Walking Stick Travel & Tours
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Tour Types:
- Budget camping tours where clients assist with camp chores
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $350 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Joost & Mila | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great adventure, great crew! Go and explore Botswana with Walking Stick Travel & Tours!
We went on a seven-day private camping safari together with Philimon and his fantastic crew (Joe & Lucky). The communication with Philimon was excellent from the beginning to the end.
He is responsive, knowledgeable, and friendly. During the planning stage, he was not only giving us detailed information regarding the tour we booked from him, but also went beyond and gave us information and recommendations on which areas to include in our trip. Really appreciate his help and ideas.
The tour itself was a wonderful experience. Philimon arranged the transfer for us from Livingstone to Kasane and we spent the first two nights in the Northern part of Chobe National Park, close to the river. Being so close to nature and hearing the roaring of the lions and leopards at night is something special.
Everything felt safe and the equipment is good. Great tents, with a bathroom ensuite, and comfortable camp beds. We woke up early in the morning to start with the game drives and Philimon is doing everything to get you the best experience - he is going the extra mile. He knows a lot of people and all the guides communicate with each other in case there are some special sightings. We saw several leopards, many lions, and even wild dogs.
The meals were above our expectations. Every day it was a surprise what we would eat and the dishes were well-prepared. We also had some soup as starters and nice deserts. Joe is a very good chef!
We really enjoyed the great stories at the campfire after dinner. We learned a lot about Philimon´s life in Botswana and the small island in the middle of the Okavango Delta where he grew up together with Joe and Lucky. A lot of interesting and fun stories about the daily life and local traditions.
After the Northern part of Chobe, we drove to Savuti, Kwhai concession, and ended our trip in the Okavango Delta near Maun. The campsites were really good and the trip was itself was a good variation of landscapes and wildlife. The tour package was good value for the money.
It was special to spend the week with these three incredible people that grew up in the Okavango delta - surrounded by the wild animals their whole life. The crew has a lot of knowledge and Philimon spoke passionately about the animals and their behavior. The more you ask, the more you will learn.
Thank you again Philimon and crew for all your help and the memorable and amazing experience in Chobe National Park! We will never forget this!
Email Maggie | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Botswana Safari trip
We have just returned from a great 5 night, 6 day camping safari with Walking Stick Safaris. First 2 days poled on a mokoro to an island in the delta with guided walks then 3 nights in the Khwai area. Luxury it is not but, especially in Khwai, good large tents with own bucket shower and toilet at the back and canopy over the front with proper comfortable camp beds. Fabulous game drives with Phillimon who is extremely knowledgeable, we saw masses. Joe, the chef, was a star, lovely meals plus cake and homemade bread on a camp fire, all washed down with a few glasses of wine while listening to lions roar (in the distance) and hippos grunting in the dark. We would thoroughly recommend Phillimon and his team. They are born and bred in the area so know it very well and it was great to support their small local company helping the local economy while having to compete with all the big travel companies. We wish them lots of success with their business.
Email Sam Forbes | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing wildlife, people and food - an unforgettable experience
Loved every minute of the Safari with Walking Stick Safaris. We saw heaps of Wildlife and had a good time with our guide, cook and other camp staff. We stayed for two nights in the Boro area of the Okavango Delta.
My reason for 4 stars rather than 5 stars is that the company and the guide were not always good at communicating and explaining risks. We were on a walking tour so wanted to know exactly what would happen if animals were aggressive or if there was an emergency and these things we not clearly communicated. I have every confidence that the guide knew what they were doing, but guests need to be reassured of what safety measures are in place.
Overall I would recommend going with this small and new company which supports Philimon and his new business, and a whole community through the place that you camp and the other staff.
Reply from Walking Stick Travel & Tours
Posted on Oct 7, 2018Hi! Sam
Nice to hear from you and that you had amazing experience with us. We are sorry that the safety measures on a walking safari were not communicated to you as we normally do.
looking forward to travel with you again in the near future
ES
Email Sara Diez | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great mobile safari
Our 2-3 days mobile safari with Phillimon and his team was great! The 3 of them set up a big tent with an en-suite bathroom for me and my boyfriend. Game drives with Phillimon were also great. He is very good at finding and following animals. The food Phillimon's assistants cooked was very tasty and plentiful and they cared we always had some drinks, fruits or biscuits while we were resting at the campsite. We also enjoyed a speed boat trip with phillimon over the okavango delta when we return to maun and was awesome!
Wonderful and safe safari !
Family with two children aged 9 and 12, we loved the three days spent with Philimon, our guide and driver born in the Okavango Delta. Philimon is very well organized and always on time. He knows his area beautifully and we have always felt safe with him. He adapted our safari to our criteria. We wanted to see felines and mokoro. We were served! 9 lions and 4 leopards not counting wild dogs, elephants, hippopotamuses and all the others. The camp was beautiful, two large tents with comfortable camp beds, WC, shower for each tent. Jo, the cook, does magic on his fire! Stewed dishes, fresh bread and brownies! The food is really delicious, hearty and suitable for everyone.
