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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Kulandila Camp - South Luangwa
Our View
Kulandila Camp is in an excellent wildlife viewing location in the mighty South Luangwa National Park, and as one of the park’s most southerly lodges, it avoids most of the crowds. Old school luxury is the name of the game here: being close to nature, reclining in an outdoor bath, and enjoying an al-fresco meal under the stars. Tents are spacious, and with only four, a truly personalised and exclusive experience is guaranteed.
Our Rating:
Cost: $950
Kungwe Beach Lodge - Mahale Mountains
Kungwe has developed into a reasonably good lodge and is the only alternative to the luxurious Greystoke Mahale; its superior neighbour. It is the value option in Mahale, and in our opinion if you travel the distance to Mahale we feel you should try and pay the extra and stay at the world famous Greystoke with noticeably better guiding, service and quality.
Our Rating:
Cost: $600
Kusini Tented Camp - Serengeti, North
Kusini is fabulous. It has an excellent location, in the depths of the southern Serengeti, far away from the crowds. It has extremely high standards of service and overall quality. And is, in our view, one of the best places to watch the Migration from whe the herds are in the south of the Serengeti. Prices have been creeping up a little and its nearby competition can offer a similar experience for less money, but it is the remoteness that wins it for Kusini.
Our Rating:
Cost: $850
Kutali Camp - Lower Zambezi
Our View
Kutali is what Zambian bush camps are all about: the wildlife is spectacular, guiding is world class, and the camp has a characterful rustic charm only a safari can offer, but with the personalised service five star hotels could only dream of.
Our Rating:
Cost: $
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
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