Hello all,

We have finally (I hope) nailed down our trip to Botswana and Zambia for September and would love to have some help regarding guides and tent locations (and any other general advice about what to expect at the places we're staying). Also, we've never made any specific requests regarding individual guides or rooms, so any advice about how to go about this (how soon, for example) would be greatly appreciated. (We are using African Adventures as our travel agent.) Anyway, we leave the US on Sept. 6 and our final itinerary looks like this:

1 night Jo'burg - InterContinental Airport Hotel
4 nights - Zarafa Camp (Old Zib)
4 nights - Savuti Camp
3 nights - Duba Plains
4 nights - Little Vumbura
4 nights - Little Mombo
3 nights - Islands of Siankaba (Zambia)

We reluctantly gave up on staying at the new &Beyond Xudum since we just haven't been able to get very good reports on the wildlife viewing. It sounds like a wonderful property, but since the wildlife is more important than the property (although we always love it when we can get both!), we replaced it with Duba Plains. Hopefully Xudum and Xarrana will be more seasoned on our next trip!

We're most interested in recommended guides and any tents to request (or to avoid). We've never stayed in a Wilderness Property before, so any advice about what to expect from them would be very helpful as well.

This itinerary has mostly been planned through the wonderful help and advice on this board....thank you so much for always being so helpful and candid.

Debbie

Wowie Zowie!

You probably are aware Duba is known for lion-buffalo interactions. It will likely be a highlight of your stay and is my fav Botswana camp, so I think you made a great move.

I'll make one recommended switch of a single day. I'd do 4 at Duba and 3 at one of the other locations, maybe Zarafa for these 2 reasons.

(1) Depending on when the lions last ate, you may need four days to see some real activity again. That was my case. Each day was rewarding, but it took 4 days for another serious hunt because the lions killed the day before I arrived. (2) If the lions head to an area that is inaccessible, you may need to wait a day or two for their return. They don't go away for long, but 4 days gives you better odds. In September you are less likely to have this problem because water levels decrease. But this year there were extremely high floods, so it may be a consideration even this long into the dry season. For a year or two, including when I was there, the area never did dry out enough for access to the whole region.

The reason I'd knock one off of Zarafa is that Savuti and Zarafa are somewhat similar, moreso than your other choices. Duba, with the lions and buffalo is unique in all of Africa! Though you may see hunting lions nearby in Vumbura as well.

James 007 is a great Duba guide and he was with the Jouberts for the couple of years they filmed Relentless Enemies. He usually takes off Sept, but if a request is put in early enough--like now--he can rearrange his time off. I asked him how he felt about altering his time off and he told me he was fine with it because he just swaps the holiday time. So you are not putting a burden on him from what he told me. It seemed the request for his service was an honor that he appreciated and he did not mind altering his days off to accommodate it. But I'm sure anyone there is good.

You might want to ask about this option. If the floods have not prevented it, maybe a land transfer between Duba and L Vumbura would work. They are very close and it only takes 5-10 minutes to fly between them. I flew between them and thought to myself that if I ever had the opportunity again, I'd try to drive and see animals and terrain along the way. I specifically asked if you'd likely see anything if you drove and the answer was yes it was a nice game drive and an interesting drive. So you can investigate this if you wish. You'll have other longer plane rides in the delta to enjoy the spectacular aerial view.

If BB is still at Zib-now-Zarafa he is a gem. He's fairly reserved and knows his stuff.

4 nts Little Mombo should be fantastic!

Atravelynn, you are so helpful! Every time I've posted a question you've been very generous in your response. I will definitely see if we can swap a day off the Zarafa/Savuti combo and add a day at Duba. If we had to take the day off Savuti rather than Zarafa, would you recommend that as well? I've been hesitant to reduce a day at Savuti because I've read such wonderful reviews and look forward to the hide in particular, but having never been to any of these places I trust your judgement. I'll put my request in for James 007 right away and hopefully he will be able to switch around. I've heard others talk about him and he sounds fabulous.
We'll ask for BB as well. Thank you very much!

You're very welcome. You could cut the day at Savuti too, or LV.

Here's why I think Zarafa--I believe that area has experienced some tectonic plate shifts that allow more water, which is healthy for the region and nice for the wildlife, but it also makes game viewing a little tougher. There are lots of mopane tree forests around there that animals can hide in and when water is plentiful they can drink what they need in the forest without heading into the open areas to seek water. That combined with more floods this year means it may be a little tougher to find animals. I experienced that at Zib in 2006. It still was great, the landscape was beautiful, the birds were outstanding, and I'm not complaining about a pack of wild dogs making 3 appearances in one day (2 at camp), a night time caracal, and a lovely cheetah. But it was sparser than some other places. Maybe luck also played a role.

With the places you are going, whether 3 days here or 4 days there, it will be a fantastic trip.

Thanks for the advice. I don't mind looking a little harder for the animals....I think that adds some fun to the adventure, especially if the results are wild dogs, caracal (which I've never seen) and a cheetah! With a day like that, I'm surprised that a pangolin didn't wander into your tent . Luck always plays a role, but so does patience and a good pair of "critter eyes"! When I return, I'll post a long trip report....

Take care,
Debbie

"! With a day like that, I'm surprised that a pangolin didn't wander into your tent"

Maybe it did. Some little critter had a snack on some of the complimentary crackers or pretzels. I was thinking a little mouse, but a pangolin is a much more exciting prospect.

"caracal (which I've never seen)"
I barely saw it as it scurried across the road at night. Glad BB pointed it out.