Email Julie & Lawrence | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An experience of a lifetime!
We recently returned from our first ever safari trip. From day one the contact with Philimon was prompt and thorough. Any questions were responded to rapidly and without delay. He made us feel reassured and that was a key point for us. The food was excellent, the staff friendly and helpful. The service was excellent. We were very impressed with the safari and there was never a dull moment. The whole experience proved to be very eventful. Philimon is an extremely helpful and knowledgeable guide and nothing is too much trouble for him. The accommodation is what was expected but the food did however exceed our expectations, was wonderful and hearty. We were very impressed with the service we received and would recommend them to any and everyone.... why would you go anywhere else? These are local people who know this land like the back of their hands and they are happy to share their knowledge and experiences with you. Best experience of my life and we look back fondly on our trip.
Email Johan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Walking in the Delta is simply the best way to see wildlife on the planet.
We went back to Botswana and Phillimon and his team from Walking Stick this year, this time with my 77 year old mother. Last year, we just walked the whole time on the various islands created when the water from Angola essentially breaks Chief's island in the Delta up into smaller bits and pieces.
This year we also went to the Khwai area with Phillimon driving us around year.
In Khwai we saw a lot: leopards eating impala in tree; wild dog killing Wildebeest (not recommended for the faint-hearted), lions mating; hyena but it can get a bit crowded around the animals with all the lodges' vehicles competing at the sightings. Great camp though; good food and Phillimon and his assistants making the camping as pleasant as it can be.
We planned the Delta visit better this year, going in by boat is great but it is quite long so flying out on the return works well. As last year,walking in the Delta with Phillimon and the two other guides and seeing lion on foot; lots of elephant etc is an extraordinary experience. They take great care to explain footprints and tons of other aspects about the area where most of them grew up. And the Delta itself is of course one of a kind. We shall be back.
US
Email Roger | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly recommended
I recommend Phillemon and Walking Stick without any reservation. From our first communication all the way to the end of our six-day safari, he and his team were terrific. He was always prompt and clear in communications when we arranged the safari, and was flexible when we wanted to make a modest change. The two other staff with us, Kenny and Josiah, were unfailingly friendly and helpful. Four things stand out in my experience.
(1) Philemon is an excellent guide with astonishing ability to see and identify animals even from considerable distances. He knows every by-way and clearly knew how to maneuver our vehicle to get the best possible views of animals we encountered.
(2) While the relatively modest price tag for Walking Stick was one of the attractions to us, we felt like we were treated extremely well. The tent was very large, with a wonderful walk-out awning, and an enclosed area behind for the toilet and shower (which worked just fine). The food was very good - thank you, Josiah - and plentiful. Especially marvelous cakes baked on the open fire.
(3) We had a family emergency back in the States develop six days into our 10-day planned safari and had to rush back. Phillemon and his team completely got the situation, did everything they could to get us back to Maun, and then were invaluable in helping us figure out the complexities of making last-minute travel arrangements. We are indebted to him.
(4) Walking Stick is a small, locally-owned and operated company in a field largely dominated by larger enterprises with capital backing that local enterprises can rarely compete with. Going with an outfit like Walking Stick invests directly in the local economy - and you get tremendous local knowledge in the bargain.
Again, we happily and enthusiastically recommend Walking Stick!
Email Elloura | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Walking Stick are the Best!
Walking Stick a wonderful locally run company and Philmon and the team were fantastic, made my experience very special. Saw every animal you could wish for and with someone who really loves the bush which was a bit infectious! Every effort was made to make my trip wonderful, you will not be disappointed! No-one else had booked on the dates I was going so I ended up on a private safari which was amazing and unbelievably incredible value. Don't pay a bunch of money to stay in a foreign owned hotel, go for something authentic!
US
Email Salamandra | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A unique encounter of wildlife and local culture
Phillimon was great with replying to emails quickly during the booking phase (the only delays were when he was driving a safari himself for a few days at a time). Using a money order as a form of payment seemed unusual but everything worked out fine. The car and crew picked us up at the airport and drove us back there with plenty of time, even if it meant that the crew had to wake up extra early to pack before a long drive back. The game drives were extensive and varied, and Phillimon was always going the extra mile to check spots where rare animals may be. And that's how we say 3 leopards (probably 2 different ones but one that we saw twice) in 4 days. Phillimon is a good tracker and is able to read the behavior of several animals as indicators of where the big cats are, while explaining to us what he is doing and his understanding of animal behavior. The tent accommodation was our best experience so far, with real beds, and en-suite toilet and shower in a fenced, private space, all that while camping 60 miles from the paved road: Real luxury while remaining simple. The food prepared by the cook was excellent and very hygienic. Breakfast, tea time and dinner were shared with the guide, which was the occasion for conversations about the local traditions, the use of plants, the Bushmen culture (the natives of this area who were traditionally hunter gatherers and have a profound knowledge of their environment), etc. A very unique experience, I totally recommend it!