The 11-day Chobe Waterways excursion by Acacia Africa Tours was, unfortunately, a big disappointment.
We paid $4,750 for two people, averaging $431/day, and expected better accommodations, especially in Botswana.
It seems as if the bulk of the money was spent on transport costs, since we traveled long distances between attractions. Though the transport was comfortable, we think the tour would be vastly improved by starting and ending in Victoria Falls.
I know, I know, the dossier clearly states the driving times each day, and we were certainly aware of this. But, the dossier also stated we were traveling through Elephant Sands in Botswana, not Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, a fact not disclosed until 5:00 AM the day of departure.
The 13-hour drive from Johannesberg to Bulawayo (with 1.5 hours at the border) was not worth the effort. Although we loved the rhino walk with Andy, the 13-hour drive to get there was not a good investment of time.
Moreover, we drove right by Hwange Park on the way to Victoria Falls on the third day, which we thought should have been incorporated into the tour. Why not stop and spend a night in the park?
On a positive note, the two nights in Victoria Falls were wonderful, and we really enjoyed that part of the tour. Our accommodation at Cresta Sprayview was quite nice.
However, things started downhill after leaving Victoria Falls.
We wasted two hours in Kasane before arriving at the Thebe Safari Lodge - you know, the place with the burned down restaurant and bar and no pool (see attached photos). Why am I paying $431/day and being booked into this disaster? At least the excellent evening Chobe River Cruise mitigated this poor choice.
The next day, we went on an early game drive (which was extra, by the way), before driving another 6 or so hours to the Greta Lodge, another forgettable lodge, though the pool and bar were good and much appreciated.
After a lackluster early morning village walk, a short 2.5 hour drive took us to Maun, where we were booked into the Sitatunga Safari Lodge.
The first night there, I became ill, and declined to participate in the Okavango Delta excursion the next morning. That was unfortunate, because it meant we had to spend three nights at this lodge.
I suppose if you were camping, this lodge would appeal to you, but the concrete bunkers lacked ambience, and the mouse droppings along the top of the wall were unsanitary and unappealing. And at $431/day, could have been improved. Fortunately, the bar and pool were not burned down and we were able to laugh over it.
Then, another long day of driving to the South Africa border, where we were booked into the Kwa Nokeng Lodge, notable in that it was an improvement over the prior three places. And that's not saying much.
Finally, another long drive into Johannesberg, where we arrived at the Safari Club early afternoon.
I would not recommend this tour to anyone for two reasons: poor value for the money and too much driving between attractions. We spent, by my estimation, 43 hours in the van - more than twice the amount of time it took to fly from San Francisco to Cape Town (21 hours).
It would have been better to start in Victoria Falls, include Hwange, maybe drive to Bulawayo from the north, then do Chobe (with better accommodations), and maybe some closer-in parks to Victoria Falls.
If people wanted to do the Okavango Delta, fly them there as an option. Since we did not participate, I can't comment on whether or not it was worth it. However, driving three hours in an open vehicle, then another two hours in a 'mokoro', just to get to the campsite seemed excessive. And doing that with an upset stomach after being up all night was not possible.
Basing the trip around Victoria Falls eliminates much of the driving, and, I suspect, much of the cost. Since the best attractions are in the Victoria Falls area - emphasize those, reduce transportation costs, and upgrade the accommodations.
This tour, as it is now constituted, costs too much, and travels too far. Buyers beware when booking this tour with Acacia African Tours.
When booking your excursions, choose short tours out of Victoria Falls led by local companies. Chobe is close by and has wonderful lodges along the river. Save yourself a lot of money and book those yourself. Acacia African Tours will put you in the cheapest, low cost alternative it can find - you can do better, easily.
No more organized tours for this couple. We felt ripped off by the time we got back to Johannesburg. We just don't want this to happen to other travelers seduced by the evocative descriptions of the itinerary on your website.
If you want cheap, go with Intrepid or Nomad. At least they advertise as budget tours and you pay accordingly.
As a side note, both Sam and Simon were great and made the trip fun and entertaining, as well as providing safe transport with their excellent driving. Acacia just dropped the ball on the lodging and itinerary.
