Reviews
A magical safari experience
Finally found the time to sit down and right a review of the Safari camps that we visited in September 2015.
The whole experience was wonderful, well planned by Yoga Safari and the trip was flawless. If I ever have a chance to recommend Yoga Safari to friends or acquaintances, I will give it an outstanding recommendation and recommend that they get in touch with you.
Now with regard to the Safari sites, they were all five-star out of five-star as for as we were concerned.
Seba camp was nicely situated looking over water, had lovely accommodation and the food was outstanding. The host-managers were very social as all of the staff. Our guide was excellent in finding game and pointing out various plant features. One of the highlights of the stay was the guide finding a leopard that was tracking a hyena that was dragging the remains of the leopard's kill. We spent probably an hour following the hyenas and the leopard and took all kinds of pictures. A large bull elephant did come into the camp and just outside our cabin started to shake a palm tree for the fruit. We had the impression that the area felt a bit like a park and did not have an overwhelming number of animals.
Selinda camp was outstanding and had the most variety of animals and didn't seem that you were in a park, a true wilderness. It was a long distance from the airstrip but this is a minor drawback. The camp was fantastic, and we especially liked the accommodation of tents with no running water and bucket showers. The number of animals was outstanding: herds of elephants, male and female lions, lion cubs, wild dogs, leopard, and various antelopes as well as hippopotami and birds. It is a Safari camp that no one should miss if they are going to Botswana. The food was excellent; the staff was friendly and helpful. Our guide was terrific and had to be one of the best trackers as he used his skill to find lions on 3 separate occasions. If you want elephants, this is the place. There is a river at the front of the camp, and on one occasion a group of elephants took a refreshing bath in the river, elephants also entered the camp, also an injured hippopotomus spent time on the bank of the river. The manager was a young woman who was friendly and pleasant. But we had one of the weirdness experiences in that for whatever reason when we were together with a young Australia couple, she completely ignored us and talked only to them. It was as though we didn’t exist. This was off putting and someone needs to instruct her on how to be a proper hostess.
Shinde camp was very upscale. It had a lovely dining and meeting area, excellent food and personable staff. The accommodation was first-class. It accommodated the most guests and there were about 18 visitors at the time of our visit. Our guide was once more excellent. Ecosystem is interesting in that it has many types of antelopes in fairly large groups that are quite approachable. Again we were lucky in finding a leopard in a tree and a small group of lions. There were other small animals such as Jackels. On one of our half days we did a boat trip, which was enjoyable and a change from the Toyoto Land Cruisers.
Jacks Camp was the most magical and had a unique ambiance. The tents with the Indian decor gave an impression of being in India. After 5pm at night the lanterns provided light for the tents and dining area and gave a warm transformational aura. This was a completely different ecosystem that should be experienced by anyone going to Botswana. We were there at the end of the dry season so we saw large herds of Zebra and Wildebeest coming to the water holes every morning and afternoon in front of our tent. This was the only place where we saw large herds. Also surprising we saw many birds (ostrich, eagles and vultures) that we had not seen previously. As well we saw a different species of hyena with young at the lair. The salt flats were amazing. Once again the food was outstanding, the staff warm and friendly, and our guide worked hard to find animals and birds to see. This is a camp that should be on everyone's itinerary if they are doing safari in Botswana. However, it is clearly important to time the visit as I am sure weather conditions can have a great influence on what is seen. It was very hot but dry so it was tolerable and in an absurd way fun (40 c). Meerkats are found here, and you get to interact, and they are well worth the visit. Only saw one bull elephant on one occasion, so if you want to see elephants this is not the place.
One other point of interest is all the flights into and out of the different Safari camps were always precisely on time. And Yoga Safari has to be commended on organizing the different companies and flights that worked so perfectly.
I hope this review will help you direct your future customers and once again we thank you for setting up such a fabulous experience.
Happy New Year
CA
Email Nicolaas | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent professional yet personal service
I can only give a positive response to all my encounters with Yoga safaris and they exceeded my expectations.
Email Debbie Stanford | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Every aspect was amazing - yoga, setting, stars & company.
Prior to the retreat I had never done Yoga, had not slept under the stars on the Pans and had not managed to be quiet for so long. After the retreat, I have never looked at the stars in the same way. Debbie was amazing and I would recommend this to everyone whether you have done Yoga or not.