Footsteps in Africa - Guest Feedback
January 2009
Mapula Lodge:
The facilities at Mapula were beautiful, especially considering the remote location. Meals were plentiful and the open bar made us feel right at home. The guides we had were friendly and very informative, teaching us so much about not only the animals but also the land, plants, insects and Africa in general. It was the perfect introduction to the safari experience. Although the lodge runs on a pretty set schedule, some of the staff took time out of their break time to take my husband fishing in the lagoon and treated us to a private game drive as a 'honeymoon present' (even though I believe we were the only guests in the lodge on that half day!). They also left us a bottle of wine and a card as a departing gift - it was only a shame we received it on departure and couldn't share it with the staff, who we got to know very well in the three days we were there. And even on the last day, when we were late for our flight, our guide, with our consent, raced around trying to show us the wild dogs that we had searched for three days for. Eventually, with minutes to spare, we saw them and made it to the airstrip in time, feeling exhilarated from our sighting.
Mapula Lodge:
I think our favourite of all places was Mapula. I was a little concerned because I am afraid to fly and the thought of flying in a little plane made me very nervous, but the pilot was so relaxed that I was actually looking out the window on the way back watching for wildlife. The accommodations at Mapula were excellent and the staff were wonderful. We were joined by our new friends from Muchenje and that was so much fun. We did our game drives with them again and we had a great time!
November 2008
Mapula Lodge: Lovely setting and our favourite lodge: excellent, spacious, authentic room with great outdoor shower; lovely staff who were very attentive and helpful; fine guides; excellent home-cooked food. Again game-driving was hard work in the conditions but some great moments; they need the fence removed from the concession by the government which spoils the feel of the place.
October 2008
Mapula Lodge was magnificent. It was a real stand-out for us. The people were so warm and welcoming, as well as knowledgeable. The accommodation was terrific there, too. We loved the timber construction and the African feel about it. Also, the game drives were incredible. Our guide, Dicks, and our spotter, Simon, worked really well as a team and they managed to track the most amazing animals for us, including leopards, lions and jackals. They were also terrific with my young son, Jack.
October 2008
ODDBALLS' CAMP IS FANTASTIC! The staff, the guides and the environment was excellent.
October 2008
Oddballs' Camp
Oddballs' Camp is fantastic. We had a wonderful stay at the camp and our three day bush camping was an unforgettable experience. The camp is managed in the most professional manner and the management - Joyce and MD - as well as all the staff members are excellent hosts. I can recommend this camp to any traveller as it is the most perfect bush experience. The camp is comfortable and the catering exquisite. We had elephant in the camp on a daily basis and the birdlife was great. I would also like to mention that our guide Kagiso (KG) was brilliant - he is an excellent guide and person and very knowledgeable on both animals and birdlife. He tracked a variety of animals including lion - which we saw, another highlight! Without Kagiso, our bush camp experience would not have been as memorable.
Mapula lodge
Mapula Lodge was excellent, we were well looked after by Doctor and his staff and the patience and knowledge of our guide Josiah and his tracker Simon really turned a good holiday into a memorable one.
Mapula Lodge
Mapula Lodge is paradise found. What a site! The lodge is beautifully conceived and well maintained. People were so helpful and accommodating with everything and everybody, and the safari tours were very professional. You know you are in the wild with all the elephants, hippos, lions, etc., but you are safe as the guides are very knowledgeable. Every trip was different. Morning drives gave the opportunity to find lions, while the afternoon drive was always an adventure with beautiful sunsets. Night drives were interesting. You never knew what to expect. Meals had a great home cooking flavor, and the ambience with everybody on the same table exchanging experiences was great. We loved it. Didn’t want to leave.
September 2008
Oddballs' camp was a wonderful experience, I would recommend it to anyone and particularly the wild camping which we enjoyed for two nights. The meals at Oddballs' were fantastic and the food provided for our camping experience was great with lots of variety! The people running the camp and our guide could not have been friendlier or more helpful. I would certainly recommend it to all my friends and would encourage people to camp wild for at least two nights but maybe more.
