Safari Blog

I recently assisted an Irish Travel agent with a Botswana safari for his clients. Below is the feedback sent to Aidan from the guests.

Hi Brett

Thanks for everything.
Here an excellent review !!!
Regards,
Aidan

Hi Aidan,

I'm quite happy to give you a brief synopsis.

In summary: we had a wonderful time!

1. Meno-a-Kwena. This is a relaxed place with a very familial attitude, perched on a cliff overlooking a waterhole with a stunning rock pool, animal hide and bird bath for entertainment in the camp. It was the most casual and also the most closely connected to the bush - we had to be escorted to our tents every night and, unlike the other places, this was really necessary. There were lions roaring on the paths at night! It has permanent tents as bedrooms overlooking the valley with outdoor shower and loos with a view. Water is scarce, so you get a bucket of hot water on request for your shower.

Dabe, our San (bushman) guide was the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide I've ever had (worth keeping an eye out for as he is setting up his own mobile camp in the Kalahari one day for people who want to connect even more with nature). The food was great - run by a chef who headed up 5 star restaurants on cruise liners. It's also the most closely connected to the local population in terms of education and betterment.

We saw the migration of the zebra which was a smashing sight - thousands in one valley. Elephant came to the waterhole everyday, as did kudu. And we had an incredible day-trip to the Nxai pans where the oldest living things on earth are - a stand of massive, bulbous Baobab that dwarf everything. Awesome.

2. Kwetsani. Glamorous and luxurious tree houses connected by elevated walkways to the main lodge. There's water everywhere so the pace is quite sedate, but the birdlife is awesome and we saw some amazing sightings of leopard (including a two week old cub), lion and elephant. An elephant slept under one of the houses and snored all night, keeping its occupants awake. There's a lovely little pool on the edge of a plain, outdoor showers, indoor showers, and good food.

3. Savuti Lodge. Stephen's favourite, this had a mix of savannah, woodland and even water (the dried up river bed was alive for the first time since the early 80's). The houses were spacious and beautifully laid out and the main reception was very well planned. We got hot water bottles on the drives (early morning is chilly) and big fires on the deck. We chased wild dog on a hunt for impala, saw lions at sunset and herds of elephant. Very picturesque.

At all places the service was impeccable, the knowledge of the guides impressive and the food delicious. They all went out of their way to cater for all our needs (from making sure I had a flask of milk at all times to combat the malaria tablets to setting up private dinners on our decks as a honeymoon treat from my sisters). In a way I liked the first place the best, but it's hard to judge. The other two places had repeat visitors quite often. The light aircraft flights between places were a great way of seeing the landscape and you flew low enough to spot elephant and antelope in the waterholes.

4. Victoria Falls Hotel. The falls are best viewed by plane/helicopter/micro light, but you cannot beat the view from the patio of the Vic Falls Hotel. It's olde worlde charm and was a great place to wind down (although the food wasn't amazing). Lying by the pool with warthog on the lawns and eating scones for tea were my highlights!

5. Indigo Bay. it's hard to find anything that doesn't sound over-the-top to say about this place. Indulgence to the core. Exclusive, attentive, delicious. Wonderful staff, gorgeous pools, incredible food and a whole lot of activities to choose from, as well as some truly fine cocktails. Eating lobster on the beach at the edge of the sea by firelight just isn't something that happens to me every day!

And if you ever need anyone to test out any other places, be sure to let me know!
Portia.

Hi Renate

Well here I am back in dreary, England, full of unhappy people with miserable faces! Unfortunately one of them is mine due to the fact that I am HERE instead of Botswana, where, it might sound rather dramatic, I think my heart really is.

Well, the two camps could not have been more different for me. I was about 2 hours late getting to Kwetsani due to the Air Botswana flight being delayed, so when I did arrive at the camp the afternoon drive had already left. But Mike arranged for me to go out for virtually the whole day next day, which more than made up for missing that one drive.

Phenyo my guide was very polite, friendly, informative and personable. He did his best to show me anything and everything but unfortunately the game was rather elusive! But although the game is exciting to see, the bird life was wonderful and made up for the lack of animals. And to be honest just BEING there is THE major high for me. Anne and Mike could not do enough to make me (and all the guests) comfortable and to enjoy the whole camp experience.

All the staff were friendly, very polite and cheerful (and the English would do well to take a lesson from them!) The food was fabulous and considering the journey it had to make to get to the camp it was so tasty, cooked perfectly and would compare to any 'cordon bleu' restaurant here! But maybe I am just biased! Kwetsani is very comfortable, the tents have everything you need, the atmosphere is lovely, very family orientated, the dining area cosy, the lounge furniture very squishy and inviting. In fact I just LOVED the whole camp. I felt very happy and at ease there. It was very definitely MY kind of camp. I would recommend anyone and everyone to Kwetsani.

