Critique of this itinerary, please
 

Trying to match our available time to our budget, our TA has come up with this suggestion for our proposed three week trip in May/June of next year:

8 nights Wilderness Safaris Fly-in in Namibia
2 nights Makgadikgadi Pans (Jacks Camp)
6 nights Desert and Delta Safari (2 at Moremi Camp, 2 at Okavango Delta Camp, 2 at Chobe Game Lodge)
2 nights at Vic Falls

By the time we allow for travel there and home, and necessary transfers, that pretty well uses up our available time.

This is our first visit to this part of the world. Any comments, please?

Looks great to me !!! Enjoy

We have been doing our sums again (the falling value of the NZ$ is starting to hurt!) and we are thinking that, if we don't feed the budgie for a couple of years, we could still do the Namibia Fly-in and the Jacks camp bits but substitute a Wilderness Safaris "Great Wilderness Journey" for the Desert and Delta 6-nighter. The WS tour has 3 nights at Jacana Camp, 3 nights at Ketumetse Discoverer Camp, 3 nights at Linyanti Discoverer Camp and 1 night at Toka Leya, Livingston.

Can anyone tell me:
1. How the Wilderness Safari camps compare with the Desert and Delta camps, both in terms of the standard of accommodation and the overall experience;
2. If, at that time of year (May/June) flooding is likely to curtail significantly any game-viewing or other activities at any of these places;
3. It appears that Wilderness Safaris uses "Explorations Vehicles" at these camps. Are they ok for game drives, etc, or are they enclosed hard-tops (or similar) with restricted viewing?

Assuming it is still within your budget, the Wilderness mobile is several days more. For that reason alone, I'd choose it.

But I also really like the 3 diverse locations of your D&D choice.

I did one Wilderness mobile and the vehicle was great--open. I'd check for sure with both Wilderness and D&D on the vehicle.

The lodging on the Wilderness mobile was simple stand up tents plus some permanent camps. All were very good and so was the food. I would expect the D&D to be fine too.

Either choice of company will have taller grass in May and early June than later. There may be more water from the heavy rains. The floods--who knows? Depends on timing of rain, duration, even plate tectonics. Sometimes LATER in the season actually means more of the flood water has arrived, while earlier in the season less has.

A few years back I tormented myself about rains and flood levels when I went to an area of the delta that was more highly dependent on flooding conditions than some other areas. The rain and flood stats were not good, the trip itself was magnficent. The worrying was for naught because Africa always comes through.

I'd go as far into June as possible. You'll have a great trip.

In these uncertain economic times, I personally would place more emphasis on budget and go with either option best fits yours. Along those lines, see if you can get any break if you do a combo of Wilderness activities. Finally, I stayed at San when it was several grades below Jack's. It still was wonderful. Now it has been upgraded, but I think it is still a little less than Jack's. All activities are the same at Jack's and San. San has a slightly better view IMO.

Great itinerary.

We are going to Namibia in November. One of the things we looked at was the Wilderness fly in safari but the agent we used found it less expensive to use another charter company for the flights so we are doing that. The logistics of what we wanted to do -- we wanted to go to Okanjima at the end of the trip and it was not available dictated the order -- so we are flying Windhoek Soussevlei staying at Soussevlei Wilderness Camp; then Okanjima, then Desert Rhino Camp and then Ongava Lodge. I don't remember the savings but it was a few hundred dollars at least. Our preference was for Desert Rhino over the other camp -- can't remember the name of it right now -- but you could sub that and eliminate Okonjima.

One thing here is that we are not with a group the whole time. Someone else who posts here did the fly in and, shile she enjoyed it, she was not thrilled with her companions -- don't remember why.

Thank you for that help, Lynn. On another thread, I have read a comment to the effect that Wilderness can provide better game-viewing drives because they have access to areas where vehicles are not restricted, whereas D&D are limited to on-road drives. Is that true for all of these locations or is Wilderness similarly restricted in some locations (or do no such restrictions apply to either)?

I was interested to read your comments on San vs. Jack's. Our TA had recommended Jack's because, as she breathlessly confided, there was a "surprise" for guests at Jack's. I had to take the wind out of her sails a bit by letting on that I knew about the surprise, having read the trip report in which someone rather thoughtlessly blew the gaff about it. TA was rather disappointed about that. Does anyone know if the "surprise" activity is offered at San as well as Jack's?

Mpkp,
Can you tell us who the other company is that you are using for charters? I think an addition of Okonjima would be an enhancer, too.

I believe it was DanaM, traveling solo in Namibia, who was put with a family that had fist fights and was bizarre. The situation was rectified after the fact to her satisfaction. I think it was more just bad luck than a shortcoming of Wilderness Safaris in Namibia.


Kiwi Rob,
I have never done a D&D trip. I'd check with them on off roading. If D&D cannot go offroad, then that's another plus for Wilderness.

There is a current report by Torrem (sp?) on Botswana that goes into depth on Moremi. Maybe you saw it.

San has all the activities of Jack's, including the surprises. The 2-night stays do not always lend themselves to the same surprises as the longer stays. So the surprises are a function of time, not location.

Oh, you did see the report on Moremi. I forgot it was the same one that mentioned Jack's.

Thanks, Lynn.
You really are superb in the prompt and helpful responses that you give.
Rob.

Regarding the offroading, as far as I know, it only depends on whether the camp is on a National Park/Reserve or on a private concession. Also, walking and nightdriving are not allowed in NPs.

Camp Moremi is in Moremi Game Reserve, hence no offroading is allowed. Chobe Game Lodge probably does the game drives in Chobe NP, so no offroading there either. Camp Okavango is in a concession just outside of Moremi, but I think is a water based camp, so no game drives there but maybe they have bush walks. Jacana Camp is also water based, I think they only offer GDs during certain months, ask them.

Rhino Africa is using Scenic Air in Namibia for us. They have regular chartered service which came out less expensive. Originally, we looked at doing the Wilderness safaris fly in and then going to Okanjima when that was done but Okanjima was not available then. We ended up having to do it in the middle. We are missing the stop in Swapkomund and the flight up the Skeleton coast that Wilderness makes does. So there was something left out this way.