Travel reviews by Mr D from Ontario
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
2
Lodges stayed in
5
Excursions taken
0
My 11 day, 4 camp safari in Dec, 2013
Botswana and 1 other country between 7 Dec 2013 and 20 Dec 2013
"My trip was expertly organized, to say the very least and was a truly amazing experience.
I have already commented on all the camps, so I'll just comment on the overall organization. I think the selection of camps for me was just perfect. I had a river camp, a desert camp, a jungle camp and a combination river/bush camp. This allowed me to never get tired of what I was seeing and always experience something new. I also think Maruska gave me great advice in suggesting that I do 11 days rather than 7, because the game viewing is trickier in the rainy season, so you see less, so you need more time. So because of my timing, I traded off game viewing for privacy, but because I made a longer trip, I still saw all the game. The advantage to safaris in December is privacy. On 8 of my 20 game drives, I was the only person in my safari vehicle! For 24 hours at Tubu and 8 hours at Savuti, I was the only guest in camp!
But the most impressive thing for my were the transfers. My first day, I left Lusaka and flew to Livingstone where I was met at the airport and whisked away. At the border between Zambia and Botswana, I was met by a boat, which had been waiting for me, was zipped across the river and met by a safari vehicle. This vehicle then whisked to a rendez-vous with the safari camp's vehicle, with then met the afternoon game drive from Mucheje camp part way and I was on a game drive! So I left Lusaka and noon and 5 transfers later, all done seamlessly, and I was on a game drive at 4pm!
Another example is: at Tau Pan in the Kalahari, I went on a morning game drive, came back to camp to have brunch and pack and then had a one hour game drive to the air strip. 5 minutes after arriving, the plane landed and 5 minutes later we were airborne. After a 1 hour flight where I was co-pilot, I landed at Little Tubu and was on a game drive 10 minutes later! So, I was on a game drive in the Kalahari at 2pm and on another in the Okavango Delta at 4pm. What amazing logistics!
Really, really, really well organized trip all in all. It's a rare trip that I leave all the logistics to someone else, but I am very glad to have left it to Expert Africa!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
The only thing I can think of is for you to probe a little more into what exactly we are hoping to experience. For me, this was my first safari, so I really wanted to see big cats. I'm not sure the camps chosen for me were the absolute best for this (I'm not sure they were not either), but I would have benefitted from some more info as to why those particular camps were best for me in that particular area. I had no idea there were so many options to choose from.
All in all, you guys are awesome and I will certainly recommend you and use you again. I was referred to you by a good friend who has used you a couple of times."
I have already commented on all the camps, so I'll just comment on the overall organization. I think the selection of camps for me was just perfect. I had a river camp, a desert camp, a jungle camp and a combination river/bush camp. This allowed me to never get tired of what I was seeing and always experience something new. I also think Maruska gave me great advice in suggesting that I do 11 days rather than 7, because the game viewing is trickier in the rainy season, so you see less, so you need more time. So because of my timing, I traded off game viewing for privacy, but because I made a longer trip, I still saw all the game. The advantage to safaris in December is privacy. On 8 of my 20 game drives, I was the only person in my safari vehicle! For 24 hours at Tubu and 8 hours at Savuti, I was the only guest in camp!
But the most impressive thing for my were the transfers. My first day, I left Lusaka and flew to Livingstone where I was met at the airport and whisked away. At the border between Zambia and Botswana, I was met by a boat, which had been waiting for me, was zipped across the river and met by a safari vehicle. This vehicle then whisked to a rendez-vous with the safari camp's vehicle, with then met the afternoon game drive from Mucheje camp part way and I was on a game drive! So I left Lusaka and noon and 5 transfers later, all done seamlessly, and I was on a game drive at 4pm!
Another example is: at Tau Pan in the Kalahari, I went on a morning game drive, came back to camp to have brunch and pack and then had a one hour game drive to the air strip. 5 minutes after arriving, the plane landed and 5 minutes later we were airborne. After a 1 hour flight where I was co-pilot, I landed at Little Tubu and was on a game drive 10 minutes later! So, I was on a game drive in the Kalahari at 2pm and on another in the Okavango Delta at 4pm. What amazing logistics!
Really, really, really well organized trip all in all. It's a rare trip that I leave all the logistics to someone else, but I am very glad to have left it to Expert Africa!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
The only thing I can think of is for you to probe a little more into what exactly we are hoping to experience. For me, this was my first safari, so I really wanted to see big cats. I'm not sure the camps chosen for me were the absolute best for this (I'm not sure they were not either), but I would have benefitted from some more info as to why those particular camps were best for me in that particular area. I had no idea there were so many options to choose from.
All in all, you guys are awesome and I will certainly recommend you and use you again. I was referred to you by a good friend who has used you a couple of times."
