Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs J from Australia
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
2
Lodges stayed in
5
Excursions taken
0
Definately the trip of a lifetime!
Botswana and 1 other country between 28 Jun 2013 and 10 Jul 2013
"The trip Nick Hobbs and I put together for our family with 3 adult children, far exceeded our expectations.
For me the night in Maun allowed me to be ready, not tired from travel, to appreciate every moment of our camps in the okavango delta.The combination of 3 camps over 8 nights was given the thumbs up by all, as being exactly the right amount of time at each camp and overall. It gave us time to enjoy the wonderful different aspects of 3 areas without a huge amount of travel between. We were able to capture sights of different animals in different surroundings, ie seeing the lions at Duba Plains swim. We were also able to appreciate the things they had in common, their care for the local environment and the future for the animals.
Finishing the trip, in Victoria Falls with an exhilarating Helicopter trip and an amazing time Walking with the Lions aided by Paul our wonderful guide , was perfect. Our extra day, then gave us the chance to wander around the views at the Falls National Park, go to Zambia, explore the town and markets and soak up the ambience on the hotel verandah.
Two travel hiccups, lost luggage and lost phone, were extremely well managed by Nick and the team at Expert Africa. I would highly recommend them to others. Thank you for a special holiday."
For me the night in Maun allowed me to be ready, not tired from travel, to appreciate every moment of our camps in the okavango delta.The combination of 3 camps over 8 nights was given the thumbs up by all, as being exactly the right amount of time at each camp and overall. It gave us time to enjoy the wonderful different aspects of 3 areas without a huge amount of travel between. We were able to capture sights of different animals in different surroundings, ie seeing the lions at Duba Plains swim. We were also able to appreciate the things they had in common, their care for the local environment and the future for the animals.
Finishing the trip, in Victoria Falls with an exhilarating Helicopter trip and an amazing time Walking with the Lions aided by Paul our wonderful guide , was perfect. Our extra day, then gave us the chance to wander around the views at the Falls National Park, go to Zambia, explore the town and markets and soak up the ambience on the hotel verandah.
Two travel hiccups, lost luggage and lost phone, were extremely well managed by Nick and the team at Expert Africa. I would highly recommend them to others. Thank you for a special holiday."
Thamalakane River Lodge
"Great place for a first stay in Botswana"
1 night
Arrived
28 Jun 2013
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
DumaTau Camp
"Our family loved Duma Tau"
3 nights
Arrived
29 Jun 2013
"As our first ever Safari Camp we sure struck it lucky at Duma Tau. Not only were the tents at the new camp absolutely beautiful, the lounge area open and sunny but Johann, Anya, and all the staff were marvelous. Sitting at either the bar chatting to Mr. B or at the dining table, looking over the river was Idyllic. With such a setting we did not object at all to being woken early, given a variety of yummy breakfast options, and put in a Safari vehicle with hot water bottles to head off on Safari. Our guide Tank with his wonderful knowledge, great driving skills and wonderful sense of humour made our stay there hard to beat. Our sunset fishing trip on the big boat was also a lot of fun.
Being next to the river and having a variety of animals wandering between the tents at any time day or night, does add to the experience. Although despite insisting she was fine on her own, our adult daughter did get a fright and I would recommend nervous people, especially children sharing tents."
Being next to the river and having a variety of animals wandering between the tents at any time day or night, does add to the experience. Although despite insisting she was fine on her own, our adult daughter did get a fright and I would recommend nervous people, especially children sharing tents."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Duba Plains Camp
"Breakfast around the fire was a special touch"
3 nights
Arrived
2 Jul 2013
"A stunning setting, with beautiful rooms\tents offering indoor and outdoor showers, combined with fabulous comfortable lounges surrounded by Beverley's magnificent wildlife phographs in the main area, a wonderful welcome from OT, Adele, Obeletswe and Kops which in total provided an excellent start to our stay at Duba Plains. The breakfast by torchlight, using the fire to cook added a special feel on those cold mornings.
Our guide Obeletswe's knowledge and patience not only in following and waiting for the many animals, was all the more impressive when we chose to spend an 11 hour day in the Landcruiser following the lions and buffalo, as he also coped with the primate interactions of our family as well. We found watching the lions stalk and chase the buffalo absolutely incredible. On that long day, the lunch provided in the bush by Steve and the crew, with beautifully set tables and melt in your mouth steaks was also amazing. A truly special day to remember."
Our guide Obeletswe's knowledge and patience not only in following and waiting for the many animals, was all the more impressive when we chose to spend an 11 hour day in the Landcruiser following the lions and buffalo, as he also coped with the primate interactions of our family as well. We found watching the lions stalk and chase the buffalo absolutely incredible. On that long day, the lunch provided in the bush by Steve and the crew, with beautifully set tables and melt in your mouth steaks was also amazing. A truly special day to remember."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Shinde Camp
"Great fun on the water"
2 nights
Arrived
5 Jul 2013
"Although only staying for 2 nights we did manage to squeeze a lot in while we were at Shinde camp, game drives with B, a highly successful fishing trip with B and Betoki, and a Mokoro trip where we saw an otter and soaked up the serenity of the wetlands. Such a lovely camp with great staff especially the effervescent Benny. A bushfire had burnt across areas of the reserve nearby, and rather than reducing the animals grazing, it seemed to draw them in to the freshly burnt grassland and gave us a different perspective on the wildlife cycle."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Victoria Falls Hotel
"Colonial style"
3 nights
Arrived
7 Jul 2013
"A truly beautiful colonial style hotel including colonial style service, with magnificent outlooks and wonderful settings for both restaurants, and warthog and baboon entertainment on the lawns in front. The location offers views of the bridge, views of the mist from the falls and is an easy 10 min walk to the Victoria Falls Park. Walking into town or to the tourist market is also an easy option. The rooms while due for an update, are still lovely but we did request to move from the area on the first floor above the kitchens extractor fan which was incredibly loud. Just be sure to request quiet rooms!
The many tourist police in place around the area make you feel safe and answer all questions with a smile.
Booking activities in the area beforehand, gives you more time to enjoy your downtime and soak up the ambience."
The many tourist police in place around the area make you feel safe and answer all questions with a smile.
Booking activities in the area beforehand, gives you more time to enjoy your downtime and soak up the ambience."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Average
Rooms
Average
Food
Good
The Jacana room was lovely and spacious with a great shower, and the staff very friendly and extremely helpful. A power outage in the area limited the evening menu, but theIr flexibility still offered a variety of meals and my tasty bream by candlelight made for a nice relaxed start to my holiday. Staying at Thamalakane was a great alternative to staying in Maun."