mad_iguana

Hi there!
I am in the process of planning a honeymoon in Southern Africa in November this year (hopefully the weather will be good!), and came across this forum, so I thought I could ask all you strangers for advice!
We are planning to arrive in Botswana on 1st November, and are hoping to spend 4 nights in the Delta, 2 nights each in Kwara Camp and Xakanaxa Camp with a boat transfer in between.
Following that, we were considering spending a couple of nights in The Garden Lodge in Kasane near Chobe National Park. However, not knowing too much about Chobe, we're not sure whether there's sufficient variety in landscape/wildlife/activities for it to be worthwhile spending time in Chobe as well as the Okavango Delta.
Has anyone been to any of these places/lodges? Are they good??
And most importantly, would spending 2 nights in Chobe as well as the Delta be overkill?
Thanks in advance!

mpkp

I believe November is the start of the rainy season in Botswana. You may want to look into that and decide if you want to go there when it is rainy and hot.

Sin nights on safari is not a alot and it would not be overkill -- a few more might be in order if you could swing it.

Chobe is known for its elephants and there are lots. We went there and the Okavango 5 years ago and felt there was a lot to do there.

I do not know the camps you sre referring to so cannot comment there. I would just take a close look at the weather an back up two months if you could do that. Then you would be in the best weather.

mad_iguana

Thanks mpkp!
Unfortunately we can't change the dates as we're getting married on 29th October so having the honeymoon 2 months earlier won't really work!
I've my fingers crossed that the rains won't have started until mid-November, and that the heat won't be too extreme. So long as it's not above 40 there'll be no worries, I think!
Thanks for your opinion on the 6 nights issue; I was kinda thinking the same myself, especially since we're going to 3 different places. We're planning to go to livingstone for Vic Falls after that too, so it should be good!
If anyone else out there knows of the lodges I mentioned or has any other thoughts on the trip, it would be very welcome!
Cheers,
M......

thit_cho

I have been to both Chobe and the delta, and the landscapes are very different, as is the abundance of game. I was there in August and we saw about 100x more animals in Chobe than we saw in the delta (the delta was still fascinating, but we tended to see small groups of elephants and buffalo, for example, but we saw groups of 100s of elephants and 1,000s of buffalo in Chobe).

mad_iguana

Thanks a million guys!
Unfortunately the plan we had has changed, as the 4 night/2 location option in the Delta isn't available anymore on the dates we have to travel.
So we're now going to spend 3 nights at Kwara, and 2 in the Chobe region. Now we have to decide between Muchenje Lodge on the western edge and one of the lodges in Kasane.
While I like the idea of being "far from the madding crowd" and in a more remote area of the region in Muchenje, I've read here (from Liz_Frazer) that Muchenje is rubbish for animal-spotting. Is this still the case? Can anyone confirm this (or deny it...)?
Thanks again!

sandi

I can comment only on our experience visiting Chobe in November. Yes, it is very hot and because it is the wet season, it is very humid. But our accommodations, at Chilwero were excellent and more than comfortable with ceiling fans.

We had rain one afternoon for a few hours, but the game drive/river safari went on as scheduled. The following morning was rather chilly, and then the rains came and we called it quits. Not only because of the rain, but the animals seemed to have gone into hiding. The rains stopped mid-morning and the balance of the day was beautiful - if hot and still humid. However, because of the rains, the animals, specifically the elephants have other resources for water and don't come to the river. So in the end, instead of seeing large herds of elephants (known to exceed 30,000) we saw all of "3" during our two days here. So it was a bit disappointing, though not being our first safari, having seen large herds before... we were okay with the other animal sightings.

While at Vic Falls, staying on the Zim side, we had a thunderstorm first afternoon, but then it was a beautiful night. Next morning for our Falls Tour it was lovely, until the skies opened again... this time more shower-liie and it was rather cooling considering the heat. Then the afternoon cleared. But what was nice about visiting the Falls at this time - it wasn't at full flow (usually during the Spring rains - Mar thru May), so we were actually able to see the entire area and not be blocked by thundering mist and need to wear raincoats and/or carry umbrellas and not be able to take photos. So there are trade-offs.

Regardless, it wasn't a complete loss, but wetter then we expected. Something you should keep in mind, but if you have no other time, at least you'll be prepared to what might be.

jeanmc

I can comment on Muchenje Lodge. We stayed there last June and had a wonderful time. Saw plenty (tons) of animals. The managers are very friendly and the food is good. The boat trip on the Chobe River was terrific - hippos, crocs, birds, and young male elephants play fighting in the water. Try it. You won't regret it.