Arranged By Maruska AdyeRowe
Muchenje Safari Lodge
"Short but sweet"
2 nights
Arrived
7 Dec 2013
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Tau Pan Camp
"Fabulous Tau Pan"
3 nights
Arrived
9 Dec 2013
"I spent 3 nights at Tau Pan in early December, 2013 and would highly recommend the camp to anyone. You simply must include the Kalahari on your itinerary if at all possible.
The staff at Tau Pan was simply exceptional, striking just the right balance between involved and giving you some breathing space. The guides and trackers were really excellent. Vasco and Scupa were great to spend my days with and I would particularly like to thank Russ, who was simply not willing to accept that I hadn't seen a cheetah yet and hustled me into the safari vehicle at 5:45 on my final morning - we found a cheetah at 6:05! (I know that was pure chance, but still).
I really liked that Tau Pan had Botswanan management - as I was travelling alone, it made for great conversations for me, learning about local culture. The rooms are gorgeous, the setting is amazing (though of course no animals come to the water hole in rainy season - that would be awesome to see) and the staff was fantastic. The game drives were many and frequent and we even did a full day drive - left at 6am and returned at 6pm. Oh yeah, I was the only one in the vehicle, so I had a full day private game drive! The highlight of the whole trip was seeing a pride of 4 lions devouring a recently killed oryx.
One caution for travellers: the game is less dense in the kalahari and even less dense in December, so you can go long stretches of driving seeing only birds and the odd bat eared fox, but given the flat open terrain, when you do find something, it can be awesome. But because you are in a national park, you have to stick to the roads also."
The staff at Tau Pan was simply exceptional, striking just the right balance between involved and giving you some breathing space. The guides and trackers were really excellent. Vasco and Scupa were great to spend my days with and I would particularly like to thank Russ, who was simply not willing to accept that I hadn't seen a cheetah yet and hustled me into the safari vehicle at 5:45 on my final morning - we found a cheetah at 6:05! (I know that was pure chance, but still).
I really liked that Tau Pan had Botswanan management - as I was travelling alone, it made for great conversations for me, learning about local culture. The rooms are gorgeous, the setting is amazing (though of course no animals come to the water hole in rainy season - that would be awesome to see) and the staff was fantastic. The game drives were many and frequent and we even did a full day drive - left at 6am and returned at 6pm. Oh yeah, I was the only one in the vehicle, so I had a full day private game drive! The highlight of the whole trip was seeing a pride of 4 lions devouring a recently killed oryx.
One caution for travellers: the game is less dense in the kalahari and even less dense in December, so you can go long stretches of driving seeing only birds and the odd bat eared fox, but given the flat open terrain, when you do find something, it can be awesome. But because you are in a national park, you have to stick to the roads also."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Little Tubu
"Incredible, beautiful Little Tubu"
3 nights
Arrived
12 Dec 2013
"Within minutes of arriving at Little Tubu, I had typed an email to a friend saying "this is the most beautiful place I have ever stayed in my life". The setting of the lodge and the beauty of the "tents" (permanent 20 by 30 foot rooms) was beyond compare. My tent had both indoor and outdoor showers, with the outdoor one having an open view onto the plain, where you might see zebras or impala grazing. Just the walk on the raised walkway out to the rooms was fantastic!
The staff were amazing and friendly but professional and after only 3 days, I felt like I'd made new friends. By pure luck, I was the only guest at the lodge for a full day and it was just awesome. Bee was a great guide and found us a leopard in a tree that we spent 45 minutes with and then followed through the bush. Even the veteran safari goers in my vehicle called it a "9 out of 10". Game drives at Tubu are different that the other lodges I went to because they start as soon as you leave camp (no driving to somewhere) and are very slow and meandering through the jungle. Even with the dense December bush we saw leopard, hyenas, buffalo and a black mamba and had some very intimate elephant moments among other things.
I had the good fortune of having Caroline, who works for Wilderness Safaris, on my game drives with me and she gave me great photography trips. When I told her about the great itinerary I had organized for my whole trip she asked who my travel agent was. When I told her Expert Africa, she said "oh, no wonder it's so good". :)
I really really hope to go back to Little Tubu some day. I loved it.
I should also mention than Bee makes drip coffee in a french press mid morning, which is an amazing treat - thanks Bee!"
The staff were amazing and friendly but professional and after only 3 days, I felt like I'd made new friends. By pure luck, I was the only guest at the lodge for a full day and it was just awesome. Bee was a great guide and found us a leopard in a tree that we spent 45 minutes with and then followed through the bush. Even the veteran safari goers in my vehicle called it a "9 out of 10". Game drives at Tubu are different that the other lodges I went to because they start as soon as you leave camp (no driving to somewhere) and are very slow and meandering through the jungle. Even with the dense December bush we saw leopard, hyenas, buffalo and a black mamba and had some very intimate elephant moments among other things.
