Maun 12-Day Tours and Trips

This was an amazing experience. Most of the accommodation was excellent, however, the house boat on the delta was not the one mentioned in our final itinerary, and the rooms were very small, however the staff on board were excellent and looked after us well producing excellent food in a tiny kitchen. The staff at Batonka lodge in Victoria Falls deserve a special mention too. Travel was via an open sided vehicle which was excellent for viewing animals but got very cold and blustery on the two days of long journeys, make sure you bring warm clothing, gloves and a scarf or mask to prevent breathing in dust. There were two long travel days, particularly the day traveling through Namibia, the border crossing took longer than expected due to the introduction of a required visa a few months earlier. An extra night slotted in Namiba would have taken the pressure off. I cannot fault our guide/driver Phenyo, his ability to spot wildlife was extraordinary, he was so knowledgeable about every bird and animal we saw and had an excellent understanding of animal behavior which he passed on. He looked after us from start to finish and was always so positive. I chose this trip for the wildlife abs it did not disappoint, from a pack of hyenas eating a dead elephant to a leopard resting, multiple lions and what seemed like hundreds of giraffes and elephants to mongooses and even honey badgers. The optional boat trip at Chobe was another highlight. If you like wildlife then this is the trip for you. I loved every minute.

Joe was the best guide with so much knowledge of African wildlife and also tracking and finding the animals. This trip was great thanks to him. Great driver who took us through the bush and delta and sharing all his knowledge. He was very keen to show us everything and he even found 8 hunting wild dogs. He was great with kids and engaging with them at all times. Really great trip with kids but would say +11 is required as long travelling days are in place. Accommodation varied but overall this was a great adventure. Highly recommend this trip if Joe is on it.

We so saw much wildlife - our fabulous Tour Leader KK even found us Leopards and Cheetah, and was intensely knowledgeable about the animals' behaviour and likely location. For animal and adventure lovers this holiday is perfect, and that is its key focus. Apart from the trip to the Tsodilo Hills, this is pretty much a true wildlife and camping trip with all the early mornings and changes of pitch/location that implies. And beware - changing water levels as the seasons draw on and huge distances means the Tour Managers have to tweak accommodation arrangements sometimes, and that driving days can be long. Accommodation varies from the quite plush to good basic roomy camping next to Hippo Pools - but you'll not have to set up any tents ( own toilet and bucket shower - which was AMAZING), or think about meals. If I would do one thing differently I'd bring one or two chains of battery powered warm white fairy lights - the mozzies on the delta were really attracted to the Big White Lights on the houseboat and it gets dark at 6.30 sharp.

KK was a superb leader. Great bunch of fellow travellers. We saw a huge array of animals and birds. Bush camping was very exciting esp when hyenas were around and a hippo belly flopped into the river not far away. The camp guys were amazing. Porridge cooked on an open fire and served up before a morning game drive was delicious. Fantastic and varied itinerary gave variety. Quite a lot of driving but that meant we saw local villages, countryside and wildlife along the way, but needed to wrap up warm.

The sights and sites were fantastic...full of wildlife, sunsets, and great vistas. Lots of driving and some walking, so not for those who have issues with walking. The tour guide was fantastic...knowledgeable and went out of his way to show us the sights. Some hiccups like a 4 hour wait in the sun crossing the border with Zimbabwe, but not the fault of the tour guide.

Penio was the most fantastic guide and a very safe expert driver on sometimes awful roads. Nearly all the accommodation was as nice as expected with exception of the houseboat. It was not the one advertised to us nor was it even similar.We felt that something must have gone very wrong with the booking here and that this boat was a last minute substitution. The staff on the boat worked tirelessly and cheerfully to accommodate us but the venue itself was utterly inadequate. Only two people could shower at a time. The rooms and "bathroom" facilities were old and stained.( Clean though). Our itinerary for the day of arrival at the boat was changed. It then involved 12 hours of very rushed travelling resulting in arriving at the boat at 7.00pm after dark. However the next day completely on the delta was therefore much better than advertised. The travel that day was wholly unacceptable. We were frozen in the jeep for the first few ours also. The day we left for Chobi also involved 12 hours of gruelling travel. We left the boat at 6.20am, had only moderate delay at the Namibian border but still had to drive non- stop to the next border 6 hours with lunch whilst driving in order to beat the next border closure at 6pm. Our driver must have been exhausted and indeed this would not be legal in the UK. This day should have been split into 2 days with a