September 2008
We were exceptionally lucky with the game viewing at Mapula and Josiah managed to spot a lioness from about half a kilometre away the one day and we spent some time watching the brother and sister from the pride (about 3 years old) playing around. The very next morning within a kilometre or so from the lodge we came across the mother with two small cubs and an older daughter on the road and spent about an hour watching them waking up and playing. Very special. We were also very lucky that a Korean film crew were in camp specifically to film the wild dogs. So the Doc would take them out each day with a few trackers and they were able to locate them on two days (even though they had moved about 15kms overnight). The wild dog pack had 12 puppies and 5 adults and we saw them on two days. The second day they had eaten an impala in the morning (unfortunately did not see that) and so they were very full and just spent the day lazing around in the shade playing etc. We thought the two guides (Josiah and Matt) were exceptional and the Doc was great fun.
The mix between the driving at Mapula and mokoros and walking at Delta suited us tremendously. I was initially worried that we would not see any animals whilst walking (and not having rifles!) but we saw plenty of animals each day. The one morning we tracked a lion who we believed was only a few minutes ahead of us and just kept moving out of our sight.
One of our group is a keen bird watcher and he counted over 120 different birds between the two camps.
September 2008
ODDBALLS as our first location in Botswana this was magical and the honeymoon suite delightful.The guides very knowledgeable and thoughtful. Food excellent and there was a lovely relaxed feel to the place. Our two nights out in the bush were exciting and very worthwhile.
MAPULA LODGE - this place was excellent in every respect from the accommodation to all the game drives. Our assigned guide was again very good and managed to please a mixed group very well. The only criticism is that having been at ODDBALLS the mokoro trip was poor.
September 2008
Deception Valley Lodge: Very friendly people, comfortable accomodation. The food and wine were excellent. It was a good desert experience, and a good introduction to Botswana.
Mapula Lodge: We loved the accomodation, the setting was beautiful and the game view was outstanding. Very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The food was good.
Delta Camp: Probably the best 'jungle' experience! The rooms were beautiful (including the tree house!) and we liked the opportunity of meeting the owners; it felt like a guest house. The food was very good. Both Mapula and Delta Camp were the lodges that most suited our family group.
September 2008
We had no problems with the transfers to Oddballs' and back. The Delta Airlines were very professional. Oddballs' is a very special place and Joyce is one of the best managers I’ve come across. Her staff is also very professional
September 2008
Mapula Lodge and Delta Air
Mapula Lodge was wonderful, great people dedicated and committed to the region and to the guests, you would not call the chalets and facilities Hyatt Class but they were unique, more than comfortable, right amongst the big game animals with great food – I offered to bring the chef back and replace our cook! The game drives and gliding in the mokoro brought new experiences every day. Within 2 minutes of getting off the Delta Air flight at the Mapula airstrip and within 50 metres we were viewing 2 lionesses and 2 cubs feeding on a zebra.
Deception Valley Lodge
What we liked best about this lodge was our guide, Jacobus Slabbert, and the experiences in the bush we had with him. He and his San helper spotted where a porcupine had been killed by a lion on our first morning game drive. For the next couple of hours, they carefully tracked the lion, with Jacobus returning to the vehicle to keep moving us forward to watch. And, then, suddenly, there was a male lion, several years old, lying under a bush quite pleased with himself. Wow. We felt this was what he had been missing at other camps: the isolation we had here and the excitement of this 'hunt' with Jacobus. Jacobus also was the most knowledgeable guide we had on our trip in terms of knowing the answers to all our questions (like: what is the difference between a moth and a butterfly?). And, he spoke up so that we all could hear him -- something we did not have with all of our guides. And, the food quality and preparation and quality of the accommodation at this camp were the best of any of the game camps. And, the staff besides Jacobus were also good and we loved the San people. We also liked the size of this camp. Although the game in the Kalahari is not as varied as Choke or the Mopane Tongue, we saw many animals and birds not seen elsewhere.
