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.
Kimondo was amazing, the variety and closeness of wildlife was outstanding, from a pride of lions with cubs to the innumerable thousands of wildebeests interspersed throughout with zebra, antelope and other game, it really was paradise and we were well looked after. Again the food, staff and accommodation was fantastic. - D. Cook
Kinasi lodge was nice - a small paradise. It was the second time that we went there. The lodge is small and beautiful, placed in a wonderful garden with a swimming pool. We went also saw the whalesharks. Kinasi Lodge has its own dive centre with a friendly staff and so diving was perfect, there were only few divers not to much people.- A. Fuellemann
Our View
One of the earliest protected areas in Africa, Liuwa Plains. Unspoilt, exclusive with rare game viewing and a rich natural heritage.Despite its luxurious design, King Lewanika Lodge retains a lot of its safari authenticity with canvas walls, lovely decks overlooking the grassy plains
This is a great choice for those looking for a remote stay in an unspoilt region wanting fantastic and unique game viewing.
Every now and again you, unexpectedly, experience a holiday destinatoon that will stay with you forever. My experience at Kings Pool falls into this category. The wildlife was truly spectacular with great wild dog sightings and even a kill!!! The leopard were also fantastic seeing 2 in one drive! We also went on a sunset river cruise which was truly spectacular!!- E. Bell
Our View
Located on the quiet beach at Galu, Kinondo Kwetu is ideally located on the southern coastline of Kenya. The concept behind the lodge is one of tradition meets seclusion, and it is also one of the most versatile of the beach lodges on this coastline with family rooms and suites offered. A stunning little lodge that offers something a bit different with the spa, horse riding and nearby ruins in a relaxed and beautiful location.
We were met off the plane and had a game drive before we went to Kiota Camp. During our four days stay which you need, lost count of the number of lions we saw including a pride of 13, four tree climbing, an injured male with wire round his neck which had to be sedated with its female, by rangers and vet, and a family with a kill.The herds of elephant, zebra, giraffe, buffalo and wilderbeast were huge. We also saw five leopards and three cheetahs. One with her cub got down from her rock and walked in front of our vehicle. Best of all our driver Raymond after another early start took us to see the migration.
It was completely unimagineable. Best of all they all got across the river.
Kiota camp was great staff, wonderful food, fantastic game drives. We could hear lions every night and sometimes in the morning at breakfast. Also zebras and hyenas right outside our tent. What more could you ask for? - D & K Oates
We had an unbelievable time at Kirkmans. Our guide was a guy called Jarrud who said he knew you. He and his tracker were ultimate professionals. We just had the most exciting informative time with them. Our son was waiting to go excited pre 6am every morning and our daughter came along although sick for the first 2/3 drives.The accommodation was fine as was the food, although the food may have become a little repetitive if you were there for any length of time. Staff were very friendly and helpful. - N Coles
Kimondo - 4.5 Stars. The bed was quite comfortable and everything went very smoothly with the chemical toilet and the bucket shower. The food was very good, all things considered. It was quite strange though, we were the only ones staying at the camp during that time, and it made for quiet a lonely stay, to be honest. Since there is so much down time in the evenings with nothing to do, it just had a very quiet feel, and there were so many staff people working there and waiting on us that we felt a bit guilty. They did provide wonderful service though, and even lit a campfire every night for us. - L Levine
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