Botswana lodges are the crème de la crème of the world of luxury safari. As the country is made up of private concessions unless you go to the extremely busy Chobe National Park or Moremi Game Reserve, the prices naturally inflate. Botswana has followed a model of high quality, low quantity in their approach to tourism and it is exceptional at just this. Botswana is home to some of the most spoiling experiences on the continent. The private reserves mean that a lodge which would cost you $700 per person per night in say, southern Tanzania, would cost you $1,300 per person per night in the watery and beautiful Okavango Delta… To get fantastic wildlife viewing and a huge diversity in activities, all in the privacy of your own slice of wilderness, you have to pay a premium!
Best value quality safari lodges in Botswana
Prices have inflated a lot in Botswana in recent years, and they just seem to be going up and up. A lodge like Pom Pom, which admittedly is in an exceptional game viewing area, is now $1,150 per person per night. Aside from the exceptional guiding and wildlife, the actual accommodation is fairly rustic. A fantastic option for some people, though we wonder whether Botswana isn’t going a bit over the top in prices across the board...
A fantastic new property has opened in the Kwara concession; Splash Camp which is a part of the Kwando range. It is very nicely presented and offers a bit more luxury for your money in an exceptional wildlife area but still comes in at $1,416 per person per night.
In order to slash the price of being in these private wildernesses though, we would recommend travelling off season in either May or November, to get still exceptional wildlife, but for a lot less. For example, Pom Pom over these months decreases to $826 per person per night, and Splash reduces to $1,040.
The best barefoot luxury safari lodges in Botswana
Barefoot-luxury safari lodges are a pretty special experience. Little Vumbura in particular is an office favourite. Set on a little island surrounded by water and in one of the most enviable parts of the Delta, Little Vumbura is a seriously special experience. The style is understated, yet authentically luxurious and we absolutely love it. It is not cheap though! Even without all the added luxuries like private pools and a more glitzy design, Little Vumbura is priced at $2,830 per person per night.
Going a little more intrepid, but no less luxurious is Duba Explorers. This is a tented camp, and really does capture the spirit of exploration in the wilderness, certainly without compromising on luxury. Duba Explorers is for those who crave authentic experiences, but expect a certain standard of opulence on their adventure. It is not a cheap camping experience at $1,900 per person per night.
The most luxurious safari lodges in Botswana
The most luxurious safari camp in Africa, and probably one of the best hospitality experiences in the world comes in Mombo Camp located on Chief’s Island in the heart of the Okavango Delta. Private pool galore, the world’s most impressive wildlife viewing opportunities, golden bathtubs, huge rooms and excellent food; it doesn’t get much better than this. As it is one of Africa’s flagship safari lodges… There is again, a price tag to match! In recent years, prices have soared and now in peak season, for one night the per person price is $3,800 USD… If you want the life of luxury, have a good Botswana budget, but can’t justify that per night amount, you could look at the still exceptionally spoiling Vumbura Plains, Duba Plains or Zarafa which are all priced at $3,000 per person per night.
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Chobe Safari Lodge - Chobe
Our View
As far as large safari lodges and hotels go, this is the most convenient and best value in the Chobe area. The atmosphere is authentic and comfortable with a safari character while in the lodge, which a lot of big lodges fail to do. Located in Kasane, on the banks of the Chobe River, the Chobe Safari Lodge has great access to Chobe National Park for the most animal filled drives you’ll get in Botswana, and most of all, offers arguably the best big river safari in Africa. If you are looking for an economical and action packed safari, then add this to your itinerary, but you should make sure you are staying in other camps on private concessions to make this work. It delivers!
Our Rating:
Cost: $190
Chobe Under Canvas - Chobe
Our View
This camp is run by &Beyond whose focus on quality food and drink as well as a high standard of guiding has meant that they are regarded as a company providing some of the best safari product in Africa. Chobe Under Canvas certainly lives up to the reputation. Overall a truly stunning mobile camp that is remarkably similar to the style and character of East Africa’s mobile outfits, but this one is always based on the Chobe River and moves every 5 days to comply with National Park camping rules. We love Chobe Under Canvas and the lodges value is undeniable….a very good choice indeed for a more adventurous type of stay.
Our Rating:
Cost: $650
Duba Plains - Okavango Delta
Duba Plains was definitely a step up from Kwara. Smaller - only 6 rooms all well spaced out - and the last night we were the only guests and received star treatment with dinner laid out under the stars. Martin stood out as being an excellent camp leader. We spent a lot of time in our two days there watching a potential lion kill which eventually happened hours after we had left! On the last morning the 'boys' all went on a slightly scary speedboat trip looking or hippos, which were plentiful. Probably not as much variety of game as at Kwara but great to see the lions at close range. We were all sad to leave. - N Smith
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Cost: $2,900
Duma Tau - Linyanti
We stayed at Xigera, Dumatau and Toka Leya camps. The accommodations were superb, the guides wonderful AND amazing, and the wildlife viewing exceeded our expectations! What else can I say?Thank you, thank you Edward! - D. Budden
Our Rating:
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Cost: $1,932
Great Plains Expeditions - Botswana - Selinda
Our View
The new Great Plains Expeditions - Botswana will be beginning new in 2022.
Our Rating:
Cost: $2,985
Gunns Camp - Okavango Delta
Our View
Gunns Camp is part of the Under One Botswana Sky camp collection, an extremely well regarded safari operator with years of experience. With only 6 rooms, fantastic game, an excellent location and superb value for money, it’s a great camp to include in an Under One Botswana Sky circuit
Our Rating:
Cost: $810
Jacana - Okavango Delta
Our View
Jacana is a lovely small camp, set well off the beaten track and prides itself on its magical water-based experiences. Being inaccessible by vehicle and only by boat you get a real sense of privacy and exclusivity. For a Wilderness camp, it doesn’t blow your socks off with style but certainly with character. It offers that relaxed feel that a lot of the more formal camps don’t have. Depending on the season, it is always worth considering adding to an itinerary. We love Jacana as it epitomizes the very essence of the Okavango…..this is unpretentious luxury at its best. And it is absolutely exceptional for birding.Our Rating:
Cost: $1,160
Jacks - Makgadikgadi Pans
Our View
Jacks Camp... if only there were more places in Africa that had this kind of atmosphere, dedication and professionalism! To say Jacks is amazing is underselling it, this place is absolutely outstanding but the product is unique and it has to be sold correctly. Many would say this is a connoisseurs product but at the same time it is a product for a first timer…a first timer looking for something different. The guiding here is very well informed and, in our view, is some of the very best in Africa. Overall, the Makgadikgadi is not an explosive destination, it is subtle and sophisticated.
Our Rating:
Cost: $1,640
Jao - Okavango Delta
The third Camp, Jao, was probably-maybe for being the last one- the most special to us. The location by the delta was incredible, but the best there was truly the staff, they made us feel as we were HOME, always so pleasant, nice, helpful and funny. There was something really magical around Jao, we also made the safari day+picnic which was really amazing. - S. Garcia-Sineriz
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Cost: $2,500
Kalahari - Central Kalahari
Kalahari Plains was certainly worth visiting, not least to see the rather unusual mix of wildlife and terrain. Whilst much of the terrain was surprisingly green, it is misleading - the lack of reliable surface water appears to restrict what can survive there to mostly the specialists. We saw the black maned lions, and had several unexpected sightings such as Eland. Vast numbers of Oryx! The camp itself was fairly average by Wilderness standards. - A. Marshall
Our Rating:
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Cost: $673
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