Botswana Safaris Reviews Give You an Idea of the Best Tours Available

Botswana safaris journals let you see exactly what trips there are like because they are photographed and written by people who have already been on such a holiday.

So if you want to know what to expect, where and with whom the best Africa vacations are, the unbiased, informal recommendation from trip reports are unbeatable.

The only way you are going to get better information is to go on one yourself. The reviews are broken down according to the area in which they took place and the operator that was used.

They include some stunning photographs and stories which will give you inside and in-depth information about a Botswana safari holiday.

Find out if any of the big cats have been seen, what the accommodation is like, how knowledgeable the guides are and a myriad of other nuggets of information.

So take a look below and get some advice and tips that you definitely won't find in any guidebook...

Botswana Safaris Trip Reviews

Okavango Delta

Okavango Delta Map

The Okavango Delta covers an area of 15,000 sq kilometres (the size of Switzerland or Massachusetts) and is fed by Southern Africa's third-largest river, the 1 300km long Okavango River.

The mass of water attracts large numbers of game such as elephant, zebra, buffalo, wildebeest, giraffe, hippo, crocodile, lion and leopard and forms a unique ecosystem that is unrivalled anywhere else in the world.

Leopard in a tree
Gondwana tours safaris review » The safari vehicle was standing under a tree for checking tracks, when a leopard jumped from up behind (maybe 1-2 m above my head) to the ground about 1 metre left of my seat and after some seconds vanished in the high grass...
Big male lion
Tracking lions » We tracked a pride of lions at Lebala Lodge and managed to get very close so this was a real highlight. The hotels were excellent and the lodges in Linyanti and the Ichobezi in particular provided very personal service...
Wild dog pack
Cats and dogs on safari » On one of our game drives by the Savuti side we got lucky and came across a pack of wild dogs hunting. Now this was fun. Everyone was excited to see the chase. These dogs didn't even mind us, they wanted to get their prey and start dining...

Travel to Africa » Connie has been all over Africa but says that Botswana is her favourite place on earth, and that's saying something because she goes on a safari trip at least twice a year. Read her trip report to find out why...

Request full trip report » Wildlife sightings were breathtaking and included a beleaguered lion crossing a river only to be attacked by a hippo and then charged by elephants as he just barely made it to the rivers edge and a successful ambush and killing of a warthog right in front of them by a lion pride...

More reviewsRead more Okavango Delta safari reviews

Chobe National Park

Chobe map

11 000 sq kilometres of prime wildlife viewing land, Chobe provides breathtaking opportunities to see African animals in their natural habitat.

The highest concentrations of wildlife occur along the riverfront strip in Northern Chobe, but the Savuti Marshes and Mababe Depression. These are also excellent places to see lion, cheetah, hippo, elephant, giraffe, warthog, buffalo, brown and spotted hyena, baboons and wild dogs.

flying hornbill
Bushbaby tours review » Yvonne and her husband visited three Southern African countries on her trip but her favourite was Botswana and in particular the Chobe National Park. She sent in a detailed trip report containing very thorough information about all the accommodation they stayed at...
Crocodile jaws agape
Chobe experience » Johann and his family live in South Africa and have a 4x4 vehicle, so going to Botswana on a self-drive safari is relatively easy. However he gives some great tips in his trip report, proving that not only people in a similar situation can enjoy Botswana and Chobe in this way...
Cheetah fighting over kill
Safari holiday » It's a place which has given me a stronger sense of a mix of wildlife, isolation and wilderness than any other I've seen in five visits to that massive continent. I've been to an arguably wilder place nearly as remote, but it fell short on the wildlife front...

Southern Africa trip » Wendy spent part of her 3-week holiday to Africa on Botswana safaris, starting in Chobe but also visiting Moremi, Savuti and the Okavango Delta. Unfortunately she didn't have a very positive experience, partly because of bad luck with wildlife viewing and the extreme cold weather...

Moremi Game Reserve

Hyena lying down
Best holiday ever » Janice really enjoyed the camping without fences portion of the trip that Botswana safaris offer, where the camp was moved every two days and set up for them before their arrival. Her trip report is full of nuggets of information that clearly illustrates why...
Hippo and baby
Camping safari » If you're looking for a relaxed camping safari, Kaj's trip report will give you a good idea of what you can expect. Like the fact that hippos grazing around your tent at night can be quite noisy...
Leopard mother
Request full trip report » The highlights include a sunset motorboat trip on the Delta, seeing the agile red lechwes in real life and spending 2 hours with a mother leopard as she rested, made a kill and proceeded to play with her food for half an hour...

