Travel reviews by Dr Wildebeest from UK

"Knowledgable helpful guides. Salt Pans very different from other places we've been in Africa (especially after dark!).

All staff very friendly and helpful. The plunge pool was welcome in the heat of the afternoon. Enjoyed the surprise element of the activity programme.

We both enjoyed driving quad bikes even though we had never done that before."

"The highlight of the trip for us.

We enjoyed seeing some of the country other than game camps and game reserves. Pleasant surprise to find that the tent had internal chemical loo so no need to go outside at night! Your website photo and details of the tent could be updated.

Grant and his staff excelled themselves in looking after us. Wonderful close daylight sighting of leopard underlined the benefit of having the time available (and the patience) to sit and wait: Grant readily changed the timing of dinner to fit our consequent much delayed arrival at the camp (in fact, he suggested it).

Wonderful to have game wandering past while in the camp (elephants with breakfast! not for the faint hearted). Young lion cubs playing, 3 close leopard sightings, black mamba climbing a tree and sleeping out on top of the truck under the stars all added to a wonderful time.

Remarkable what Joyce produces from the open fire. Having it all just for us was an extraordinary privilege. The private campsite in Xakanaka was a bonus: we had thought we were going to be on the public camp site."

"A mixture of good, some excellent, and poor makes our scoring below mostly average for a camp of this type.

There were problems with some aspects of the accommodation and service: the loo was broken and the first attempt to fix it was not successful, not aided by a communication mix up between the managers; the water in our room should have been replenished daily but was not.

Got off to a bad start because the boat to collect us from Xakanaka was 2 hours late: Grant contacted the Kwara Maun office and, after they had radioed the camp, was told that the boat had left when it hadn't. Another plus for Grant for staying until the boat did come.

The managers who are leaving at the end of June had perhaps lost their drive: we had a sense of the managing of the camp needing tightening up and that the incoming manager, who we met, would make a difference. We make these remarks with a full appreciation that we were in Africa and acknowledge the difficulties that can arise. But, apart from the guiding, which is, of course, most important, Kwara did not stand up to comparison with other camps/lodges we've been to in Botswana and Tanzania.

For us, having been on a mokoro with Grant, the very limited mokoro trip was too inactive and stretched out. The motor boat trip was worth while. The saving grace was that the guiding was excellent: it certainly helps having a tracker/spotter as well as the driver, especially at night. A highlight was the night sighting of serval."

"Our comments cover all 3 nights spent at Selinda. It was amazing to be beside a pool as the sun went down with a hippo coming out of the water and wild dogs passing in the gloom as they went to join the rest of the pack two of whom were calling: an experience we'll never forget. Africa wow!

Again all staff were very friendly and helpful."

"We were perhaps spoiled by how much we saw and were told on our walks in Selous: we knew there would be less game at this time than later and that proved to be the case even though we did have to take evasive action to get out of then way of a randy elephant bull and his 'lady'!

The change to walking was welcome exercise and we did enjoy it: our 'Good' is still very good. We appreciated the flexibility they showed in changing the programme when cheetah and leopard were spotted nearby and we drove to see them.

We would certainly do a walking safari again."

"See earlier remarks and scores."