The Safari Defined
Texas-sized Botswana forms the wedge-shaped heart of southern Africa, resting like a pocketed jewel amidst South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
It's peaceful, prosperous, and splendidly beautiful. Over thirty percent of Botswana's territory -- more than any other nation on earth -- has been set apart as protected parkland, guarded against poaching by a military that fortunately has little else to do. And it's here where you'll find nothing less than the planet's most superb safari opportunities.
The government encourages high-cost but low-impact tourism, avoiding the commercialization of places like Kenya and Tanzania, where vanloads of package tourists converge on animals and battle for the best view.
This is the closest you'll find to the Africa you imagined as a child -- wild and untouched.
PL
20-35 years of age
I will definitely come back soon!
I didn't know what to expect when I was crossing the border from Zambia to Zimbabwe. But Zimbabwe turned out to be such a tranquil and peaceful country. I regret I didn't have more time to stay there for longer but I am already planning to come back.
The country is so beautiful and picturesque! Clearly it's a must see.
You will appreciate much less crowded parks, great food at significantly lower price than in the neighboring countries.
And don't forget about their biggest pride! Victoria Falls is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and it really deserves this title!
US
50-65 years of age
Botswana is a beautiful place just teeming with wildlife and birds.
While in Botswana I saw the big five animals and watched a cheetah stalk and chase its prey. Lions were just lying by the road and took no notice of us as we shot numerous photos. We watched elephants cross the river in the morning and return in the evening. I think we saw all of the animals at one time or another. We were there for 14 days but our accommodations were tents that were moved from location to location. Camping gave us the opportunity to get into areas unfrequented by other tourists. There were 8 in our group and we had 3 vehicles that were wide open so we could get the best shots of the animals.
Our vehicles went off in different directions each day but if an unusual siting occurred our guide used a radio to tell the other guides.
We didn't see other tourists since we were not staying in lodges. We were all by ourselves. Our food was wonderful and I still marvel at how they were able to cook such delicious meals. The weather was perfect. Cold in the morning and evening but very warm during the day so we came back into camp after lunch to shower and such and went back out at 3pm. We had very primative camps but that made it fun. I highly recommend Botswana. It is an amazing place and the people were very friendly.
US
20-35 years of age
Review about South Luangwa National Park by Amanda Gardner
Excellent wildlife viewing, not crowded. Great access to Mozambique and Malawi.
US
20-35 years of age
Friendly people, chill vibe, excellent wildlife viewing.
Absolutely awesome wildlife, from the ubiquitous impala to the stealthy leopard. Hippos, crocs, birds of all sorts, as well as elephants, rhinos, lions, bush pigs, hyenas, springboks, giraffes, birds... You name it, you can probably see it in Zambia.
under20 years of age
Review about Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park by squidy837
It provided an enchanting experience.
CA
20-35 years of age
Wilderness Adventure Camp
On the Western border of Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the largest parks in Uganda, and is home to a myriad of wildlife and geographical features. My personal experience at Queen Elizabeth National Park was at an outdoor wilderness camp near the city of Ishasha.
The lodge we stayed at was called Wilderness Adventure Camp. The lodge was a beautiful large dining hall, open to the wild on three sides. It also is on the shore of the Ngtungwe River, which as the guide says has an old resident hippo (and you will probably hear it grunting throughout the night).
One of the most unique features was the sleeping arrangements... Tents. I was very excited to go camping on the savannah (although in reality you are in more of a jungle than a plain). To my delight, the tents were incredibly clean, relatively bug free and had a porta-potty within. They were actually cleaner than many of the upper end resorts I stayed at.
The game drive started out quite well, one of the first sights you see is the natural destruction caused by elephants. If you think teenage vandals are bad, you should see what a bored herd of elephant can get up to!
All the normal animals you'd expect to see are there: oribies, antelope, buffalo, waterbuck, warthogs, monkeys, baboons. The big draws are the elephants and lions. Oh wait, did I say lions, I meant tree lions!
That was definitely the highlight of the park for me. I never thought I would get to see lions hanging out in a tree. Hell, lions sleeping on the ground are pretty cool in my book. To up the ante even more, our guide had tea and coffee for us so we sat in our vehicle under a lion having tea and cookies.
The drive ended with us returning to the lodge at dusk with a storm raging behind us over the Blue Mountains in the Congo. It was one of the most beautiful and memorable experiences of my life.
CA
20-35 years of age
Review about Uganda by John Morse
Uganda was a pleasant surprise. I was there for 2 weeks and it was amazing. It is definitely in the top 5 places I have been in the world with it's beautiful layout in Kampala (the view of the city from one of the many hills is incredible), to the wildlife of the Nile.
Review about Namib-Naukluft National Park by Goulu
Scenery is breathtaking almost everywhere.
20-35 years of age
Review about Matobo National Park by stuhaigh
It was helped by the guide we had but I saw so much more interesting things there than on may other safaris.