35-50 years of age
Review about Central Kalahari Game Reserve by JacoBrits
Limited variety of game and bird species. Habitat is not very diverse. Very rustic camping sites.
35-50 years of age
Into the Water
Our Safari was a self-drive expedition covering a total distance of 3200km. It commenced in Johannesburg, South Africa taking us past Modimolle, Vaalwater, Lephalale, Mahalapye, Palapye, Serowe, Orapa, Maun, Moremi, Savuti, Kasane, Victoria Falls, Nata, Francistown, Selebi-Phikwe, Zanzibar, Tolwe, Baltimore, Marken, Vaalwater, Modimole and back to Johannesburg.
Our approach to Moremi started in Maun which is a reasonably sized town with most of the amenities you could need. There are a number of supermarkets, restaurants, airport, etc. Moremi do not have any such facilities so one must stock up in Maun.
Making a late start from our accommodation in Maun we headed north to Moremi, Xakanaxa where we would be camping for two nights. The drive to the park, approximately 100km, was easy going on tar at first and then good gravel road for the last 45km to South gate.
Botswana citizens are generally very friendly and help full and we experienced this throughout our visit in the park and country. As a result check in procedures was uneventful, all arrangements had been completed in advance and park entrance fees paid in Maun (no payments are accepted at the gate).
From South gate, we headed north to Xakanaxa. The road heading directly to Xakanaxa was in a reasonable condition and we covered the 42km in about 1.5 hours which left us sufficient time for an afternoon nap before taking a late afternoon game drive.
While the game was more sparse than expected we were very fortunate with a sighting of a large leopard. We made most of the excellent bird watching opportunities and notched up a number of species.
The campsites were excellently placed for privacy and ablution facilities of good standard comparable to national parks in South Africa.
On the second day we took an early morning drive out to 3rd Bridge. Due to the high water levels the route along the water’s edge was closed but an alternative dry route was available. We were able to cross both 4th and 3rd bridge with some good sightings of antelope and bird species.
The afternoon we took a boat trip on the Okavango Delta. Departing at 15:00 we had excellent bird sightings. Game viewing was less successful due to the game being more widely dispersed as a result of the high water levels. The boat trip was however definitely worth the money, one of those must do things when visiting Moremi.
65+ years of age
A world in one country - from berg to bush to beach to battlefields - with friendly people.
South Africa offers the international tourist a wide range of national parks and game reserves across it length and breadth for tourists to experience game viewing in which everything from the big five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) not to mention hippo, crocodile, cheetah, zebra, wildebeest (gnu) and a vast array of different breeds of antelope, including springbok and impala may be seen. The parks are also present a paradise for serious bird watchers. Coupled with this, whales and dolphins may be seen respective either lazing not far beyond the breakers in the oceans or surfing in on the waves and cutting away just before they break on sandy shores of rocky coves. The National and Game Parks have very different characteristics depending where they are located in the country, ranging from semi desert in the Karroo, Mountain Zebra, Camdeboo and Gemsbok National Parks, to the grass and bushveld mosaic in the Kwazulu-Natal Parks of Hluhluwe-Mfolozi, Mkuze, Tembe and Pinda to the bushveld of the Kruger National Park with its flanking upmarket private parks of Sabi Sand, Londolozi, MalaMala, Thornybush, etc., to the grasslands set amongst the yellow sandstone crags of the Golden Gate National Park, to the grassland of the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Trans-frontier Park straddling KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho and with its Yellowwood scarp forests on its steep south facing slope valleys.
The scenery of the country ranges from the pristine white sand beaches and knarred, twisted and buckled mountains of the Western Cape, dating from when the Falklands were torn from the African continent (then Gondwanaland), to the stark and serene beauty of the Karoo with it unique vegetation and iselbergs, to the majestic basalt topped mountains of the high Drakensberg (+- 3000 metres)with their deep valleys with crystal clear waters, to the subtropical forests of KwaZulu-Natal coastal belt, to the bushveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo which stretches the length of the Kruger National Park – a reserve larger than many countries. And yet this is not even half of it!
The climate, in Northern hemisphere terms, is nearly always pleasant. A winter’s day is generally warmer than a summer’s day in Europe. Rainfall generally occurs in winter in southern Cape with the rest of the country experiencing the majority of its rainfall in summer, and then it is often short and sharp where after the sun comes out again. It is not for nothing that South Africans generally prefer a braai (barbeque) any day to a formal inside meal.
A variety of accommodation is available for tourist from the most luxurious (and expensive) to the good clean but reasonably priced; be this within the national parks, along the highways and byways, or in the international cities of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.