September 2008
Mapula Lodge and Delta Air
The transfers with Delta Air were smooth and punctual.The pilots were friendly and willing to show us wildlife on the flight to the lodge.
Mapula Lodge is a wonderful place in an idylic setting. I will definitely be recommending it to friends. It has successfully combined luxury with comfort. The staff were very friendly and at the same time professional. We had two members of our party with special dietary needs and they were catered for like royalty. The guides were proficient and very personable. We were particularly lucky to see an African Wild Dog family with 13 pups in total - a magical experience that we are very grateful for.
September 2008
Mapula Lodge
We loved this place. The setting was awe-inspiring.The structure itself was extremely clever and environmentally friendly. Our room was wonderful -- it was like being in a tree house! We especially liked the staff here -- they were so genuinely friendly and warm we felt like family.
September 2008
Delta Air and Mapula Lodge
We were immediately met by a rep from Delta Air, who took our excess bag away for storage, as arranged. We were then whisked through security and off to our plane for the flight into the delta, all very painless.
Our transfer vehicle at the airstrip at Mapula was waiting for us when our plane landed and we were taken straight to the camp. We've stayed in the delta several times before and by any standards Mapula is an exceptionally beautiful camp. We were welcomed on arrival by Doctor, who is the camp manager, and his staff. The Doctor is a legend, he has a great sense of humour, he's very knowledgeable and manages the camp extremely well. He already knew about our requests for vegetarian meals and was very welcoming, was always approachable and interested in what we'd sighted on our game drives. The chalets are lovely, spotlessly clean and we loved the relaxed informal ambience of the camp.
We'd chosen Mapula specifically for the wild dogs and we weren't disappointed. Our guide, Josiah and our tracker, John were excellent. The wild dogs had chosen to den as far away from the camp as is possible on the concession but Josiah managed to find them, even though they'd recently moved the puppies to a new location. Josiah was also very accommodating in doing the long commute from the camp to the den.
September 2008
Delta Camp
What we liked best about this lodge was the owner and the camp's upscale funky charm. The mokoros and walking tours add touches of excitement not found at other camps. The food here was excellent as was the service. The variety of game here was limited although the closeness of the elephants in camp (one charged Skip) and proximity to hippos and crocodiles while in the mokoros added an up close quality not found at other camps. We also liked the size of this camp and its isolation while still being close to 'game' events. The size of the camp was also appreciated.
September 2008
Delta Camp and Delta Air
We had an altogether wonderful time at Delta Camp. Very relaxing and the accommodation was suburb. The service received from your staff was very good. The flights on the small aircraft on Delta Air were also very enjoyable.
September 2008
Oddballs' and Deception Valley Lodge
Our stay in Oddballs' Camp, was perfect, people very friendly and professionaly, very, very good.
Deception Valley Lodge, I don´t know how to explain, wonderful, wonderful, people there is very, very, very lovely, also the rooms, the meals, everything was perfect.
September 2008
Delta Air and Oddballs'
Delta Air was on-time with the trips to and from Oddballs'. Oddballs' was very special. The camp personnel were there to greet us at the airstrip and took good care of us for our two day stay. We had a full-day mokoro trip the second day with a packed lunch and we saw many different kinds of animals. I've recommended Oddballs' to friends and I hope to go back someday.
September 2008
Delta Camp
Delta Camp was also fantastic -- we liked the openness of the room and closeness of the wildlife. The staff here was very good, but perhaps not as warm and enthusiastic as the other three.
September 2008
Deception Valley Lodge
Although it is hard to rank these lodges because they were all so good, Deception Valley might have the edge. Certainly the room was the best of the lot in terms of size, decor, and comfort, even though the view from the room wasn't as dramatic as the other lodges. The staff was terrific. Adriaan and Wanda do an excellent job and all of the staff members were warm and friendly. Adriaan was an exceptional guide, and our tracker Duma was a delight -- he and his brother took us on the bushman walk and it was one of the highlights of our entire trip.
