Tips for choosing a Southern African Safari

When we were trying to plan our South African safari adventure we really had no idea what to look for in a safari camp. We couldn't decide between visiting Kruger in South Africa or a Botswana safari along the delta so we decided to do both. We somehow managed to pick a camp near Kruger on our own, but we wanted to do an extended multi-camp safari in Botswana so that was more complicated. So instead of figuring all of that out on our own we instead picked a travel agency to help us. First we found a handful of agencies that had good reviews and we contacted them all with details on what we wanted. After exchanging emails with a few travel agencies we decided to go with Gondwana Tours & Safaris  We picked them mostly because they were able to customize the itinerary to fit what we wanted (specific dates and traveling from Maun and ending up in Victoria Falls) and they were able to give us a (relatively) reasonable rate. Steffi was our contact (you can contact her here) and she was super responsive and helpful so that was another reason we picked them. It was also nice that they arranged all of our transfers for us.

Since we've now stayed at 5 different camps, some we didn't like that much and others we loved, we now have a better idea of what sort of things to look for in a safari camp. Therefore we wanted to share that knowledge with anyone who is looking to book their own South African safari. 

Things to look for when booking a safari

• Activities: The game drives are really the most important thing so make sure before you book that your rate includes at least 2 activities per day. Keep that in mind before booking transfers as well, although you don't always have control if you are booking a seat on a charter flight. But if you have control try to avoid the standard activity hours: 6-10am and 4-8pm, depending on the season.
• If it's important to you to do other sorts of activities make sure that's available as well. These include things like guided bush walks, boat cruises, mokoro trips, fishing, etc. We did a boat cruise and a mokoro trip and they were nice but we didn't enjoy them as much as the game drives. 
• Some camps restrict the number of guests in the vehicle so that everyone is guaranteed an outside seat for better viewing. This was nice but not necessary.
• Location: We've found that locations that limit the number of people in the area at any one time is far better than public areas where anyone can go. This was more important than we initially realized. Also, some areas restrict the number of vehicles that can be around an animal sighting at one time and this is really nice as well. At Chobe National Park the one time we had a glimpse of a lion there were so many vehicles jockeying for position and a vehicle would drive in front of you so frequently that you could hardly see it. Not very much fun.
• Find areas where your guides are allowed to go off-road. At Chobe no one is allowed to leave the road so even if you see something cool it's often not close enough to the road to get a good look at so you just wave and drive by. 
• Also make sure your camp is located in (or at least very near) an area where big game can be found. One of our camps was located outside of the foot-and-mouth fence, which separates the wild and domesticate animals, so we had to drive 45 minutes past the fence before we really had a chance of seeing anything. 
• Botswana vs South Africa- Botswana safaris are generally much more expensive than safaris in other countries, and they advertise that the reason for this is for exclusivity. They say this is to ensure a more personal and authentic experience and also to conserve the wildlife. In our experience we were able to find a great private reserve (Manyeleti) in South Africa at a very reasonable price that limited the number of guests, and paying the Botswana prices did not guarantee the private experience (evident by our Chobe-lion experience).
• Camp Size: All but one of our camps had a maximimum occupancy of under 30 guests, most were under 16, and this was really nice because it allowed us to really get to know the staff and the other guests. You generally have the same staff and guide the entire time so they can learn what you're interested in seeing and focus on that. We didn't realize how nice this was until we got to our last camp (a lodge) that had at least 200 guests. We found this to be very impersonal and therefore less enjoyable. Personally I would try to just avoid lodges in the future unless I can confirm that it's small.
• Accommodations: This is pretty obvious but worth pointing out that Safari accommodations vary greatly. You can do very minimal so that you're basically camping in a tent all the way to luxurious lodges. In the middle of the spectrum there are also permanent tents and bungalows. We much preferred our comfy permanent tent in a small camp with great game and amazing staff to our luxury lodge with mediocre game and impersonal staff.
• Inclusive or a la carte: Most of our camps included all meals and water but not other drinks. We had one camp that was all-inclusive and this was nice. Our one luxury lodge didn't include lunch for whatever reason or drinks. This isn't really a huge deal but it's nice to know going into it so you can more accurately compare prices.

