dwc0201

I sent in a question a couple of weeks ago and I find myself having second thoughts so I need to ask your help again.

We are planning a trip in early September 2007 and I know that camps can be much different in dry season rather than during rains. I was planning on Victoria Falls,Chitabe and Duma Tau and one other camp-little Vumbura, Makalolo plains, Somalisa? After that to Cape Town.

At this point I am wondering if I should be considering Zambia instead. Still starting in Vic Falls but then doing three camps-Luangwa River Lodge, Puku Ridge, and one other. Then down to Cape Town.

Can anyone comment on my concerns:
Where will I have better game viewing?

Will I have too much travel with my Zambia itinerary? both between camps and also between VF and Cape Town.

Will the weather be roughly the same?

I want mostly land camps with some water for variety-do I have that in both?

What would you choose and any other differences I should be considering?

Thanks so much

Debbie

mistadobalina

I am planning a trip for the same time. I was going to do both Botswana and Zambia, but decided on Botswana only due to the heat. Zambia is HOT that time of year, and we wanted to do walking safaris in Zambia. Several people on the board suggested that wouldn't be much fun in 100+ degree heat.

Also, even though September is "dry" in Botswana, its also usually the high point for the water-level in the delta. The reason for this is that it takes several months for the rain in Angola to travel all the way down the river and settle in the Okavango. Thus, September offers good opportunities for water activities because the water level is higher.

My two cents.

matnikstym

debbie, in Sept. South Luangwa would not offer any water activities as the river will mostly be dried up, so I'd suggest Victoria Falls, Lower Zambezi (Chiawa, Chongwe) then to South Luangwa (LRL, PR) then down to CapeTown. The 100 degree walking safari isnt really that bad, you start in the early morning, hike 3-4 hours then back to the lodge before the full heat of the day. I did it and survived (and I'm a wuss when it comes to walking anyway!)

GreenDrake

As far as wildlife comparisons and travel distances I will let others comment who have experience in both countries as I have only been to Zambia.

I will,however, offer my opinion on weather in S.Luangwa in September. I did a walking safari in September and I did not find the temperatures to be oppressive.

Wild life viewing was outstanding. It was hot, but no more so that what I am used to to New England in August and probably a bit more more comfortable as it was dry. Morning walks were very comfortable and I recall starting the walks with my long sleaves rolled down and not having to roll them up until mid-morning. Mid day was very hot. I can recall watching baboons sitting out in the mid-day sun grooming each other in open un-protected fields and thinking how tough these animals are to tolerate that mid-day sun, but I was very comfortable in the shade sitting on my porch viewing animals at water holes and on the Luangwa River.

Late afternoon walks started off hot, but by the time we had sun downers at dusk we were all very comfortable. Night drives were outstanding in terms of wildlife and comfort.

santharamhari

Debbie,

It depends on what activities and quality of game-viewing you are looking for. September in all the areas you mentioned, the game-viewing will be fantastic. However, water activities wont be all that good.

If you are looking for top-quality Predator viewing (along with a wide diversity of predators) i would suggest stick to your original plan of Botswana, and Hwange camps. You have a great chance to see cheetah and wild dogs, along with spotted hyenas, lions in plenty and leopards.

In either option, you would be able to see large numbers of Elephants in Sept. More hippos/crocodiles in the Zambia option.

For the Botswana segement, i will just make one comment. If i were you....i would do Chitabe/Selinda and Little Vumbura. Basically, Selinda instead of Duma Tau.

Although, i would love to visit the Hwange camps, that you mentioned.....they should be very very nice. The hide is another option in Hwange. www.thehide.com

Hari

spiegelcjs

santharamhari:

Why do you say to substitute Selinda for Duma Tau for September. What would your comments be for June/July?

santharamhari

I just said, if i were you...i would do Selinda instead of Duma Tau at any time.....June or Sept.

Duma Tau is a bit more wooded than Selinda and is not as easy as Selinda/Zib area to follow the dogs while they are hunting. Selinda concession is huge also......and is very very well known for it's plentiful predators.

Also, has been discussed on this site before. The relationship between the guides at Duma Tau and Selinda were'nt very good. I dont know if this has changed. So sharing some sightings may or maynot be possible within the border of both concessions.