Savuti was (to me) a much more luxurious camp. The tents were much more spacious as were the communal dining and lounge areas. It was more on a par with Mombo I think. It would especially appeal to those people who prefer the more sumptuous surroundings (whereas I am more concerned about feeling happy in my surroundings). Katherine, Ross and Connie were also very friendly, but I think Anne and Mike just had the edge. I couldn't fault the food here either, it was perfect.

Sefo my guide was great too! Very knowledgeable, informative, polite and friendly. And looked quite 'sinister' in his woolly balaclava, gloves and warm overcoat at 6 am in the morning. The first morning was FREEZING, in fact I don't think any of the English winter mornings - this year - was as cold. The next morning was warmer due to it being a bit cloudy overhead.

There was more game at Savuti, the waterhole on the plain behind the tents attracted zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, the occasional elephant and there was a small pack of wild dog 'camping' out overnight on my first night, although they seemed to have deserted 'us' the next night. There was also a couple of hyena around when the dogs wre there.

We also saw large breeding herds of elephant which is ALWAYS wonderful. The babies are so cute and the mothers so protective. Unfortunately in both camps the lions were nowhere to be seen.

I think I would recommend Savuti to anyone who was more into the luxurious side of camping, who maybe hadn't been before and didn't want to 'rough it'. I realise the whole idea of a safari is to see as much game as possible but I think as I have been several times previously it is not QUITE as important to me nowadays. I just love the whole thing, starting from the time I leave my house. And it is just bliss to be back in the bush. But the arriving back at my house is utterly depressing.

Having the overnight stay at the Doreale was a wasted night as far as I was concerned, although I DO appreciate why you booked it. I would have much preferred to spend an extra night at Kwetsani) My Virgin flight was on time and I would have been able to get the connection, but the flight next day was delayed for 2 hours, so I was a bit frustrated to say the least.

So all in all I had a fabulous time but 5 nights just wasn't long enough.

I realise I have rambled on rather a lot, and I think I bore everyone silly with my holiday memories, (they have not seen my photos yet!!!), but it really is the best thing on earth for me, nothing comes close, so I hope you can forgive the rambling.

With many thanks again for arranging it all Renate, you may well have me calling on you again in the not so distant future.

With Kindest regards
Lynn

Hello Brett

We are still in the midst of jet lag, but I want you to know that we had a fantastic time and the tour you put together for us was top notch. We were most impressed with the Wilderness Safari camps.

Both Duba Plains and especially Xigera were outstanding. Our favorite experience was in Xigera - the small canoe rides and the all day boat trip were the high points of the safari. The amount of animal, bird and plant life on the Delta were incredible. I am still sorting it all out. The staff at all the camps were outstanding - fabulous service in all respects. Our least favorite camp was Savute (the last one). It did not have the special personal touch of the others and we saw much less on the drives (we realize that is not the fault of the camp). The food was not as good as the other two, but we still enjoyed the lovely lodge - the facility was very beautiful.

Ending the trip at the Royal Livingstone was the magical finale to an unforgettable trip. Talk about service! After checking in, every staff person knew us by name. We were amused by the monkey chasers during meal times. The Falls were unbelievable. You could see the spray from the hotel. The local zebras walked us to the Falls, then we took the helicopter ride to see the entire curtain. Water was high and it was certainly a wonder - right up there with the Grand Canyon. Please feel free to use us as a reference for other clients. I can't tell you how pleased we are with your planning and showing us the best of Botswana. All the people that were meant to meet us did so and all the flights from camp to camp were done as planned. We have only high compliments to you and your company. We definitely plan on coming back to South Africa in the future. Probably to see other aspects of South Africa (Capetown, Kruger, etc.) Our next venture for 2009 is Australia and New Zealand. If you have a contact that can put a trip together, please let me know. Again, the highest thanks for a trip we will always remember with fondness and wonder!

Best regards
Anne and Bob Smith

Hi Brett,

Everything went very well and we were both very pleased with the trip. Moving camps was a very good option as they are very different indeed and as you fly from one lodge to another during the big lunch break you get to do the morning activity at first camp and afternoon activity at second. And a flying safari in the middle! Which given the landscapes and views is extremely pleasant.

I thought the combination of land, full water and mixed camp was ideal. One night in Xugana was sufficient given this is where you see the least game although it is extremely peaceful and pleasant.

I think Savute had the most game but other guests said that Chobe park had bigger density of game. But i guess these are things one just cannot predict.

Camp managers at Xugana took care of everything with the light air issue, so it was no stress at all. Actually everything went extremely smoothly.

Thanks again, it was great
Fabrice

Fabrice visited Savute Safari Lodge, Xugana Island Lodge and Kanana Camp.

Hi Brett,

I arrived home Sat, after a truly amazing holiday. Thank you for all of your effort and attention to datails.

Many thanks, Corinne

Corinne visited Chobe Game Lodge, Shinde Camp and Savute Safari Lodge.