Guestbook

In 2025, with Elefant-Tours, we were able to make a long-cherished dream come true: a 20-day self-drive tour through Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe – from Windhoek via Etosha National Park to the impressive Victoria Falls.

The trip was prepared in close cooperation with Nicole Petersen, who supported us competently, very kindly and with great commitment at all times. She gladly worked our wishes for private camps into the route, so that a trip perfectly tailored to us came about.

Our adventure began with the pick-up of an almost new 4x4 vehicle in Windhoek. After a restful night at the Heinitzburg Boutique Hotel, the next morning we set off for Okonjima Nature Reserve, a privately run reserve dedicated to protecting cheetahs and leopards. There, on our safaris with our experienced ranger, impressive first encounters with the diverse wildlife awaited us.

From Okonjima Nature Reserve our journey took us on to Ongava Private Game Reserve, which was likewise organised by Ms Petersen exactly as we had imagined. Via Onguma Nature Reserve and Etosha National Park we then continued to the green, water-rich Kavango region – a lovely contrast to Namibia's otherwise rather dry landscapes.

Another highlight of our trip was Nambwa Tented Lodge, where we were able to experience wildlife up close. For example, we had the extraordinary opportunity to watch a leopard very close to our tent, which noisily drove off a pride of lions in the night. The crowning finale of our trip was Victoria Falls, whose impressive beauty we were able to experience up close from the air on a helicopter flight.

For us, this trip was without doubt “the trip of a lifetime”. We would not have expected to be able to experience such diverse wildlife in its natural habitat. Together with the carefully chosen camps and hotels, and the encounters and conversations with other travellers and our rangers, these experiences will stay with us forever.

Dear Ms Petersen, we would like to thank you warmly for your patience, your flexibility and your professional care. You put together an unforgettable trip for us! Even though we are only getting in touch now, we would like to express our thanks. Your personal and competent manner made this trip something special for us. We are happy to recommend you to every traveller to Africa and, on any future Africa trip, would count on your support again at any time.

Warm greetings from the two of us in Munich!

Martina and Bernhard R.

Our self-drive trip for two in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe was a dream.
Mr Meyer's perfect organisation was outstanding. Everything worked out brilliantly!

We experienced a wonderful mix of impressive nature, glorious colours, friendly people everywhere and incredibly great wildlife.

The people we met love their country and, on excursions and game drives, walks and boat trips, gave us an insight into another world that we will draw on for a long time.

It was a trip like none we have ever had before! Thank you so much!

16-day dream holiday from Namibia to Victoria Falls

The four of us set off in July on our Namibia small-group tour. Already at the airport we were warmly welcomed by our wonderful guide Obi. Overall our travel group was a very relaxed and likeable group of 9, aged 23 to 83.

In a comfortable Sprinter from Windhoek to the red dunes at Sossusvlei, from there via Swakopmund to Etosha National Park, then via Botswana to Victoria Falls. We went on the safaris in the parks in open vehicles.

There was so much to discover: the different landscapes, the people and above all the animals. Obi could tell us so much from his personal experience and his wealth of knowledge about the country and its history and especially about the wildlife. That made the drives from one lodge to the next very entertaining.

For him, looking after guests is a calling; you notice straight away how much he enjoys it. He caters to all the wishes of the travel group and is very concerned that everyone is happy. He stays calm in every situation and finds a solution for every problem and every wish.

We felt very comfortable. The various lodges were very well chosen, and there was a bit of a safari feel by the river, which our daughters especially loved. The organisation of the trip and the excursions was very good.

As we travelled in July, the temperatures were very pleasant: cool in the morning and evening and warm during the day, but very bearable. You can really travel with light luggage; a jumper and a warmer jacket should be included. I can recommend the trip wholeheartedly, especially with Obi as guide.

Many thanks to Obi and the entire organising team.

We liked this trip very much. From Maun to Victoria Falls everything worked out perfectly. We were very well and kindly looked after by our guide.

The advice was very competent. Ms Larissa Walter made the trip sound appealing to us, rightly so!

Very good suggestions and wonderfully worked-out options.

Considering that we were able to travel as a mini-group, we felt like kings in paradise. Together with our guide we could enjoy the safaris as we pleased. No rush, we had plenty of time for impressive moments.

The price was justified and the services excellent.

Our guide, Mr Kaiser Mbwe, is simply the best!!!

He practically anticipated our every wish, very helpful and at all times very friendly and competent.