However, Kwando Lebala and Selinda have a good respect for each other, and i have visited some sightings just inside the Selinda concession. (with their permission)

Hari

dwc0201

Thanks so much for all the input so far. I am not concerned about the heat in Zambia as I live in Phoenix and so I am very acclimated to hot weather, it is actually the cold mornings and evenings in Botswana that concern me more. Although I hear it warms up quickly.

Regarding the game viewing, I am more interested in predators but I am hoping I will be able to see the hippo's, croc's and elephants somewhere in my trip. Vic Falls and whatever Zimbabwe camp I choose maybe? I would like to have a camp with good hides or waterhole viewing from camp.

I will take a look at Selinda and a better look at the Hide.

Thanks again for your guidance.

santharamhari

Dwc0201,

In Botswana, you will see plenty of Elephants, hippo and crocs.....not to worry. September the elephant herds will be spectacular also.

No, i dont think September will be as cold as say, June or July.

Hari

Roccco

dwc0201,

If it is hides you want, you cannot go wrong with Kaingo in South Luangwa. This is a fantastic camp in a remote northern part of South Luangwa National Park.

Kaingo is an owner operated camp and sits on a tall embankment overlooking the Luangwa River. You literally take 20 paces forward from your chalet and you are standing at the edge of the embankment with hippos and crocs all around you down below. That is how it was during my June 2004 visit, and in September it must be even better once the water has receded and the hippos and crocs are fighting more for the dwindling water.

A combination of Kaingo, Luangwa River Lodge and Puku Ridge would be the perfect combination, especially if you were also interested in walking safaris. Each camp is no further than a 2.5 hour drive from the other, but they will all be sufficiently different from each other so that you do not get a redundant feeling.

Here are the hides at Kaingo:

http://www.kaingo.com/overview.asp

However, given the fact that you said that you wanted water for a variety of activities, then I would suggest possibly doing only two camps in South Luangwa and then adding time in Lower Zambezi at Chiawa Camp.

I have no idea of your time frame, but something like this would offer a great value, as you would qualify for a free night at Luangwa River Lodge and Chiawa:

Victoria Falls (3)
Luangwa River Lodge (6)
Kaingo (3)
Chiawa (6)
Cape Town (4)

However, at a minimum, something like this would work great:

Victoria Falls (2)
Luangwa River Lodge (3)
Kaingo (3)
Chiawa Camp (6) (if you are going to stay even four nights, by staying one more night you get that sixth night free, so it would be a shame to stay for four nights)
Cape Town (4)

Maybe the above itinerary would allow you to also visit Puku Ridge for two or three nights?

With the above, I am not making any claim that Zambia is better than Botswana. Instead, I am only trying to provide you with feedback on what I believe would be the very best of Zambia.

atravelynn

Where will I have better game viewing?

Sept is peak game season in either place. Botswana has the edge in game viewing just about anytime of year.


Will I have too much travel with my Zambia itinerary? both between camps

The drive would be a bit longer than the flight between almost any Botswana camps. But if you add the drive to and from the airstrip, probably about even. The transport between camps in either country is usually done midday when it doesn’t interfere with your safari activity, anyway.

and also between VF and Cape Town

That should work smoothly as both are major destinations

Will the weather be roughly the same?

Hotter in Zambia, which takes on more significance when you are doing walking safaris. But these are early am as indicated by others plus it is a dry heat.


I want mostly land camps with some water for variety-do I have that in both?
One more vote for including the Lower Zambezi if you want some water activities and you choose Zambia. Little Vumbura would provide the water experience in Botswana.


What would you choose and any other differences I should be considering?
Are costs similar? I’d toss a coin for this trip and hopefully plan on another one some time in the future for the option you don't choose. Having been both places I don’t have a preference.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Roccco

Price differences...

Wilderness' 5 paw camps should be about $800 per person per night sharing for high season 2007. 5% long stay discount for 7+ nights.

Luangwa River Lodge is $500 per person per night sharing in high season 2007. Stay 5 nights get sixth night free, amounting to about a 16.7% long stay discount on a 6 night stay.

Chiawa is $695 pppns for a standard room (Wilderness 5 paw equivalent) and $795 pppns for the Superior Safari Tent (6 paw equivalent). Stay 5 nights and get the 6th night free, amounting again, to about a 16.7% long stay discount.

Kaingo and its bushcamp, Mwamba, in high season 2007 is $490 per person per night sharing, with a 5% discount for a long stay of 7+ nights.

