Karen H - The Great Kalahari Safari

Based at Africas busiest airport, City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo Airport will provide business and leisure travellers with home away from home accommodation that is ideal for those commuting to and from Johannesburg and perfect for those who require immediate access to the airport.

OR Tambo Airport offers a number of services from banking to a wide range of retailers, so whether its a good book or a scrumptious meal, the airports facilities have everything you need. The hotel boasts boardroom and conference facilities, a fitness room as well as a deck with a pool and a large commercial area with a coffee shop.

Situated on the banks of the Thamalakane River in Maun, The Maun Studios are set under a riverine tree canopy in a secure, private garden teeming with birdlife. Inspired by the surrounding landscape and garden, the suites are designed to ensure a unique, comfortable, and tranquil experience. Accommodation consists of two bespoke studios, the king-sized River Studio and the twin-sized Garden Studio, both of which are charming in design and equipped with Wi-Fi, air-conditioning and a self-catering kitchenette. During their stay, guests can enjoy a delicious breakfast each morning before embarking on scenic outdoor adventures.

Tau Pan was the first semi-permanent camp inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and offers truly incredible views from the ridge of an ancient sand dune, an unusual experience in a land as flat as Botswana, and overlooks the famous Tau Pan - recognised for its stark beauty and remoteness.

Guests are accommodated in 8 luxury rooms [not tents] under thatch, designed and built to remain cool in the summer months and warm in winter. Each room is en-suite with a separate flushing toilet, double sinks and an inside and outside shower. The rooms are airy and spacious with large double or twin beds, a lounge area and a viewing deck that has amazing views of the wide open spaces and beautiful big skies that this area possesses – truly special and captivating. One of the rooms, situated close to the main area is a family room. This unit has an extra room with twin beds.

Activities offered at Tau Pan are game drives, day trips to the well-known Deception Valley, Sunday, Piper and Passarge Pans, star gazing, bush brunches on Tau Pan, and nature walks with Bushman trackers. It is worth noting that game drives include a tracker in addition to your guide, who helps with spotting animals,and in most cases they are of Bushman [San] descent, so they have deep knowledge. It is good to note this for tipping purposes as well.

‘Tau’ which means lion in Setswana, is so named for the pride of iconic black-maned Kalahari lions who frequent the camp (with a particular preference for the family tent!).

Species that can be found in the Kalahari include oryx, the desert-adapted springbok, jackals, the rare brown hyena, red-crested Korhaan and herds of wildebeest - many of which are not seen in other areas of Botswana.

Conservation/Botswana Safari Company recommends Tau Pan for its good value and high-quality lodge experience. Game viewing and habitats are completely different to other regions in Botswana and thus adds diversity to any itinerary. It is best visited during and after the summer rains, Dec - March, but still interesting all year round. There is NO WIFI

By choosing to stay here you are helping the lodge support the local community as well as the grassroots initiative Mummy's Angels, a Maun-based project to support and empower mothers and their newborns in Maun who do not have financial or family support. They are also are proud members of "Pack for a Purpose", an initiative that allows travelers like you to make a lasting impact in the community at your travel destination.

Rates are fully inclusive of meals, drinks (local brands) and safari activities.

Rra Dinare Camp (meaning ‘Father Buffalo’) lies on a private concession adjacent to the Moremi Game Reserve in the southeastern side of the Delta, an area with varied and exciting game viewing. Overlooking the Gomoti flood plains, Rra Dinare has a scenic setting which enjoys a steady stream of wildlife throughout the day. A traditional, unassuming but very comfortable camp offering some excellent game viewing with 4x4 drives and seasonal moroko activities.

Rra Dinare lies on the 67,000 acre Santawani concession, which it shares with its sister camp, Mma Dinare (‘Mother Buffalo’) meaning sightings of other vehicles are rare and controlled. The concession is made up of Mopane woodland (a favoured home for many animals) for the main part though the area around the Gomoti River and widespread floodplains is open and offers pretty Delta landscapes.

Rra Dinare has eight tents, including a family room, set on raised wooden decks with spacious decks and a sitting area for enjoying the views and quiet time between activities. The stretched canvas tents are spacious and thoughtfully designed and all are ensuite with twin basins, flush loos and a shower.
The central area has been built in keeping with Under One Botswana Sky’s other properties with open high thatched spaces allowing guests to relax and enjoy the natural surroundings while watching wildlife and birds from the comfort of an armchair or the bar. Meals are taken together family style in the dining area. The swimming pool and curio shop complete the luxurious, relaxed feel that Under One Botswana Sky safaris are known for.

As one of the last areas of the Okavango to receive the annual flood waters it contains some of the closest dry-season watering points for the game that spreads out towards Nxai and Makgadikgadi Pans during the rains. As a result the game viewing is especially good at this time. Around this, there is a high density of game in the dry season but since quite a lot of the reserve is mopane woodlands (a favourite location for animals during the rains and early dry season) good game viewing is expected all year round.

