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
Email Susanna Orr | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
My husband and I had a very special bush experience in Botswana with Phillimon and his team
We received very good service from Phillimon from our first inquiries about doing a trip with Walking Stick Safaris. He was informative and answered our questions and dealt with our expectations clearly and succinctly. My husband is 76 and we were never made to feel that he was 'too old' for a bush camping trip. We had a very good week from start to finish. The 2 nights Mokoro trip, the guides, and the camping experience worked well for us. We then spent 2 nights in Moremi and 2 nights in the Kwai area. The plan worked well as there was a lot of variety in both terrain and daily routine. Both areas have their plus points. Philemon was relentless in his pursuit of finding good animal sightings for us. The backup staff of cooks and helpers made sure we were well fed and looked after. Running a bush mobile safari requires a certain type of all-round person and Phillimon certainly has all the qualities that this takes. We will go on another trip with this company. We feel that we certainly got our money's worth
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
Email Carolien | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable experience of true bush life in Botwana with wonderful and knowledgeable staff
Unbelievable experience of true bush life in Botswana! Philimon is so knowledgeable. He as well as his support staff go out of their way to make everything special and nothing is too much trouble. Joe, the chef, whipped up delicious meals and we did not go hungry once. Philimon also took my son fishing in the Delta. There is just nothing like a mekoro ride while the sun is setting over the Delta. We learned so much about the bush in Bots and ticked off a bucket list-experience!
Email Milo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A once in a lifetime trip with a few issues...
We had a 13 day tour with walking stick tours in August of 2023. Botswana itself is an incredible country with some of the friendliest people, and some of the most incredible wildlife we’d encountered anywhere. All 5 of us highly recommend a trip to the country for safari. Unfortunately our experience of walking stick tours was less stellar.
I’ll start with the good (of which there is plenty) :
- The food that Jo & team prepared for us was absolutely incredible, better than we had In restaurants elsewhere, and all cooked over an open fire! The team were always friendly and happy to help with any requests, we had beer and wine at dinner and no shortage of clean bottled water. We were really well taken care of at camp the entire 2 week trip.
- Prior to the trip communication was good and we were picked up at the airport.
- We had a great guide, Wago. He spoke very good English and had excellent knowledge of the flora & fauna of Botswana. We had a lovely time getting to know him and he got us some truly amazing wildlife sightings.
- Onto the sightings generally, we had great views of lion, leopard, cheetah, even an early morning wild dog sighting - really special.
The negatives:
- Our vehicle (named desert honey badger) was in a constant state of disrepair. We broke down several times every single day, the brakes on the car weren’t functional, and we had to veer off road at points when vehicles approached along the same stretch of road. We were repeatedly told that the car was being replaced or fixed but the issues persisted for the entire trip. This impacted our game viewing and massively impacted our travel time, by the end of the trip we were taken in an alternate vehicle, but this was far too little and much too late.
- Communication on the trip itself was poor, the issues with the vehicle and what was (or in fact wasn’t) being done was never properly communicated to us. We were misled daily about getting the vehicle repaired or replaced, but this never happened. We’ve been on safari before and know how ad-hoc things are sometimes, but this was a step beyond.
- In an attempt to make up for the constant issues with the vehicle we were offered a “complimentary” trip to Victoria falls in place of a game drive as our vehicle wasn’t functional. This was in fact not complimentary, and we paid $500+ for the day ourselves.
Since our trip we have reached out to Phillimon to open a dialogue with no intent for compensation, but we have been ignored. We absolutely loved Botswana and can’t recommend it enough as a safari destination, but we’d recommend you go with another operator instead of walking stick.
Reply from Walking Stick Travel & Tours
Posted on Oct 3, 2023Thank you for taking the time to share your good and bad experiences on your recent 13 day tour. We're sorry to hear that your visit wasn't up to your expectations. We take all feedback seriously, and we appreciate your honest feedback.
We apologize for any inconvenience or frustration you may have experienced. We also acknowledge the fact that the vehicle you were travelling in was in a constant state of disrepair.
However, the vehicle broke down once, not several times every single day. In Khwai (Day 7), the break fluid pipe had to be replaced, but the vehicle did not break down. The guide contacted headquarters in Maun to report the problem. A vehicle was then dispatched from Maun to Khwai to deliver a brand new break fluid pipe and two cans of break fluid. The repairs were done immediately at the campsite. This did not impact on any game viewing activities or travel time.
On day 11, in the Chobe National Park your vehicle broke down. In approximately 15 minutes, the vehicle following you - also our game viewing vehicle carrying 2 clients (a couple) arrived at the spot. You then joined them in their vehicle and continued your journey to Chobe Riverfront. Again, this did not impact on any game viewing activities or travel time.
You contacted me later that evening to lodge a complaint. I did apologize but you felt that an apology was not enough. You also mentioned that you did not want to travel in the same vehicle (named desert honey badger) again - even if it had been repaired. I then offered you a different vehicle to take you for a Victoria Falls day trip (still part of your 13 day itinerary), the following day, and you accepted.
Unfortunately you did not inform me that you were charged border fees and entrance fees at Victoria Falls, amounting to $500. VISAS and border fees are not included in our package prices, but I would have been more that happy to refund you the fees you paid to see the falls.
We did apologize to you in a follow up email we sent you at the end of your tour. So your attempts to open a dialogue with me have not been ignored. I also responded to this review, directly to you, on the 29th September but I have not heard from you.