Camp Reviews

Honeyguide Mantobeni: 5/5. $$$. This was our only safari in South Africa and it was wonderful. We really had a great time and would definitely go back.

• Activities: There were two game drives a day which was wonderful and they were timed depending on the season so that you were able to see the nocturnal animals both at the beginning of the AM drive and end of the PM drive. Each vehicle had both a guide and a tracker in front to help spot the animals, which was really nice. Both our guide, Anja, and our tracker, Ezekiel, were really great and we enjoyed getting to know them both. We often had a full car of 10 guests on our drives. They did also offer guided bush walks but we never did one of those.
• Location: Located in the Manyeleti Game Reserve outside of Kruger National Park in South Africa. It was a private reserve so entrance was limited. There were a handful of camps in the reserve but that was never a problem while game viewing since they all followed the rule of only 3 vehicles at an animal sighting per time. Only once did this actually affect us and we waited maybe 5 minutes before being able to go see the animal. The nice thing about having a few other camps around is that on drives each vehicle would help each other and radio in if they found something cool. So there is a positive for having a few vehicles (and hence more eyes) out looking. The game viewing was incredible. We saw all of the "Big 5". We had 7 leopard sightings on only 6 drives. We couldn't have hoped for better.
• Camp Size: There were only 13 tents at the camp so the maximum number of guests was 26. This was a good number as we really got to know the staff and the other guests in our vehicle. 
• Accommodations: We stayed in permanent raised tents with ensuite bathrooms and they were very nice. During the day they weren't enclosed though so some tents had trouble with baboons making a mess in their tents. We kept all of our consumable and liquid items packed away and we never had any problems. 
• Food: Food was wonderful! Different meals every day prepared fresh and served to you. It was family-style seating and you general sat with the people who are with your guide. Water was free but other drinks were not included. We found the drinks to be very reasonably priced though (beers were around $2.50)

Duncan's Camp: 3/5. $. Overall Duncan's Camp was our least favorite camp that we visited. This was mostly because we had to drive pretty far in order to actually see any game and we were only able to do one activity. The camp was small and intimate though and right along the water which was nice. The staff did a good job and we enjoyed getting to know them.

• Activities: We were only able to do one activity while at Duncan's camp and our guide was a freelancer with Karibu. We were scheduled to do a bush walk but our guide said the grass was too tall and there was too much water so it wouldn't be safe. Instead we had to drive quite a ways past the foot-and-mouth fence in order to have a game drive. We saw quite a bit but it was spaced out and we didn't see any cats. Our guide, Comic, was pretty good making the one game drive count as we were out for almost 6 hours.
• Location: The location was not ideal for seeing game since it was on the domestic side of the foot-and-mouth fence. It was right along the water though so it was pretty and there were hippos around (although personally we never saw any).
• Camp Size: Camp size was small. There were only about 6 tents, but we were the only guests the entire time we were there. We got to visit a lot with the 3 staff members there which was nice. 
• Accommodations: Basic. We had a private small tent with a small attached bathroom. 
• Food: Food was pretty good. We had 3 full meals a day and dinner had 3 courses. They provided some water but no other beverages were included. We were allowed to bring our own beverages though.

Khwai Guesthouse: 4/5. $$. Overall we really enjoyed our stay at Khwai Guesthouse. It would have been nice to go into the Moremi Reserve but due to the current flooding situation we weren't able to do that. The people were very friendly and accommodations were nice.

• Activities: Their standard schedule is to do 2 activities per day, which is good. But we were only able to do 3 activities while there due to our flight schedule when leaving. Although I was disappointed that they didn't try to get in a smaller drive before we had to leave for our flight at 9:15am. The game drives themselves were reasonably good- this was the only time we were able to see the wild dogs which was pretty special (although there were about 6 or 7 other vehicles around as well when we saw them). Our guide, Lex, was pretty good. We also did the mokoro tour along one of the delta channels while we were there and that was relaxing but definitely not as exciting as a game drive. 
• Location: Location was pretty good. It was very near the Khwai village and right outside the Moremi Reserve. We never went into the Moremi Reserve though since it had so much standing water while we were there. The only time we had a problem with lots of vehicles around was when we saw the wild dogs.
• Camp Size: Camp size was small. There were 6 bungalows so in theory a maximum occupancy of 12 guests at a time. 
• Accommodations: The bungalows were very cozy with nice bathroom and showers.
• Food: Food was really good. All 3 meals were included but only water. Other beverages were available for purchase.

