Gondwana Tours & Safaris on safari in the Okavango
Gondwana Tours & Safaris
- Offices In:
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United Kingdom
Portugal
Germany
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $1,200 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email TomD | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful family reunion trip to Botswana !
Our party of 8 had a trip of a lifetime - Victoria Falls to a houseboat on the Chobe River and then Lagoon Camp and Shinde Camp in Botswana. The accommodations, service, and food were excellent at all locations. The staff at the camps were amazing - so friendly and helpful to our party and especially the two teenagers. We saw several groups of lions including young cubs and a fresh lion kill, not to mention elephants, zebras, hippos, crocs, giraffes, and many types of birds and antelopes - all very close.
FI
Email Esko | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great two weeks in Botswana!
The first impression is often crucial. When I started planning our safari trip to Botswana, I contacted a few local tour organizers in the internet. Mark from Gondwana answered promtly and came up with some tempting suggestions and good description of what to expect. So, it was easy to select Gondwana to work with. Our itinerary underwent numerous changes and last minute alterations and every time Mark patiently and quickly responded to our needs and wishes. The end result was great and everything worked as planned. We had wonderful time in Botswana. Visited 5 camps, all different, all with comfortable and spacious accomodation and good meals. Flew on small planes from one place to another, did safari drives with knowledgeable and helpful guides every morning and evening, saw lots of animals, gulped sundowners with spectacular sunsets, etc. Even the weather was on our side. Then it was nice to finish our safari with a visit to Victoria Falls and to celebrate the birthday of one of our travel companions with a sumptuous dinner on the terrace of Victoria Falls Hotel.
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Email Michael Willis | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A perfectly planned safari
I contacted Gondwana to help me plan a safari in Botswana, and they put together a great trip. I stayed several nights at two camps and had amazing animal sightings. The staff at each camp were superb, from guides to wait staff to housekeeping. Everyone was extremely friendly, and the guides were very knowledgeable and clearly cared about making sure the guests had a great time. I was there for New Year's Eve and we were privileged to watch as the staff sang and danced in celebration. I'll definitely return to Botswana to check on the adorable leopard cub I was lucky enough to spend most of new year's day with, and I'll contact Gondwana to help me plan the trip again.
Gondwana Tours to Namibia
We has a really marvellous holiday organised by Mark Hathaway at Gondwana and Ati travel in Windhoek. It lived up to our expectations and beyond. Both Mark and Ati travel had it down to a tee. Highlights are too numerous to mention but certainly Mowani's gorgeous lodge, the stupendous dunes and Etosha from Tree Tops were all fantastic. A small quibble but Swakopmund was a bit disappointing (It's not a particularly attractive place and Walvis bay is somewhat dispiriting!) but we know this may have been owing to demands for accommodation at the time of year around Christmas. Otherwise wonderful and effortless and superbly organised by the team. You won't be disappointed in the experience that these destination experts offer. We would certainly use again - next time Botswana!
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Email Barbara | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Service!
Mark at Gondwana thinks of everything, and is very responsive if anything is amiss. We really enjoyed our time and were thankful for the pre-information, as well as the follow-up. He's VERY organized!
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Email Sean F. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime--well planned and matched for my needs
I had a conference in Cape Town to attend and wanted to visit Botswana since I already had to endure 20 hours of travel just to get to that part of the world. I also had a specific work commitment on the other end, so I had a very specific time frame in which to fit a visit. Also, I was traveling solo.
I found Gondwana through this site and contacted them, along with other companies. Mark wrote back and we started a dialog via email. Ultimately, it was his attention to detail and great communication that made me choose Gondwana. He advised me against a mobile safari, and after meeting some people during my trip who had done that, he was right that it wasn't for me. What he told me matched exactly what they conveyed. It typically involves a lot of driving and not so comfortable lodging. It does allow you to get deeper into the parks or game reserves, so I might consider it in the future.
Mark planned the trip perfectly and worked with me to fit my budget. I stayed in two lodges (Stanley's Camp operated by Sanctuary Retreats and Bakwena Lodge near Chobe), which have their own guides for game drives, and two guest houses. All four accommodations were terrific and fit my tastes. I wanted to stay in smaller places with more intimate game drive experiences, and that's what I got.
Travel between stops was amazingly smooth thanks to Mark's efforts. The only thing that wasn't 100% perfect was travel from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, to my lodge near Chobe, Bakwena Lodge. The van to take me to the border was an hour late. My lodge in Victoria Falls (Bayete) was helpful in contacting them and it was straightened out quickly. Also, I emailed Mark, who took the time to contact me back. When I arrived at Bakwena, they put me on the phone with him. The hour delay was more of a problem for the other parties involved in getting me to Bakwena than it was for me, but it was great to know Mark was responsive. One other thing: I managed to leave my camera on the van at the Zimbabwe/Botswana border (partly my fault, partly my driver's), and the driver made an effort to get it back to me right away. This tells me that Gondwana has vetted the companies they book their clients with.
This was my first trip of this kind, and Gondwana ensured it was a special and memorable one. I would absolutely recommend them to my friends and family. Thank you!
CA
Email Russ | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Timely, Professional and Knowledgable Communication
My wife and I have travelled to Africa twice for safari adventures. As part of the planning for our third trip we contacted Gondwana Tours for information and a quote. Although we ultimately did not book with them, I would like to comment that we dealt with Mark who provided extensive, knowledgable and timely responses to our emails. He even made several suggestions to our trip itinerary. We would definitely recommend Gondwana to be considered for any safari trip planning.
DE
Email Marc | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience in Botswana
We had a great and well organized safari in December - January with a good mixture of 6 days self drive safari and 6 days lodges or tented camps. It was an amazing expierience we will never forget. Thank you!
AT
Email Karin | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly reliable, friendly and helpful
After we planned the journey ourselves, we contacted Ms. Presske (she is also speaking German) to make an offer. As this was our first visit in southern Africa, we had a lot of questions, and they have alyways been answered very quick. We got exactly what we wanted!!! The trip was perfectly organized and all the pick-ups, transfers, reserved rooms, etc. worked without any problems. I was a little bit in trouble, because we wanted to pay the whole journey a year in advance (due to expected change Euro/US Dollar), but everything worked out fine and I am full of confidence to Ms. Presske and Gondwana Tours. We stayed one week in Botswana and one week in Namibia, but only booked Botswana at Gondwana Tours. Namibia we booked ourselves.
We stayed 2 nights in Ilala Lodge in Victoria Falls, 2 nights in Chobe Safari Park and 3 nights in PomPom Camp. Ilala Lodge was our favourite hotel, the Chobe national park is simply incredibly fantastic - we have nowhere else seen so many animals and we should have stayed one night longer. What to say about the PomPom Camp: the journey to PomPom and back to Maun is already a highlight, the food is very good and the staff is adorable, we haven´t seen so many animals there but the surrounding is already worth a visit!
Final grade for this journey and organization: 10 of 10 Points!!!!!
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65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bravo for Gondwana Tours & Safaris
If you are looking to create your own tour to various safari locations in Botswana, I strongly recommend Gondwana Tours & Safaris. Mark Hathaway is extremely knowledgeable, responsive and helpful in assisting in sorting out the options, costs, and pros and cons of different camps. We just came back from Africa, including a 9-day tour arranged by Gondwana. All the arrangements were perfect, including car pick-ups, bush plane reservations, and reservations at the various lodges. Mark is quick in responding to queries, of whatever type and no matter how seemingly silly. This group gets an A++.