Guest’s of Brett’s recently embarked on a journey that combines the thrill of South Africa’s renowned Kruger National Park, the awe-inspiring majesty of Victoria Falls, and the untamed beauty of Botswana. From close encounters with the Big Five in Kruger to witnessing the thunderous cascade of Victoria Falls, and exploring Botswana’s pristine landscapes, each destination offered a unique blend of adventure, serenity, and unforgettable memories. Here is their feedback:
Brett,
Our apologies for the delayed reply. We had an amazing trip. We really enjoyed that all 4 safari camps had a different feel and ecosystem.
Property thoughts:
- Nsala – we were the only guests, but the property was great. Very comfortable and the small size made it intimate, but relaxing. Our guide/tracker, Shoas, was easily the best guide/tracker we had across the 4 resorts.
- Not a property, but our transfer driver between Nsala and Umkumbe was fantastic! Tons of information, really engaging, and fun to drive through Kruger.
- Umkumbe – significantly larger property than Nsala. We ran into some shower issues: the drain was clogged and they had the pipes backwards (hot was cold; cold was hot). The pool and public areas were very nice for relaxing. The staff here was great.
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- This may be incorrect, but I believe this was our only “lodge”. Here we had meals at the same time, but every room was seated separately. At our “camps”, everyone ate together. I could see individuals having a strong preference between the two options (especially if they’re only doing 1 or 2 safaris).
- We did a walking safari at Umkumbe which we would not recommend. It felt like a missed opportunity to share a significant amount of knowledge and was a mostly silent walk (see contrast below with Xaxaba).
- Pioneers – the property was great.
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- We would only recommend 2 nights in Vic Falls. While there are lots of activities, it’s more of the momentary kind (bungee, swing, etc.). There isn’t the robust hiking you find at the Grand Canyon. We loved the white water rafting we did, but we didn’t need the 3rd day/night.
- Khwai – the entire staff was extremely green from management, to the servers, to the guide. The rooms were nice (bigger than in SA, but the room layout made you feel very exposed when using the shower or toilet), and we had incredible sightings (a leopard in a tree with a fresh warthog along with a hyena den). But, the 3 nights were simply less polished than in SA making for a slightly less relaxing experience.
- Xaxaba – the description here of a camp run by the local village was a little misleading. The interaction with the local community was only our tracker; the team running the camp was based out of Maun. The mobile camp/tent was comfortable. The location they chose for camp was great; we had an awesome view of the savannah.
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- The mokoro experience was fine for one outing. I could not imagine having 3 full days of mokoro rides. I was very frustrated on our third day when our afternoon activity was a 30 minute mokoro ride. We never left sight of the camp and compared with the usual ~3 hour game drive, it felt like our day had been wasted.
- In comparison with the afternoon mokoro experience, the morning walking safari with our guide was incredible. He was constantly teaching us about prints, plants, bugs, animals in the distance, food, etc. This is the walking safari experience we would recommend.
- Cape Town bonus: I would highly recommend the Protea North Wharf over the Breakwater. The Breakwater felt extremely dated and the cheap cost of ubers made the location difference irrelevant.
Happy to answer any specific questions on the feedback. Thanks for your help in booking this adventure. It was awesome!
-Greg & Katie
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