SG
35-50 years of age
Review about Okavango Delta by Kelly Cheng
Just a unique natural wonder of the world, period.
Review about Chobe National Park by Patrick Smith
Chobe was, in parts, the most touristed and commercialized of the areas we saw. There are areas of the park that I would not return to because of the crowds and zoo-like feel of the wilderness.
One exception was the gorgeous Savuti area. Savuti's exotic-sounding name is matched by its sense of isolation and eerie beauty. This is a harsh, jagged region of primordial vistas that seem to belong in another epoch.
The campground showers here are built like bunkers, to keep thirsty elephants from wrecking them. At night, the walks from tent to toilet are made in pairs, flashlights blazing.
Setting up our camp one afternoon, I heard a sudden thrashing of branches just to my left. As I watched, an elephant walked out of the trees not forty feet away, trundling past my tent and into the next clump of trees.
Review about Okavango Delta by Patrick Smith
The Okavango River pours into northern Botswana from Namibia and Angola, then fingers into an immense sprawl of ephemeral marshland and forest containing one of the continent's most spectacular and diverse concentrations of wildlife. The geography is wondrously ambiguous -- deeply tropical at one turn, dryly wooded at the next.
Perhaps most startling of all the country's wildlife, if lacking the glamor of the larger mammals, are its birds, and the Okavango is the best place to see them. The country is held in high regard by birders worldwide, but the sheer volume of species in the Delta is overwhelming. Tent-side one morning, a scan of shallow riverfront resembled a field guide into which one of each endemic species had been dropped by an overanxious illustrator: storks, eagles, hornbills, vultures, and no fewer than a dozen of Botswana's prettiest creature (and also its national bird), the liliacbreasted roller. No less common here than a pigeon in Trafalgar Square, the roller is a brilliantly appointed avian with iridescent, powder blue wings.
Review about Botswana by faun070
Atmosphere, wildlife up close, able guides - Chobe has it all!
Review about Botswana by willows79
Huge country with a low density of tourists. Camps have extremely friendly and helpful staff who do their utmost to make sure you enjoy your safari.
Chobe's vibes
Our trip to Botswana started at Kazungulu, where we drove in from Zimbabwe early in the morning. As a lucky forebode, we saw a leopard less than a mile away from the border post, sitting some ten metres from the main road watching us curiously. We were welcomed at the Chobe Safari Lodge and then had a river safari just for the two of us. I remember our guide's name, Tobishu, who was extremely well informed. Tobishu was excited when I expressed a particular interest in birds, about which he happened to know a lot. He also shared with us some of the higher politics concerning the ownership of that part of the Chobe river. Neighbouring country Namibia questioned Botswana's claim to this very fertile piece of land; and the matter was brought to the heart of international law in The Hague: The peace palace, just a short walk from our Dutch home! While enjoying coffee, tea and cakes we were brought close to Yellow-billed Storks, nesting eagles, some huge crocodiles, water monitors and the peculiar Hamerkop bird. Big wildlife included elephants, close to and interacting (or not) with waterbucks and the ever elegant impalas. There were many hippos and Tobishu told us about the genuine threat they pose to people and when one made his way to us and started to yawn from not too great a distance this seemed to genuinely frighten our guide. After an excellent buffet served at the Chobe Safari Lodge (built between hugely rooted trees) we had an equally wonderful land safari. Again we saw many birds: different species of vulture, a Martial Eagle, Marabou Storks and lovely strikingly coloured beeeaters and rollers. The driver/guide (whose name I regretfully forgot) pointed out the almost symbiotic relationship the Chobe Park has with the elephants, who come exceptionally close to the four by fours, having learnt not to fear humans. He went further to explain differences between his park and South Africa's famous Kruger Park (which we had just visited), stating that the Chobe Park has no fences (good, but the downside of this: they are short of rhinos here) and the management's policy of not interfering with the animals. When we saw many creatures eating of a fresh carcass, the guide set out to find the lions responsible for the kill, and after some driving we found them: Three lionesses, stuffed and asleep near some not very covering shurbs. When our car got stuck in the mud not far from these apex predators and a colleague guide had to drive towards us and pull us out, we had some thrill moments too! Despite the fact that it was not summer, the temperature was lovely, just not sunny. So Chobe National Park differs considerably from a park like Kruger, and is definitely worth a visit. The day was over before we knew it, and we drove to the exit amidst a large herd of the beautiful sable antilopes: an animal you won't encounter as far south as Kruger. Botswana (and for that matter: Zimbabwe and Zambia) has that edge, a little more roughness than the better known (parks in) South Africa. The guides are friendly, very able, and their English is excellent. In all: Highly recommendable.
Review about Kwando Concession by willows79
The camps are superb with excellent staff and guides. Huge variety of animal and bird life.
Nature and adventure with good infrastructure
Visit Okavango Delta to walk among the wildlife. We stayed in a tent just in the middle of the park. It was amazing to wake up with the noise of nature.
US
20-35 years of age
Review about Botswana by jadeheart824
Botswana still feels very untouched and not as touristy as some other places in Africa.
US
20-35 years of age
amazing wildlife experience and everything I imagined a safari would be like
Accommodations - I went through Desert and Delta and really liked all their accommodations and their staff. Everyone was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly at Moremi, out of all the lodges, their staff were the most welcoming and my friends and I had such a good time with them. The food was amazing and they even made a separate dish for my friend who doesn't eat red meat. The tents are very clean and well-maintained and the bathrooms were really nice too. It was funny having a full bathroom in the middle of the wild but I definitely appreciated it.
Weather - it got really cold at night and was cold when we were out on the safari. Definitely bring layers and ask for a hot water bottle for the morning ride! It made a difference.
Scenery and Wildlife - Moremi was by the far my favorite out of the three preserves we visited. We would rarely come across another truck unless there was some really rare wildlife that was hard to spot (ie. a leopardess hunting, a pride of lions, etc). We were incredibly lucky and got to watch a pack of Wild African Dogs hunt and take down an impala, a leopardess stalk and hunt, and a pride of lions who were lounging around after a kill. We also saw zebras, other antelopes, giraffes, elephants, hippos, ox, warthogs, and a lot of rodent type of creatures, plus a lot of birds.
I would definitely love to go back someday!