Travel reviews by C & K from RI

"After traveling from Boston to London, and then London to Johannesburg, it was a relief to spend a night here.

The rooms were clean and comfortable, it is a short walk from the airport, and there is a restaurant in the hotel.

We were able to leave a bag here while we spent time in Botswana."

"We saw so many animals here! Within 40 minutes of when we arrived, we were watching 6 cheetahs sitting on a termite mound.

We had a terrific, very knowledgeable guide, Tank. The accommodations were great and set off away from the others so it felt very private. There is internet access, although it is slow at peak times. The walkways and tents are elevated, so there is no concern about animals crossing your path.

We followed a group of African wild dogs when they attacked an impala. We saw a very pregnant lioness, and young impalas running and kicking up their hind legs. Thousands of frogs make an incredible symphony that sounds like small metal drums. We were closely following a male lion when he began to roar. We also saw a civit and a genet.

Note: it gets cold when it is dark in the evening and mornings in May. Bring warm clothing, including knit hats and gloves."

"There were abundant animals around the camp: hippos, baboons, elephants and impala. In fact the first evening we were walking back to our tent with the guide and came upon a large bull elephant on our path. We just stopped, stood silently until our guide clapped his hands loudly three times, and the elephant ambled off.

Everyone there was very hospitable and helpful. There is no internet. However, when the rules for getting back into South Africa were changed because of Covid, the manager sent emails for us to figure out how we would get the required QR code we would need.

An unusual experience was taking an outdoor shower with a baboon watching me! We watched a jackal eating remains of an impala. One evening when we were driving back to the camp, we saw an aardwolf and a serval. The sunsets are amazing!"

"We can’t say enough about how great Andrew is. He is personable, very knowledgeable and passionate about sharing his favorite places in Botswana. He has a terrific crew, all of whom were very service-focused. It was truly amazing how great the food was; it was creative and excellent and it was all prepared over an open fire.

Only take this trip if you are prepared for real camping, not “glamping”. There is no running water (although you will have hot water to wash hands and take a shower), toilets (just a latrine type hole) or electricity (although there are lamps). It was very cold for 3 of the nights we were there. The “bush babies” hot water bottles and the ponchos help to stay warm, but you definitely need gloves and a warm hat in the latter part of May.

Andrew was so accommodating of our schedules, and what we wanted to watch and photograph. When we needed to access the internet before our flight back to South Africa to get a QR code to prove vaccination status, he drove us to his house in Maun and then to the airport, going above and beyond!

One morning we were returning to the camp having seen not a lot of unique animals, and, as we were about 200 yards from the camp, Andrew spotted 5 lions lying in the grass. We were able to observe them for quite a while.

At one point we were surrounded by about a thousand zebras on migration. Another time we were in the midst of a breeder herd of elephants, with a curious matriarch who approached our vehicle closely to check us out. We were able to watch a leopard cub in a tree pulling up and then eating an impala. We saw an Egyptian goose pretending to have an injured wing to try to distract us and protect her goslings."

"Having spent a day traveling back from a mobile camp and the Maun airport, we were pleased to have a comfortable room in which to sleep before embarking on the long trip back to London and then the US."