We did not have to worry about anything; everything worked to our complete satisfaction.

The route we chose unconsciously, but it was totally right. First the “dry side”, then the “wet side” was extremely impressive. Pure nature, the many animals in the respective areas, we were totally thrilled.

Every day was “just another beautiful day in paradise”. All the lodges were totally well chosen. The helpful and nice people everywhere. Animals right up to the lodges invited hours of observation. Fantastic, indescribable.

The accommodation after the safari, Courtney Lodge, is very nicely located, a little secluded. You feel as if you are in an idyllic, wonderful park and can enjoy the peace. Only the noise of the flights of the fly-in safaris over Victoria Falls was somewhat disturbing.

Overall impression: overwhelming, thrilled and very satisfied. However, we will not be making any further trips to Africa. The nice people we met in the lodges said we were “crazy people” to still be taking such trips at our age….

Our round trip through southern Africa was an unforgettable experience! The route offered a perfect mix of desert, sea, safari adventure and the majestic Victoria Falls – plus impressive landscapes and fascinating flora and fauna.

Thanks to our likeable and extremely experienced guide we felt very well looked after at all times. The accommodation was varied – partly luxurious, partly rather basic. Especially with the high temperatures, we would have liked air conditioning in some lodges.

We were especially thrilled by the diversity of the wildlife: we actually got to see all of the “Big Five” and gained deep insights into the lives and behaviour of the animals.

The encounters with the other travellers were also very pleasant – a great group with many lovely shared moments.

In Botswana we experienced beautiful landscapes, but it was very touristy there. Because of the large number of boat safaris, the animals are noticeably disturbed in their habitat in places – that gave us pause for thought.

The programme overall was very extensive, which meant the days were often long and intense. Unfortunately that left little time to enjoy the lodges, as there was a change of location almost every day. Around the middle of the trip it would have been nice to spend a second night in the same lodge, to come to rest a little and experience the surroundings more intensively.

Conclusion:
A breathtaking trip that we will never forget – full of natural wonders, exciting impressions and unforgettable encounters.

My Botswana tour was almost 2 months ago now and I do not want to miss the chance to thank you for the outstanding organisation.

In the end everything went perfectly with the flights, luggage and transit. Next time , however, I would fly both long-haul legs with LH – it is somewhat more comfortable than Discover.

I can only praise Bushways in the highest terms. Guide and cook were excellent, as was the team spirit in the group. I and others also liked how the guide Gabriel sometimes insisted on discipline with the paying Europeans. Departure is at 6 and not at 3 past 6 – that has to be better tomorrow 😀.

He also always behaved respectfully towards the animals and never jostled for position like other safari drivers. He often knew exactly how the animals would behave and parked smartly, so that lions and the like walked right past us.

The equipment (tents, mattresses, etc.) was of the best quality and the Bushways safari vehicles are very cleverly thought out too. Many charging sockets at the front (USB, European and SA sockets), fridges under the rows of seats, a water treatment unit and so on. And on the trailer with the bush kitchen and so on, everything had a sensible place, and when changing camp the group could stow everything in no time in teamwork with K.K. the cook.

But there was one overwhelming common denominator throughout the international, well-travelled group: The immediacy of the nature experience was the USP of this trip and will stay with all of us forever. Hyenas, hippos and honey badgers in camp, lions and leopards roaring, and an elephant watching me shower – MEGA!!!

If we go on safari again, then only with Elefant-Tours.

From 22 June 2025 to 20 July 2025 we travelled in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

We travelled for 18 days as self-drivers through Namibia and then for 12 days on a small-group tour through Botswana with a stay in Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls.

It was an absolute dream trip, which Ms Petersen of Elefant-Tours put together for us. The daily routes were well planned, not too long, so that we could often still go on game drives in the afternoon; the lodges, guesthouses and tented camps were simply top-notch.

Everything worked out superbly. Our highlights were lots and lots of animals at Etosha Pan, the helicopter flight over Victoria Falls and, finally, the stay at Setari Camp in the Okavango Delta. Simply incredibly beautiful.

We can only recommend Elefant Reisen. This dream trip was absolutely outstanding.

It was a wonderful trip through Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The care from Elefant-Tours was very good. The trip was perfectly organised and our guide Mathias very obliging and friendly. We felt very comfortable and travelled home a little wistful but with many lovely impressions.

