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Okavango Delta safari in Botswana

COUNTRY:
Botswana
LOCATION:
Okavango Delta
HOLIDAY TYPE:
A small group adventure
DEPARTURES:
2012: 14 Apr, 19 May, 2 Jun, 25 Aug, 8 Sep, 22 Sep, 6 Oct, 20 Oct, 3 Nov, 17 Nov
PRICE:
From £2999 - £3149 (16 days) including UK flights
MORE INFO:
From £1899 excluding flights. Single supplement £180.
VOUCHERS:
Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
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Okavango Delta safari in Botswana
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Okavango Delta safari in Botswana

Small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.

How this holiday makes a difference

UK office
It all starts at home so we have first worked to reduce our carbon footprint in our UK offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies in place, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.

Leaders & local suppliers
We use a locally owned operator on this trip. We have had a long-term relationship with the operator thereby stabilising the income generation and creating a more sustainable future. We have worked with our operator to help train staff in all aspects of their jobs, thereby helping to invest in the people to help improve their knowledge and future prospects and this includes Responsible Tourism training.

We use local leaders who are already committed to Responsible Tourism and who have received training and get additional refresher training on a regular basis. The leaders give an RT briefing on issues such as how to help understand local communities and how to help reduce the impact and maximise the benefits to the local communities from the visit. For example they advise on where to shop, what to buy (and not to buy), how to behave and a responsible litter policy. We use locally trained grooms in each of the areas visited, and this directly benefits the local communities. We use all locally owned and run accommodation on this trip. This contributes directly to the local communities as local staff are employed and locally produced and sourced goods are bought for the accommodation benefiting the wider community.

Revenue from entrance fees to various parks and reserves is used for conservation efforts and protection of these areas. This trip is primarily a camping trip which means we limit our overall energy consumption on the trip.

Group size
We operate small group tours (12 pax on this tour) that have a low impact on the communities we visit and we always ensure our operations do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. This allows us to stay in unique and characterful accommodation that would not have benefitted from tourism due to their limited size.

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Story of the holiday provider

This tour operator was the first to get access to China over 30 years ago and the first to take a truck to Everest Base Camp on the Tibetan side. They have since expanded into 91 countries. Their product is driven by their clients because they listen to feedback and have to constantly evolve to provide a greater experience and better value. The exclusive centres they use have been grown organically and are often owned by ex-leaders. The holidays remain innovative, though you will now be travelling in a Mercedes 16-seater sprinter coach rather than a rusty old Bedford overland truck.

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Holiday provider no: 55

Okavango Delta safari in Botswana
Okavango Delta safari in Botswana
Okavango Delta safari in Botswana

Okavango Delta safari in Botswana

Reviewed 19 Apr 2007 by Lis Woods4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Seeing wildlife at really close quarters - the time the leopard strolled through our camp.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Take dollars and lots of torch and camera batteries (and a headband mounted torch). Don't be too quick to book tours with the tour operators agent in Zambia. They didn't impress us. Take the Bradt guide to Botswana.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Yes.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


**** - but only if the friend was able to rough it a bit.

Reviewed 21 Oct 2005 by John/Cathy Baldock4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Seeing the leopards.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Make sure you are aware that the camping is very basic - no mod cons here! Toilet is hole in ground with a plastic chair on top - shower is bucket in tree and this has to do two or three showers! According to the itinerary, Moremi would be full of wildlife which indeed it was. We then went on to Nata and the salt lakes expecting to see a bird sanctuary and vast numbers of birds but there were none! This was because it is the dry season and therefore there was no water to lure the birds - we were all disappointed in this, although the salt lake was very tranquil. If we had known the aforementioned we would have spent more time in Moremi instead and scrapped the visit to Nata.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Am sure that our holiday benefited local people and possibly no impact on the environment as limited time spent in each location and site always left how we found it.

4. Any other comments?


Beware if travelling with South African Airlines - no leg room at all - absolutely awful if on a long haul and we all caught fleas even though the cabin was sprayed with insecticide! Everyone agreed that no way would they travel with that airline again - although service on the plain was good. Overall the holiday was fantastic, wild life great, the food excellent and although no mod cons you soon realise how little we really need to live day to day and how much we take for granted over here. A very satisfying holiday. Would go again.

Reviewed 10 Jun 2005 by Janet Hammond4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


It will be very hard to be brief but I will try to do so. Firstly it is very rare to return from a holiday 100% satisfied but in this case we did. The most memorable part of the holiday was the locations of the campsites. Right there in the midst of the wildlife. On warm nights, scented with wild sage, we drifted of to sleep to the sounds of hippo's deep bellied chuckles, lion's roars and elephant's trumpeting. Magical!

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


My first tip to other travellers is my only gripe. And this really was the fault of the operator. We were informed that we might be required to pay $60 each for a visa in Zambia, but that no one had ever had to pay it yet. In fact it is always payable and is, at present $65. The lady who met us said she frequently tells the operator this but unfortunately they ignore her. There are very few expenses but tipping is expected and so it is advisable to carry small denomination notes. Dollars, Pula or Sterling are all acceptable. There is little opportunity for changing travellers cheques. We took 30 tennis balls and 4 Frisbees to give to the children we met. Better for them than sweets and much more fun than pencils. To see the huge grins on their faces was wonderful. Travel with an open mind. It was a bit primitive but well worth it to be so close to the wildlife.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Botswanan people were used throughout. Our guide, Mr Fish, was wonderful. His knowledge of, and ability to spot,wildlife was just amazing. We had a chef and two camp helpers, all locals, and all fantastic. We hardly had to lift a finger. Everything possible was done to minimise impact on the environment. The campsites were left entirely litter free and we even stopped to clear up litter left by other people. Great care was taken to ensure that while we enjoyed watching the animals we did not interfere with or annoy them.

4. Any other comments?


How would we rate the holiday? Well it is up there with the best. A bit expensive for basic camping but we appreciate that that keeps the number of tourists down. there is little opportunity to get away from the group so it is essential to try and get on with everyone. I could go on for pages about all the fantastic things we saw and did. I got to swim in the Okavango Delta! How cool is that. The animals were plentiful and all in such good condition.

We have safaried in Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe but agree that Botswana is far the best. Thank you for recommending this trip.
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Holiday Reviews

We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!

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Okavango Delta safari in Botswana
Okavango Delta safari in Botswana
Okavango Delta safari in Botswana
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