September 2008
Oddballs' Camp
Also a lot of fun and better than my expectations. I was worried it would be full of college kids and noisy. Instead, there were other people with children and other couples older than me. The setting is quite appealing, the food was good, and the service attentive. The guides did more than I expected, especially during the two nights of camping in the bush. All were helpful and waited with us on our departure until our plane took off.
September 2008
Oddballs' Camp
Oddballs' was wonderful, We cannot praise it enough. Joyce, the manager is a great lady. Bushcamping was a truly exciting experience. Our guide, Leko, did a fine job of keeping us alive. His apprentice, G.G., is pretty good, too. Our five days at Oddballs' were worth the price of the whole trip.
September 2008
ODDBALLS', GRASSLANDS AND DELTA AIR
ODDBALLS' - A nice place, very unusual with the mokoros (nerve wracking for me) but the guides that were taking us on them were really great, we did lots of short walking safaris because malachy could not walk long distance and when he got tired they carried him (our guides were Bafana and Motsi). Plus we had an elephant in the camp for a visit which was so beautiful to see. The cooks were very good too, everything they made just tasted delicous!!
GRASSLANDS - Now this place was a huge suprise, not sure what we were expecting but nothing compared to the beautiful surprise we got!! The staff were brilliant, rooms clean and amount of wildlife was amazing. We saw so much just spending an evening around the fire overlooking the waterhole. And everything is great amounts, it was very surreal. Neeltje, Tian, Vani and Willie were very nice and sociable, and we will definitely go back!!
Delta Air - Transfers with Delta Air (Ricardo) were great, everything always went on time and smoothly, even though we were unaware that we could only carry soft bags and 10kgs each, the airline sorted it out for us!!!
August 2008
Oddballs' and Delta Air
We had a great time at Oddballs'. It was an ideal way to explore the Delta (Air, Water and Land) for the first time, the flights were good, and our stay at Oddballs' was fantastic. Our guides (TK and Elimon) were very knowledgeable and patient, and MD and Joyce at the camp made us feel very welcome.
August 2008
Delta Camp was exceptional. The mokoro excursions were really cool and the every so often the hippo surfacing and snorting their displeasure at our presence definitely kept our attention. Our cabin was marvelous. Again, a very romantic interior design with a great view from the seating area. The main lounge/ dining area of the lodge overlooked a marsh that provided lots of hippo sounds through out the night. A lone bull elephant spent a day and night in the camp with us. As such we needed an escort to walk to and from our cabin and the lounge. It was unnervingly to see him literally meters away from out cabin as we peak thru our reed door. One night we would be awakened every so often to the sounds of fruit nuts hitting the ground. Seems the elephant would wrap his truck around a tree and shake it until the delicious fruit nuts fell off. Again the food and service was superb. One night, in the moonlight after dinner we watch a herd of elephants wading in front of the lounge to cross from one island to another. The hippos were not pleased that the elephants were traipsing thru their back yard.
August 2008
Oddballs' Camp and Delta Air
Breathtaking, serene, beautiful, heart pounding….not too much is more awesome as taking an outdoor shower as a wild elephant runs by! Joyce and her team were awesome. Our guide, Culture, was young, but expert. Highly recommended, but very rustic. The flights over the Okavango….simply awesome and beautiful.
August 2008
Mapula:
Going to Delta Camp and travelling in canoes gave us a welcome break from the Land Rover rides, and added to the variety. Ending at Deception Valley was perfect, as by that time we were prepared to be very patient, and were rewarded by catching up to 2 beautiful male lions.
Deception Valley:
We were all surprised at how lovely the lodges were and how good the food was. The staff was uniformly attentive and gracious. I would like to especially commend our guides Adriaan at Deception Valley, and our elder bushman tracker at Deception, who gave us a wonderfully entertaining demonstration of bushman life.
