Travel reviews by Ms L from Enfield

"This really was a trip of a life-time for me and I am delighted to say that it did not disappoint! The adventure took me across Northern Botswana from the spectacle of Victoria Falls in Zambia to the wonderful Chobe river, incredibly diverse Linyanti and Khwai reserves, the heavenly Okavango Delta and ended in moon-like expanse of the Makgadikgadi Pans.

Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable about all the game, bird and plant life we encountered along the way. As a keen amateur photographer I was keen to get as many great shots as possible and he was fantastic at positioning our vehicle so that we could get the best possible light and view without disturbing the animals. We were looked after very well and treated as 'guests' in their country as opposed to just 'tourists' - this is an aspect of Batswana culture that I have come to admire greatly and it never felt as it were intriduding upon the landscape or on the animals' daily life. We very rarely came into contact with other groups, except when a rare animal had been spotted and the guides were taking us to see them.

I stayed in adventurer camps in Linyanti and Khwai which meant that I was without mod cons such as electricity, running water or flushing toilets but this really wasn't an issue as hot water was provided for us for washing hands and showers and the bush toilets were perfectly sanitary, provided they were used correctly! I appreciated the chance to 'rough it' - it certainly enhanced my experience of the bush as I felt like I was really in the wilderness as opposed to just dipping in and out. For example, one evening hippo came out the water to graze about 100 m from our dinner table and on one morning we woke to find lion tracks all over camp! My tent was basic but comfortable and the food was fantastic - as a vegetarian I was well accommodated. We never went hungry!

The early morning drives took a few mornings to get used to and I advise everyone to keep well hydrated as it reached 40c by midday, keep in the shade and take high factor sun protection otherwise you will burn very quickly. Drinking water was readily available and we were provided with a drinking bottle so we weren't wasting plastic. The terrain is rocky and our vehicle did get stuck on one or two occasions so be prepared for a bumpy journey in parts and to pitch in when the truck needs digging out!

Linyanti has lots of mosquitos and I was bitten quite badly so do take bug spray with you although this was provided.
Game is incredibly diverse - an abundance of birdlife, elephants, hippo, impala, kudu.... We were fortunate to see two lion prides, a pack of wild dogs and on the last day in Linyanti we saw a female leopard - just ten metres from the vehicle - this was probably my highlight of the entire trip.

Our group received a complementary upgrade to Xigera Camp - a beautifully romantic permanent camp in the southern part of the Delta. After six nights camping I was probably more appreciative of running water and electricity. This camp really is paradise and I imagine it to be the kind of place you could honeymoon in. The waters were starting to receed when we arrived but we were still able to enjoy the tranquility of the Delta's waterways. Game is less prolific but we did get some night time visitors so take a good torch with you."

"The Pans are a marked change from the north and the Delta in most ways possible. The landscape is bare, dry and arid and the Pans themselves reminded me of the lunar surface. Game is less easy to spot and the animals are much smaller and harder to spot. I was privileged however to spend a great deal time with a rare brown hyena cub.

The baobabs are incredible and fairly easy to climb! Walking with the meerkats was probably my highlight here and two of them even climbed up onto my knees! I was also lucky enough to see the first rains come with fantastic lightening displays.

The camp is a comfortable camp and nce again the hospitality was top notch. The only down side was that I was the only guest for the last night which felt a little odd having been in the company of 5 other travellers for most of my trip."