Travel reviews by Maureen from Seattle

"Splash Camp exceeded our expectations. Everything about it was outstanding. The habitat was beautiful. Within an hour of landing we saw many elephants, a leopard, hippos, zebras, antelopes and giraffes. Our guide, Gee, and tracker, Luke liked to start a drive by looking for vultures that led us to a recent kill. Then they tracked the culprits (wild dog &, lions generally) usually napping by a watering hole. Then we would go back to the kill (antelopes, zebra and a small elephant) to observe the scavengers (hyenas, jackals, vultures etc). Wow, what an experience! Whenever, they tracked down the predator, Gee would say, "Another kill solved by CSI Splash Camp!"

The camp was just built and so was in perfect condition. It was luxurious for its purpose and well sealed to keep out animals and large insects. We also felt close to the wild world. Wild dogs and lions killed prey near the camp while we were there. We heard a lion outside our accommodation two of three nights there. We saw one while accompanied back to our dwelling. Pretty exciting stuff but we felt safe.

The whole staff was friendly and engaging. They put together a wonderful celebration of Botswana Independence Day that included vibrant singing and dancing as well as festive foods and drink.We hugged several folks when we left."

"Linyanti Bush Camp is disadvantaged by its terrain. While the marsh is lush, you can't go in it and so can view animals only at a distance or if you happen upon them heading into the marsh. The rest of the habitat is largely Mopani trees chomped down by elephants. So the habitat is not scenic and often obstructs clear views of wild life.

There are lots of elephants best viewed while heading in and out of the marsh. There are zebras, giraffes and a variety of antelopes and birds, however, the views were often obstructed by the scrub habitat. Amazingly, we saw a leopard on a night drive. What a treat! Our guide, Joe, was very knowledgeable and engaging. At our request, he brought us to the Savute section of Chobe a few hours away. We saw many elephants very close-up, a large pride of lions and two cheetah brothers napping during the day.

The accommodations at Linyanti were disappointing and in need of upgrade. When we were brought to our tent we were told not to leave any of our belongs out because baboons had learned to open the velco sealed screened windows. So we never unpacked while there. The floor boards were open to the ground so anything that could fit through the half inch gaps had free access to our accommodation. We found a scorpion on the ceiling the first night. There were also many mosquitos in the main lodge which annoyed guests during the dinner meal.

The food was very good. And one evening we had a special dinner celebration with dancing that was outstanding."