In May 2025 we travelled through Namibia, Botswana and, to finish, the impressive Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe on a 24-day, individually put-together self-drive tour.

Almost a year in advance, Nicole Petersen supported us with the planning. She turned our wishes and ideas into reality promptly and worked out suitable proposals. She also implemented requests for changes straight away, was always reachable, reliable and friendly – every phone call with her made us look forward to our trip even more.

A great service – heartfelt thanks, Nicole!

We were delighted by the personal meeting in Swakopmund , which confirmed our very positive impression. The self-drive briefing with Sven Schmidt offered by Elefant-Tours was also very helpful for a relaxed car trip through Namibia.

Namibia is a fantastic country!

The endless expanses, varied landscapes, very hospitable people who always welcomed us warmly, fascinating, exciting wildlife encounters and the great lodges in special places left us with unforgettable memories.

Many thanks to Elefant-Tours, but especially to Nicole Petersen, for the perfect organisation of our trip.

We thank Elefant-Tours and especially Ms Petersen for the great advice and 3 unforgettable weeks in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Our self-drive tour was perfectly organised and guaranteed us this intense experience.

Thank you very much,
Rainer Merkhofer and Kerstin Paulick

An unforgettable Africa trip!

A perfectly organised 18-day trip through Namibia and Botswana to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Heartfelt thanks to Ms Kassler of Elefant Tours, especially for the excellent advice and the very good coordination of the schedule and selection of lodges.

We will always remember this fantastic trip

Marion Heidenreich and Birgit Binjung

Our trip began in Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls and then went on to Botswana, to the Chobe River, Okavango Delta and Salt Pans – a fantastic and unique trip. We will always remember it. Many thanks also to Ms Franke for the great organisation.

It was truly a special experience – I'm getting goosebumps again just thinking back on it. Breathtaking landscapes in the different areas, the wildlife, the people – simply fantastic.

Building on the travel module "Highlights of Namibia and Botswana", Ms Joubert/Kayssler adapted our almost 4-week trip perfectly to our wishes: Namibia section somewhat reduced, as we had been there a few years ago, with a longer Botswana section instead, such as Deception Valley on the edge of the Kalahari Game Reserve with Deception Valley Lodge – an absolute highlight both in terms of the journey there and back and the game drives.

The organisation of the vehicle's additional equipment (2nd spare tyre, tyre pressure gauge and compressor) also worked superbly. Heartfelt thanks again for that.

The trip itself was simply f a n t a s t i c in terms of organisation, accommodation, wildlife viewing and experiences, just like our first trip with Elefant-Tours a few years ago to Tanzania (Kili climb, Serengeti safari and Zanzibar), and travelling as a self-driver is another special experience, especially when you sometimes face the local wildlife on your own.

It was actually supposed to be my last trip to southern Africa (at 71, partly for reasons of age), but after this tour, which gave the Africa travel bug plenty of fresh nourishment, it will probably be very hard, perhaps even impossible, to keep to that resolution.

We would set off for Africa with Elefant-Tours again at any time.

Warm greetings from Bavaria, now shrouded in fog, and thank you once again for your efforts.

F. Süß and the whole family

Dear Ms Walter,

we are indeed back in Germany in one piece. Our trip was dreamlike and we are still elated by all the great experiences and impressions. Our small group got on very well with our guide Keisr from Botswana Experience and the very nice American couple.

Keisr in particular, with his around 20 years of professional experience, always brought us safely from adventure to adventure and to the lodges, and was at the same time extremely skilled at tracking down lions, leopards and other rarer animals too.

The absolute highlight was MmaTsebe Tented Camp Lodge, which only opened this year, with a herd of 50 elephants that completely surrounded us for more than two hours at lunch, letting us share in their midday splashing and relaxed feeding from just a few metres away.

Betty and Till

Before our fly-in safari in Botswana we had high expectations, and they were far exceeded.

The trip was an unforgettable experience for us – also thanks to Ms Franke's perfect organisation.

Thank you very much for that!

Dear Elefant-Tours team,

I did the camping safari Botswana's Wild Side in June/July 2024 and have not regretted it. Spending every night in a tent and often having only a bush toilet and shower available is certainly not for everyone, but I can only highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys being in nature and wants to get to know Africa away from lodges too.

It is beautiful and a great adventure. Our guides were simply outstanding and great fun. What Brian cooked was absolutely fantastic.

And you could turn to them with questions at any time. The wildlife sightings were great too.