Puku Ridge has not released 2007 pricing yet, but its 2006 pricing was $440 per person per night. Assuming a 15% increase, it would be $506 per person per night sharing in high season.

For the quality of camps you get in Chiawa, Luangwa River Lodge, Kaingo and Puku Ridge, all of them are a very good value. The only time you would lose significant time is in transfering from South Luangwa to Lower Zambezi but this is avoidable by booking a direct flight between Mfuwe to Lower Zambezi.

A few more camps...Chongwe River Camp is only $480 per person per night for high season 2007 and Kasaka River Lodge is only $375 per person per night sharing in high season 2007. My guess would be that Sausage Tree Camp will come in around $595 per person per night in high season 2007.

dwc0201

Such great information. We will probably only do 7 nights Safari so the discounts won't kick in but that is okay, especially for a first trip I don't want to over commit to Safari time. I know I will love it but my husband barely knows where we are going.

Thanks for all the advice

santharamhari

I have to agree with Lynn.......do two seperate trips.......one to Botswana and the other to Zambia. In whatever order that appeals to you!

I think you should add a couple of nights to your 7 nights safari portion. To me, 2 nights at VF and 3 nights at Cape Town are plenty to do everything. I am sure everyone will enjoy the safari the most......

Hari

PredatorBiologist

dwc: as far as predator viewing keep in mind that you have a much better opportunity to see cheetah and African wild dog in Botswana, while you have a good chance to see lion, hyena, and leopard on both itineraries. You do have a much better chance to observe crocs in Zambia.

I agree you will likely want to do both trips at one time or another.

dwc0201

I think that is my biggest concern is whether the game viewing will be as strong in Zambia. With the price difference I am leaning towards Zambia and I am hoping because it is high season I will see the close to the same number of predators in Zambia as in Botswana. I am sure we can have great accomodations and service in both places so I guess my major concern was travel in Zambia being ground versus air and being further from South Africa, and the game viewing.

Debbie

matnikstym

Debbie-I was in South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi last October and saw lions in both places, wild dogs, a genet and servil in SL and a fleeting glimpse of a leopard in Lower Zambezi.
(saw more leopards in March in SL). All ground transfers between camps in SL can be considered game drives but you have to fly between SL and LZ. (short flight and you will get a morning and evening game drive from both places) You'll end up in Lusaka for your transfer to JNB/CPT and that is around a 2 hour flight. In SL you'll see hundreds of elephants, hippos, zebra, puku, kudu and everything else. Having never been to Botswana, I can't compare, but you won't be disappointed in Zambia, guranteed!

johan_belgium

Debbie,

I visited both countries and in my opinion Botswana has the better gameviewing of the two.

Elephants are best seen in Chobe and the Linyanti/Lebala area.

If predators is what you are looking for then I would recommend to go to

Chitabe or Chitabe trails/
Selinda or Lebala/
Little Vumbura or Duba Plains.

If you decide to go to Zambia, don't miss Kafue (Busanga plains) which normally offers excellent lion, roan and sable sightings. It's wild and one of the most remoted places I've been to. It's also the best place in Zambia to see cheetah although you have far better chances of seeing them in the Selinda-Lebala-Linyanti area.


What did I see when I was in Zambia in September 2005:

- Kafue (Lufupa) (4 nights) (lion pride with two cubs - we always saw a leopard during our night drives)
- Kafue (Shumba) (2 nights) (two big lion prides - one of the prides had eight cubs - serval - sable and roan antelopes - a fight between lionesses of two different prides)
- Nsefu (South Luangwa) (4 nights) (one lion pride/one leopard/two lionnesses lying at the river bank)
- Tena Tena (South Luangwa) (4 nights)
We had an average of two leopards on every drive - lions killing a buffalo calf that was stuck in the mud - they first chased away hyenas and later on they brought the cubs to feed on the carcass - two lionesses feasting on a puku) - a herd of 50 eland
- Sausage Tree Camp (3 nights) - mating lions - lions feasting on a full grouwn buffalo.

Of course we saw elephants, hippos and crocodiles (best sightings at South Luangwa).

So you can't go wrong with both of them.

Greetings,

Johan

santharamhari

Hi Johan,

I'm pretty excieted about next month.....

Debbie,

Those camps Johan mentioned Chitabe/Selinda/Lebala hv IMO, your best opportunity to see wild dogs.

Hari

matnikstym

Johan~not fair you saw leopards on almost all of your drives in South Luangwa!!