Martin Smith, Managing Director
Kingfisher Safaris
- Office In:
-
United Kingdom
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- Botswana Guides Association
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
CA
Email Rose and Les | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Martin is prompt and efficient; a pleasure to work with.
My partner and I have taken many safaris in East Africa but this was our first time to Botswana and we loved the country and our safari. Sleeping in the tents on the mobile safari was thrilling with the sounds of hippos and lions at night. The food was varied and excellent. We seemed famished after a morning of photography and fell on the skewers of beef and potato salad like hungry leopards. Everything on the tour was well organized. This was our first mobile safari trip and we were astounded at the value and high level of guiding. Pilot, Kingfisher’s chief guide really throws his heart into searching out unusual wildlife sightings. He knows the landscape of the Okavango Delta intimately.
Email Marilyn and Kathy | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Outstanding. Far exceeded our expectations in every aspect. Staff, helpful, friendly, food amazing.
Everything amazing. Cannot fault. Value for money.
DE
Email Lo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Honest and very helpful
Martin is the guy who you will write emails with. He responded very quickly and gave us an answer to a lot of questions we had. He was also very open and honest about the rainy season and our concerns.
He works together with the tour guide Pilot which we really really can recommand to everybody. Pilot is very friendly and eager to show you all the animals out there. We even sometimes had to tell him that we were very happy with the day and that it is fine that we leave now. He once got the tip that there are lion babys and we went to the same place 3 times and than the last time he really found them in the bushes.
Email Sheila Cosford | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Everything worked like clockwork
extremely happy with the organisation and the time spent in Botswana.
Organisation was faultless. We can recommend Kingfisher Safaris.
Email Jim S | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Extraordinary Tour by Kingfisher Safaris
Martin at Kingfisher Safaris developed a fantastic 3 camp Botswana safari for us on relatively short notice. Each of the three camps (Delta, Linyanti Expedition, and Khwai Leadwood) were different, enjoyable and unique in their own ways. All three were relatively small with warm, hospitable staff and superb safari guides.
What impressed us about this overall experience was the excellent and prompt communication with Martin. He responded with choices in the itineraries and once formulated proceeded to completion quickly and efficiently. I hope to travel in the future on a trip organized by Kingfisher.
IL
Email Shlomit | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great trip to the Okavango delta with Pilot and his team
We did a 7 day mobile safary with Kingfisher/Pilot and the quality of everything was excellent. Pilot, who is the local provider, is a hugely experienced and excellent guide. He knows where the animals will go next... We had some amazing sightings of wild dogs and lions that we will never forget. The rest of the team, the camping, the food etc were all of an excellent quality. The vehicle was in good shape and comfortable.
Email Melissa Merickel | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I have never experienced such good customer service as we received from Martin Smith of Kingfisher S
We were lucky to find Kingfisher Safaris on this site for our trip to Botswana. Martin Smith of Kingfisher Safaris was perfect in our communications, extremely prompt and very specific answers. His details in putting together our three camp safari was outstanding. It was our best trip ever, and I highly recommend Kingfisher Safaris. He could teach a course in customer service! Melissa Merickel
Email Julie Gale | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kingfisher Safaris know their business and are excellent at it!
First rate at every turn! Martin, who has so much personal experience of Botswana, guided us through our options and found a perfect fit to match our request and answered any questions we had incredibly promptly. We went for a Mobile Tented Safari for 10days covering three camps; Chobe, Khawai and Moremi. We were met at Maun Airport by our guide, Pilot, and his team and they collectively saw to it we had an experience we could never have imagined as it was out of this world! I don't camp but was prepared to sleep little to see the animals in their natural environment. I was expecting basic. However, I did sleep and on a bed, there was a shower with hot water and hot water in basins supplied whenever it was required. There was also a loo with seat! Meals were plentiful and delicious (a three course every evening - 4*). Drinks and snacks beside a log fire watching the spectacular sunsets whilst hearing the elephants in the bush next to you or the hippos in the water even lions in the distance. The safaris themselves (generally two a day) were conducted by Pilot. I cannot rate Pilot highly enough. So many years of experience, so much respect from the other guides, incredible knowledge about the bush, the animals and birds - he had a wicked sense of humour too. He taught us how to track and as a consequence of his tracking ability we saw ALL the animals. Tented, yes. Basic, certainly not. Spectacular, absolutely!
BE
Email Zeger Van den Broele | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unpretentious luxury with an excellent guide
Our experience with Kingfisher Safaris got off to the best of starts, even before we had formalised our booking. Martin is prompt and very precise in all his communication over e-mail. Even before we arrived in Botswana, we felt well looked after. This would be the theme throughout our 7 day safari in Moremi (Khwai Sector) and Chobe (Savuti Sector).
Pilot and his team (cook + camp hand) work like a well-oiled machine. The food is exquisite and non-repetitive: how Thaelo manages to squeeze this much out of a small cold box in the car is beyond us. Evening meals are three-course affairs, and lunch is refined splendour with lots of hearty and fruity dishes. Sleeping accommodation is simple but comfortable, in tents with a bush shower en-suite and plenty warm duvets to warn off the chill at night. The warm water bottles were a nice touch we greatly appreciated.
The main attraction of course is Pilot's guiding. He is an excellent spotter and knows the region like his back pocket. In addition, he is a true peoples person with an enormous network amongst the local guides. Everyone with a radio trips over each other to pass on exciting sightings to him, which makes him unbeatable when 'hunting' for lions at a kill or a well-hidden hyena den. In addition, he has an excellent eye for photographic opportunities and animal behaviour, always positioning his personalised LandCruiser in the best vantage point.
If we had to name one small minus, it would be that if you are a small group (one couple) the days that include transfers, are really transfer days without much else. This because all the gear needs to be packed and transported in the safari vehicle. With larger groups, there is a second vehicle doing all the breaking and setting up camp while you go on another game drive. The one night-drive in Khwai (where we stayed 3 nights) we did gave us such beautiful sightings (serval!), that we would have loved more opportunities like this. However, in the grand scheme of this safari, these remarks are mere details. We would recommend Martin and Pilot with his team to anyone who wants to have an authentic and well-tailored safari in Botswana. Pilot's campfire stories and attention to detail and safety will endear him to guests of all ages, including children.
IT
Email Roberto Fattori | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Super mobile camping in Botswana
We have just returned from a no fence mobile camping safari in Botswana organized by Kingfisher Safaris. It was literally a magnificent and fantastic experience, we stayed 3 days in Moremi Game Reserve in Khwai area, 3 days in Chobe National Park in Savuti area, 3 days in Moremi Game Reserve in North Gate area and 2 days in Makgadikgadi National Park. It was a beautiful journey full of incredible sightings. But our experience wouldn't have been so rewarding had it not been for the staff led by our excellent guide Pilot Manga, who made us feel right at home. Exceptional food, always clean tent, very nice staff, very kind and very cordial. Last but not least we would like to thank Martin of Kingfisher Safaris, because he waited for our country to loosen the anticovid ties allowing us to travel abroad and freezing our trip for 2 years. I highly recommend everyone to try the magnificent experience we had with Kingfisher Safaris and the Pilot Manga staff because they are exceptional people who will make you live a true and unique African magic.