Travel reviews by M & A from S Oxfordshire

"For some reason Nxamaseri airstrip was not in use so we were flown from Maun to Shakawe airstrip and then driven to the lodge. It was a very interesting to drive through Shakawe and see where and how local people lived, including sightings of working donkey carts. The driver stopped at an old quarry on the outskirts and showed us where carmine bee eaters were nesting. He also showed us around Nxamaseri village and introduced us to some local people.

The journey to the lodge was about an hour including “off road” through land where cattle and working donkeys were grazing, youngsters were using mokoros to fish; the final part of the journey was by motor launch to the lodge where we received a traditional sung welcoming greeting from the staff.

The lodge and public/dining areas were beautiful and a lovely place to spend time relaxing. Our accommodation was extremely comfortable, spacious and well equipped. It was lovely to hear birds and animal life from the room.

A choice of meals were available at lunchtime, which were booked in advance as was the lunch timing, which was flexible. Evening drinks and mealtimes were fixed. The food was simple and wholesome.

In terms of activities we opted for a cultural trip to Tsodilo Hills which took half a day and included an outdoor lunch. A local guide accompanied us and pointed out the rock art on the guided walk which was easy and did not involve any climbing. It was a magical place and a very worthwhile and interesting experience. The trip is likely to change when the new “sleep out camp experience” commences later this month.

We also had some highly enjoyable trips on a flat bottomed motor launch where we enjoyed multiple bird sightings including bee eaters and many kingfishers; we also saw many crocodiles and hippos and a particular highlight was a sighting of at least 15 elephants which we had not expected during our stay. System was a very friendly and knowledgable guide and we really enjoyed his company."

"This was our first experience of a mobile safari and every aspect of it exceeded our expectations. Andrew, as well as being an extremely knowledgeable and expert guide was also delightful and entertaining company.

We had two nights in Khwai/Moremi where the camp was well located and private; we then moved to Savuti where we had an extremely private location on a ridge above the Savuti Marsh, far from any lodges.

Everything was well organised and Andrew’s team of six staff were very efficient and friendly, making for a most relaxing experience. Food was first rate, inventive and delicious, all cooked over an open fire with great skill by chef Alec. The drinks included local Okavango gin and St Louis tinned beer and well chosen South African wines.

Our tent was spacious with warm, comfortable beds, an en-suite “throne” and bucket shower, plus external “his and hers” wash basins which were topped up with hot water in the morning and later in the day. It was very hot during the day and it was nice to relax after lunch in our tent where a solar powered fan was provided.

There were two game drives a day, the first starting at 6.15. We were woken at 5.30 and a delicious breakfast was delivered shortly thereafter. Fresh fruit and yoghourt, followed by toast and freshly baked goodies - Andrew paid great attention to our pre-advised culinary requests!

We had many fabulous game drives at both locations and at Moremi we achieved our ambition of seeing a leopard in the wild, once resting in a tree and later in the day on the move. There was always something interesting to see and the bird life was excellent too; with much help from Andrew we ticked off over a hundred different birds on our checklist!

Andrew was kind and patient when helping me to clamber up the rocks to see the rock art at the Gubatsaa Hills in Savuti. It was well worth the effort.

We enjoyed ourselves so much that we are now booking up our next trip with Andrew, to explore the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

By the way, don’t pay much attention to the species hit list associated with this safari - Andrew goes to many different areas and will tailor the drives for what his guests are interested in."

"We were driven to Nogatsaa Lodge from Ghoha Hills Lodge, a journey of just over 3 hours; it was interesting to see different scenery including the teak forests in the Ghoha area contrasting with the Mopane woodlands nearer to Nogatsaa. We had sightings of eland, giraffe, zebra, steenbok and even a sleepy lion en route!

The lodge was well situated right next to a large pan which was home to a pride of ten lions and well frequented by a wide range of animals including giraffe, buffalo, hippo, elephants, black backed jackal including the lions of course! It was also great to see Roan and Sable antelope.

We were the only guests for our two nights and were extremely well looked after by the staff and the delightful manager Ketshele. Food was excellent and our tented accommodation extremely comfortable and well equipped.

Vincent was our guide and he was excellent company and very informative. Because of the unique setting, game drives did not venture far but worked well and allowed us to see a nesting giant eagle owl and the interactions between a mother lion and her cubs."