Wildlife & Wilderness of Botswana

An excellent trip. I have done safaris in South Africa, Namibia and the classic Kenya Mara trip, but I have never seen so much wildlife. Elephant, Lion, Leopard (first time ever) and all the usual beasts of the plains. One day we had just set up camp and someone called "elephant coming". I looked to see it less than 20m away looking straight at me. Luckily there was a vehicle between him and me. That is how wild the camping is, especially in Moremi and Savouti.I am incredibly unfit, yet I enjoyed the walks in the Delta and managed to stay comfortable whilst camping, something I haven't done in 30 years. ...more ...less

We went on this tour in September 2024, and really did have the most unbelievable time. Each day brought something new and exciting, from hearing Hyenas while trying to sleep, to having Elephants walk just past camp.

Excellent trip with so much wildlife . Elephants , lions , leopard, african wild dogs , hippos, crocs ....the list goes on. Thats without listing all the birds.

We recently went on the above trip and had a fantastic anD interesting trip, which exceeded our expectations. The holiday was well-structured, with a two day break in Victoria falls right in the middle of the two weeks. Bear in mind, though, that you are visiting a country the size of France and doing a considerable amount of traveling, staying in six different locations, to appreciate the diversity of the landscape and the animal,plant and bird life.Wynand, our South African guide, had a staggering amount of knowledge and enthusiasm and added greatly to the holiday. We would nominate him as the best tour guide we have had on these type of holidays and whatever you are paying him, it is not enough ! all the staff were excellent and developed a rapport with the guests. we had twelve in our group, with a varied age mix, which worked very well and it did not feel like a coach tour. we had a strong tip to try the 16 day Costa Rica trip, so are looking at that at present. ...more ...less

Botswana is a country the size of France or Texas, but with a population of just over 2 million and some of the most stunning scenery and wildlife. We arrived at the beginning of May, just after the rainy season, so much of the country was still green. It was also the rutting season for some animals. Our safari was in the northern half of the country, starting in Maun and then taking a mokoro (canoe) journey through the waterways of the Okavango Delta to the wild campsite (ie a clearing in the trees with no other people or facilities around). Our arrival was livened by the hippos in the pool by the campsite. Hippos came be my favourite animal, for my wife it was the many colourful birds. Hippos spend the day in water if they can, coming out after dusk. Whilst in the water, they come up for air, grunt, yawn, play and make the occasional belly flops when not sleeping: they just like to enjoy themselves. After our time in the Delta, we took an optional 40 minute plane ride over the Okavango Delta and realised the vastness of it, particularly as we only saw part of it in that time. There were great stretches of waterways, grasslands and scrub with herds of animals scattered across it. No wonder it takes time to find the animals, they are all there but just scattered over this vast area. During our journey in Botswana, first east to the salt flats near Nata, then up to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, before returning via the Chobe, Savuti and Moremi national parks in Botswana, we saw herds of zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, buffalo, baboons and assorted types of deer, as well as ostrich, tortoise, puff adder, elephants, lions and a leopard up a tree with a lioness underneath waiting for her dinner to come down. We saw two Impala challenging each other and two giraffe fighting, using the horns on their heads to hit their opponent's side, as well as the amorous attentions of male impala and kudu for their females, and a lion kissing a lioness behind her head. We had elephants walk past our campsites and saw a den of hyena with the pups playing outside. On another occasion we saw an elephant thoroughly enjoying her bath, rolling in the water and throwing water over herself. At Victoria Falls, we organised our own walk to the bridge, which straddles the gorge between Zimbabwe and Zambia. At the Zimbabwe customs we got a bridge pass which allowed us to visit this 100 year old bridge and see the gorge, as well as bargain with the many pedlars of wood carvings and copper bracelets. Then it was on to visit the falls, with its 17 viewing points. Start at the first viewing point, which looks over the Zambesi river, before it plunges over the falls. From there on the viewing points get progressively wetter and the views more spectacular - so go expecting to get very wet. After that we dried out at a cafe, with magnificent views of the bridge and Zambia across the gorge. Our return was diverted by elephants on the footpath and rewarded by seeing a warthog on route as well as monkeys and a family of mongoose. That evening we joined the dinner cruise on the Zambesi, for some more hippos, a four course meal with plenty of wine and another great sunset. Our team of four led by Ngande and Melo (our cook), set up our tents and kept us well fed and looked after, even providing "pottys" for some of the wild camps where a night time walk might not be advisable. We all got used to the bush toilets, even the occasional collapse when the sand gave way! Bush showers were also provided, with a water bag slung over a branch and suitable enclosure. Mello's ability to provide three great meals a day in the bush was outstanding. He even provided "home" cooked bread with "Welcome to ... " moulded into the bread, something most of us would struggle to do with a fully equipped kitchen, let alone on a camp fire. This is a great safari, with superb staff, scenery and wild life. And one that all ages can enjoy, our oldest member was 80. ...more ...less

This was a fabulous holiday! I have travelled quite a lot with Exodus and always had great trips - this was one of the best.

This holiday is an absolute 'must' for anybody who enjoys plenty of variety.  It really does offer something for everyone.  I would rank this as one of the best holidays I have had - and that is saying a lot!

A little early in the dry season to rate a 'classic' trip for me personally, June/ July / August should be much better, but still saw Lions, Wild Dogs,Buffalo,  Crocs, Hippos, hundreds of Ellies, Giraffe and Wild Dogs...  a great tour Leader with a good sense of humour (allways helps) and driver who managed to spot anything that moved whilst still keeping an eye on the tracks....   overall a great trip, and did I say we saw Wild Dogs?.... ...more ...less