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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Old Mondoro Bush Camp - Lower Zambezi
A very special place, so full of soul. Ryan & Pam were great hosts & all the staff were great with the girls (including extra hot water bottles & ‘beanie’ hat for Lucy on the cold morning game drives, special cooked breakfast for them both on final morning & involved them in conversations). Food was excellent & topped off by a surprise bush lunch & also a birthday cake for Claire. Watching & listening to 1 of the males roar, just feet away from us is a memory that will last with us all forever (so too the sound of 3 giggling girls, who, after all the excitement needed a comfort break on the trip back to camp!) Loved the variety of activities at OM. Just to top off the whole experience as we headed to Jeki for our flight out we came across a beautiful black manned lion with the remains of a male waterbuck he’d killed. - C Gee
Our Rating:
Client Rating:
Cost: $1,390
Olepangi Farm - Laikipia
Our View
Set in the foothills of Mount Kenya, Olepangi Farm is a real home away from home. It’s not somewhere to go if you want all the pristine, modern bells and whistles - although it does have a fantastic pool with sweeping views. The accommodation is more traditional than cutting edge, but all in all, this farmhouse offers a fantastic base in a setting you could stick on the back of a postcard and write home about.
Our Rating:
Cost: $375
Oliver's - Tarangire
The Camp manager Ken picked us up at the Tarangire airstrip, and every one else on our flight went to other vehicles, so we had the most amazing personal first safari before going to the camp. We even saw Wild Dogs. Michelle really made us feel welcome and like everything we saw on our drives or walks were important. The staff, from Andrew who looked after us with wake up calls, our room, and evening escorts was so friendly, the rest of the staff were so great... you never told us we would put on weight, food was fantastic! The guides; Mizanga our driver, and Alex our walking guide were not only informative, but had amazing eyes, told us such great stories and history, and we all had a lot of laughs. Highlight included our first day and not being able to return to our tent because a group of elephants were on the trail, or just sitting on our little deck and watching the elephant troops wander across the valley in front of us. - We were really sad to leave our first camp, and I wouldn't hesitate to go back their again... Tarangire is stunning!!!! - D Warfield
Our Rating:
Client Rating:
Cost: $817
Ololo - Nairobi
Our View
Given the horrendous traffic situation in Nairobi it is often quicker to spend a night in Nairobi National Park rather than a main hotel. Ololo fits this bill and is roughly the same price as one of the horrid Nairobi hotels, and you get game to boot!
Our Rating:
Cost: $260
Omali - Sao Tome
Our View
As the only real option on the island of Sao Tome, it is lucky that Omali is handily located 1.5km form the airport and is a beautiful spot with fantastic service and rooms.
Our Rating:
Cost: $200
Our View
The One & Only Reethi Rah Resort is located in the North Male Atoll just a short 45 minute speedboat from Male International Airport, One & Only Reethi Rah is a luxury five star resort.
Our Rating:
Cost: $1,365
One and Only - Cape Town
Our View
Located in the heart of Cape Town’s fabulous Victoria & Alfred Waterfront the new One & Only is a contemporary hotel with one of the best locations in the main tourist hotspots of the city. Although it is a large corporate hotel, the standard of service and attention to detail is very high.
Our Rating:
Cost: $350
One and Only St Geran - Mauritius, East Coast
Our View
The One and Only St Geran is yet another of Mauritius's most famous hotels. Often refered to as the Grand Dame of Mauritius this hotel is reasuringly expensive and delivers time and time again.
Our Rating:
Cost: $420
Ongava Lodge - Etosha
Our View
Ongava Game lodge is the largest of Wilderness Safaris lodges in Etosha and ultimately are least favourite. As much as we appreciate the quality of the operational side of this lodge we don’t see the point of spending the same amount here as at Ongava Tented Lodge but getting what we believe is a far less quality experience. In our view the only reason to stay here would be because clients are hesitant about staying in a tented camp! It is rare for us not to like a Wilderness Safaris lodge – they are after all the best operator in the whole of Southern Africa but as much as this lodge is quite good value, the experience at Ongava Tented right next door is far superior.
Our Rating:
Cost: $837
Ongava Tented Lodge - Etosha
Our View
Ongava Tented Camp is a charming small tented camp in a private reserve owned by Wilderness Safaris just outside Etosha. There are only eight rooms here, all of which look over a small watering hole that attracts game throughout the day and night. The camp is stylish, very well run and is beautifully unpretentious. The location enables guests to make use of the private reserve it is located in but also to game drive into Etosha. Overall a great little camp and our first choice for good value accommodation in Etosha.
Our Rating:
Cost: $837
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