August 2008
Of the three safari camps, we liked Mapula the best. The staff were knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and we loved them all - especially Doctor, the manager, who could be a PhD in the biology of the local animals. Another plus was the fact that Mapula has no safari competitors in the area, so when we found an interesting site (like the amazing wild dogs) it wasn't immediately surrounded by half a dozen Land Rovers.
August 2008
1) Oddballs' is a dream come true. The management is very professional and saw to all our needs. They treated us as if we were their only visitors. Our guide Kagiso was brilliant. He saw to all our personal needs and our safety. He is a true asset to Oddballs'.
2)Oddballs'- excellent, the flight from Maun to the camp was smooth, all staff were courteous, the guides were excellent/knowledgeable/personable, the food was excellent, accomodations were beyond expectations.
3)Oddballs' - In general this excellent and mostly what I had expected. Our guides, Kagiso and Philemon were ideal. Kagiso's knowledge of the fauna and flora of the delta is to be marveled at. Joyce and MD at the main camp were the perfect hosts. The camping experience at Oddballs' was a real delight and we all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
July 2008
ODDBALLS':
The camp was a stunning setting and we loved the thought that had gone into the design. Everything really was placed to appreciate the setting. The staff were really friendly and relaxed.
We were particularly impressed with the food in the camp. We thought it was of a really high standard.
Your stay at Delta Camp
Incredible from the moment we arrrived - everybody welcoming, great food and hospitality, even the elephants got in on the act. Thank you - was grand
Trevor Swann
July 2008
1. Mapula Lodge was a delight. Small, personal, friendly. Just perfect.
2. The flight and stay at Oddballs' also worked out well. Everyone enjoyed the mokoro trips and the friendly atmosphere at camp. The guides knew their trade well, both in handling the mokoro and on explaning about the delta, fauna and flora... Again the staff did everything possible to make our stay pleasant.
3. Deception Valley was another treat for us. Although our luck on wildlife overall wasn't fantastic the guide and tracker did absolutely everything they could to make the most of our experience explaining about trees, the ecology, termites, geology, etc. And in the end we saw a leopard and her two cubs which was a very special experience. I thought it was pure luck but in the end I gathered that when our son said he'd really like to see a leopard the guides went out doing some tracking and the next morning picked that up and managed to locate her. This extra work was really generous of them and resulted in an incredible moment for all of us, my son especially. The lodge too was lovely. Everything was really well done and beautifully managed.
July 2008
Oddballs' and the mokoro camping was excellent. A very pleasant and knowledgeable guide taught us a lot. We did not see masses of animals but lots of birds. It was a thrill to be on the animals' home ground.
July 2008
Botswana is terribly beautiful and we had spectacular wildlife viewing including wild dogs with puppies and a leopard with cubs! Our guides and managers went out of their way to make the trip special for us. I'd say Mapula was the highlight of the trip particularly for guides and game viewing, and Deception Valley was also very nice for the effort everyone made and the attention they gave our son
Thank you.
June 2008
We were very satisfied with Mapula Lodge and would recommend it to others. The staff there were great, it was very special experience and a beautiful setting.
June 2008
Mapula Lodge was our favourite - the staff there was extraordinarily kind, and the isolation meant that there were really no other land rovers around.
The Delta Air transfers overall went extremely smoothly, in terms of all the pre-arranged pick-ups and drop-offs.
June 2008
Hi Guys
I have finally got my self organised after my holiday and sorted out some of the 4000 pics I took. I am in the process of burning them to dics to send to you and i hope you like them. I'll send you the whole of my holiday pics and another disc with some shots I have taken here in Australia so you can see how beautiful my country is as well.
I would like to say thanks once again to you guys and all your staff for making my stay in your lodge one of the best experiences i could of ever had which in turn set the standard for the rest of my trip in Africa, the best and most amazing holiday I have ever had so THANKS again.
If you wish to use any of the pics for advertising or postcards feel free but please put my name on them.
Scott Norton
June 2008
Mapula Lodge: Again, delightful. Personal care and attention. Went out of their way to accomodate a dietary restriction. Beautiful, comfortable accomodations. And a delightful last night surprise private dinner on our deck.