Kwara: 5/5. $$$$$. We absolutely loved Kwara and would definitely go back. The staff was excellent, the accomodations nice and cozy, and the game drives were top-notch as well. Kwara camp is one of 6 camps owned by the parent company Kwando. Based on our experience we would highly recommend staying at any of the Kwando camps. 

• Activities: Their standard schedule is to do 2 activities per day, which is good. We were able to do 4 activities while there since they were flexible enough to take us on a shorter game drive before our chartered flight when we left. We really appreciated that. All of the guides we interacted with were absolutely great. They were friendly and full of information about the animals, birds, and plants. One night there a lion killed a giraffe about a minute away from camp and they took us on an impromptu drive after dinner to see it, so that was really cool of them. They also didn't concern themselves much with limiting our drives to only 3 hours. Once we went pretty far to see lions and then saw a bunch of things on the way back so our drive ended up being closer to 5 hours. We also did the river boat cruise while there which was neat, we got to see lots of different kind of birds, but it wasn't as exciting as a game drive even though we did nearly run into a hippo in the water. They also offered other activities such as the mokoros and guided bush walks, although they said the grass was too tall while we were there to do a bush walk.
• Location: The camp is located in the delta along the Kwara river and north of the Moremi Reserve. The game viewing in the area was great and we saw a lot, including 4 different lion sightings. They also have several resident cheetahs although we were never lucky enough to find one. The only downside of the location is that it's tough to get to. You almost have to fly directly to the airstrip near the camp. The bonus though is that there was only 1 other camp nearby so we almost never even saw another vehicle while we were on drives. 
• Camp Size: They had a maximum occupancy of 16 guests at a time. It was really nice because we were able to interact with a lot of the staff while there and really get to know them. Everyone we talked with there was top-notch.
• Accommodations: The accomodations were really nice. They were permanent raised tents but probably the nicest ones we stayed in. Everything was great. The only thing I could say is that we had a bit of trouble occasionally with the hot water.
• Food: Food was wonderful! 3 full meals a day plus a high tea with snacks in the afternoon. Dinner was a 3 course meal with everyone sitting around one big table. It was all inclusive so soda and alcohol were included. They also packed us a lunch on our last day since we had to go straight to our flight. It's little touches like this that have a huge impact!

Chobe Safari Lodge: 3/5. $$$. We were not excited about this lodge. It was so big and therefore impersonal. The staff was not super helpful. The game drives were disappointing. The luxury accomodations were wonderful though and the food that was included was really good.

• Activities: We were only able to do 2 activities while there although we could've paid extra to do more. The river boat cruise was decent since we were able to see water buffalo, crocodiles, and lots of hippos, but we were hoping to see more elephants. The cruise was mostly focused on birds so we weren't as excited about that. The game drive was disappointing. In Chobe National Park there are only certain routes you can take through the park and you can't off-road. Since there were so many vehicles out there we were often just caravaning right behind each other. We saw lots of water buffalo and antelope but that was pretty much it. We had one lion sighting but it was so far away and there were so many vehicles in the way you could hardly see it. The camp offered a ton of other activities like day trips to Victoria Falls or fishing but we didn't do any of those. 
• Location: It's nice that it's on the river, close to the airport, and close to Chobe National Park. Game viewing was subpar in our experience.
• Camp Size: It was a lodge so this was the largest camp we went to. It had at least 100 different rooms so it was more like a big hotel. Therefore we had no personal interactions with the staff, and the interactions we did have were not the most helpful. They weren't there to pick us up from the airport and they didn't even have a room ready for us once we got there.
• Accommodations: Definitely our nicest accomodations as we were in a luxury lodge. Our room was huge and gorgeous and right along the water. 
• Food: Breakfasts and dinners were good. They were big all-you-can-eat buffets. My favorite part about dinner was the stir-fry section. Beverages were not included and we even had to pay for the bottle of water we shared at dinner. Lunch was also not included and it was a la carte.