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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Jannah Lamu - Lamu
Our View
Jannah Lamu is Kenya’s answer to barefoot luxury living. Expect sunken cream sofas on wooden floors surrounded by white stone, and a few layers of patterns and Swahili colours to give a homely vibe. The elevated position of the lodge allows incredible views over Shela, Lamu Town and Manda Island. If you want an Indian Ocean old town retreat that’s no fuss and a stone’s throw away from some of the best safaris in East Africa, this is a brilliant option.
Our Rating:
Cost: $
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
Our Rating:
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Cost: $2,500
Jongomero - Ruaha
We had an excellent holiday... We were met at all the points and all accommodation was outstanding... My most favourite place was Jongomero. I definitely want to go there again in the dry season- T Whittingslow
Our Rating:
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Cost: $869
Joys - Samburu
Really lovely camp, enjoyed the lack of people and sense of isolation. Reminded us a little of camps in Namibia. Had great leopard sightings, including a kill, but just generally really enjoyed the camp. It was really beautiful, camp was gorgeous, facilities excellent.- S. Goatley
Our Rating:
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Cost: $564
Juweira Boutique Hotel - The South
Our View
Juweira Boutique Hotel, part of the Salalah Beach development in Oman's southern region of Dhofar, is ideal for families and couples alike. It is based on a marina concept with lots to do outside the hotel, including shops and external restaurants.
Our Rating:
Cost: $500
Kaingo Camp - South Luangwa
Our View
Overlooking the wild Luangwa River deep within the prime safari area of the South Luangwa National Park, Kaingo has a more relaxed and personal feel to it than most camps in Zambia and offers some of the best game viewing opportunities in the area.
Our Rating:
Cost: $1,030
Kakuli Bush Camp - South Luangwa
Pleasant “classic” small bush camp (5 tents) … again, exactly what we like. And again, tents are comfortable with decent beds, good mossie nets, inside and outside shower, solar hot water. No wifi at all and mobile connection is like Mchenja a bit hit and miss while driving in the park. Food was good and plentiful. Wine & beer good and plentiful. All meals are “communal” with an option to dine separately if required. Standard of guiding (we had Philemon) was very good. Activities are games drives and walking. Again - there is water in the river but insufficient for boating activities. Given the temperature (by 9.00 getting too hot to walk) we again compromised by taking a shortish walks (from ~6.00 until ~8:30) then meeting a vehicle for a further couple of hours game drive. Vehicles were similar to Mchenja. Typically we were 2 to a vehicle and 4 on a couple of occasions. We did NOT walk between camps (too hot).Typically evening game drives were followed (after sundowners) by a night drive with spotlight.- T. Black
Our Rating:
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Cost: $1,050
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
Kanana - Okavango Delta
Our View
Operated by Kerr and Downey Safaris, Kanana Camp is well positioned over on the western side of the Okavango Delta. The lodge itself is set on a small island that sits in between two “fingers” of the delta channels and is known as being a predominantly wet camp as opposed to the drier camps of the eastern delta. With great food and stunning views, the camp is very good for those wanting mainly water based activities. We like the camp as it has an intimate feel…it can be a little tricky to find game, however!Our Rating:
Cost: $912
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