas that were worthwhile and needed to be dealt with. Maruska's suggestions always seemed to relate directly to the information we'd forwarded to her. She actually seemed to be thinking about OUR TRIP, not her needs.
One of the things that was most helpful for us was that her description of each of the camps we stayed at in our email correspondence before we left was very accurate. So we had a sense both of what the accommodation and feel of the camp would be, and a good idea of what we were likely to see in each of the concessions.
The organization of flights, transfers, etc. was flawless. Every time somebody was supposed to be somewhere to pick us up they were there. Every time a plane was supposed to arrive for a flight (and there were four of those) it was there ready to go. The drivers and pilots were all friendly and helpful. The most complicated little maneuver, the drive from Kasane to Victoria Falls with the border crossing from Botswana to Zimbabwe, was handled expertly by the drivers on both sides."
It's important, we think, to compliment Maruska on every aspect of her work with us. From the time we first contacted Expert Africa by email, to the phone conversations we had, to the numerous questions we sent - Maruska's responses were quick (ridiculously quick in some cases - we couldn't believe how attentive she was) and always helpful. We felt all along - and our trip was two years in the making - that we were being treated not simply as faceless clients, but as individuals with preferences and ideas that were worthwhile and needed to be dealt with. Maruska's suggestions always seemed to relate directly to the information we'd forwarded to her. She actually seemed to be thinking about OUR TRIP, not her needs.
One of the things that was most helpful for us was that her description of each of the camps we stayed at in our email correspondence before we left was very accurate. So we had a sense both of what the accommodation and feel of the camp would be, and a good idea of what we were likely to see in each of the concessions.
The organization of flights, transfers, etc. was flawless. Every time somebody was supposed to be somewhere to pick us up they were there. Every time a plane was supposed to arrive for a flight (and there were four of those) it was there ready to go. The drivers and pilots were all friendly and helpful. The most complicated little maneuver, the drive from Kasane to Victoria Falls with the border crossing from Botswana to Zimbabwe, was handled expertly by the drivers on both sides."
Arranged By Maruska AdyeRowe
Lagoon Camp
"Great Camp"
2 nights
Arrived
27 Feb 2014
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Kwara Camp
"Kwara Camp review"
2 nights
Arrived
1 Mar 2014
"Kwara Camp had much the same feel as Lagoon - as it is also a Kwando property. As Expert Africa predicted, and as many of the EA reviews indicate, Kwara is not as luxurious as the other camps. The tents are significantly smaller, are older and less well-appointed. Still, the tent was comfortable and met all of our needs.
The managers, TJ and Joseph, were friendly and helpful - though not as visible as OB had been at Lagoon. Our guide, Thomas, and the spotter, Josiah, were outstanding. Thomas is intelligent, articulate, and charming, with a tremendous enthusiasm that is infectious. Josiah is extremely kind and caring and we all enjoyed getting to know him. He's very knowledgeable and the team of Tom and Josh really worked out well. They went way beyond the call of duty with respect to game viewing - one evening taking us on a cross country dash for a fantastic viewing of a cheetah.
One other staff person who stood out for us was Ocean, whose friendliness and enthusiasm were great.
The atmosphere at Kwara is very informal - even more so than Lagoon. For instance, instead of sitting down at the table for 'tea' in the afternoon, there was a kind of small buffet and guests ate standing up or found a soft chair to sit in. We actually found this to be a better plan, since it encouraged people to chat with one another and reduced (at least a little bit) our calorie intake. The food was good."
The managers, TJ and Joseph, were friendly and helpful - though not as visible as OB had been at Lagoon. Our guide, Thomas, and the spotter, Josiah, were outstanding. Thomas is intelligent, articulate, and charming, with a tremendous enthusiasm that is infectious. Josiah is extremely kind and caring and we all enjoyed getting to know him. He's very knowledgeable and the team of Tom and Josh really worked out well. They went way beyond the call of duty with respect to game viewing - one evening taking us on a cross country dash for a fantastic viewing of a cheetah.
One other staff person who stood out for us was Ocean, whose friendliness and enthusiasm were great.