I have been on safari a few times, but was impressed again and again and could have lingered for hours in some places. My wish to see leopards came true 3 times.

My favourite places on the tour were Savuti and Victoria Falls.

I would book a tour again at any time. 🙂

Warm regards

Kristina

We enjoyed 16 wonderful days through Namibia and Botswana to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, saw impressive landscapes and many animals. Every evening we looked forward to what great lodge was waiting for us. The lodges were mostly smaller and more personal, which we liked very much. We were surprised by the great menus at white-clothed tables by the fireplace or with a view of nocturnal visitors at the waterhole. At some lodges we would have loved to stay longer, e.g. Mushara Bush Camp or Malansrus Tented Camp! What a trip!

We were of course very lucky to be only 2 couples + our guide Victor, which meant he could take personal wishes into account and we had generous space in the jeep. We think this type of vehicle is very good in general, very robust, lots of space!

Thank you very much for the perfect planning, starting with Benjamin, who gave us an informative introduction! Our special thanks go to our guide Victor from Namibia-Experience, who accompanied us on this special trip and drove with great experience. Even through a sandstorm! We learned a lot about the country and its people, about plants and animals, and you can tell that he loves this country!

Conclusion: a great group with a super guide on a unique trip!

We will definitely recommend Elefant-Tours!

Best wishes

Dear team around Ms Franke, dear Ms Franke,

once again, heartfelt thanks for your wonderful help in the run-up to the trip.

We were allowed to be the first and only guests at Karangoma Camp, so our every wish was fulfilled. Even a separate safari drive, where my friends were then lucky enough to watch wild dogs, elephant viewing with a special adrenaline rush and a good deal more. The animals at the camp are not yet used to visitors, which will surely change in future, which will then make viewing easier.

Setari Camp is a water-based camp, i.e. every day starts with a boat trip, which is unfortunately quite loud, but the guide spots animals… incredible… young croc, iguanas, birds, hippos, lechwe… a mokoro trip was a dream (without fear of hippos overturning the fibreglass boat, as side channels without crocs and hippos are chosen). However, 2 days there would really have been enough, unless you are a bird photographer 🙂

The last camp was in Linyanti… wonderfully located, about 2 hours' drive to the airstrip, as elephants had made the landing strip unusable. But that gave us our 3rd helicopter flight of approx. 10 minutes, which is simply great!! At this camp we were lucky enough to watch 2 lionesses with cubs… Wonderful!! And all on our own, without other vehicles. The accommodation, the staff, the guides, the food, everything was right.

Botswana is certainly worth a trip, even if more expensive than other parts of Africa!!!

If we go to Africa again, which I assume we will, then again with Ms Franke and Elefant-Tours!!

Many, many thanks!!!!!

we are back safely in Austria and gained many unforgettable impressions on this trip.

Thank you very much for the planning, organisation, your patience and the service!

We have never had a travel agency with this quality of service and such extensive sources of information (app, advance planning, tips).

From the start we felt in the best hands and well advised with you – and this was confirmed on site too. The lodges and the campsites were flawless (except Okaukuejo, but we expected that).

The rain spared us – only at the airport on the flight home did the first proper thunderstorm catch us 🙂

The roads were also better than expected, and thanks to Sven's tips on the route we were able to avoid the worse tracks.

The route change via Savuti and Khwai definitely paid off – that section (despite the deep-sand track) was one of our absolute highlights!

Dear Ms Franke,

Thank you for the good organisation of the fly-in safari.

We started on 2 Nov. and travelled until 10 Nov. A wonderful fly-in safari to the Okavango Delta and on to Victoria Falls. The bush camps Setari and Rra Dinare were full of experiences and very lovely.

River cruises and game drives with many wildlife encounters and very good guides. The Khwai and Chobe region with River View Lodge was also a great experience with lots of game!

To finish, Victoria Falls at Pioneers Lodge was very nice for us. Victoria Falls is worth seeing and an experience, from the air and on the ground!

We were all very satisfied and will recommend ELEFANT-TOURS!

It was a fantastic, wonderful trip from Victoria Falls to Botswana and back to Victoria Falls. Standing at the Falls, viewing them from the air, the wildlife simply superb all round.

Very special thanks to Ms Brode and the team; with questions you never had to wait long for a call back or they were answered immediately, and thanks to Ms Brode for her effort in rebooking my missed flight to the next day.

Many thanks! Keep it up.

Best wishes!

