I am planning a Safari for September 2007. My current plan is a couple of days in Victoria Falls then three camps for 2-3 nights each and finally down to Cape Town.

I am thinking of Duma Tau and Chitabe in Botswana and from there I am stuck on the third camp. I have read that I should do a water camp but it seems that is mostly going to bring us more birds which don't really interest me. I admit to being a bit all over the place on this but I have been thinking about Makololo as well as someplace in Zambia such as Luangwa River Lodge or Chichele but apparently that means alot more travel time. Any ideas on what might give me a different experience? Also Chitabe Main or Chitabe Trails?

Thanks to all!

dwc,

Zambia would be an excellent option but it is quite a distance to go to South Luangwa for only 2 or 3 nights.

Perhaps a good option would be to visit Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, a mere 2.5 hour drive from Victoria Falls. Wilderness has some great looking camps in Hwange but they tend to be bigger camps. I would suggest that you consider Somalisa Camp a brand new tastefully constructed camp found here:

www.africanbushcamps.com

This would be your best opportunity to see rhinos on your trip and the overall gameviewing should also be strong in September while the price may be half that of the Botswana camps you are considering.

If not Hwange, then perhaps a visit to Lower Zambezi for a stay at Chiawa Camp, Chongwe River Camp, Sausage Tree Camp or Kasaka River Lodge? Definitely allow a minimum of three nights, although four or more would be best.

www.chiawa.com
www.sausagetreecamp.com
www.chongwe-river.com
www.kasakariverlodge.com

Hope this helps and good luck.

Hello,

I've been to Chitabe and Chitabe trails and I liked them both. Chitabe trails has been renovated this year and it is the smaller camp of the two.

Because they are only five minutes away from each other, gameviewing will be the same in both camps.

I've been guided by Phinley (Chitabe)and Ben(Chitabe trails) and they both did an excellent job.

So you can't go wrong with both of these camps.

Maybe one more thing, at Chitabe trails small children are allowed.

I think it's better to choose another camp in Botswana and go to Zambia on another time because it really deserves more than 3 days.

Another camp that I like is Little Vumbura which has good general game and when I was there I had excellent cheetah and caracal sightings. It's also one the best places to see sable antelope in Botswana. The habitat is quite different from Chitabe and Duma Tau and if I am correct fishing should be good that time of year.

Another camp and one of my absolute favorites is Duba Plains, well known for lions and buffalos.

And if you really want to do something different and don't mind to travel to another neighbouring country, I would recommend to go to Palmwag Rhino Camp in Namibia to do some serious black rhino tracking and approach these animals on foot. But what I said from Zambia, it also applies to Namibia.

Best regards,

Johan

My recommendation would be Tubu Tree which is a great all rounder camp. When the waters are reasonably high (which I'm not sure about in September as I've not been at that time of year) they can offer water activities too though they are predominantly a land activities camp.

If you're into the big cats, I've consistently heard great things about Duba Plains over the last several years - the lion and buffalo game viewing is said to be fabulous.

Little Vumbura is also a lovely camp. Again, when waters are high enough, it can offer water activities as well as land based ones.

I'd ask your agent to check with Wilderness Safaris about water levels in September.

If you're up for intense action, with long hunts and the possibility of seeing Lion take Buffalo then Duba would be a great addition to Duma Tau and Chitabe. Next choice would be Little Vumbura. The game is pretty good in that area, and the boat ride to and from camp adds some water without overkill.
I would not recommend Tubu at this time, the guys on my recent trip were there prior to my arrival and game was thin on the ground. The birding was excellent.

Cool to know, thanks Napamatt. I've only been to Bots in June so can't comment on game density or water levels at other times of year...

Kavey

Tubu for whatever reason is struggling a bit for game right now. Birding would be excellent, but I think DP and LV better choices given the criteria.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I do read good things about Duba Plains but I wasn't sure about the focus being on one main interaction with the buffalo and Lion but I will look into it more.

The Zambia camps are high on my list but I am not sure if the charter flights will be alot more expensive-I am not finding a good map that shows where those suggested camps are, such as Somalisa and Chiawa in relation to my Botswana choices.

Any comments on Makololo? Other threads that I have read here sound promising.

Thanks

dwc,

The Zambia flight costs would be, approximately, as follows:

Livingstone to Lusaka = $200 per person each way.

Lusaka to Lower Zambezi = $150 per person each way.

Lusaka to Mfuwe (South Luangwa) = $225 per person each way

You would be able to end your safari and fly out of Lusaka rather than returning all the way back to Victoria Falls.

If done in reverse order, you may save some money by flying Johannesburg to Lusaka (about $125 one way).

www.kulula.com

You could do your Zambian mini-safari, and then go through Livingstone to get to your Botswana camps.

Hi!!! If you are already spending time in Duma T and Chitabe, i would suggest you invest more time and money to stay in Botswana. Do full justice to the trip. Options include, Little Vumbura/Duba Plains/Selinda/Savute camp to stick to WS......as you are already using them.

You can always do zambia or zim as a seperate trip next time.

Hari

Johan and others familiar with Chitabe and Chitabe Trails - which camp would you choose? I was really thinking of Chitabe Trails, smaller camp, and supposedly overlooking some type of water hole, are there views of wildlife from your own deck? And the rooms have just been upgraded and on raised decks now.
But the "family rooms" are giving me second thoughts. Has anyone been to Chitabe Trails and had to put up with kids (someone else's kids) in their vehicle? Also, what do the family rooms get used for if there are no kids in camp?
Any thoughts on Chitabe vs. Chitabe Trails? This will be the first part of June, if that matters. Thanks!

Good morning.

I, too, am interested in the responses to Brandywine's questions concerning Chittabe v. Chittabe Trails. I have an additional question, though. At either of these camps, which cabin would you recommend? Are they all pretty much the same, or are there some that might be better than others?

Thanks.

Hello,

If you are with kids, you have to book a vehicle for yourself.

When I was at Chitabe Trails, they even had dinner at an earlier time, which is not always the case.

At Chitabe trails, I stayed in one of the family rooms (I think it was nr4 or nr 5), so I had plenty of space.
I could see elephants when I was taking an outdoor shower. At that time, the tents were still on the ground.

At Chitabe main camp, I stayed in the farest room (forgot the room number: must be number 1) to the right of the main area).

I saw some ellies and reedbucks who like(d) to wander around camp.

One thing about viewing animals around camp, I've seen quite a lot (sometimes it was great and sometimes it was scary). It can become pretty dangerous especially with elephants and "dagga boys" (old lone male buffalos).

In one of the camps in Botswana, (I am not gonna tell which one), they had a black mamba in the nock of the dining room and they weren't able to remove it. Luckily, no one of the other guests ever knew.


I don't care that much about which cabin/room I will be in because when on safari, gameviewing and an excellent guide are my main priority and all the rest I am happy to live with. When in my room, I'll be mostly sleeping so ... I don't know if there is at the moment much difference between the tents in Chitabe and Chitabe trails (because it has been renovated recently).

So my conclusion is the following, you can't go wrong with both of them. Chitabe main camp was maybe a bit more luxurious (especially the dining area) than Chitabe trails.

I'll be back at Chitabe main camp end of June 2007.

Greetings,

Johan

Thanks for the information Johan. It doesn't seem like I can really go wrong with Chitabe or Chitabe Trails.

Yes, thanks, Johan.

I think we'll stay at Chittabe Trails and do the Walking Trails camp by the water hole. That sounds like such an amazing experience, sleeping out in the bush like that!