Botswana Luxury Safari & Zimbabwe Trip Report

Where did you stay on your Botswana luxury safari?

I visited 3 camps: Sandibe and Nxabega in Botswana and Matetsi in Zimbabwe. Sandibe and Matetsi are permanent facilities whereas Nxabega is a tented camp (albeit on teak platforms).

Step by step guidelines on how to choose the best Botswana luxury safari companies to handle your African safari.

Sandibe is on the Santandibe River, and each lodge faces the river--mine had a deck, too. The papyrus tends to obscure views of the water, however.

About 0300 hours my first night in Sandibe I was awakened by very loud rustling noises coming from the area of the river and passing by my lodge. I obeyed the rules: don't go out after dark on your own, and if you need emergency help use the horn or whistle to call camp personnel.

This didn't seem to be an emergency, so I did the brave thing -- turned over and went back to sleep. The next morning, my guide pointed out the Hippo spoor and where the hippos had made their way by my lodge to feed during the night. (The following evening they came out at the other end of the camp.)

What wildlife did you see in the Sandibe Botswana luxury safari camp?

Game sightings included lion, elephant, hippo, croc, zebra, gnu, tsessebe, monkey, impala, wart hog, ... A good, broad selection, lacking only leopard and cape buffalo.

Food and drink at this Botswana luxury safari camp

Meals were outstanding and the wines were good. There was also an open bar with beer, sodas, and liquor available. We were asked to tabulate what we used, not for charging, just to help with inventory.

What were the camp staff and facilities like?

The facilities, personnel and equipment are first rate. New diesel Land Cruisers with three rows of theater style elevated seating were very quiet and comfortable. Our guide was also a good host and the customers were always introduced and encouraged to converse. I met a number of interesting people -- I traveled alone.

Having stated my interest in photography, I was almost always asked if I was through taking pictures at each stop or point of interest. There was no rush, and he did a good job of pointing out added interesting photo ops, too.

The Botswana luxury safari camp staff were first rate. My butler would typically offer to take my photo gear to my lodge on our return from the evening game drives; I didn't have to keep track of it, or remember to pick it up before going to my lodge.

Nxabega was only a short flight, and had a much shorter, rougher air strip. On being taken to my tent, a 6' monitor lizard crossed the access path and ran under the teak deck. He didn't bother me and I didn't bother him.

Birding is a main attraction at this Botswana luxury safari camp. I particularly enjoyed the fish eagle and saddle billed stork sightings. On a late afternoon/early evening boat ride, while making our way from having sundowners back to the Land Cruiser, we caught a catfish. Seems the fish had jumped at an insect as we approached and got flipped into the boat as it passed. Quite fun!

There is also a camp ground squirrel, Pocket, who likes soft drinks and licking salt from you ears. But be aware her teeth are so sharp you will not feel when she goes beyond licking and into biting. Not a problem, just another attraction of this Botswana luxury safari camp.

Wildlife sightings and food

Giraffe seemed more plentiful here than the Botswana luxury safari camp in Sandibe. But the croc, lion, monkey were there too.

Food was outstanding, good wines and good company again. And very responsive camp management when a minor problem was mentioned.

BTW, always latch your tent screen door to the loo and to the deck as you leave. Seems the monkeys like to explore and make off with shiny objects.

My third camp was Matetsi, about halfway between the Botswana-Zimbabwe border and Victoria Falls. At one time the facility was classed among the top small hotels in the world. It is no longer. For example, a minor windstorm blew cushions off the lounge chairs on my deck, and deposited some small branches and leaves. The deck was in that same condition when I left 3 days later.

I recommend avoiding Zimbabwe. Their currency had gone from 6,000 to the U.S. dollar at the first of 2005 to 60,000 per dollar in November. In 2006, it dropped to 600,000 per dollar. Since that time, new currency has been issued that is 1000 times the value of the old currency. There is no sign of any positive change under the current government.

What are your views about the camp management compared to a Botswana luxury safari?

The economics have affected CCAfrica's operation of the Matetsi Camp. On arrival, I was asked for $15US for access to the national park. No alcoholic beverages were included in the fees, whereas they had been on the Botswana luxury safari. The vehicles were gasoline powered, almost worn out Land Cruisers. The gasoline was of such low quality the engine knocked excessively under any minor loading (like drip gas when taken directly from the well for use in a car).

On the other hand, the guide was the best of all the Botswana luxury safari camps'. He was very observant and pointed out many features we would have otherwise missed.

Game viewing experiences here?

Matetsi has a large elephant population, herds of cape buffalo, large numbers of wart hogs, and several lions. We did see one lion kill of a buffalo, but not its take-down. It was interesting to observe how all the animals were acting while the lions were in the process of killing and eating the buffalo.

One evening as we were watching a young elephant with an injured foreleg at a water hole, a herd of elephant came from behind us, over a hill and through some trees. There was no sound in their passage. At the water hole, they took over, drank and mudded up, and left. They would not allow the injured animal to accompany them. The next morning, we saw vultures finishing off the bones of the young elephant. His injury had made him easy prey and food for other animals.

More safari adventure trip reports including Botswana luxury safari tours written by previous safari travelers.

Also, many small islands in the Zambezi River, which separates Zimbabwe and Zambia and creates the falls, become fully submerged during wet season. These islands are unclaimed by either country and thus often used by poachers during the dry season when elephant and other animals come to each the lush foliage.

Bungee Jumping

Finally, I did my second (and final) bungee jump. My first was in New Zealand, where A. J. Hackett first commercialized the jump. It was a 43 meter jump and really like a gentle, thorough stretching.

The jump at the Victoria Falls is 120 meters, and is like a hard shock when reaching the end of the extended bungee cord. Thankfully, a worker was lowered by winch to bring me back to the level of the bridge. At the time of the jump, it was 40C (about 104F). Adding in the adrenaline rush, it took some time for me to recover enough to walk back to get the video and pictures. But I do not regret having done it.

My most memorable moments in Africa were to experience the sunsets. Each was different and spectacular in its own way, and provided a high point experience to close each day.

I don't know how nor when, but I will return to Africa.

Botswana Luxury Safari Trip Rating: Excellent