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

It was all amazing although the day on boats in the kavango Delta stands out as we saw some elephants at close range.

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

Go for it. It's relaxing and totally stress free although you must be able to sit in a vehicle for long distances.

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

Yes - we were camping which is low impact and most of the time the generators went off at 10pm.

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

It was excellent.

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

It was all memorable. We had great guides, a friendly group, and the places we visited (Kalahari Desert, Okavango Delta, Caprivi Strip, and Chobe National Park) were all amazing - real highlights, with each offering a different experience (mokoro ride, land safari, river cruise, - heck, even driving along the Kalahari Highway was an experience). We finished the trip off with a Microlight flight over Victoria Falls, which we would heartily recommend to anyone. Other members of the group went white water rafting, bungee jumping, and did a helicopter ride. Again, judging by the smiles on their faces, all offer a great experience.

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

Remember your sleeping bag (or at least book one with the tour operator in advance!). We didn't realise you had to do this, but fortunately they had spares. Take guide books on the wildlife of southern Africa - one for mammals and one for birds - and keep them handy. Be prepared to muck in - this is an 'assisted safari'. The guides actually do loads, including cooking, cleaning, helping you put tents up and down and of course the driving. Any help you provide is certainly appreciated. Be patient. This trip covers a lot of miles, plus you have to cross borders, rivers and foot and mouth patrols. In particular, the crossing from Botswana into Zambia across the Zambezi via ferry is not straightforward for the guide as they have to show a whole ream of different papers. Take a camera with a big zoom - you can't expect the wildlife to come that close to the vehicles you travel on, so if you want a close-up picture make sure you have a big zoom. Although we had a 10x optical zoom camera, one of our group had an 18x optical zoom. The benefit of the extra zoom was certainly apparent when taking close up shots of the bird-life.

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

On the whole, yes. We were told that some of the campsites we stayed in were local enterprises, initiated by and employing local people. This was evident in the Okavango Delta and Caprivi Strip in particular, with the latter including a visit to a traditional village. Here, we saw some local traditions and crafts but it was modestly done with virtually no 'hard sell'. There was also a clear sense that the local safari guides had an appreciation of the value of the environment that surrounds them and were conscious of the need to conserve the wildlife and habitats for the future. Whilst this can be keenly observed from the seat of a mokoro, it might feel less obvious when you step on board one of 20 or so boats that cruise the Chobe River. However, when you get talking to the cruise guides, you realise that they have an amazing knowledge of the wildlife on the river. Given that many species you see are on the threatened or endangered lists, you realise that the value of your visit is making sure that the wildlife is conserved in their natural habitats and that you are, in a small way, doing your bit to deliver responsible tourism.

There was only one campsite that we wished we hadn't gone to because it had some caged animals (a lion and a cheetah). It was actually a private game reserve, so they may have been part of a release programme. However, visitors were able to take pictures, so it did feel that they were on show. We fed back our disappointment to the guide and he said that he would mention it to the tour company. But this was a very small blip in the context of everything else we did.

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

With as many superlatives as possible. Anyone with a bit of adventure in their heart should enjoy this trip. The age range of our group was from 9 to 78. We all shared a passion for traveling and seeing different parts of the globe, and the Namibia, Botswana, Zambia trip did not disappoint anyone. Whilst this is by no means a luxury trip, it is a high quality experience which gives a real taste of the best (and hardships) of southern Africa. We didn't do this, but some of the others extended their trip to include further tours of north and south of Namibia. Again, this sounded like a great option if you have the time.

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you very much for your feedback on your recent trip to Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. We were really pleased to hear that you enjoyed your trip so much. We were particularly pleased that you enjoyed the mokoro trip in the Okavango Delta, microlighting over the falls and the various land and river safaris.

We followed up on your comment about sleeping bags for the safari. These should be automatically included for you but there seems to have been some confusion in the case of your trip. Alterations to the system have been made to ensure this works smoothly in the future.

Thank you for bringing the campsite in Ghanzi to our attention where some animals are kept in enclosures. We understand that this camp has been used more recently as the previous campsite was not keeping its service standards up. Utilising a camp where animals are kept in cages without any plans towards rehabilitation or conservation goes against our policy. This trip will no longer be using this campsite and it will be made clear to the owners the reasons why.

We really appreciate the time taken to note down what has been really useful feedback.

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

To be in a small boat and see a group of eight or nine elephants stepping into the river one by one and then proceed to swim across, holding each others tails as they swam, was a most wonderful sight, and all from only thirty yards away. This took place in the Chobe River, near Kasane, which was the most magical place, alive with elephants in almost every direction that one looked, along with hippos and crocodiles everywhere.

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

It really does get very cold at night, so take some warm clothes and make full use of any blankets on offer. In the daytime the dry, warm air was wonderful but it dries up your skin very quickly. Several of us had painful feet within a few days, caused by cracks in the skin, so do take some moisturising cream and use it before the feet start to ache. Have some biscuits or fruit with you in the vehicle that you can give to the local villagers, especially the children, and any clothing that you can spare them will leave you feeling that you have made a positive impact on helping to improve their lives in a small way.

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

Our impact on the environment was minimal, as we were camping most nights. The local people definitely benefited from the holiday in that the campsites provide employment for some of them. The people were very friendly everywhere, and were proud to show off a part of their country, wishing to try and encourage others to follow in our footsteps.

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

Absolutely excellent. We all loved virtually every minute of it.