Repeat guests of Natasha’s recently travelled to Botswana as a group where a magical proposal took place between one of the couples at Machaba Camp. An adventure and experience that will never be repeated, here is their feedback:
Hi Natasha,
We are well thank you, have been catching up on work and suffering from massive post-safari blues ever since we got back. Apologies for the late reply. I will leave Yirui to share with you the photos of our trip!
This Botswana trip with Machaba Safaris has really been eye opening and dare I say life-changing experience for both Gillian and I. First of all I would like to thank Shaun and Elcke for being such wonderful hosts at Machaba Camp. They really made us feel like part of the family despite us being there for just a few days. The camp has all the daily comforts that we need, while still preserving the natural feel of the land. We saw so, so many different animals. Some may say beginners’ luck but credit must be given to our dear guide Moss, whose deep knowledge of the various animals and their tracks really elevated our safari experience. Even more important was his impeccable driving abilities. On the way to the sunset proposal, we were running a little late (due to spotting of a lioness). Right before we reached the pre-arranged location for the proposal, we were faced with a giant obstacle. An African Elephant blocking the way! Moss, in an instant, reversed the vehicle skillfully and managed to find an alternate route and we were able to reach the site just in the nick of time, right before sunset. I trust that Yirui will share the proposal photos with you as well.
The location selected for the proposal was indeed what I wanted, just a natural landscape with a nice sunset view. The drinks booth was a very nice touch. I could not have asked for more. I’m happy to report that Gillian said YES! Back in the camp we were also greeted with decorations in our tent. Both Gillian and I really enjoyed the personal touch by the camp eg. the congratulatory card and candles outside the tent.
At Kiri Camp, the staff were very warm and friendly. Kiri, being a newer camp, offered more luxurious tents and we really enjoyed the facilities provided like the pool and bar. The landscape was also vastly different from what we experienced at Machaba Camp. So even though we saw some of the same animals, seeing them roaming around in a more open landscape was still fresh and exciting. Special thanks to Pete, our guide and friend who really made the safari drives interesting and fun for us. On the last morning, he even suggested for us to wake up a bit earlier to go on our last drive. And by doing so we managed to see a pack of lions, lionesses and cubs sharing their zebra kill from the day before, all in the glory of the morning sun. That was definitely the highlight of our trip.
Special mention to the Chefs and kitchen staffs of both Machaba and Kiri Camps. We were thoroughly well fed during the trip and I was very impressed at how great the meals were, despite the constraints with bringing in food supplies into the camp. I think I put on a couple pounds by the end of our holiday.
Thanks Natasha for coordinating with Machaba for my proposal! i’m very satisfied with how it turned out, Gillian too!
Regards,
Andy
Hey Natasha
Sorry it’s taken a while for us to reply to your email!
Thank you for arranging this for us too.
Machaba is a serious outfit and offers a solid product in a field dominated by the big giants. You know my heart lies with Kwando but I felt that the experience at Machaba matched that of the Kwando camps.
The Khwai concession is just as how I remembered it 10 years ago (I believe sunsafaris arranged that trip!). I was worried about not being in a private concession but was glad not to have the overwhelming number of vehicles. The game is still strong there, although they’ve mentioned that wild dogs haven’t denned there in the past 4-5 years, which is a huge shame because that was THE place to go for the dogs. We did see three packs on one day, including a pack of 11 crossing our vehicle as we returned to camp at night. That must be a highlight for me!
Kiri Camp is beautifully designed and has all the features required of a luxurious bush experience. The rooms they put us (6-10) overlooked the waterhole so this may be of use for future bookings. I loved the concession and it reminded me of Lebala – wide open expansive spaces, and a promise for the weird and wonderful lesser seen mammals of Africa. I think the guides are still figuring out the hotspots too, and I’m sure as more data is collected on animal movements in that area, this place would be a highlight of any trip.
I’ve written longer reviews of both properties on tripadvisor under the moniker jakehyr.
Looking forward to planning the next trip! And as usual, if you hear of any special deals (especially if Kwando bring back their last minute deals) please let me know!
Yirui