This river system attracts a wide variety of game. Familiar favourites include Elephant, Buffalo, Giraffe, Kudu, Impala, Tsessebe, Hippo, Crocodile, Genet, Honey Badger and a host of Plains Game. Rare Antelope breeds including Roan, Sable & Eland, not usually seen in the Okavango region, occur here. As the Gomoti is the primary water source in the area, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah and Wild Dog come down to the riverside to drink and hunt, of course!

The locations and views are spectacular with the classic flooding of the Okavango across the adjacent seasonal floodplains. For those keen on bird-watching, the combination of the wetlands and the drier Acacia and Mopane veldt provide a perfect habitat for a variety of aquatic species including Open Billed Storks, Hammerkops, Egrets, Ibis and forest/savannah dwellers including Raptors, Shrikes, Drongos, Sunbirds and Ground Hornbills.

The camp offers both day and night game drives in this exclusive private concession adjacent to Moremi Game Reserve. Game drives are conducted with a maximum of six passengers per vehicle with trackers on night game drives. Seasonal water activities on Gomoti River and game walks are available depending on local conditions.

We recommend Rra Dinare and Mma Dinare as a good value Okavango experience, more focused on game drives and viewing, with a pleasant lodge experience.

Rates include all meals, drinks and safari activities

4 Rivers Camp lies deep in the western sector of the Kwara Private Reserve, one of the more remote and pristine corners of the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana. Set on its own private concession, it enjoys an exclusive wilderness with no other camps nearby. Nestled on the banks of the Tsum-Tsum River and overlooking a permanent lagoon in front of Maboa Island, the camp is surrounded by a rich mosaic of waterways, mopane woodland, floodplains and open plains — a landscape that supports abundant and varied wildlife.

The camp has nine spacious tented suites, including one family tent, all elevated on wooden decks and connected by raised boardwalks through shaded forest. Each Meru-style canvas cabin features indoor and outdoor showers, en-suite facilities, and a private veranda with views over the water. They include comfortable seating, a ceiling fan, a safe, charging points and a small refreshment station, with the lagoon often attracting elephants, hippos and other wildlife. The family tent functions as two linked tents, offering privacy as well as a shared deck for groups or families.

At the centre of the camp is an open-sided lounge and dining area beneath a thatched roof, along with a bar, small safari shop, and a firepit set right beside the water — a favourite spot for sundowners and stargazing. A swimming pool provides a welcome place to cool off during hot afternoons.

Activities make full use of the camp’s private-concession setting: day and night game drives, off-road viewing where appropriate, mokoro excursions, and guided walks on Maboa Island when water levels allow. The variety of habitats — from woodland to floodplain, deep channels to island systems — supports excellent wildlife sightings, including elephants, lions, leopards, wild dogs, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, sable antelope and prolific birdlife.

We visited 4 Rivers immediately after opening and since then guest feedback has been consistently good as a friendly, well-run camp with abundant game, a relaxed atmosphere and warm, professional guiding.

Rates include all meals, local drinks and safari activities.

From high on the escarpment, Muchenje Safari Lodge overlooks a seasonal floodplain of the the Chobe River. From this peaceful spot within Chobe Forest Reserve, with Namibia's Zambezi Region (formerly the Caprivi Strip) in the distance and about 60km west of the bustling town of Kasane, this traditional lodge has the advantage of operating game drives in a relatively quiet area of the Chobe Riverfront.

Muchenje combines traditional style with a down-to-earth feel that is decidedly relaxing. The main communal area, positioned to maximise the view, is a solid, thatched, split-level building, with a series of canvas 'walls' that are usually rolled up to allow a through breeze. As well as a large central bar and plenty of comfortable seating, there's a sizeable dining table where meals are usually taken as a group. Upstairs on a mezzanine level is a small library with a few books and board games. Muchenje's gift shop is well-stocked with local arts and crafts as well as books on birds, wildlife, and the surrounding area.

A few steps lead down to the firepit, where pre- and post- dinner drinks are often taken when the weather is cooler: a great place to recant the day's events. Further down again is another small viewing deck, overlooking the floodplain, while tucked to the side of the main area is a good-sized swimming pool, complete with sunloungers

Muchenje's 11 comfortable chalets also make the most of the view. All are similar in design, solidly built with high thatched roofs and cream-painted walls. Although some are relatively closely together, they are interspersed by areas of bush that do quite a good job of ensuring privacy, albeit without always screening the whole neighbouring chalet from view.

