First let me say how great the organisation of our trip was. So many pick ups, drops offs and transports and not a single issue (not any that we really noticed or was a major concern anyway). Well done to you and your team! Big shout out to MacAir – this little airline was excellent. Very friendly and personalised service.
All the lodges were great in their own way – I’ve put some notes below. I loved the whole way the experience unfolded from river to Delta to drier more wooded areas in Botswana. Vic Falls and South Africa added new scenery and a difference experience again. Well planned.
Johannesburg – City Lodge – easy, simple
Okavango Spirit – Beautiful, even if the rooms were a bit ‘rustic’. Being moored on a deserted bend in the river was so peaceful and a great way to ease into the trip. The food and beverage here was less high standard than other places but they needed to cook everything in the boat kitchen so they did pretty well. Amazing scenery. Trip to the Tsodilo Hills was fascinating, very glad we did that. Hippos up close in a small tender boat was quite scary!
Okavango Delta – Uncharted Africa Mobile – fantastic service, amazingly set up camp – real ‘old world’ luxury and charm but all under a tent canopy. Could not say anything bad about this experience. Even the huge and prolific insects were a charming addition to this larger than life place. Absolutely delightful camp manager (Zop) and his staff plus our guide (Spotted Hyena) looked after our every need. Our first real safari was well explained, safe and but still very exciting, and packed with amazing animal sightings. Our guide was full of enthusiasm and extremely generous with his time and knowledge. Excellent food, especially the high teas, and a great bar selection. We have become converts to Okavango Gin. Sunset canoe tour through lily pads was a highlight for me, especially as hippos were close by. We got a real sense of being out in the wild (not inside the safari truck)
Khwai Reserve – Little Sable – stunning, the addition of a pool was a real bonus. Excellent tent rooms. Very friendly staff, good home cooked food, and plenty of it. The wait staff and set up were a bit more formal here. Outdoor showers were perfection. We saw so many big cats here and even African Wild dogs – a great driver/guide, Wax, who was informative and really did a fantastic job tracking off road. We were lucky enough to see 2 hunts/kills here.
Makgadikgadi – Meno A Kwena – different scenery, the Lodge was really interesting and more like a ‘real’ camp with a fire always burning for hot water, washing and cooking. Education walk by Kalahari bushmen was a highlight. There wasn’t a lot of large animals close to the lodge at this time of year as it was very dry and quite hot, but there was enough to keep us occupied and the pool was a true blessing! ‘Help yourself’ bar and water was a great idea and the home cooking buffet style was excellent. Especially breakfasts.
Thamo Telele – Maun – this felt much more like a hotel inside a large zoo. Great pool for cooling off. Horse riding was an enjoyable way to see animals closer up. Service wasn’t as personalised as it was more ‘self paced’ here. Great stop for an overnight prior to travelling out of Maun. I think we had been spoilt by seeing so much in the past 4 lodges!
Victoria Falls Hotel – true colonial charm. What an extraordinary hotel. Beautiful. Luxurious. New Year’s dinner was a night of excellent food and fun entertainment. Breakfast buffet with egg station excellent. The trip to Devil’s Pool was unforgettable, they went out of their way to ensure everyone of all abilities was able to enjoy the experience. Crossing the border to get there was all part of the fun. Money wasn’t an option but we could have avoided time and a second visa fee if we had entered Zimbabwe from Botswana on a multiple entry visa. No big deal, but worth mentioning.
Sabi Sand Reserve – Notten’s Bush Camp – Again, a truly memorable experience. Stunning grounds and pool, great service and interesting to see a third generation safari lodge and to be able to talk to the owner who came for drinks each evening. Air conditioning in rooms was welcome here. Food here was next level. Lots of it and a real understanding of the tastes of their guests. Safaris were excellent too, there was always something to see and our guides were engaging and tailored our experience to our knowledge. My highlight was being able to walk in the bush (accompanied by an armed guide) and getting to see the bushland more up close rather than from a car. I know this was a rare treat. Rhinos and lions here rounded off our sightings and we saw a huge range of other animals too. Another highlight was the sundowners. Especially the final night when the lodge set up a sunset campfire BBQ in the bush.
Johannesburg – Sandton Sun Hotel – a good place to transit through although in hindsight probably didn’t need to spend 24 hours in Johannesburg.
I am sure Cath and Annette and Stephen will have their own highlights but that gives you a basic run down. Thanks for organising an impressive trip Lindy. Exceeded my expecations!