Our two-week round trip was brilliantly organised by Verena Brode. Thank you for that!

With four family members we went from Windhoek to Okonjima Nature Reserve, where we were able to watch leopards for the first time. Our journey continued via Grootfontein, the Divundu region, the Okavango River and Kwando River to Kasane. We entered Zimbabwe and visited Victoria Falls. We also enjoyed a helicopter flight there. After this highlight we continued to Gweta and early in the morning to a meerkat colony. From there, via Maun, we relaxed for the last three nights in the Khwai Community Area.

We were guided by "Esmes", who speaks good German. He is professional and gave us a lot of information about the wildlife and landscapes. And he is a superb driver.

About our camps and lodges the following can be said: the better and more expensive ones were simply lovely and we felt very comfortable there. But the rustic ones too can be described as good; only the accommodation at Planet Baobab Lodge is very much in need of renovation.

Our trip was brilliantly organised and the execution, thanks to Esmes, who was always in contact with Namibia Experience, was very good without any problems or difficulties.

A note for older travellers (over 60, 70 or even over 80): a guided tour with fixed accommodation and good sanitary facilities is a great option, especially for older people who also don't speak the language so well, for such a magnificent round trip, which was worked out according to our wishes. Everything was organised for us, including the border crossings into Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls and the various means of transport. We could concentrate on the most beautiful landscapes and wildlife viewing.

Dear Ms Walter,

a wonderful trip is drawing to a close and we are heading back with many lovely memories and experiences.

Our guide Jonge/Jürgen and our fellow travellers were great.

Everything worked excellently and went smoothly, thanks to your preparation!

It will certainly not be the last trip to this region 😉

Warmest regards

Nicole and Marc

Private safari Botswana/Victoria Falls, 18.5.2023 – 1.6.2023, a
"once in a lifetime experience" put together and perfectly organised by Ms Franke.

We got to know 3 different camps: at first we were in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and then in 2 camps in the Okavango Delta; between camps we travelled in small aircraft and so could get to the next destination comfortably and quickly.

The guides and trackers were without exception very experienced and you could feel the joy with which they did their job; the mood during the game drives was always relaxed and we had a lot of fun together.

We accompanied cheetahs on the hunt, watched a male lion crossing a river, saw 2 leopards that had to haul their prey up a tree trunk and defend it against hyenas… and on and on… priceless moments!!! To finish we also visited the imposing Victoria Falls, a worthy end to an indescribably beautiful trip!

From Johannesburg to Victoria Falls
We had an excellent 14 days, mostly in Botswana. Thanks to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary, the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, the Makgadikgadi Pans and Chobe National Park, seeing the Big Five was no problem at all. It was beautiful. We highly recommend this trip. Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, as the icing on the cake of the trip, make this holiday completely unforgettable.

Thank you to Elefant-Tours for the organisation, to Sunway Safaris for running the tour, and to Patrick, our guide!!!

After postponing our Africa trip twice because of Covid, it worked out this year: 16 days in Namibia from Windhoek to Victoria Falls (27 August – 12 September 2022) as a mini-group tour, and it was worth it. The trip was wonderful.

Our guide Moppi Tietz from Namibia-Experience looked after us superbly and through him we learned a great deal about the uniquely beautiful country of Namibia. The accommodation was very well chosen, with good food, and at one place that only offered breakfast, our guide prepared an excellent dinner on the grill for us.

Many thanks to the team at Elefant-Tours and Namibia-Experience.

Christine and Michael Gaus

From 24 September to 18 October 2022 we travelled through Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe as self-drivers. We remember the trip very fondly, as everything went perfectly.

Car rental, directions, lodges, camps and transfers were all excellent.

The route suited us well. On the safaris we always had very friendly and helpful companions.

Thank you for the great organisation

Dear Elefant-Tours team,
thank you very much for your support in planning our self-drive tour.

Our time in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe was simply dreamlike. The wildlife sightings, the friendly people, the nature and the sunsets. We were also very impressed by the food.

Every one of the accommodations was a highlight in itself. The briefing from Sven in Windhoek was also worth its weight in gold.

See you again soon!

After taking a most impressive self-drive tour through southern Namibia in 2018 (thanks to Ms Borchardt), we also wanted to get to know northern Namibia. We gave Ms Wehrle a few wishes and ideas. With her excellent knowledge of the country and her quick answers to our many questions, we were able to find the optimal itinerary quickly. It included 3,000 km of driving in the rental car, nights in 13 places to stay and a return flight from Victoria Falls to Windhoek.

