GeoffG

quote "I am well aware that Zib is still being redone, it will be open for business on the 5th of April. From being a really 2* camp with very little but charm to offer to what it is looking like now and the room that is finished, it will be beautiful in December and I am sure that Lisa will have a good visit."

Doogle,

What planet are you on. The old Zib was a fantastic camp. 5* in every way.

But then, I have no need for slab heating, copper baths and gold plated dunnies.

If you think the new Zib is required for a fantastic safari experience you are mistaken.

Quote "December trip, if we are able to splurge on one camp for 3-4 nights, looking for the best possible game viewing & photographic opportunities"

Lisa,

As Shumba said it is definitely Mombo at that time of the year.

Geoff.

HariS

Just one more thing to contribute to this thread - Basto (Tom) asked about Dry season gameviewing - IMHO i think you see a few different animals during that time of the year - Sable, Roan and the buffalo herds which you should consider yourself lucky to see in the Linyanti when wet ..... predators wise, i think if you are lucky the dogs will den during the dry months ..... otherwise, the rest of it all down to good luck, isn't it?

Being cheetah obsessed, i've had great luck in both the rainy season and during the dry season and at the same time, some bad luck during both the dry and green seasons........



Back to the rainfall issues - some travel agents, to sell their safaris may tell you that in Africa you only get evening thunderstorms and that the rest of the day is perfect blue skies, ideal for gameviewing ..... but, in reality weather these days is very unpredictable isn't it? There are quite a few days with plenty of drizzly gloomy weather and then it can easily stay overcast and cold for a bit longer ......... in situations like this, i haven't seen the animals pop out until the sun comes through later in the day or at times, the next day!!!! Hence, you are best served to stay in one camp for a bit longer duration instead of hopping around as some agents might recommend! Ultimately, when the sun comes through you will be rewarded with some quality viewing......

sniktawk

Everything is down to luck,but you nearly always see something, but of course you cannot guarantee anything in particular. This is the joy of safari and the reason why some of us keep going back, unless where we like to go is changed by the "market".
Personally I am not a great Delta fan. I have been to Selinda/Kwando in June /July /September /October/ November and December, the only difference I have noted is that Selinda seems to have less and less plains game at anytime of year. We have had rain in November twice and December once, on neither occasion did it spoil game drives.
As for Doogles comments on Zib I cannot believe them, I must have been somewhere different.

lisa

Thanks everybody for sharing all of your suggestions on this.

Unfortunately Mombo is out. I am sure it is fantastic but I simply cannot justify the price.

Right now I am thinking for Dec.:

3 nights at Chitabe Lediba.

4 nights at either Little Vumbura, Duba Plains, or Mapula. Am finding it very hard to choose among these.

3 nights at Chief's.

Would appreciate any further thoughts.

atravelynn

Doogle's comments offer some insight into why changes such as copper bathtubs and wine tastings are being implemented in places like Zib.

If the market views a gem like Zib as having little charm, the owners will upgrade to suit the market.

Many of us would hope that we are the driving market force in our desire for simplicity in accommodation and maximization of our time in the bush, but I fear we are not.

I guess we all have to define charm for ourselves, but a small intimate camp with good food, friendly staff, a skilled guide, and <b>wild dogs taking a mud bath in the camp waterhole</b> was the epitome of charm in my book.

Lisa,
Going back to the luck comment for best game, I wish you luck in wherever you end up. Let us know what you choose. I'm betting it will be fantastic!

lisa

Thanks Lynn. As you see, Zib is not on our to-do list. No offense to those seeking fancy fixtures in the bush -- it's just not where our priorities are!

Shumba

Lisa, I would choose Little Vum as it gives the only chance of true water activities

atravelynn

Lisa, good, and I'd vote for Little Vumbura too.

The Zib sermon was not meant for you in particular, just me stopping onto the soapbox for a moment.

afrigalah

&quot;Zib... a really 2* camp with very little but charm to offer&quot; - <b>Doodle</b>

<b>?</b>

Doogle

Oh it is so funny you all make me laugh, you love the rustic Zib, but Mombo is def the place to go as first recommendation as that is just as rustic?

Shumba

Doogle,

I think that you are missing the point. We are not selling Mombo based on the accommodations, as you are with Zib. The question was where the the best game viewing in Botswana was for December................the answer is quite simply Mombo.

Only an inexperienced agent would send someone to Zib during the rainy season. An area that has such poor game viewiing they used to close the camp down.


