Email Rachel Hannan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Africa's Jewel in the Crown
My friend and I had the most wonderful fully-serviced camping safari experience in Botswana with Mosu Safari Tours of Maun, organised by the amazing Kemy. It's incredibly special to go to sleep in a tent in the bush listening to the sounds of leopard, lions and many other animals as they wander past - and we felt absolutely safe at all times. Our team took great care of us and provided us with experiences to last a lifetime: herds of elephants, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest but best of all, 2 leopards, three different packs of wild dogs (one on a kill and another with an alpha female who called out 2 week old pups from the den to suckle), lions on kills and a fabulous assortment of birds. In total we saw and photographed over 100 different species, and this was in winter! We took a Mokoro trip onto an island where we stayed for 2 nights, it is so worthwhile to journey in a local boat through the reed beds. Lots of wildlife and a gentle journey, and again we felt absolutely safe as the Mokoro was steered carefully through narrow channels and well away from hippo. On the island we did a 3 hour walking tour and learned how to recognise the footprints of so many different species. Our itinerary started in Maun and included 2 nights in the Nxai Pan, 2 nights on an island accessed by Mokoro, 3 nights in Moremi, 2 nights in the Kwai Concession and 3 nights in Savuti. We completed our holiday with a night in Chobe where we took a late afternoon river cruise, to be rewarded by a family of elephants swimming across the river in front of our boat! Our final night was spent across the border at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Botswana is the real jewel in Africa's crown, not just for wildlife but for its special people - so vivacious, friendly and welcoming. In June the weather was perfect for us, about 25C by day although it was cold at night (not a problem when camping with a warm fire and plenty of good bedding). We did some souvenir shopping in Chobe at the end of our holiday although we had also picked up a couple of handmade local crafts whilst on the island from the Mokoro. The Mopane forests are so beautiful in June with their golden yellow-green leaves. As two females travelling together we felt quite safe at all times. I would highly recommend anyone reading this to make Botswana the country to visit for wildlife and bird-watching, and to enjoy the company of locals who genuinely welcome visitors.
Botswana not only has a lot to offer in Nature but also the people are extremely friendly!
Because I only went to Botswana for Safari and didn‘t visit any cities, I can unfortunately only write what I saw during the Safari. Not only the Nature is the nature astonishing, but also the people I met were all welcoming and this was even a greater experience. I would like to travel the next time a little bit more in Botswana and also visit different cities to see what they offer else!
Email Lesley | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Elephant heaven!
Our one day safari into Botswana was dealt with efficiently and quickly at the border. Our day was split between river and land. Both were enjoyable and fun. However, we were disappointed not to have seen any big cats, mainly seeing elephants, giraffe and antelope. Nonetheless, it was a good intro for someone on their first safari experience.
Email Kathryn | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our favourite place we've ever been
We did a two centre Botswana trip as part of our honeymoon, with 3 days in Chobe and 3 days in the Okavango Delta. Both camps were incredible and we saw and did so much on our safaris. The delta in particular is one of those pinch me locations, and is a truly wild and magnificent place.
US
Email Nathan K | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Truly a once in a lifetime experience
Our trip to Chobe and the Okavango Delta was wonderful in every way. The game drives were our favorite part of the trip where we were able to view so many different animals including critically endangered species, but every activity was well planned and offered something new and exciting. The lodges were a perfect adventure in themselves. The camp staff, guides, and management were all so kind and attentive to our needs. Botswana is such a unique place and we were beyond grateful to Ilona for planning every detail of our perfect safari.
UY
Email Caroline Mari | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It is enjoyable to see animals in their natural environment
The Okavango Delta a different experience. We saw many elephants very close and hippos. The guide was very kind and careful. In Moremi we were able to see lionesses with their babies, giraffes, elephants, and some birds.
Email Jess van Zeil | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceptional experience! Incredible guide and tour
We loved our trip to Chobe! Everything was seamless from the booking process, to the pickup and drop off. Our guide Opi was incredible, he has been working in Chobe for 18 years and his knowledge was phenomenal. We had incredible sightings, including 3 leopard and 12 lions! Camping in Chobe was an awesome experience! We will not hesitate to book again :) We highly recommend this trip :)
DE
Email Anja Luecking | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Vast wilderness and wildlife
I went on a mobile safari to Savuti and Khwai (which I especially loved because of the scenery next to the river) and one day in Moremi.
I was a solo female traveler and felt well protected and looked after by the crew of my tour operator Xaa Safaris. I had a spacious tent with an en-suite bathroom and loved hearing the animals at night: lions roaring, hyaenas howling, elephants rumbling and hippos barking. I was great to watch the elephants strolling through the campsite in Khwai during the day, and I even encountered an elephant drinking out of a my wash basin while I was inside the tent! We saw lions a few times in Savuti and Moremi, came across a pack of wild dogs and a bat-eared fox couple and had a great leopard sighting where we spent quite some time with the animal. Apart from that we enjoyed spotting many gracious giraffes, a lot of hippos and elephants, but also saw also the rarer sable and roan antilopes and ground hornbill. It was good fun and excitement to track lion, leopard or hyaena.
After the safari I spent a few days in Maun and went on a one day trip to Okavango delta.
I can recommend Botswana as a travel destination for its vast wilderness and wildlife. Looking forward to return and see other areas like the salt pans and Kalahari.
NZ
Email Arlene Tyler | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
An upclose look at awesome wildlife and scenery
We loved our 3 day safari to Chobe. Our guide, Max was so informative and made so much effort to give us the best possible experience. We saw lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos, water buffalo and we were fortunate enough to even see a leopard. We were amazed how close we were to the wildlife but we never felt unsafe. We were very well looked after by our guide all thru. Wear a warm jacket for early mornings. Highly recommend Botswana.
US
Email Gloria Tostado | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A Land That Takes You Back in Time
Botswana is a landlocked country in southern Africa yet offers an array of opportunities to see wildlife in their natural habitat. It is mostly flat, with scruffy brush and occasional trees that often times have that windblown appearance. I learned that the country is approximately 70% in the Kalahari Desert, so the soil is very thick, loose, red sand, which makes it difficult to maneuver, which is why 4x4 wheel vehicles are optimum. It is beautiful in its own way, but life for both the local villagers and wild animals can be difficult, as water availability is dependent on rains coming from the north, mostly the highlands of Angola. Having said this, while some rivers were dry, others further north were not and we enjoyed seeing an abundance of elephants, zebras, buffaloes, impala, hippos, and even lions. Botswana is also home to Chobe National Park, located on the northeastern part of the country that borders Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Namibia, which is definitely worth visiting. We always felt safe in Botswana and the people were friendly and helpful. All children learn English in school so most speak both English and the national tribal language of Setswana.