The atmosphere at Kwara is very informal - even more so than Lagoon. For instance, instead of sitting down at the table for 'tea' in the afternoon, there was a kind of small buffet and guests ate standing up or found a soft chair to sit in. We actually found this to be a better plan, since it encouraged people to chat with one another and reduced (at least a little bit) our calorie intake. The food was good."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Kanana
"Kanana review"
3 nights
Arrived
3 Mar 2014
"Kanana Camp is in another league entirely. It's luxurious in every way. The tents are terrific, the bathrooms (with their glassed in shower stalls), the appointments, the dinners - all of it was over the top.
Our guide, Amos, had a great "been there, done that, seen it all" personality. We all enjoyed getting to know him and he has a wealth of knowledge to share. The Kanana system, with a guide but no spotter, worked, but especially on the night drive we took it was perhaps not as efficient as using a spotter.
The water based activities at Kanana are wonderful. We did a mokoro trip, a great motor boat excursion and also went fishing. The delta is so beautiful from the vantage point of the water that we certainly could have happily done lots more of those activities. We also went on a very interesting walk with Amos.
The managers, Viv, Glenn and Tobogo were very friendly and helpful - and the staff were great. Our only niggle about the staff is that they were perhaps a bit too attentive. Every time we came to the common areas, went to pour ourselves a drink, sat down to have a look at a reference book or just to relax, somebody was there to engage us in conversation, to pour the drink for us, to look for a way to help. Perhaps there are some who want that kind of service. We would have preferred them to be just a little bit less "there" all the time.
Two staff people who made our time very special were Owner (the female Owner - although the male Owner was great too) and Priscilla. They are both friendly, articulate and sharp young women. They had the self-confidence and charm to joke and talk with us in an authentic and natural way - even to tease us and poke fun. It was a real pleasure to get to know them - however briefly."
Our guide, Amos, had a great "been there, done that, seen it all" personality. We all enjoyed getting to know him and he has a wealth of knowledge to share. The Kanana system, with a guide but no spotter, worked, but especially on the night drive we took it was perhaps not as efficient as using a spotter.
The water based activities at Kanana are wonderful. We did a mokoro trip, a great motor boat excursion and also went fishing. The delta is so beautiful from the vantage point of the water that we certainly could have happily done lots more of those activities. We also went on a very interesting walk with Amos.
The managers, Viv, Glenn and Tobogo were very friendly and helpful - and the staff were great. Our only niggle about the staff is that they were perhaps a bit too attentive. Every time we came to the common areas, went to pour ourselves a drink, sat down to have a look at a reference book or just to relax, somebody was there to engage us in conversation, to pour the drink for us, to look for a way to help. Perhaps there are some who want that kind of service. We would have preferred them to be just a little bit less "there" all the time.
Two staff people who made our time very special were Owner (the female Owner - although the male Owner was great too) and Priscilla. They are both friendly, articulate and sharp young women. They had the self-confidence and charm to joke and talk with us in an authentic and natural way - even to tease us and poke fun. It was a real pleasure to get to know them - however briefly."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Ilala Lodge
"Ilala Lodge review"
2 nights
Arrived
6 Mar 2014
"Ilala Lodge is a good place to stay. It's very close to the falls, and it's easy to walk there. The town itself was not really the kind of place we wanted to spend any time in. Way too commercial, way too many people trying to sell you things at every street corner. In addition, the various activities that are available are incredibly expensive for what you get.
But the Falls themselves are spectacular and interesting. Well worth a day's visit.
Ilal is an old colonial place. The rooms are fine, the service is adequate (after 7 days in camps in Botswana the service at Ilala was pretty impersonal). The food in the restaurant is very good."
But the Falls themselves are spectacular and interesting. Well worth a day's visit.
Ilal is an old colonial place. The rooms are fine, the service is adequate (after 7 days in camps in Botswana the service at Ilala was pretty impersonal). The food in the restaurant is very good."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Average
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Our guide, Matt, was kind, thoughtful and professional. The camp manager, OB, was friendly and helpful and all of her staff seemed eager to please. One other staff person, Kim, deserves special mention. Her enthusiastic personality and kindness to all of us was memorable.
The accommodation at Lagoon is very, very comfortable. The tents are huge and are divided into three rooms - bedroom, dressing room/storage room, and luxurious bathroom. The outside shower was a treat.
The atmosphere at Lagoon is quite informal and comfortable. The food was good."