Most people go to Mombo on this board becasue of the excellent reputation it has for year round game viewing.............that is why you can get away with six paw and have a variety of people paying to go there.


As for the new Zib..............people will look at Duma Tau and Lebala rather than have their game viewing interupted by wine tasting..............how sad it come down to this. Sure, have some good wines, but the concession is heading in the wrong direction

I would rather have a comfortable vehicle, lacking at Selinda, than fancy rooms

HariS

One more thing - i imagine the new clientele at Selinda/Zib aren't all that interested in game drives as their regular guests like Afrigalah, Geoff, Sniktawk etc etc.,

This was apparent last year - with the zibalianja airstrip faux pas regarding the cheetah bros!!! I won't repeat the story once again ..... but, quite shocking!!!!!!

Another thing - they'd better hope the Selinda pack do choose to den on their concession after a two year gap!

Shumba

And too add one more observation that may have been missed,

Mombo is the only Wilderness operated concession that is all 6 paw, which kind of restricts your choices when wanting that excellent game viewing

sniktawk

Mombo is not a Wilderness Safari camp they just do bookings for it.
The cheapest rate is $1,510 ppn to sit in a 10 seater vehicle, although only carrying a maximum of 7, no night drives either. Seems like a bargain to me?

Doogle

Lisa,

During December Botswana has an increadible rainfall, this year they over and above the normal average, the liklyhood that you are going to get wet and rianed on is very good, why not try something like Mala Mala for December?

jweis

Mombo is a WS camp.

Tanky

Has anyone here actually been to Zib since the upgrade? Are the derogatory comments about the clientele and camp based on anything concrete?

The reason I ask is that I am booked into Zib this September. However, I am not &quot;seeking fancy fixtures in the bush&quot; but I booked in January 2007 when it was still a rustic camp. I will only be paying the old rate.

So, the question is should I still go to Zib or transfer to somewhere else? Any recommendations? Other camps I'm going to on the same trip are Chitabe, Savuti and Tubu Tree.

atravelynn

Tanky,

I have not been to Zib since the upgrade. If I were you, I would request a schedule of daily activities to see if there is too much of an emphasis on non-bush activities for your tastes.

If the schedule is not to your liking or if you can't get a straight answer, I would opt out of Zib. I'd also ask how much the new Zib is to see if you are paying a premium for services and amenities that are not important to you.

When you list your other camps as Savuti, Chitabe, and Tubu Tree, you've already got the Linyanti area covered by your stay in Savuti. Just a combo of those 3 three camps would be a great trip.

If Zib is not acceptable, here is what I'd do, in no particular order.

If I wanted the same # of days in the Linyanti area, I'd just extend at Savuti.

If I wanted the same # of days in the Linyanti area but not at one camp, I'd consider throwing a Kwando camp into the mix with Lebala or Lagoon.

If meerkats, salt pans, quad biking, finding ancient tools and artifacts in the desert were of interest, I'd put the Zib days in San or Jack's Camp or the lower end but intruiging Planet Baobab.

If the desert option is not of interest (and in the dry months you would not see a lot of other wildlife beyond a few antelope, mongoose, ground squirrels, birds, meerkats, maybe aardwolf, and with lots of luck the brown hyena--but I went then and had a blast) I'd go to Little Vumbura and plan on doing no water activities since you've got that at Tubu Tree. Opting out of boats, mekoros, is no problem and that's what I did when I was there. Little V has a built in boat ride 10-minute boat ride to/from camp.

If you have some 2-night stays in there, I'd take the Zib days and make them all at least 3-night, espeically for Chitabe and Savuti, where wildlife viewing should be best.

Finally, I'd ask your agent if they knew about the proposed Zib changes when you made your plans and ask why this was not mentioned to you. It would be interesting to note the answer.

Please let us know what YOU find out about Zib and what you decided to do based on that info.

phernska

Thanks for posting, Tanky, as I am having the same thoughts. In February '07 I booked Zib for 4 nights in early June (also at the old rate and unaware of any 'upgrade' in the works).

I am also staying at Little Vumbura for 3 nights and will be in Zimbabwe for a week (Ruckomechi and Little Makalolo).

sniktawk

Congratulations you are probably getting the equivalent of half-price.
The negative comments are as a result of us long time visitors regretting the changes, this link will take you to what you can expect

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35104781

However the website does not exactly repeat the above.