I had the good fortune of having Caroline, who works for Wilderness Safaris, on my game drives with me and she gave me great photography trips. When I told her about the great itinerary I had organized for my whole trip she asked who my travel agent was. When I told her Expert Africa, she said "oh, no wonder it's so good". :)
I really really hope to go back to Little Tubu some day. I loved it.
I should also mention than Bee makes drip coffee in a french press mid morning, which is an amazing treat - thanks Bee!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Savuti Camp
"Savuti Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
15 Dec 2013
"Savuti was the fourth and last stop on my 11 day safari in Botswana and I thought it would be impossible to have it top the other lodges. But it did. It was overall, the best place I stayed, mainly because of the game viewing, which is at the end of the day, what we are there for!
The lodge was absolutely beautiful, the "tents" were gorgeous, right on the channel (only outdoor showers are missing and I don't really need one), the service was spectacular - my eating safari just continued with 4 meals per day with massive amounts of delicious food. But lilke I said the highlight was the game drives. Because Savuti is part of a 3 camp "team" in the Linyati reserve (the others being Duma Tau and King's Pool), the guides can communicate with each other when game is spotted. But they have a rule of no more than 3 vehicles at a sighting, so you get a great balance of loads of viewings, but still an intimate setting. We had an amazing leopard-in-a-tree veiwing as the sun set on the branch, two other separate leopards and also found a pack of 18 wild dogs devouring an impala. Again, through pure chance, I had a day and a half of private game drives, with just me and my guide Onx in the vehicle!
The camp also organized a dinner in their gorgeous Boma for us, complete with traditional song and dance show that the staff took part in with great skill and energy. What an unexpected treat! All in all, Savuti was just incredible. If this is a "classic" camp, I can't even imagine what a "premiere" camp involves."
The lodge was absolutely beautiful, the "tents" were gorgeous, right on the channel (only outdoor showers are missing and I don't really need one), the service was spectacular - my eating safari just continued with 4 meals per day with massive amounts of delicious food. But lilke I said the highlight was the game drives. Because Savuti is part of a 3 camp "team" in the Linyati reserve (the others being Duma Tau and King's Pool), the guides can communicate with each other when game is spotted. But they have a rule of no more than 3 vehicles at a sighting, so you get a great balance of loads of viewings, but still an intimate setting. We had an amazing leopard-in-a-tree veiwing as the sun set on the branch, two other separate leopards and also found a pack of 18 wild dogs devouring an impala. Again, through pure chance, I had a day and a half of private game drives, with just me and my guide Onx in the vehicle!
The camp also organized a dinner in their gorgeous Boma for us, complete with traditional song and dance show that the staff took part in with great skill and energy. What an unexpected treat! All in all, Savuti was just incredible. If this is a "classic" camp, I can't even imagine what a "premiere" camp involves."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Avani Victoria Falls
"Zambezi Sun - good spot, fabulous location"
2 nights
Arrived
18 Dec 2013
"After 11 nights in gorgeous bush camps, the Zambezi Sun is a real change of pace. The rooms are just ok, a bit small and looking a bit tired, but totally fine for a few days relaxation. The hotel itself is beautiful, with a nice free form pool, great restaurant options and several shops, including a very good curio shop. The restaurant in the Falls conference center next door was great and very reasonable. But of course the best part is that you just walk out the back gate of the hotel and you are at Victoria Falls! And it's included in your rate.
The Curio Market at Vic Falls is just as good as the one in Livingstone, so you can really do all your shopping there too. Staff were friendly and accomodating and getting a ride to your room in a golf cart was a nice touch!
Zambezi Sun is a great option if the 5 star hotels are too much for you, but the local hotels are a bit too dingy. I would stay there again for sure."
The Curio Market at Vic Falls is just as good as the one in Livingstone, so you can really do all your shopping there too. Staff were friendly and accomodating and getting a ride to your room in a golf cart was a nice touch!
Zambezi Sun is a great option if the 5 star hotels are too much for you, but the local hotels are a bit too dingy. I would stay there again for sure."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Average
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
The guides were excellent and the food was amazing and the service great. The only thing that was not totally perfect was that the husband and wife management team was a little too involved for my liking, spending every moment with us - I would have preferred a little more solitude. But I didn't tell them that, so I can hardly fault them for being super friendly.
Maybe it's because there were only 3 of us at the lodge - almost a private safari! And of course the game viewing in December is a little challenging as the bush is very thick, in this areas in particular. Nonetheless, we still saw a pride of lions and a sable antelope, as well as loads of elephants, hippos, giraffes, etc. And given that we had limited time, they arranged a full day safari, including a river safari for us one day, which was excellent, including lunch in our boat beside a huge herd of elephants."