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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4 Rivers - 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
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Cost: $929
Atzaro Okavango Camp - Okavango Delta
Our view
Atzaro offers a luxurious hideaway in the Okavango Delta without going over the top. As one of Africa Bush Company’s flagship ‘icon’ properties, this is some of their best work, with chic designs, private pools - and quite honestly, anything your heart desires - in a wonderful game viewing area. It’s a brilliant Delta option for earthy luxury, and the wildlife experiece is equally as impressive.
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Baines - Okavango Delta
Our View
The central areas at Baines are stunning and with only 4 rooms the lodge is one of the most exclusive throughout the whole of Botswana. The food and service is top class. Couple all this with the fact that the elephant interaction on offer, with ‘Elephant Guardian’ Douglas Alan Groves, being one of the most unique experiences on offer and you have the making of a top safari lodge. However…the resident game in the area is poor in comparison to elsewhere and neighboring Stanleys is quite a bit cheaper. So, for this reserve we actually prefer Stanleys and believe that a 2 night stay is sufficient. Overall, good but not quite good enough
Our Rating:
Cost: $1,205
Banoka - Okavango Delta
Our View
Located on the banks of the Khwai River, Banoka Bush Camp is situated in the north-eastern corner of the Okavango Delta, adjoining the Moremi Game Reserve. The accommodation comprises ten en-suite tented rooms complete with private verandas. As a family camp that welcomes children over 6 years old, Banoka offers two family tents each accommodating two adults and two children. A great selection of game drives, night drives, boating, mokoro trips, fishing and walking activities are available.
Our Rating:
Cost: $695
Beagle Expeditions - Okavango Delta
Our View
Beagle Expeditions offers a brilliantly authentic mobile camping experience with an unmatched family-run atmosphere. Owned by Simon and Marleen Byron, with 30 years in Botswana safaris, you’re in expert hands here on the ultimate Okavango Delta adventure.
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Cost: $
Camp Moremi - Moremi
Camp Moremi was my favorite of the 3 camps we visited during our 8-day long safari in Botswana. This was all because of the the staff, who were particularly wonderful.- L Frost
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Cost: $829
Camp Okavango - Okavango Delta
Our View
Camp Okavango, a unique and exclusive African safari camp is situated on the remote Nxaragha Island. This hidden treasure, in the heart of the permanent Okavango Delta, assures its guests of an unparalleled year-round water wilderness experience.
Our Rating:
Cost: $920
Chiefs - Moremi
The Game Drives at Chief's Camp were particularly good!! The night of the 'Supermoon' (14th November) was great and produced a fabulous sunset and a Pelican 'fly past', which was truly amazing!! We have photos that captured the event which will provide great memories for us both.- G. Prigmore
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Cost: $1,795
Chitabe - Okavango Delta
Chitabe was a real surprise . If you remember it was a sort of last minute addition because of flights or camp availability I can’t remember. If anything this was the best and we would have liked to have stayed longer. Perhaps our view was distorted by the 22 wild dogs which I believe are the same pack as the recent documentary. - G. Bradburn
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Cost: $1,841
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