Travel reviews by Mrs J from Atlanta

"When we were planning our trip, the Royal Livingstone Hotel seemed a little pricey.....but wow, this is such a special place. The setting alone is spectacular and the grounds are beautifully kept. Our rooms on the upper level were lovely with balconies that overlooked the Zambezi River and the Sunset Bar. The ambiance was exceptional; watching the sun set over the Zambezi River was pure magic. We especially liked being so close to Victoria Falls and walked there several times.

This was our first stop so seeing elephants, zebras, impalas, giraffes, baboons and monkeys roam the property provided a fun introduction to Africa. The grounds staff was helpful in making sure we spotted the wildlife and sometimes escorted us to the "prime" observation areas. One evening, a pair of elephants interrupted happy hour as they fed on the trees near the bar and a family of zebras grazed a few feet from our rooms.

We loved the restaurant. The food was excellent...especially the steak, prawns, goat cheese appetizer and crocodile omelete. We enjoyed our breakfasts and dinners al fresco and found the prices quite reasonable.

The Island Breezer Tour (tour of Livingstone Island) was our favorite activity….we never dreamed we would get within a foot of the falls’ edge…and even had the opportunity to "swim"! Our timing was quite good as the rainbows on our 9:00 a.m. excursion were stunning. Seeing hippos and elephants on the boat ride back to the hotel was an unexpected bonus. We enjoyed our afternoon helicopter tour as well....seeing the falls from the air was thrilling, but this was the only activity that felt rushed.

One morning we took a taxi from the hotel to the curio market in Livingstone; this proved to be a fun and somewhat adventurous way to collect some souvenirs. We encountered one issue in room 5082: the fan for the heat/AC was extremely noisy, but intermittently so. The maintenance staff was responsive, but the issue was not resolved during our stay."

"Each lodge we visited had its own character and we enjoyed our experience at each one. My sister and I perhaps enjoyed the Savute Safari Lodge most of all.

The chalets are large, very nicely appointed and well lit during the day and from our decks (units 1 & 2 overlooking the channel) we saw numerous elephants but also giraffes, kudus and wildebeests. The channel in front of the dining area is softly lit at night and the elephants put on quite a show. The drives here were so much fun….in some areas our range rover maneuvered through fairly deep water. Our guide (Gee) found lions for us on each of our drives…including 2 females with 3 cubs and a mating pair mating. Gee also spotted a leopard, but it was getting dark and a bit difficult to see. Of course, we also encountered the "usual" elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, African fish eagles, lilac breasted rollers, red and yellow hornbills and impalas...wonderful! One afternoon, we went to see the rock paintings. The hike/climb was shorter than expected and there are just a few paintings; still we enjoyed getting a little exercise and the view from the rocks was quite nice.

Even with the wonderful accommodations and excellent gaming, it is the staff that makes Savute Safari Lodge so outstanding. I felt a warm welcome from the moment we arrived and a genuine desire to make our stay fabulous.

And that they did. On our second night they whisked our party of 4 upstairs to the library deck where they had prepared an elaborate dinner to celebrate our special occasions (our 35th wedding anniversary, our daughter’s 21st birthday and my husband’s retirement). It was truly spectacular…candlelit, private setting, excellent food (including delicious grilled kudu)…definitely a night to treasure.

We encountered one issue with chalet 2 during our stay. The bathroom had a very strong sewer/septic odor. The maintenance staff was responsive and the issue improved but was not completely resolved during our stay. We saw some PVC pipes outside the chalet as we were leaving, so we assume that the problem did get resolved.

I would love to return to Savute Safari Lodge and I would definitely request chalets 1 & 2. They are the farthest from the lodge; they are the most private and have the best view of the channel.

P.S. Safute Safari Lodge has hairdryers that can be checked out from the office...nice to have after several days in the bush!"

"Flying over the Okavango Delta in a Cessna 206 and watching our guide chase four giraffes from the sandy airstrip so that our plane could land set the stage nicely for our stay at Tubu Tree where we were literally immersed in the bush. The tent accommodations were extremely comfortable, the views from the deck were quite nice and I especially liked having an outdoor shower. Every night a “bush baby” (hot water bottle wrapped in sheepskin) was placed in our bed to keep us warm. It worked remarkably well.

Our guide (Phenyo) provided us with various experiences which included observing a leopard tracking a civet, seeing a hyena with two cubs, a speedboat ride to the hippo pool and a late afternoon mokoro ride. The game was quite plentiful on our drives (elephants, zebras, giraffes and wildebeests) and because the vehicles could off-road, we had some very close encounters. We also had a number of animals visit within feet/yards of our tents (elephants, kudu, baboons, warthogs, steenbok).

Tubu Tree Camp celebrated our special occasions one evening with singing (the choir here was outstanding) and cake after dinner and placed hand crafted cards in our tents. At night we played cards in one of our tents and the manager escorted us to our own tent afterwards.

One small issue we encountered at Tubu Tree was a hammering project that was underway upon our arrival / siesta time...definitely detracted from the ambiance and should have been done while the guests were away on drives. Another issue we encountered with Tubu Tree was the condition of the swimming pool. It was quite hot one afternoon and my sister and I wanted to take a swim, but the water was cloudy and uninviting.

P.S. Be sure to observe the luggage specifications. We traveled to Tubu Tree via a Cessna 206 and our duffle bags (correct size) were a tight fit. Also note that the electricity in the tents is used for lighting and charging cell phones and camera batteries (no hairdryers etc.)"

"We had a lot of fun at Muchenje. Although the rooms felt small compared to our prior accommodations, they were nicely decorated, the views were incredible and the common areas of the lodge were very inviting. We spent more time in the common areas here than at the other lodges and enjoyed it very much.

Our guide (Ocean) took us on a night drive, a morning walking safari and the all-day safari that included the river safari. Our all day safari was the perfect finale for our trip as we saw so much wildlife on our final day and in incredible numbers. We witnessed several herds of elephants crossing over to the island and many, many crocodiles and hippos. On our drive back through Chobe National Park, we saw herds of cape buffalo, wildebeests and elephants; numerous giraffes, zebras, impalas, antelopes and even ostriches. There were a few areas in Chobe that were a bit crowded with other vehicles, but we left those behind rather quickly.

The staff at Muchenje was very friendly and we learned a lot about them and the area in our dinner conversations. Also, the walking safari was much different than I expected as we saw quite a bit of wildlife (zebras, warthogs, waterbucks and antelopes). And it was fun to be doing something active after five days on safari.

However, there was one significant miss for me. Our 35th wedding anniversary was on August 5th, our first night at Muchenje. This very special event was not acknowledged in any way. As wonderful as the safari was, this oversight was quite disappointing. Also, the ambiance of the camp could be enhanced by placing a natural material (such as a thatched screen) over the air/heating units."