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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Kuyenda, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia - South Luangwa
Our View
Many clients travel to Kuyenda simply due to sharing their experience in the Luangwa with Phil Berry, one of the Luangwa's best and most legendary guides. He certainly is a massive reason to choose this camp over others. Leaving his excellent guiding and hospitality aside, Kuyenda is a great little camp and a favourite in the office.
Our Rating:
Cost: $870
Kwandwe - Other Reserves
Our View
Kwandwe is a 22 000 hectare game reserve two hours’ drive to the north of Port Elizabeth. This is a great malaria free safari option to combine with an itinerary featuring Cape Town and the Garden Route. This is a big 5 game reserve, but is particularly good for viewing the rarer aardwolf and aardvark.
Our Rating:
Cost: $600
Kwara - Okavango Delta
Kwara was a good place to start off. We were fortunate in having George as our driver/guide - mature, very well informed about all the wildlife and with a good sense of humour. As there were four of us we mostly went on drives on our own with George and a spotter, although the camp was full. The rest of the staff were very helpful and friendly. The accommodation was very adequate and certainly a far cry from our first safari experience in 1985, with electric light, running water and flushing loos now! The food was fine - although the Christmas turkey was the size of an average chicken and meant to feed about 20 of us! Plentiful wine and all sorts of spirits though.We enjoyed the dance/singing routine before dinner (twice), which was just as much for the staff's benefit as the punters'.
There were plenty of animals to see - lots of lion, elephants, giraffe etc. at close range to the camp and, of course, loads of birds. The river safari was good once they had got the boat working and fortunately the punters at little Kwara (friends of Matthew's) came to our rescue several times when the boat stalled!
- D Jeans
Our Rating:
Client Rating:
Cost: $929
Kwetsani - Okavango Delta
Our View
Kwetsani is a magnificent camp, set high up in the trees on an island that looks over the Northern plains of the Jao flats. We really like this camp as it is extremely spacious, has stunning views and great balance between activities. With only 5 rooms, all spread out along the fringes of the island you can be sure to find your escape and privacy here. We love Kwetsani and actually think it is the best camp in this whole concession!
Our Rating:
Cost: $1,753
Kwihala Camp - Ruaha
At Kwihala lodge the staff did everything for our well feeling and the food was excellent. Our guide Lorenzo was very professional - he knows how to find and show us the game so we saw so many many lions, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, elephants, buffalos and colourful birds.- A. Fuellemann
Our Rating:
Client Rating:
Cost: $741
Kyambura Gorge Lodge | Uganda Safari - Uganda
Our View
Sitting atop the escarpment to the North East of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kyambura Gorge Lodge offers a great base from which to explore the National Park or for hiking in the Gorge. It's position gives sweeping views over the vast park below and the gorge to the North - on a clear day the Rwenzori Mountains rise up far in the distance completing the picture of this beautiful corner of Uganda.
Our Rating:
Cost: $380
Kyaninga Lodge - Uganda
Our View
Tucked away in the beautiful countryside surrounding Kibale Forest, Kyaninga is one of Uganda's best lodges. Just a scenic one hour drive to Kibale Forest for a chimp trek, but there is a lot more to it than that. Numerous beautiful walks nad hikes can be done straight from the lodge and it overlooks a stunning Crater Lake perfect for a swim, a kayak or a paddle board. Focused as much on the local community as they are on providing an exceptional stay in Uganda, Kyaninga is a gem.Our Rating:
Cost: $385
L'Archipel - Praslin
Our View
One of the better mid range hotels on Praslin - it is a close call between L'Archipel and La Reserve. L'Archipel has a reasonable beach though is close to the famous beach at Anse Lazio. Nice but simple rooms stretched over the extensive gardens and great food.
Our Rating:
Cost: $230
La Residence - Cape Town
Our View
Situated on a thirty acre estate in the idyllic Franschhoek countryside, La Residence is without doubt the most luxurious hotel in the area. With beautiful and tranquil natural surroundings, this is the perfect hotel for couples and honeymooners looking to enjoy time away from Cape Town central in an extremely lavish setting.
Our Rating:
Cost: $660
Lagoon - Kwando
This was our favourite camp! The location was great, the guide and tracker were very nice and we had some great sightings (Matt and .. ). It was great to spend our last days in Botswana with these wonderful people. In Lagoon camp we had the family room and 1 double room. Having the additional double room was not really necessary because the family room could easily have fitted all 5 of us . The campmanager told us that this family room can be booked for 5 people. This is probably good to know for you because families can save some money this way. - R Blom
Our Rating:
Client Rating:
Cost: $1,350
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