The guide picked us up at the dirt landing strip in Botswana Africa.
About an hour drive to the camp, but enjoyed animal viewing along the way. The resort is rustic. The tents are very large and semi-permanent. Bed comfortable and mosquito netted. First night, hard to sleep because of wind noise, smoke, and animal sounds. Next day, elephant poop, and a cape buffalo still outside the tent, amazing. After that, slept very well.
They border the country of Namibia who intentionally set fires to promote new growth for animal grazing. Burns were far enough away to not worry about safety, but the smell of smoke was intermittently present. No ceiling fans or ac but didn’t need it. We went in May, so lows in the 50’s and highs in the 70’s, perfect temperature. Water is undrinkable, has a slight odor, and was light brown because of low water levels and a new bore hole well. Ample drinking water is provided. Shower is solar, but nice and hot. Never saw a mosquito. Never got sick.
We were there in the dry season and they had received very little rain that year. Not as many animals. Maybe would have seen more animals in a different area in the Okavango Delta of Botswana, Africa that had more water for animals this time of the year. Our guide and driver was Esse, unbelievable, very good and extremely knowledgeable. Could track anything.
We did not see rhinos or leopards. We did see a lot of birds, giraffes, lions, elephants, a python, baboons, wild dogs, zebras, and a cobra. Overall sightings were very good, but not as good as when in Kruger (Lion Sands Narina) in South Africa. Animals were shyer of the vehicle in Botswana Africa than Kruger because of lower tourism.
Electricity is from an on-site generator and solar with battery backup. They may consider more solar/battery, ceiling fan, larger reverse osmosis with storage tank, and satellite internet….I only say this because of the price, more expensive than Kruger and pales in amenities. Vehicle was in great shape. Staff were absolutely amazing. Chef very good especially considering what they have to work with. Drink selection adequate. Red wines consist of a Merlot or Cabernet. Both very good, but limited selection….again, only note this because more expensive than Kruger and there are some amazing South African wines. Gin and Tonic seemed to be the favorite of the other guests. Bar is open, sometimes self service, and can take drinks back to the room. They have a small pool, but pointless this time of the year because it was too cold. Always best to walk with others around the property since it is not fenced and animals freely roam through the camp.
Typical day starts with an early morning wakeup and breakfast around a fire.
Safari for a few hours. Usually coffee or tea in the middle of safari at a scenic location and a chance to stretch the legs.
Back to the camp for lunch, recharge batteries, shower, then safari again in the afternoon. Towards the end of the afternoon safari, the guide will stop for sunset, cocktails, and snacks. Then back to the camp for dinner then bed.
It was cool in the mornings (50’s) and evenings. Needed to layer jacket/windbreaker, stocking hat, and thin gloves during the drives. They provide blankets in the vehicle.
Lots of wildlife viewing. Although most of the attention was on seeing big animals, there were a lot of beautiful birds.
They provided a 30 minute helicopter ride. It was great to see the location from the air and where the animals were….at the inaccessible water holes because of drought. Very sad, because of Namibia poachers killing elephants. Saw a couple dead elephant carcasses missing their tusks. The Botswana military patrols for poachers and aggressively looks for them. Poachers are allowed to be shot on site, but the area is so large and inaccessible. Apparently ivory is still in demand. Surprised that the United States finally “on July 6, 2016, a near-total ban on commercial trade in African elephant ivory went into effect in the United States”.
Overall, an amazing experience and accommodations that are over the top considering the location. Staff incredible, personable, down to earth; they are Botswana Africa, and we will have an incredible memory of it for the rest of our lives.
Photography tips: Game viewing is in a Toyota Land Cruiser with a canvas top. There is no bush hiking. Therefore, don’t bring a tripod unless shooting video. There is minimal room for a tripod in the vehicle. I brought a monopod with a tilt head and used a BlackRapid Quick-Draw Strap which are essential for a large heavy lens to avoid stress on my fingers. Not enough rails in the Toyota to lay a lens or beanbag on. There is room for a backpack and monopod between the legs. There are 2 game drives: approximately 7-11 am and 3-7 pm depending on the time of the year. Lighting can be very poor at dawn and dusk. At times, I had to push the iso to the limits. Could use a flash, would need a Better Beamer because of the distances, but not tolerated by the animals, so I did not use one. We came across a pack of Wild Dogs after sunset and it was almost too dark to focus, the dogs were running, not usable photos, but still captured the moment.
