Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs S from Jersey

"The arrival by water was an excellent introduction, crocodiles and hippos included. The setting, accommodation and service were all good and we enjoyed the hippos laughing when they woke us up. The open aspect of the rooms was wonderful but our "crocs" were a must to avoid walking on the bat droppings.

One of the highlights was the helicopter ride over the falls but in hindsight we wish we had taken the 30 minute ride which includes dropping into the gorges. We think you should emphasise the difference between the 2 rides.

The lunar rainbow was an unexpected treat as this only happens a limited number of times per year. The River Club made this extra special by providing champagne and canapes at the Falls. A magical evening.

The staff were efficient and very friendly and our guide Vincent did everything he could to make our stay special. On the last day there was a problem at Kazungula when our names did not appear to be on the Botswana driver's list and Vincent stayed with us across the ferry until he was certain that our onward transport was organised."

"The drive from the airstrip to the camp set the scene for our stay with an encounter with a herd of elephants, giraffe, more elephants, impala and did I mention the elephants.

The proximity of our vehicle to the animals gave us a taste of life in camp. However nothing prepared us for the cacophany of sounds when we tried to sleep that first night. We recognized the elephants and lions (although the nearness was slightly unnerving) but the sounds of other animals we still needed to identify. We soon became used to it all even when the elephant pulled branches down on top of our tent.

The time spent here was enhanced by our wonderful guide OT. He was incredibly knowledgeable and went to great efforts to ensure that we saw a huge variety of game including lion, cheetah, leopard, wild dogs and birdlife. He also had a wonderful sense of humour and made sure that every day was enjoyable for us.

The rest of the staff and the managers were always on hand to discuss our sightings and tend to our needs. They were very friendly.
We enjoyed the dinners when we were all seated at one long table and were able to meet and discuss the day's activities with guests from all over the world.

The only minute thing that concerned us were the steps going down to the camp fire area. 3 of our party experienced slight problems. These need to be highlighted in some sort of way as they may cause an accident. I think that the staff are already reviewing this problem.

Altogether our stay in Chitabe was a wonderful experience."

"As the original airstrip is no longer accessible it was a long drive to the camp with very little game in sight. The camp is in a lovely setting but felt our room was a bit OTT. Two showers side by side were unnnecessary (although one didn't work).

The game experience was very disappointing although we did see lots of elephant. It was noticeable that there was very little communication between the guides and on one morning drive we were out for nearly 5 hours and saw very little. It was also disappointing on the evening drive to come across tables and chairs set out for a candlelit dinner by the river only to discover afterwards that this was apparently for the camp managers and not for the guests. This demonstrated the lack of communication amongst camp staff as after seeing the set-up our guide immediately radioed in and we overheard him then telling other guides to avoid the area.

Although generally the staff were helpful (particularly nick who helped me with a camera problem) we felt that there was an undercurrent amongst staff in the camp."

"What a wonderful setting in the Delta. all the staff and in particular our guide KD made sure that we had the ultimate experience at this camp. We were fortunate to see lots of game in particular the hyena's den with mother and cub.

We had a full day trip by boat through the reed beds and hippo pools up to Chief's Island. At lunchtime we landed on a bank to find a wonderful picnic set out for us complete with rugs for a siesta afterwards. A memorable experience. The variety of birdlife in this camp was exceptional. KD's knowledge of flora and fauna was outstanding and he always seemed able to surprise us. As it was my birthday he arranged for a cake and then surprised us with champagne as a sundowner, He even organised a giraffe walking in front of the setting sun - so perfect.

This was the third camp where we had dinner in the Kgotla but the only one where the staff sang and danced for us. We ended our visit to this camp by a morning in the mokoros gliding peacefully through the reeds. We were sad to leave such a friendly and efficiently run oasis."