Tips
- We flew in and out of Maun, thus allowing us to leave wheeled luggage with MackAir. Kasane is another airport one can choose. Initially it was suggested that we fly into one and out of the other, but I needed to fly in and out of the same airport due to the luggage issue.
- Wifi - it's terrible at each lodge and was completely down the last 4 nights of our trip due to a storm damaging equipment.
- Each lodge can be reached by car from Maun. We flew and the view was part of the safari experience. However, if you are afraid of flying in small airplanes, it is possible to do transfers by car (though not advertised). Khwai is a two hour drive from Maun and Eagle Island is four hours from Maun.
- Lodge Occupancy - each lodge had 12 tented rooms. We visited in early December when occupany was very low. I liked that. We were told they are fully booked over yearend, are fully booked during the northern summer months (their winter). October and November are extremely hot. I was concerned that I had made a poor choice in coming in early December. It wasn't bad. The temperatures had dropped from the heat of Oct and Nov. While hot, it was tolerable in a game vehicle with the breeze blowing. The hottest period was between noon and 5, when we could retreat to our air conditioned tent.
- Air conditioning - All 3 camps have air conditioning. Belmond is the only safari operator in Botswana who has air conditioned each one of their lodges. Dining, bar and sitting areas are indoor/outdoor so only the room offered coolness. I wouldn't have wanted to come without that.
- I was impressed at Belmond's effort to offer a consistent service at each lodge. Certain managers rotate from lodge to lodge. The same training team (outside company) was at two of the lodges as we left, taking opportunity of low occupancy to close the lodge for a couple days for employee training.
- Food - Quality was uneven at each property. There were fantastic salads and desserts but I didn't care for most of the cooked dishes. Regardless, there was certainly sufficient to eat of dishes I did prefer. It must be very hard to find people to work in these remote settings who can prepare food that is not to their palate. Staff works for 3 months and is off for 1 month. We met folks who raved about Michelin level food in South African lodges. But staff can get time off much more frequently and return to larger cities so they don't have to find staff who will accept significant isolation.
- Costco - we were surprised to learn that Costco offers a package to the 3 camps. It includes coach air from JFK-Maun, 1 night in Jo-burg, 2 nights in each of the three lodges, and a helicopter ride at Eagle Island. We happened to arrive on a date that 6 folks arrived on the Costco package. I prefer the independence of choosing my own itinerary, but Costco offered remarkable value for those willing to fly coach and be seated with the same people on the safari vans and at meals.
- The Mount Nelson in Cape Town is also a Belmond property. We love the Mount Nelson and have stayed there several times. We booked it via a Virtuoso/Bellini Club agent rather than as part of our safari package.
Last edited by SanDiego1K; Jan 12, 2017 at 1:24 pm