Wildlife & Wilderness of Botswana

This trip exceeded our expectations - go if you can! We loved Botswana - its friendly people and its amazing wildlife. We saw elephants, hippo, many different antelopes, giraffes, buffalo, hyena, jackal, lions and even a leopard in a tree with its kill. We got closer to the wild animals than we had anticipated, which felt a real privilege. The birdlife was wonderful too. Do take the optional flight over the Okavango Delta - well worth it. We were lucky enough to see 4 rhinos from the air. Also, don't miss the Chobe River cruise.

So many wonderful moments. First the people of Botswana are the nicest I’ve ever met. And I’ve traveled a lot. The guide, Ngande, was so knowledge about plants, animals, birds, reptiles and his country. He was professional, friendly and handle even breakdowns (there was one) with efficiency. The cook, Mello, ensure 3 delicious meals a day cooked on an open fire. And the assistants put up tents and made sure details were taken care of. Now for the wildlife - lions, leopards, warthogs, hyenas, zebras, elephants, hippos, incredible bird life and so much more. My friend and I agree it was truly the best ever trip and worth our 39 hours of flying❣️❣️❣️

Ivan Pinto has given an excellent account of our trip so I have little to add.

Our adventure in Botswana was the most incredible experience we have ever encountered. The guides were amazing. Their knowledge of all things growing or living in this beautiful country was boundless. They were all extremely helpful and nothing was too much trouble, always going the extra mile to ensure that we got the most out of our trip. Our cook produced the most delicious recipes and all on an open fire with a few pots and pans. Wild camping definitely gave us a flavour of actually being amongst the wildlife. We saw all the species of animals and birdlife that anyone could wish for. A trip across the border to Zimbabwe took us to the breath-taking Victoria Falls. So majestic yet so powerful. It would be remiss of me not to mention our two main guides, Ngande and Mello. They were incredibly caring and thoughtful towards our needs, always ensuring that our safari experience was the best that it could possibly be. Finally, we are so grateful to Exodus for arranging what proved to be the adventure of a lifetime and one which we will never forget.

Botswana is the size of France but with just 2million people and an enlightened approach to conservation resulting in an unspoilt environment which benefits both local people and wildlife. Driver/guide Moses ably supported by chef Johnny and staff Ronny and Derek looked after all the needs of our group of seven with patience and good humour. Johnny provided fantastic food including freshly baked bread, cottage pie and fish & chips! The Okavango delta camp provided our first brush with elephants at close quarters as two bull elephants approached to within a few feet when we were on a walking safari with Moses and the local guides. Moses was the epitome of calmness as he gently shoed them away. We were still buzzing when a couple of hours later sitting back at the camp by a small pond another two elephants decided to have a ruckus and one chased the other straight through the pond to within a feet of us again. It was only the start of the trip and it was going to be hard for Moses to maintain that kind of experience for the rest of the holiday. But he excelled himself delivering honey badgers on two separate occasions, leopard, lions galore including one at an elephant kill not to mention the usual suspects- giraffes, zebra, buffalo, wildebeest together with various deer and antelopes. Botswana is a birders paradise even in its winter (we were there in June/July) and we saw a wide variety of eagles and smaller birds. Wild camping was a great experience with people comparing what animals they heard the previous night both in the surrounding area and in camp. We had leopard and hyena visit overnight! The only negatives related to our second night at the Audi camp, Maun when both electricity (needed to recharge camera batteries) and water were out when we arrived early evening. While the electric was eventually restored the water was not until we were leaving the following morning and the toilets were in a truly disgusting state. Also we arrived at Victoria Fall Rest Chalets to find our cabins had been given to others and we had to camp, again the toilet block was poor. One bright spot was the Nata camp site which was excellent.

This was a trip of a life time in so many ways. It was a retirement present and a chance to prove we could still do it. It was a chance to see so many animals and different environments and to see a wonderful country determined to benefit from It's wildlife while protecting this precious resource. We were guided on the adventure by N'gand who was so knowledgeable and happy to share his love of the wild and his country. Melo, the cook, fed us amazing meals, whether in a layby on route or on an open fire in the bush, we were stuffed with fresh bread and tasty food. Timon and Derek just quietly work on our creature comforts putting up and striking tents, digging the "bushy bushy" and making sure that we were safe and left nothing behind except warm memories. We did games walks and drives and mokoro rides. We saw all the animals on our lists and more besides. Even the " its just a bird" traveller began to appreciate the diversity out there. There were changes of plan, 2 punctures, one dead rear axle and so much late rain that the salt pans were lakes but all was dealt with so we hardly noticed with Nata being a good substitute, even if meeting other not so well behaved groups reminded us that bird watching needs quiet. It is a trip in the wild with dangers that we are not used to and we had total trust in our team that they would make it the best they could but keep us safe. The Falls are impressive and Zimbabwe provides time to recharge batteries (ours and cameras) as well as washing clothes.The group pulled together well, loading this arthritic pensioner in and out of the bus. We will keep in touch to share amazing photos and memories of this wonderful trip.

This trip absolutely delivers - incredible wildlife and an opportunity to appreciate the wilderness of Botswana. The opportunity to get away completely from modern life and appreciate the beauty and scale of Southern Africa is brilliant. The unpredictable nature of the trip adds to the uniqueness and the surprises. We saw many many unexpected sights - a leopard fast asleep on a tree, its kill hanging beside it with the leopard's cub snuggled up asleep on a lower branch; a lion feasting on a rhino kill; elephants walking into camp… Every day was special. In addition to the wildlife, the landscape was incredible with beautiful sunsets and starry evenings.

This tour is a great way to discover the wildlife of Botswana.  There is loads to see and the setting is stunning, only enhanced by the opportunity to visit Victoria falls.

I am absolutely not a camping person so this holiday was a challenge for me but the lack of luxury was well worth the up close and personal experience with the wild life. Our leader, Anton, and his amazingly efficient and friendly crew worked miracles under difficult conditions to make our lives as comfortable as possible. The food was varied and plentiful - quite remarkable given that most of it was cooked on an open fire. If you want to really see Africa, forego the comfort of the lodges and do it this way!

The trip was very well put together. It incorporated all the key highlights in an efficient two week schedule, without too many long days of travel. The wildlife was spectacular - we were very lucky to see wonderful views of leopards, lion, elephants, and more! The wild camping was great, the guides were wonderful, and the camp food was very good too! An excellent trip, and I'd highly recommend it!