Oddballs' Camp: We absolutely loved our bush camping experience. Our guide, Culture, was wonderful. We didn't quite realise what a complete wilderness experience this would be (thought our guide would have a gun!). But this was one of the most memorable experiences of our lifetime.
June 2008
We had great fun at Oddballs', and are very glad we decided to spend two nights camping. Our guide Kitso was savvy and friendly. If we had not had confidence in his bushcraft and good judgement, we would not have followed him unarmed into the bush. Actually getting out for two long walks a day made the trip for us, and the afternoon siesta allowed us to recover from our jet lag. He even netted some fresh tilapia for dinner. He was very careful and looked out for us. He got up in the middle of the night to feed the fire, and on the way back to the base camp, had to gently persuade a stubborn elephant to move out of the way of our mokoro. The food at the lodge was excellent, and the staff there were all very friendly.
May 2008
Oddballs' Camp — Just our style. Nice, but not over the top. Our guide, Julius, has worked for Delta Camp in the past and we were most impressed with his knowledge, skills and kindness.
May 2008
Delta Camp was perhaps the most demanding of our stays with the Mokoro trips, the walking safaris (we were very glad not to get too close to the animals!) and the tree house but it has also been the experience we have talked about the most since we came home. We were very sorry when we had to leave. Again, the staff and guides were brilliant and it was truly an unforgettable experience. Which leaves Deception Valley and you have no idea how difficult it was for us to leave the Kalahari and return to England. Jason, Nadia, Xau and Qoma made us so welcome and managed, once again, to find new experiences, game and bird life for us to enjoy. It is probably Deception Valley, of all of the wonderful places we have been, to which I should most like to return.
May 2008
Many thanks for the wonderful opportunity of staying at Deception Valley Lodge. It is really a very special place and one gets the feeling that you are in the middle of nowhere.
We were very fortunate and saw a lot of animals and birds. Being in the desert, one does see different game. We were lucky to see a female leopard with two really small cubs on the road, not to mention the size of the desert lions.
The camp managers, Adrian and Wanda are a great host and hostess and his knowledge is exceptional, whilst nothing is too much. The food was excellent as was the service. The bushman experience is something we will remember forever.
May 2008
Delta Camp - What can I say Lena was the most beautiful, amazing gentle man that we have meet on our trip. He enlightened us all with his tales and made us feel safe and secure in his hands. Again his team of guides were wonderful to us all. Mapula Lodge we were very grateful for those 4 x 4 trucks after trekking in the bush on foot in Delta for the last few days. As always the service was incredible and the amount of wildlife that we saw here was immense. Friendly and happy staff assisted in making us feel at home.
April 2008
Mapula Lodge was outstanding! Doctor and his team welcomed us with open arms and we felt like part of the family from the second we arrived. The flight was exciting and the welcome warm. Singing and dancing welcomed us, fantastic. The rooms are fantastic, at one with nature, just breathtaking views over the Delta and the wildlife superb. Josiah was our guide and Mike our trekker - what great great guys.
They knew everything and taught us so so much. The food!! Unbelievable!!!! We loved the way the timings worked with everything and how it fitted it with the activities. This was really a fantastic set up/concept and the highlight of our stay for sure! We spent four wonderful nights here.
April 2008
Deception Valley was charming as were Jason and Nadia. Jason was particularly sensitive to his job and his relationship with his San associates. I think he has a big heart and excellent knowledge. It was a pleasure. Nadia held down the fort, made us feel very much at home and oversaw excellent food. Deception Valley had a very nice mix of gentility and rustic, luxury and down home. It was a comfortable place to be and most enjoyable
Mapula Lodge was my favorite for many reason. Doctor was a joy and it was obvious that he treats his staff well-they seemed like family. Having the staff participate (greeting us at our arrival, singing and dancing for a birthday) and being very visible during our stay was a treat. They went out of their way to look after everyone.
