An Incredible Botswana Safari Experience

Hi Michelle,

Sorry it took us so long to reply to you. The last couple of weeks have been pretty intense, and we wanted to take some time to write our impressions on our time in Botswana. In a few words, it was an incredible experience that we fully enjoyed. 

Xhumaga and Boteti River Camp was a great place to start, considering the landscape and the views we had where all we imagined about Africa. Makgadikgadi National Park was incredible (almost every guide we met in Botswana referred to it as an “hidden gem” of nature), with a lot of different animals gathering around the pools in the Boteti River. It was really impressive to see African elephants and hippos for the first time, almost by yourself as there were not that many tourists in the area. Regarding accommodation, it was true that Boteti River Camp was the most rustic one of the four where we stayed. However, its standards regarding activities, food and lodging were pretty much as high as the other ones.

Mopiri was a great stop between Boteti and Nokanyana, as it was a good option to take a break between game activities. Although not as many mammals as in other parts (something other guests complained about), the water and cultural experiences in the Delta were great. Emilia really enjoyed going to the village (Etsha 6) and learning how to weave. Mokoro was also great, although it was a little bit far from the lodge (some guests declined to go for this reason). One of the highest points was the lodge itself: really comfortable, including the tents and common areas, and a wonderful staff. Having breakfast with a sunrise over the lagoon, or sitting under a fig tree after lunch to see plenty of birds and monkeys was something we really enjoyed. 

Nokanyana was a really incredible safari experience. From the game drives (we saw plenty of different animals, from elephants to lions), night experiences (although a little bit scary at the beginning, it’s a great experience to hear hyenas, hippos or buffalos just outside the tent) to the lodge itself (very friendly staff, with nice views to the Mababe river), everything was great. Maybe the greatest point is the fact that everything is very “personal”, as the areas surrounding the lodge were not very busy, so many times we were by ourselves watching animals in their natural habitats. Khwai and Mababe areas were great in that sense. The only thing we would recommend is to mention to future visitors the fact that the lodge is 1.30 hours away from the airstrip where you land. It took us a little bit by surprise, especially as we landed right at lunchtime which complicated the logistics that day. 

Chobe Elephant Camp was very comfortable, the rooms had AC and thick curtains that help maintain the heat during the cold nights, and the view from the camp to the Chobe River was spectacular. The downside is that the tours were in bigger groups (the lodge was fully booked both nights) so the experience was different, we were not able to ask as many questions to our guides, and we had to accommodate different interests. Chobe National Park was great though, with a that grown forest (something we only saw there) and the wide river as landscapes, and hundreds of buffaloes and elephants moving around us very closely. 

Finally, even though the Victoria Falls were amazing and impressive, looking back we don’t think that crossing the border to Zimbabwe just to go to see them was worth it, mainly because the town itself had a very different feeling from what we expected. Maybe visiting Hwange National Park would have been a greater alternative in that sense. 

In general we would say that even though our vacation was pretty intense (now we understand why people tend to prefer book shorter safaris and finish with a couple of days at some beach), it was totally worth it. Since we were coming from such a great distance, it made sense for us to get the most of our trip and we would definitely do it again. Thank you very much for helping us to organize this amazing trip, and for all the recommendations and info you gave us. We’ll give our review in the links you send us.

All the best,

Emilia & Gabriel

Below are some photos from the lodges.