The tour proved to be very well planned and varied. In the first part, from Windhoek to Grootberg, the impressive landscape and the very interesting geology predominated. We were able to get to know the surroundings of the various lodges on our own hikes and on game drives.

In the second part of the tour – from Hobatere to Mushara – the variety and number of wildlife sightings increased from day to day. Because of the drought that has already lasted for years in this part of Namibia, all the animals depended on the established waterholes, and with a little patience you could watch all the animals that occur (fairly commonly) in Etosha National Park. Only there did we meet other vehicles; on the routes to the next lodge there was very little traffic. We stayed outside the national park for two days each in outstanding places (Etosha Safari Lodge and Mushara Bush Camp) whose characters complemented each other ideally.

The third part of our tour – from River Dance to Batonka – took us to the great rivers in the Caprivi Strip and as far as Victoria Falls. Because of the incomparable wildlife (Figs. 2 and 3), here too we stayed two days each at the various lodges. In retrospect, in some places, such as River Dance, it could have been more than two days, so as to process the many unique impressions and the extensive photo material more thoroughly. Because of the time of year (September) and the drought in Angola as well, Victoria Falls were half dried up. But the rest was still more than worth the trip.

The fourth part of the trip consisted only of the return flight to Windhoek and one night near the airport. This had become necessary because Air Namibia changed the flight times after our booking and the direct connecting flight to Frankfurt was no longer possible.

We would like to thank Ms Wehrle once again most warmly for the very good organisation of this round trip. All the accommodation was outstanding, the people there extremely friendly, the daily stages were not too long and the double nights gave enough time for the sights on the spot (game drives). The rental car crossing into Botswana and all the transfers by Elefant-Tours’ partners worked impeccably. This was probably not our last trip with Elefant-Tours.

From 30.12.19 to 18.1.20 I was on the overland tour from Victoria Falls to Cape Town. Afterwards I spent 3 days in Cape Town and then another week on Zanzibar.

Overall I can say that this tour impressed me incredibly and I will draw on the experiences for a long time. It was already my second overland tour and I had been looking forward to this tour through the south-western part of Africa for a long time.

With 14 other participants and 2 tour guides we set off on 31.12.19. After a few days of getting to know each other we got on very well as a group and had an incredible amount of fun together. Our tour guides Alington and Laurine were very friendly and dedicated, and after a short time we already felt as if we had known each other forever.

Eating the meals prepared by Laurine together, then sitting together over a cold drink and chatting, laughing and marvelling together, feeling safe and secure at all times – all of that and much more made up this tour.

It led us from Victoria Falls to Chobe National Park, then to the Okavango Delta, from there to Namibia (Etosha National Park, Swakopmund, south to the big dunes and Fish River Canyon, Orange River) and then via the Cederberg to Cape Town.
What we were able to see and experience was simply magnificent.

The stay in Cape Town afterwards was lovely, but the week of relaxing on Zanzibar was dreamy. All in all a holiday I will never forget and that makes me want more of Africa!

In November 2019 we experienced the 11-day “Fish Eagle” camping safari in Botswana!

..and we are absolutely thrilled! Our expectations were exceeded by far. We were truly “in the middle of it and right up close”, with wonderful campsites where we were able to experience ourselves as guests of the wilderness. Countless goosebump moments, at night when lions roared in the immediate vicinity of the tent or by day when elephants approached the bush toilet out of curiosity; and countless other breathtaking and touching encounters…

We were very lucky to be accompanied through this time by two very special people: our guide Eddie, full of love for his country and the animals, clever and humorous, with whom we felt absolutely safe, and our cook and camp assistant OT, who managed to amaze us every day with his varied, excellent and healthy meals. The meat dishes were fantastic, and it was especially lovely that there was also a lovingly prepared vegetarian alternative (for Petra)… and great desserts! And all of it prepared over the campfire!

The highlight at the end was Victoria Falls and the great lodge there; the two of us tacked on one more day and did white-water rafting on the Zambezi! Wow! Pure adrenaline!

Here too: a great team, with a lot of emphasis on safety, which was also necessary 🙂 now and then someone does go overboard..

Many thanks to Elephant Tours, especially to Ms Berger for the competent advice, the very professional and personal service overall, and the quick support when there were problems with the return flight because of a strike at SAA!