As for the guides, they were the best, Josiah, Mike, Dicks - loved them. And they found the Wild Dogs and leopard for me. I would go back.
Delta Camp was enjoyable. The food was very good. Matsaudi was just a wonderful person and superb guide. I also enjoyed Tim who is studying with him. The two together made Delta a memorable experience and would recommend staying there just to have them as guides. I trusted Matsaudi explicitly while on walking safaris and in the Mokoro, and valued his sense of our safety and his vast knowledge of both the flora and fauna. He and Tim made the experience well worth while. They are very nice people.
April 2008
The Delta Camp was extraordinary. It was an adventure from the beginning to the end. Our guide, "Culture", was attentive and knowledgeable. He showed us a great variety of wildlife in a natural setting. In comparing notes with other guests, our experience was far richer. My only comment is that he should practice his English enunciation.
The accommodations and food were also excellent. The hosts, Jeff and Amy, were gracious and attentive. The chef was extraordinary. We are vegetarian (fish also) and he provided wonderful special meals for us, which we greatly appreciated. We also met the owner, Peter, who is a unique character.
April 2008
Mapula: By far our favourite. Great, comfortable, cool chalets and the service was unbelievable and totally tailored to our wishes. Everyone working there pulled together and created a wonderful atmosphere. The guide and tracker did the best job of any lodge and truly tracked (with a few of the other lodges it seems to be more show then then the real thing).
April 2008
Mapula Lodge :
The food was good - I would describe it as similar to a Sunday lunch at home or a restaurant. We were not looking for any 5 star hotel and it met exactly our food needs. The bar was always available and staff ready so serve us.
The game drives and staff involved really worked hard and spent long hours driving us around - you felt they were optimising our time out in the bush (which is what we had come for).
During our first day we had tourists who had younger kids and these were a bit noisy around the pool and dining area (as kids should be). We did feel a bit that we had come to get away from noise and drink in the peace and quiet. They left the next day so not to much of a problem.
The rooms were very clean and well attended each day. Having the front and part of the side with only mosquito netting made one feel close to nature being able to have a 180 degree view of the river and seeing the stars at night when in bed (I did wonder just how cold these would become in winter)? The rustic design of the bath and washbasins (zinc) appealed to us as did the outside shower.
The mokoro ride and bush walk were interesting and welcome additions to the variety of experiences we had. I think 3 days is just the correct length of time.
The trackers and driver were exceptionally good.
April 2008
We had an absolutely fabulous time at Mapula Lodge! The hospitality, food, environment, and guides were all wonderful.
Guests from the USA
April 2008
Your stay at Mapula Lodge I would recommend it!! We hope to go back, the team there are friendly, the food wonderful and they catered to our diet needs really well! A real pleasure to experience.
April 2008
Delta Camp and Deception Valley Lodge
What a WONDERFUL 4 nights. Delta Camp was everything that we could have wished for. We emerged fully rested and recharged. Deception Valley Lodge provided us with another face of Botswana and the green Kalahari was something that I was not expecting.
Quote from Tour Operator in Cape Town.
March 2008
Dear Wanda, Adrian and Jason!
We promised to let you know when we returned back home to Sweden again and we just want to say that we did so a couple of day´s ago together with a lot of fantastic memories from our Botswana-tour! We have travelled a lot during the last years, but we have never before stayed in an accomodation with such an exclusive attention from the staff as you all showed to us and we couldn´t have wished a better start up on our visit to your country.
We do hope that you feel how much we appreciate our stay together with you. When we planned this trip we found it to be quite expensive, but now afterwards we understand that the logistics to run a lodge like yours must be very complicated and costly, so our opinion today is that it was definitely worth every penny we spent.