Ten of the chalets have double or twin beds with a mosquito net, a wardrobe for storing luggage and clothing, a small lounge area with a couple of wooden chairs, a writing table, tea- and coffee-making station, minibar stocked with bottled water, electric safe, ceiling fan and air conditioning – a bonus in the hotter months. Sliding doors lead out to a wooden veranda where a small table and a couple of chairs catch the sun for most of the day. The en-suite bathrooms are quite small and simple but well-maintained, with a shower, flush toilet and his and hers washbasins.

The two-storey family chalet, sleeping four guests, has a double bed in the living area, two single beds in the 'loft' area above, and two bathrooms – one with a large bathtub.

Activities at Muchenje are varied and quite flexible. If you want to be woken at 5.30am for a nature walk or early-morning game drive, then that's exactly what you can do. But if you’d rather wake a little later (breakfast is usually served at around 8.30am) and relax by the pool all day, that's perfectly possible too. Options include half- and full-day 4WD safaris in the park; walks and night drives in the forest reserve; boat cruises on the Chobe River; and visits to the nearby Muchenje village.

On our most recent visit, in July 2017, we opted for a full-day boat cruise and game drive in Chobe National Park, followed by a night drive, with an early drive into the park the next morning. As the boat trip begins in Kasane, this is incorporated into a full-day activity, with a game drive through the park, followed by time on the river, and culminating in another game drive back to Muchenje – though one of these drives is likely to be on the tar road. Note that all vehicles must leave the park before nightfall, so in the winter months afternoon game drives return to camp by around 6.30pm.

Our full-day trip was great, though quite a long day.  During the boat cruise, we approached close to various islands that were teeming with wildlife, from huge numbers of elephant to hippos, crocodiles and antelope such as tsessebe and impala, and plenty of Cape buffalo. After lunch on board, we drove back to Muchenje through the park, where we spent some time watching a pride of lions that was feasting on a large male giraffe.

The highlight of our early-morning drive into the park, when we also saw hyena and elephant, was watching around 200 buffalo crossing the Chobe River. What a great way to end our safari!

The lodge has now built a new jetty closer and is being used as part of a new morning boat activity, which begins with a drive of around an hour through the park and then a gentle boat trip on the flood plains of the Chobe river. This boat trip will be flood dependent and we expect it to be possible from around February to September, but please ask us for details.

Although walks and night drives are not permitted within Chobe National Park, both are possible in the private forest reserve around Muchenje are possible. During our night drive, lasting around an hour, we were lucky enough to glimpse a hyena, three small-spotted genets and a wildcat.

On a previous visit, our guide led us on a walk to a perfect viewing spot to observe a herd of elephants making their way up the ravine below us – completely unaware of our presence. And not long after, a herd of buffalo followed suit!

Although Muchenje is at the quieter western end of the Chobe Riverfront, the area to the east is very busy. Full-day excursions from Muchenje that incorporate the boat trip tend to spend some time in this busier eastern side, whereas morning or afternoon game drives typically stick to the western side of the park, where you are less likely to see other vehicles.

Travellers arriving at Muchenje from the more exclusive and remote private reserves of the Okavango Delta or Linyanti region of northern Botswana may be disappointed by the number of other visitors they see, although probably simultaneously cheered by the density of animals, particularly during the drier months between around June and October. Hence we often recommend Muchenje as a place to ease into your trip, at the beginning of your itinerary, rather than one to round it off.

Rates are fully inclusive of meals, drinks and safari activities.

Batonka Guest Lodge is a wonderful lodge just 2.2 kilometers from the Victoria Falls Rainforest entrance and 1km from the town centre, and is situated in the quiet residential suburb of Victoria Falls.

The lodge has 22 rooms and each has a bathroom en-suite and balcony, are comfortably furnished and have, TV, complimentary Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, universal chargers and a tea/coffee station. 11 of these rooms have a bathroom with a double basin vanity unit, bath, toilet and shower. The other 11 are the same but have no bath tub.

The main area has dining facilities, lounge areas, curio shop and the reception which is available to guests 24 hours a day. The dining facility can be either indoors or on a large spacious and outdoor terrace area overlooking the garden and swimming pool. There is a comfortable lounge area inside with a fireplace, and an outside lounge area is also available for guests.

Credit Cards are accepted - Complimentary Wi-Fi - Gift Shop - Town shuttle

The reception also serves as the information and activities booking desk, and a curio shop offers a selection of Zimbabwean art and craft as well as local memorabilia.

The restaurant offers a full English Breakfast, and a choice of wholesome home style cooking for lunch and dinner.
Batonka Guest Lodge was built with the environment in mind and has solar geysers for all the rooms, ozone-friendly airconditioners, grey water recycling, waste separation and composting of vegetable matter, LED lighting and responsible laundry practises.

We recommend Batonka for its high quality and value offering, spacious grounds and solid environmental approach.
Have a look here at our walk through video - https://youtu.be/vEA2K1hxjmo

Rates include breakfast, tea and coffee through the day, scheduled transfers into town and wifi.