US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Okavango Delta offers the truest safari experience - spectacular wildlife and unspoiled nature
Our three nights in the Okavango Delta were the nature highlight of our Southern Africa trip. (which is no small thing with stops in Zambia, Cape Town and Londolozi – all highly recommended!) The difference in the Okavango was the beauty of the delta itself. The blue ribbons of water lined with sea grass and occasional water lilies were a photographer’s dream - especially when out of the grass poked a brightly colored Jacana or a trumpeting elephant.
All activities at camp revolve around the water. We were met by staffers at the airstrip who transferred us to a small launch to make our approach to camp. Twice daily game drives were in Land Rovers equipped for the watery terrain. We drove through areas with 3-4 feet of water. “Legs Up!” would shout our guide and we’d hold cameras, etc., above our heads.
The wildlife in the Okavango was extraordinary, with close encounters with leopards, hippos and elephants. And the abundance of birdlife is legendary. Afternoons at camp were spent watching crested barbets, weaver-birds, and other striking species from our deck.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Exploring wonderful Okavango Delta
After a bumpy ride, we arrived at the campsite in Gweta, at the Okavango Delta, where the staffs were waiting and welcoming us by singing and dancing. After a short briefing about the activities we were going to take, the staffs immediately served us some tea and coffee. Late in the afternoon, we took a 2-hours trekking (we spotted some elephants, buffaloes); after dinner, the staffs entertained us with more dances and songs by the campfire. The staffs were so warm, welcoming, and friendly-just like all the staffs from other campsites during our stay in Botswana.
The next day we were taking a Mokoro (a dug-out canoe), we left early in the morning to explore the Okavango Delta. The mokoro can carry 2 people and a poler, usually a guide from a local campsite. The poler, stands in the stern and uses a long pole to propel through the shallow water. It is so peaceful and serene, and the water is so calm during the trip. The view is breathtakingly beautiful, especially during the sunrise. Okavango Delta is the home of more than 400 species of birds, large variety of wildlife and painted reed frogs.
Another way to enjoy the aerial view of the delta is by taking a 45-minutes helicopter rise (a 206 or 210 Cessna) from Maun Airport, which cost about US$90.00. In order to be able to see different views, the helicopter sometimes flies at 45 degrees angle left or right, which could be nauseating and making you dizzy. Those uncomfortable feelings is a very small price to pay for the magnificent view from the sky, especially when you spot the animals- elephants, hippopotamus, buffaloes, among other things.
The weather in March was nice although sometimes a bit chilly at night, since it was almost the beginning of the Autumn. The roads mostly bumpy, e.g., it took about 6 hours to drive about 500 kilometers. One thing we noticed in Botswana was that we stopped at the police check points very often; for what purpose, we never knew. The immigration officer at the Kazungula (Botswana-Zimbabwe Border) was very friendly. He asked if we had a nice time and invited us back to visit different parts of the country. We left Botswana very happy that day-not only we saw so many animals (elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, birds, antelopes, etc), but also some countrysides, as well as met nice people.
Not to sound cliche, but you will never forget the experience and the excitement after taking these trips.
Review about Queen Elizabeth National Park by RedCany0n
Beholding groups of lions napping in trees was spectacular!
Review about Murchison Falls National Park by RedCany0n
The Nile and the scenery were gorgeous. Our safari camp was also beautiful, and local youth sang and performed traditional dances around our fire at night. Hippos roamed around our cabin. Wow!
Review about Mgahinga Gorilla National Park by RedCany0n
The golden monkeys were delightful, and the guides seemed to respect them and be very conservation minded.
Review about Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by RedCany0n
My husband and I felt that the behavior around the wild mountain gorillas was somewhat disrespectful of these animals. The guides hacked the vegetation away from the gorillas with machetes, leaving them suddenly exposed while they had been napping and resting. The gorillas covered their faces with their hands and buried their heads in their arms, as though flinching, and It felt like we had intruded on their peace. When discussing this with a guide, he said that the gorillas were there for our entertainment, an attitude we didn't agree with.
Our Encounter with Chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park
My husband and I enjoyed our unforgettable day experiencing wild chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park, Uganda. We visited the park in September 2013, having hired a safari guide to drive us from Kampala to visit Uganda’s national parks. We were especially eager to behold the wild primates in this extraordinary part of the world, and after our day in the Kibale Forest, we visited the mountain gorillas in Bwindi National Park and the golden monkeys in Mgahinga National Park.
At Kibale (as with the gorillas in Bwindi), a team of rangers had been tracking the chimpanzees and communicated their whereabouts via walkie talkies to the ranger guides, who led groups of visitors through the forest to find them. There were about a dozen visitors per group, and there were several groups. The duration of the hike depended on where the chimps were, and our hike through the forest that day was about an hour long, following a trail and slightly difficult, given the heat and humidity. An older man, carrying cameras and gear, seemed struggle with the hike, but the rest of the group, comprised of adults of various ages, managed it well.
Once we reached the chimpanzees, we left the trail and cut through the forest to stand beneath them, as they were high in the trees. We used binoculars and watched the chimpanzees, up in the trees, eating, resting and mating. There were females with babies, and males. The chimpanzees seemed rather nonchalant about the human visitors, below, having grown accustomed to being observed by rangers and the daily crowd of tourists. Occasionally, they urinated from the trees and the group of humans would dodge the downpour.
We learned that the female chimpanzees freely roamed the forest, passing through the territories of the males as they wished. The dominant males spent much time and energy maintaining their territories and determining status with one another. A female in estrus approached a young male, who granted her request for mating, and one realized that chimpanzee reality did not match the prevailing patriarchal interpretation of males being “in charge,” like human autocrats.
The groups of visitors were spread out in the forest with our assigned guides and had one hour to be in the midst of the chimpanzees. During our experience, the older man, who had been struggling on the trail, had a diabetic seizure and collapsed. The other tourists assisted him as our guide called for help. He gradually recovered and was escorted back to where the vehicles were parked.
After that incident, some of the male chimpanzees descended from the trees and briefly paused near us before traveling together across the forest floor. One stopped near me, giving me the wonderful opportunity to be in his presence for a few minutes. The tourists rushed after the chimps, moving quietly yet quickly through the brush, snapping photos. The male chimps sat together for a moment in a group, surrounded by photographers, before dispersing into the forest. We felt fortunate to have been so close to them, as encountering them on the ground felt very different and more intimate than watching them from a distance in trees, silhouetted against the midday sky.
After our hour with the chimps, we hiked back to where our hired safari guide was waiting of us. Despite the eager tourists with their cameras, the human behavior -on the part of the visitors, rangers and guides at Kibale – felt relatively respectful, and we were satisfied with what appeared to be a good conservation effort on the part of the national park staff to sustain the forest and this wild population of chimpanzees. It was, overall, an exhilarating and beautiful experience. My husband and I will always treasure the memory of that moment of connection, in the wilderness, with our closest primate relatives.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Botswana by TravelingTulls
Botswana is unspoiled. The government has the wisdom to protect its species and its environment.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Botswana by Rosita So Image
We saw a lot of wildlife in Botswana, not only during the game drive, also when we hit the roads, giraffes, zebras, kudus, springboks etc, we spotted lot of birds as well on the electricity poles and trees.
Nice weather in march and nice peoples. we will definitely visit Botswana again in the near future.
Review about Uganda by RedCany0n
Uganda lacks the infrastructure (and mentality) for ecotourism that would make this destination more desirable. The cost of accommodations around the country was extremely high and the quality of the food and lodging, for the most part was relatively low to mediocre.