We also promised to give you our opinion about the other lodges we visited and our impression is that there is no big differences when it comes to accomodation, game-drives and so on, but Jason: we are sorry to say that we got stuck more often in the Okavango-delta than we did in the Kalahari area. Everywhere the atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming and as a tourist you must understand that an exclusive stay in the african wilderness is not a matter of goldplated watertaps and extra ice in your drinks. You get the exclusive feeling because there is just a few guestrooms with a number of staff members paying you attention and taking very well care of you and that, for sure, gave us what we wanted to get: high quality and absolutely wonderful memories to bring back home! So our feeling is that the idea with just a few guestrooms, giving your guests the exclusive feeling, is the concept that will ensure you incoming visitors in the future.
We also want to mention the bushmen- tour. We believe that Deception Valley lodge is alone about that (or at least almost alone) and that tour was definitely something extra! That´s what we also told our agent in Stockholm when we talked to him the other day and we wouldn´t be surprised if he is going to send you more swedish guests in the future.
It´s not possible to send you photos as e-mail, so if it´s OK with you, we would appreciate your ordinary address so we can send you a CD with a small collection of photos.
And when yoare passing through Europe feel welcome to visit us! Just let us know and we´ll arrange a couple of exciting game-drives in the “real” wilderness! 4-wheel drive not necessary!
Our very best wishes to you all!
Christina & Kent Johansson
March 2008
Thank you to the camps and lodges ... well done ...
Your stay at Mapula Lodge
Mapula lodge gave us the feeling we are going to stay in Botswana forever! Lovely people who greet us with a song… I was from the very beginning in tears! Kisses to Dudu! She is a beauty and really lovely lady. Unfortunately (private reasons) she spent with us only the first day. I wish her all the best, I wish we could spent more time with her. She managed that all preapared a spectacular show with singing songs and dancing - to bring us their culture closer. What a brilliant time. Not to forget great guides like our Mathiew and phantastic game drives / walks and sundowner with following full moon :-) My advice: let stop at waterwhole at night and listen to the frog concert.
Again flight to Delta Camp with Roy!
Your stay at Delta Camp
After landing on airstrip I visited a splush toilet in bush ;-) What a surprise. Then we travelled by mokoro (small boat) from the airstrip to the Delta Camp. Around 50 minutes. Okavango Delta is a place where you are able to relax completely. Peaceful, watching the birds, frogs (painted frog, chameleon!) than we got to the Delta Camp. Emi and Jass are manager here. We love both of them! Staying in the Treehouse was an unforgottable time (bedroom, balcony, bathroom with cold and hot shower!). Matsaudi our private guide, was simply phantastic. Walk safaris, Mokoro safaris and visiting the village. Hippos gave us definitely the adventure feeling here ;-) Their bristle with anger and hippo-traffic on the "hippo-highway" made our stay here as a something very special ! But we had to leave after 3 nights. Just on time to meet Roy !
Your stay at Deception Valley Lodge
Kalahari below… that flight was for me the most memorable. I read so many books about Botswana (love the country!) and my heart belongs definitely to Kalahari.
Adrian and Wanda were more than I expected. Great and friendly and fulfilled with love to the semidesert. Thanks to you 2, only here we could meet Bushman (showing us their culture and traditions) in a way which is absolutely unforgettable impression. Even now, writing this I feel some tears rolling down... Sorry, it was something I would never ever forget !!!!
Last flight with Steve (but we met Roy at Maun Airport !!!)
PS. During our rainy-season (13th- 28th of February 2008) we had only one rain-night at Zambesi Sun and one spectacular rain in Kalahari (20 Minutes). All beautiful sunny days! We advice to take a sweatshirt (night gamedrives could be cold). In every lodge you are able to recharge your batteries (camcorder/ camera). We had too many t-shirts/ shirts. You can really limit your luggage (in each lodge you have laundry service / despite underwear and socks). Also very good repellants. Not as many mosquitos as I thought ( they love me :)
February 2008
Oddballs' Camp:
We had a wonderful time and thought Oddballs' was perfect for what we wanted. The greatest thing was being able to walk, rather than romp around in a Land Cruiser with a bunch of other people, and to do so with our own guide. And of course the mokoro trips were just awesome. We’ve been talking about it since we left, and really think the camp fits a great niche of being affordable but completely
