Travel reviews by Deb from Florida
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
2
Lodges stayed in
4
Excursions taken
0
Exceeded expectations
Zimbabwe and 1 other country between 22 Aug 2024 and 6 Sep 2024
"Anton Walker really nailed everything for me. Just the right camps, accommodated my myriad of questions with great patience, and provided me with a trip beyond my wildest dreams. He was always available and listened well. Unbelievably smooth transitions from airport to camps.
Botswana was surreal. Like entering the world before development, where the animals lived as they were meant to and people leave a very small footprint. And they were everywhere! In addition to the animals listed on your spotting chart, there were impala and red lechwe and warthogs. I never imagined being able to watch a leopard and its cub eating an impala way up in a tree, or following a cheetah and watching it settle down for a nap. All was spectacular.
Anton also arranged for me to visit the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, where I got a private introduction to all the great work they are doing both with the animals and the community. Fascinating!
Also - wanted to mention how great the other people on safari were. As a solo traveler, it made it an even more rewarding experience.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Every detail was spot on.
I found the elephant encounter a bit contrived, but others were thrilled, so might just be me. As beautiful as the rooms were at The Elephant Camp, I would definitely opt for Old Drift over that every time. And probably should have done Old Drift at the end to enjoy the pampering and the food after Botswana (I think Anton would have agreed, but I was set on Zimbabwe first)"
Botswana was surreal. Like entering the world before development, where the animals lived as they were meant to and people leave a very small footprint. And they were everywhere! In addition to the animals listed on your spotting chart, there were impala and red lechwe and warthogs. I never imagined being able to watch a leopard and its cub eating an impala way up in a tree, or following a cheetah and watching it settle down for a nap. All was spectacular.
Anton also arranged for me to visit the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, where I got a private introduction to all the great work they are doing both with the animals and the community. Fascinating!
Also - wanted to mention how great the other people on safari were. As a solo traveler, it made it an even more rewarding experience.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Every detail was spot on.
I found the elephant encounter a bit contrived, but others were thrilled, so might just be me. As beautiful as the rooms were at The Elephant Camp, I would definitely opt for Old Drift over that every time. And probably should have done Old Drift at the end to enjoy the pampering and the food after Botswana (I think Anton would have agreed, but I was set on Zimbabwe first)"
Arranged By Anton Walker
Old Drift Lodge
"Old Drift Lodge review"
2 nights
Arrived
24 Aug 2024
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Sightings report
Elephant
Many sightings
Giraffe
Many sightings
Hippo
Many sightings
Zebra
Many sightings
The Elephant Camp
"The Elephant Camp review"
1 night
Arrived
26 Aug 2024
"Beautiful room, well appointed and very comfortable. While I was greeted upon arrival and staff was friendly, it did not have the same welcoming vibe, and the food wasn’t as good as at Old Drift Lodge.
I opted to do the elephant experience and visit the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust. The elephant experience felt a bit contrived. The a Wildlife Trust was phenomenal. Wisdom gave me a fascinating introduction to all they are accomplishing with the resources they have. Very impressive. Highly recommend!
I only had one day, so Impressions may have changed over time."
I opted to do the elephant experience and visit the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust. The elephant experience felt a bit contrived. The a Wildlife Trust was phenomenal. Wisdom gave me a fascinating introduction to all they are accomplishing with the resources they have. Very impressive. Highly recommend!
I only had one day, so Impressions may have changed over time."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Sightings report
Elephant
Many sightings
4 Rivers
"4 Rivers review"
4 nights
Arrived
27 Aug 2024
"4 Rivers was a great camp. Excellent guide and tracker (Clifford and Akim), who took very good care of me, especially accommodating my need for oxygen or at least slow walking when walking the ramped paths to my room, as well as my newly developed need for Amarula! We saw so much wildlife! Shout out to Anton at Expert Africa who made sure I had a room close the the main area and outlets in the right places.
Everything was immaculate and the food was amazing. Loved overlooking the hippo pond - could hear them all night! Also the elephants and baboons which were frequent visitors. It was also nice to have wi fi in the rooms. Super comfy beds! My only complaint was the late dinners coupled with the early wake up times (in both Kwando camps I visited), but it makes sense.
As for the game activities … absolutely phenomenal. Loved driving through the water - those Land Cruisers are indestructible! And Clifford and Akim got us so close to the lions, etc. but in a way that I always felt safe."
Everything was immaculate and the food was amazing. Loved overlooking the hippo pond - could hear them all night! Also the elephants and baboons which were frequent visitors. It was also nice to have wi fi in the rooms. Super comfy beds! My only complaint was the late dinners coupled with the early wake up times (in both Kwando camps I visited), but it makes sense.
As for the game activities … absolutely phenomenal. Loved driving through the water - those Land Cruisers are indestructible! And Clifford and Akim got us so close to the lions, etc. but in a way that I always felt safe."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
10+ sightings
Cheetah
2 sightings
Elephant
10+ sightings
Giraffe
10+ sightings
Hippo
10+ sightings
Leopard
1 sighting
Lion
4 sightings
Wildebeest
1 sighting
Zebra
4 sightings
Lagoon Camp
"Lagoon Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
31 Aug 2024
"Lagoon Camp was another outstanding experience. Absolutely amazing outlook over the lagoon, which was visually stunning and had so many visitors sitting on my deck was as good as a game drive … hippos, giraffes, elephants, a variety of antelope, crocodiles and birds.
The camp was lovely, and the staff made everyone feel special. They even treated us to a concert before dinner. Food was great. Again, wish dinner was a little earlier, but not a big deal. I did try to fill the claw foot tub, but the water came out brown, so decided a bath was a no go.
As for the wildlife - even more exceptional than at 4 Rivers, which was amazing. Fabulous tracking. We even saw an aardwolf."
The camp was lovely, and the staff made everyone feel special. They even treated us to a concert before dinner. Food was great. Again, wish dinner was a little earlier, but not a big deal. I did try to fill the claw foot tub, but the water came out brown, so decided a bath was a no go.
As for the wildlife - even more exceptional than at 4 Rivers, which was amazing. Fabulous tracking. We even saw an aardwolf."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
10+ sightings
Cheetah
2 sightings
Elephant
10+ sightings
Giraffe
10+ sightings
Hippo
10+ sightings
Leopard
6 sightings
Lion
4 sightings
Spotted Hyena
2 sightings
Zebra
5 sightings
I was greeted by management upon arrival for a discussion of what activities were on offer and which ones I wanted to participate in. Very personal, and lovely people (Irene in particular). Everyone was warm and welcoming and had plenty of time to chat. The food was out of this world. Truly.
With my limited time, I chose a river safari, a game drive and the Lookout Cafe. The river safari was great, and I had the good fortune to have Vusa as my guide, thanks to Expert Africa’s request. I would pass on the Lookout Cafe. Very ‘meh’.
The river safari was a great introduction to Africa, and we saw more animals than I expected. The game drive was also very good. Not the wealth of animals you find in Botswana, but still very good."