I have a Nikon D810 FX Camera Body, but applies to other brands. I brought a Nikon 200-500mm f 5.6 VR Zoom Lens. Over 90% of my photos were with this lens. Frequently at 500mm. I considered a fixed 300mm f2.8 for low light, but the weight of the lens and cost not worth it for me…but would love to own one. Sandy used a Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 VR zoom lens on a Nikon D300 dx camera and it worked very well. Image quality not as good but some overall amazing photos especially when animals came very close.
Sometimes in low light I changed to an 85mm f1.8. Despite reviews I read, you can change lens in the Toyota. Just wait a couple minutes for the dust to clear after the vehicle stops. Nevertheless, I tried to change only when very close to an animal or Sandy handled the closeup shots. Always kept the camera covered with a blanket because of dust. Program mode is useless. I used Shutter priority or Manual at least 1/500sec or faster with auto iso. On a still subject I used manual mode to lower shutter and increase f stop for better IQ or adjust shutter to bring the iso down and make the image less grainy. VR and monopod do help significantly. The 200-500mm lens is a very sharp lens. This is an image of a giraffe shot at 480mm, 1/320 sec, f5.6, iso 64, cropped. Focus was on its chin, can clearly see the hairs, even though not mounted on a tripod and at f5.6.
Wish we brought a camcorder with zoom and image stabilization for video. Although the Nikon D810 shoots great HD video, its difficult hand holding. GoPro probably would not have been usable because it is such a wide angle view and most animals are too far away. Occasionally used the iPhone video when animals were close, but minimal zoom.
The only place to charge your devices is in the dining area. There are 2 power strips, which accommodate European and USA connectors (fewer for USA). The voltage is 220, but most devices (Apple laptop, Nikon chargers, iphone) can all be used without a voltage step-down. Usually charged between safaris. I always brought a spare battery. Bring plenty of storage. The two of us for 7 days on safari (14 day vacation) used 500 GB of storage. If we would have deleted bad photos every night, it would have been half, but preferred to eat, drink, and socialize… can edit at home on a large monitor. Bringing a laptop is a pain because of the weight and never used (no internet) and little down time. Made more sense to take extra memory cards for the camera. Rare moment to relax and read.
Some of the smaller airline flights allowed 2 carry on, but a roller bag had to weigh less than 9 kg, otherwise it had to be checked in….which means risk of losing it or damage. Yes, they weigh it, but not your backpack.
Malaria. We stayed next to Chobe National Park near the Okavango Delta at the northern border of Botswana. This is listed as a malaria region. We therefore took antimalarial medications. Since it was the dry season, always used mosquito repellent, covered exposed skin, and the tent was netted but we never had a mosquito bite. We took Malarone, started one day prior and continued for 7 days after the trip. All antimalarial medications have risks so be sure to read about them first.
Yellow Fever. Botswana is not a Yellow Fever region. It is near Angola, where the CDC recommends Yellow Fever vaccination. So if traveling farther north you may want to consider. The vaccine can be difficult to get. Your primary care physician probably doesn’t stock or have the permit for and your health plan may not cover it. Often times you need to pay cash and see a travel medicine clinic for the vaccine.
Typhoid. Typhoid fever is a serious disease spread by contaminated food and water. It is caused by bacteria called Salmonella Typhi. Typhoid causes a high fever, fatigue, weakness, stomach pains, headache, loss of appetite, and sometimes a rash. If it is not treated, it can kill up to 30% of people who get it. Travelers should get the vaccine even though it is not 100% effective and not a substitute for being careful about what you eat or drink. Get the vaccine 2 weeks prior to travel and repeat every 2 years.