Mashatu Game Reserve

Lioness
Request full trip report » Heather had the incredible good fortune of seeing leopard, cheetah and lion all within two days of her arrival in Mashatu. A very detailed Botswana safaris trip report on what to expect there...
Eland bull
Request full trip report » Dena went on two game drives and managed to see an amazing amount and variety of wildlife including the big cats. She encountered a zebra with a neck wound probably inflicted by a lion...

Makgadigadi National Park

Puff adder
Request full trip report » There is no permanent accommodation on the Pan so camping is done "wild" with portable toilets and bucket showers. Karen was amazed at the amount of stars that it's possible to see on Botswana safaris here because there is little interference from any artificial light sources...
Agama lizard
Request full trip report » Planet Baobab camp is situated right on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans and provides an ideal access point to this vast, dry lake. At the entrance to the camp there is a massive statue of an Aardvark which must rank as the most unique signpost in all of Botswana...

Submit Your Own Botswana Safari Experience

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More Botswana Safari Trip Reports

Click below to see contributions from past Botswana visitors...

Botswana Safari Reviews 
The Okavango Delta, the watery Eden: I was completely immersed in the safari experience at Sanctuary Baines Camp in Botswana. Walking safaris, game …

Botswana Breakaway Safari  
(operated by Jenman Safaris, offered in Germany by e.g. Explorer Fernreisen at the time of writing) Would we do this trip again: No. Reasons: Besides …

Botswana and Victoria Falls Safari 
The trip fully met my expectations – would have loved to have seen a leopard whilst on safari but you can never predict wildlife! I had a wonderful time …

South Africa and Botswana Safari 
The sheer amount of animals we saw was amazing, and just being there in the middle of them. Wildlife programmes back home have a whole new meaning for …

Wild Journeys - Botswana Review 
The absolute GREATEST thing about Lagoon Camp was the plenitude of African Wild Dogs (my husband had previously vainly searched for them in South Africa, …

Overland Safari With GAP Adventures 
My African Safari was amazing! I had a wonderful time. However it was not because of the company I went with, it was because of Africa itself. The animals …

&Beyond Safari Review 
We were very lucky to see 3 kills - a mongoose killing a francolin, then protecting his kills from fellow mongoose; a leopard killing a jackal, very sad …

Wilderness Safaris Review 
There were lots of babies around so we saw lots of nursing animals and we actually hung out a little too long with the elephants and were charged by a …

Tsodilo Hills Review 
Tsodilo Hills were amazing. Somewhat humbling as a European living with a few thousand years of history to be in a place with 80,000 years of human habitation. …

Livingstone Devils Pool 
The highlight (non-wildlife) was going to the 'Devil's Pool' on Livingstone Island at the edge of Victoria Falls. You can see Youtube videos of folks jumping …

Zambia and Botswana Safari Review 
We had a great trip, a couple of minor mishaps but to be expected in the grand scheme of things. Safari Agent Performance The service from Island Safari …

Camping Safari In Botswana 
The highlight of my trip was the great company I spent it with – the other travellers were very kind and fun loving – which to me was important considering …

Bush Ways Safaris Review 
Our safari guide was superb, the food provided by our cook was brilliant, and I enjoyed the experience of sleeping in the bush a lot! I found the whole …

Sandibe Safari Lodge Review 
I have never been that close to a wild elephant when not in a vehicle and safe. On our next game drive I thanked the Jesus bird (who walks on the surface …

Botswana Self Drive Safari 
Adrenalin rushes were rafting and traditional canoeing in the Okavango when you did not know whether a hippo may just rise next to you, then you had no …

Safari Review - Africa Travel Resource 
The sincerity and hospitality of our guides – particularly our guide (and the entire staff for that matter) at Lebala, was a highlight. Our guide was the …

Solo Safari, Okavango Delta 
The people of Botswana are the best - always friendly, always willing to lend a helping hand. The wildlife highlights were first of all lions: I followed …

Botswana Dream Safari 
On my first 2 days I already had spotted one leopard on a night drive, had listened to hyenas close to my luxury tented camp on stilts, seen a pack of …

Mana Pools Safari 
I found the Mana Pools canoeing enjoyable, but I think just the peace of mind that the whole region and experience brought, no work or worries throughout, …

Disability No Obstacle On Safari 
I have Parkinson's disease, but that at no point affected my safari. It was particularly satisfying for me when at the end of the tour Mike shook my hand …

Jenman Safaris Review Part Two 
Accommodation Guma Camp is on the edge of the Okavango Delta and was a pleasant surprise. We had to drive for miles through the sand and scrub brush …

Jenman Safaris Review 
During the evening boat ride at Chobe we saw over two hundred elephants at one time. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. They would …

Shinde Island Camp Review 
There is something marvelously exotic and frankly epic about flying across the Okavango in a small aircraft. Of course my sense of elation could have something …

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