Dear Ms Borchardt,
a wonderful and exciting trip lies behind us. Thanks to the perfect organisation by the Elefant-Tours team in Germany and on the ground, we were able to spend a carefree holiday in Botswana. The extremely friendly and helpful people in the camps contributed to this. There were no unfulfilled wishes; we were lovingly cared for.

All the camps (Chobe Elephant Camp, Pom Pom, Khwai Tented Camp, Savute Elephant Camp, Shinde) offered perfectly and lovingly furnished and clean huts or tents, excellent food, a super laundry service and more comfort.

We particularly liked the pool right at Savute Camp, where at night, thanks to the lighting, we could watch countless elephants drinking/bathing from a terrace. A wonderful spectacle!

Besides the usual animals, there were leopards to admire in every camp. Hunting wild dogs were also a highlight.
Our second trip with Elefant-Tours was a complete success. The company can be recommended most warmly.

Dear Ms Wehrle,

rather exhausted, but full of positive impressions, we returned today from our Botswana tour.
We would like to give you huge praise and thank you most warmly for the great planning.
The lodges were great. The sequence was fantastic. Each of the lodges had its own appeal. We are so positively impressed by the people we were able to meet on the ground and who looked after us there. It will certainly take us many more days before we can take in all the impressions. Everything, from the flight transfers to the transfers, ran “like clockwork”.
There is one favour I would like to ask of you. When we arrived in Maun, we were unexpectedly and extremely warmly looked after by an employee of Wilderness Tours. Because of a system failure at check-in, everything there was a bit hectic. Unfortunately we lost sight of the employee at security. We would so much have liked to thank her too for the wonderful and caring attention. Perhaps you could pass this on there for us.
I can already assure you today that at the next opportunity we will gladly use your services again. How gladly we would travel to this wonderful country again soon.
With warm regards from Hamm
Manfred Schmitz

This was the second trip we have booked with Elefant-Tours. Once again we had our trip put together individually, defining the destinations and wishes ourselves, and Elefant-Tours created a great package from that. We left Elefant-Tours a free hand with both the stages and the choice of lodges and campsites. It paid off, because all the accommodation was absolutely brilliant. All we had to do was drive ourselves, the rest was superbly organised, and so we experienced a dreamlike trip through Botswana and Namibia.

• In the Okavango Delta, the Big Five within 2 days,
• in Deception Valley, fighting giraffes and Kalahari lions,
• at Nata, hundreds of thousands of flamingos on the Makgadikgadi salt pans,
• in Chobe there was wildlife overload,
• at Vic Falls we almost walked in the footsteps of Dr Livingstone,
• in the Caprivi Strip birds, hippos and crocodiles
• and at the Waterberg scenery and rhinos

We have visited the "4 corners" of the world several times for both private and business reasons, but Namibia and Botswana were still on our "to-do list".

We have long outgrown the years when we only thought about somewhere to sleep at sunset. So we researched online how best to travel these two countries. The more we read, the less we knew what we wanted. By chance we came across the ELEFANT-TOURS portal, and in a constructive dialogue an itinerary took shape that fully met our expectations.

We chose the self-drive category with accommodation in camps, lodges and guesthouses. Included in the package were a side trip by bus to Victoria Falls and a flight into the Okavango Delta. Anyone who thinks the clocks tick differently in Africa should be told that the old Prussians could still have learned a thing or two about punctuality here.

The daily stages were chosen with care. All the accommodation had a high standard of comfort. We covered approx. 5,000 km in 3 weeks in the Nissan X-Trail. We can recommend something like this to anyone.

In September/October 2018 we did a self-drive tour through Namibia and Botswana to Victoria Falls. It was our second trip organised by Elefant Tours (the first went to South Africa in 2017). And once again the organisation and booking were perfect. All our wishes were taken into account when booking. We were rightly advised against the half-hour helicopter flight over Victoria Falls – the quarter-hour one is quite enough.
The tour itself was overwhelming. We thought long and hard about whether we could say where it was truly most beautiful – it is simply not possible. The wonderful Sossusvlei dunes (with a night in the dreamy Le Mirage Lodge), the Vreugde Farm at Etosha, the MBola Lodge in the beautiful Caprivi. The Chobe Bakwena Lodge is unbeatable, and the Okavango Delta is a place you simply have to have been.
We will definitely not be travelling with Elefant Tours for the last time. The same goes for friends of ours, who have already completed their first tour!