Food to suit most, if not all tastes, is available throughout the country. To many locals eating out is a national pastime so finding a suitable restaurant should not be a problem! Many of the parks however require the tourist to bring in their own food as only limited food is available in the park. Best to check beforehand! With the odd exception, the local water may be drunk without any fear of after affects. Bottled water is however available for those who would rather not take the chance.
South Africa is served by an excellent infrastructural network with freeways or motorways in and beyond all the major cities; high class roads link them and offer the opportunity for those that would prefer to self drive with hire cars from Avis, Budget, Tempest and others. Major and International Airports serve the country and is by far the easiest and quickest way to travel around a country as large as South Africa. Apart from South African Airways and British Airways, there are budget airlines such as Kulula, Mango and One Time where a considerable saving may be made. While there are Greyhound and other bus services, this is perhaps the least favoured means of travel. There are however many tour bus company, both large and small, which the tourist may utilise if they are less adventurous and would prefer to leave their direction and choice of accommodation to others.
35-50 years of age
Review about Botswana by JacoBrits
Botswana offers an extensive variety of game and bird species. The country’s habitat is however not very diverse. The bush experience is however maintained with rustic camping sites and well integrated lodges, etc.
50-65 years of age
Unique - where else can you walk amongst the wildlife in a National Park/UNESCO World Heritage site
I have been fortunate to visit Mana Pools on an almost annual basis over the last 12 years (I am now the Mana Pools 'Destination Expert' on Tripadvisor).
It is a magical place - a series of pools, where the Zambezi river once flowed. These pools retain water all year around, so along with the Zambezi, provide a vital resource for animals from far and wide during the long, hot dry season (August - October). We always visit in October - the end of the dry season and nicknamed the 'suicide' month for good reason. It is blisteringly hot, and Mana is not a comfortable place to be at this time of year. But the reward for this discomfort is in the game viewing. Animal numbers are at their peak and they are easy to see due to the lack of vegetation.
On my trips, I have always seen elephant (Mana is the only place I know of where they have learnt to stand on their rear legs to reach up a little higher to graze the Accacia Albida trees which are so characteristic of Mana), hippo, crocodile, kudu, eland, monitor lizard, mongeese of various types, baboons, zebra, vervet monkeys, cape buffalo, impala, hyena, lion & jackal. Most of these have at one time or another walked right through our camp! We have also been fortunate to see on most visits the rare African Painted Dog - Mana is one of the few places in Africa where you stand a good chance of seeing these wonderful animals. We have also had a number of wonderful 'one-off' sightings over the years - leopard, python nyala, bush buck and last year, three cheetah on an impala kill. A very rare sighting as Mana lacks wide open spaces and so is not really cheetah country at all. All of the animals I mention have been seen without the aid of professional guides - we are just a group of friends who enjoy visiting the African bush. Most of the time we walk rather than drive - after viewing wildlife on foot, the experience from the back of a vehicle just isn't the same.
In addition to the animals mentioned, Mana is a 'birding' paradise - so many species to see I couldn't begin to list them, but a personal favourite of mine are the noisy carmine bee beaters who nest in burrows in the sandy river banks.
In the unlikely event you grow tired of looking at animals, the scenery is fantastic - the almost parkland-like abandoned river terraces, the majestic Zambezi and the hazy mountains of Zambia. Always try to be on the river bank just before sunset, a beer or G&T in hand and just watch & listen!
Mana is not the easiest place in the world to get too, but there are a number of safari operators who will take the logistical strain on your behalf, and if you don't want to 'go it alone' and use National Parks camping (or lodge) facilities, there are a number of very good camps (one or two permanent, like Ruckomechi, others seasonal, like Goliath Safaris who have their camp inside the National Park and are run by the wonderful Stretch & Flo)
35-50 years of age
Review about Okavango Delta by lesliel
As for Moremi - the delta is exceptional! The heart of Botswanna!
35-50 years of age
Review about Nxai Pan National Park by lesliel
Maybe the wildlife is a bit low compared to the rest - BUT THE SCENIC BEAUTY of the Kubu Island in the Sua Pan makes up in abundance - Botswanna without this stop would NOT be on!
35-50 years of age
Review about Moremi Game Reserve by lesliel
Has everything! Seclusion, bush experience, interesting routes and roads/bridges coupled with diverse wildlife and birds. Water, water, water - in Souther Africa it is like magic bringing everything to life and abundance! A must see/stop over for at least 3-4 days on a tight budget, even longer if you can!
35-50 years of age
Review about Chobe National Park by lesliel
Very popular with a wide variety due to abundance of water for Botswanna. Popularity makes for more congested camps without the seclusion of some of the other camps.
35-50 years of age
Review about Central Kalahari Game Reserve by lesliel
Very isolated - camp sites miles from each other and really in the bush with very few amenities. Birding species limited due to dry conditions - however there are plentiful and specials for the area.