PredatorBiologist

LBS: you are correct, very good chance of seeing orxy at Deception Valley Lodge -- I would be surprised if you did not. You will also have a good chance here for leopard and lion, especially if you spend 3 nights. If you have to do only 2 nights at one lodge I agree that this is the one to do it at since game is less plentiful than in the Delta but you will want to walk with the bushmen for one activity which will leave you with just 3 drives on a 2 night stay. August is a very good time for tracking leopard here and if you give the bushmen enough chances to track spoor you will likely be rewarded.

No guarantees that wild dogs will den in the same places as the past but history is on your side at Chitabe and Mapula that have had dens in the past, with earlier in August the better chance that they will still be at a densite.

HariS

There are a few agents that can book WS or other camps of your choice. However, it would be hard to ignore the fact that with WS wide assortment of camps across Botswana, they truly cover the whole spectrum and it would be hard not to find an alternate to some of your choices.

Ofcourse, style of operations are different- but, they obviously have a successful enough formula. This obviously, comes down to induvidual choices.

Surely, is good that there are lots of other options compared to WS - but, fact will always remain that they have a good product. Also, seeing pictures of some photographers that i respect they have some amazing gameviewing in their concessions also.

I obviously have only been to their camps only once and that was a long time ago - but, i can't find one single fault at any of them! Don't know how things are now, but, reading all the trip reports on this site and seeing pictures from other posters.

I think it's unfair to criticize products that we are unfamiliar with!

HariS

Oops! apologies ..... the above post was intended for the "Botswana dreaming" thread .......

sniktawk

Lilbschaps

Sitatunga, others may disagree but this is a very elusive animal, I have had distant glimpses on the banks of the Kwando River For easonable sightings he only place that I have been that you can almost guarantee a sighting is Kasanka in Zambia.There is however not a lot of game here and it is not very luxurious, you might however also see something equally rare a Black Lechwe they are not solely in Busanga swamps we saw one at Kasanka 4 years ago. But it is difficult and relatively expensive to get there.

As for Gemsbok we never saw these at Deception Valley but we were there over 6 years ago just after it opened (it was previously a cattle farm), I would take your guidance from Bill who was there only last year.

If your total journey is 17 days then I think 4 days at each camp would be best. What you nedd to do is get a reasonable representation of the different areas of Botswana and as such viting the Linyanti Kwando area is a must. I cannot recomend anywhere in the Delta as I do not visit it often. For the desert area, the simplest bet is a lodge near (although not within) the CKGR, Deception Valley is one of these but there are others. Kanana and Haina spring to mind, try to find one that can take you into the park itself for a day trip.

amolkarnik

libschaps - A stay at DVL with a day trip to CKGR and you are almost guaranteed to see Oryx. We were tehre last month and saw hundreds, if not thousands.

skimmer

If you are going seventeen days and want to stay in permanent camps, I would do the following:

- 4 days (Lebala or Savuti);
- 2 days (a lodge around Chobe - the boat cruise on the Chobe river is a must if you haven't been to Botswana before);
- 4 days (Chitabe Lediba or Chitabe main camp);
- 3 days (Deception Valley lodge);
- 2 days (Xigera)

Although nothing is guaranteed, you should be unlucky not to see all 4 major predators (lion/leopard/cheetah/wild dogs).

Wild dogs would probably the most difficult to see unless they are denning in the concession where you are staying.

Sitatunga is quite difficult to see in any place but there are chances to see them around f.e. Xigera.

I didn't recommend Mombo because of its price and Duba Plains (my favourite camp in the delta) of its lack of variety of big game.

lilbschaps

Skimmer - thank you for the recommendations. What makes the Chobe river cruise such a must? Do you include Xigera for reasons other then and better opportunity for sighting Sitatunga?

By the way, I am simply dying to go to Duba Plains, but not with this group. My nieces and nephew tend to be tender-hearted so we decided to avoid a camp where so much of the emphasis is on predatory interactions.

skimmer

The Chobe river cruise is a must to me for the following reasons:

- among the best elephant viewing there is in the dry season;
- you should see buffalo, hippo and crocodile at close quarters from a boat;
- spectacular birdlife.

Also at Chobe there is a chance to see puku (which you won't see in the delta) and it's not uncommon at all to come across sable antelope.


- Xigera I would recommend because of the following reasons:

If flood levels allowing you can boat up to Chief's island (the island on which Mombo is located);

Excellent birdlife;

Mokoro is a speciality there;

If you want to do water activities in the delta, I'll definitely recommend this one instead of f.e. Little Vumbura where you don't see much from the boat/mokoro.

There is a chance to see sitatunga although not guaranteed of course.

Best regards,

Johan