Awesome trip to Africa
South Africa | May 7 - May 20, 2025

Kaye
Kaye D.
Portland, OR | Reviewed on Jun 02, 2025

Both safari camps were awesome. Guide Tips at Muchenje was super. All game drives were great. The boat trip at Muchenje duplicated our houseboat trip. Should have opted for something else like the canoe. This camp was so great that we thought it should have been last. Houseboat had ups and downs. Getting through Namibia immigration was a disaster. We were not aware that there was a visa fee. Fortunately they took credit cards. Took us only 1-1/2 hours to get through because we were near the head of the line. Others in our group took over 4 hours. Then there was the plumbing problem in our cabin. Lucy advocated on our behalf and got us a 25% reduction in our cabin rate. The staff and food was great. We especially enjoyed the village visit. Animal viewing from small boats was excellent. But on our last outing the boat broke down. We had to wait for someone to come with tools to repair. We returned to the houseboat after a long ride in the dark. This was sort of scary. On our return to the Kasame airport we were misinformed by one hour about our Mackair flight departure time. Our Elephant Pan safari camp was awesome with elephants and giraffes right at the camp. We had our doubts on our bumpy hour drive from the airstrip. Our guide Sixteen was the best. Could have done without the hour drive to the River. Didn't seen many animals except hyenas and birds. Our least favorite part of the trip was Victoria Falls. The walk along the Falls was great as was our guide Joy (English translation of her name) from Shearwater. The rest of the activities we could have done without. Sunset cruise was not near the Falls and mainly a cocktail party. Drinking is not something we are very into. The lookout café had nice view, but they tried to seat us away from the view when there were empty view tables. Food and service was poor. The elephant sanctuary just wanted our money. We would have liked to visit more sight around the Falls. Like going out on the bridge and crossing over into Zambia and viewing the Falls from that side. We did pay for a combined Zimbabwe/Zambia visa at the border. All in all it was a wonderful trip Thanks to Lucy for doing all the planning, Kaye & Gail

Hotel Reviews
Chobe Princess Small Luxury Houseboat
Kasane, Botswana

Toilet didn't not flush. Cabin smelled like sewer.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Plumbing in houseboat Maintenance of small boats
Sunrock Guesthouse
Johannesburg

Great staff and food

Authenticity & Character
Great art
Location
Near airport
Staff
Drove us to Cultural villag
Cleanliness & Comfort
Housekeeping goog
Muchenje Safari Lodge
Kasane, Chobe

Great location for animal viewing drives

Authenticity & Character
Great decor
Location
Near chobe national park
Staff
Tips was the best guide
Cleanliness & Comfort
Everything clean and comfortable
Bayete Guest Lodge
Victoria Falls

Great restaurant on site. Comfortable room.

Authenticity & Character
Nice decor
Location
Sort of remote
Staff
Restaurant staff great Delivered dinner.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Bathroom weird. All floor wet after shower. No grab bar by tub.
Hyena Pan
Botswana

Awesome. Elephants and giraffes right there.

Authenticity & Character
Great decor
Location
Animals came to us
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Sixteen best guide Wait staff great. Very attentaive
Activity Reviews
On Safari in Chobe National Park
On Safari in Chobe National Park
Chobe National Park

All good. Guide Tips great. Saw lots of animals. Saw encounter between cheetah and leopard on first day.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Sunset Cruise - Signature Deck
Sunset Cruise - Signature Deck
Victoria Falls

Boring

Quality of Experience
Just a cocktail party. Have some commentary about what we were seeing.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Fewer people to pick up.
Transport
Get the elephant off the road.
Tour Victoria Falls
Tour Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls

Falls are awesome. Joy was a good guide.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Joy was great
Transport
Through the eye of an elephant
Through the eye of an elephant
Victoria Falls

They just wanted our money

Quality of Experience
Less pressure to donate
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Nice folks
Transport
Long drive, I slept
 Lunch at Look out Cafe
Lunch at Look out Cafe
Victoria Falls

Not worth it. Staff rude. Food not great.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Friendlier staff
Transport
Joy got us there and picked us up promptly
Local specialist: Lucy Berndt
Lucy
Lucy Berndt
Local specialist in Cape Town | Replied on Jun 03, 2025
Dear Kaye & Gail, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your detailed reflections on your recent journey with SALTY Travel. We’re truly delighted to hear that many aspects of your adventure—especially the safari camps, game drives, exceptional guides like Sixteen, and the immersive village visit—left a strong positive impression. It means a great deal to know that these moments resonated with you. We also appreciate your candid feedback on areas that could have been improved.... Read more

Dear Kaye & Gail,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your detailed reflections on your recent journey with SALTY Travel. We’re truly delighted to hear that many aspects of your adventure—especially the safari camps, game drives, exceptional guides like Sixteen, and the immersive village visit—left a strong positive impression. It means a great deal to know that these moments resonated with you.

We also appreciate your candid feedback on areas that could have been improved. Insights like yours are invaluable to us as we continue to refine and enhance our offerings. We're very sorry to hear about the visa fee surprise at the Namibian border, the plumbing issue on the houseboat, and the mechanical trouble during your final boat excursion. While some aspects were out of our direct control, we always strive to better prepare and inform our guests—and your feedback helps us do exactly that.

Regarding the Victoria Falls portion of your trip, we regret that some of the activities didn’t align with your interests. We’ll certainly take your comments to heart when customising future itineraries for you. We also appreciate your note on the Lookout Café seating experience; we will share this with the venue accordingly.

I'm so glad that my care and advocacy made a difference during your journey—it's truly important to me, and to our whole team, to provide 24-hour support and a personal touch every step of the way.

Ultimately, it’s wonderful to know that despite a few bumps, your trip was still a "wonderful" one in your own words. Please know that your insights will shape future planning not just for yourselves, but for other travelers as well.

We sincerely thank you for choosing SALTY Travel. Should your future adventures call you back to Africa, we’d be honoured to craft another tailor-made journey for you—this time, even more attuned to your unique preferences.

Warmest regards,
Lucy and The SALTY Travel Team