We are looking for an escorted tour that includes game safaris and Victoria Falls - have looked at Vantage and Djoser - would welcome comments or other suggestions. We are healthy and in our 60's, but are interested in a degree of comfort rather than roughing it.

Not familiar with either company for safaris or Vic Falls, but have reviewed a number of Djoser itineraries to other destinations. While they look good and price very attractive, there are many exclusions; lots of extras to pay for. Such as: tours not included, even meals. And, not the best accommodations. This doesn't mean the most expensive, but just more budget with shared baths, etc.

Djoser itinerary looked interesting--desert, delta, Chobe/Savuti area with Chobe River cruise and falls. Most guests are from Holland or Belgium and the guides are English speaking.

They give you the estimated extra expenses along with their stated cost. I'd probably double those estimates to be on the safe side. Still a reasonable cost with the flights for 19 days.

"In the national parks of Moremi and Savuti we will spend the nights as much as possible around the so-called “hatab” sites. Those are assigned spots in the parks without facilities, but where no other guests are allowed in. This will give you a unique wilderness experience. In Nxai we will camp at a public campsite where we usually are by ourselves. In the delta we will spend two nights at a comfortable campground with nice facilities such as a swimming pool. During the “mokoro” excursion we will set up the tent there in the wild for one night."

This would be nowhere near as comfortable as the luxury tented camps (that can easily run $750/pp/pn and more) and less comfortable than mobiles from Wilderness or AndBeyond (previously CC Africa) or what some other companies offer. Please see links below. If the lack of bathroom facilities is a turnoff, then Djoser is not for you.

The Savuti and Moremi locations without other people around would be appealing to me and the mokoro night looks great. I'd ask where they stay for Chobe Serondella. The Nxai site also looks intriguing but I'd ask how many others could possibly share the site. The delta site with the swimming pool has the best facilities, but I'd check on the number of guests. With a pool I'd wonder about a noisy experience.

I actually find this itinerary to be quite interesting with an appealing variety and am pleased to find another option that makes the game-rich areas of Botswana affordable. I would want to know how many people in a vehicle if 8 go, or if 12 go, or if the max of 16 go and if everyone gets a window. You may also want to know the number of hours spent traveling between sites and if that is in an open or covered vehicle. Long drives detract from the degree of comfort. Finally, I'd ask about the median age of participants.

These links discuss a variety of mobile camping options.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...4&tid=34866915
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...4&tid=34885943

If any of the above trips in the links are of interest but they don't stop at Vic Falls, it is very easy to add that stop pre or post trip for the two of you.

You might also wish to check Overseas Adventure Travel's Ultimate Africa trip, which would be more comfortable than Djoser. But I like Djoser's itinerary better than OAT. Thanks for mentioning it.

We're taking OAT's trip in October -- as the Djoser itinerary duplicates more of where we've been in Botswana, and I like flying between camps; but I think for someone who hasn't been yet it looks like Djoser would be a super choice. The mix of different facilities is fascinating. (We are also in our early 60s and in good fitness...we were actually considering a more grueling overland trip before we found this one!)

Many thanks for your suggestions. We have also looked at OAT, GCT, and 2Afrika (have previously travelled with OAT & GCT, but were somewhat put off by the physical limitations of some of the travellers which slowed down the group tremendously). All 3 above have many optional (additional charge) additions, but that seems common. We do like the Djoser itinerary, but have never travelled with them and are a bit hesitant, Atravelynn, by the few nites in 'hatab' sites.

I'd ask for references from Djoser and get the low down on the hatab sites.