SAVANNA SAFARIS & TOURS - BOTSWANA
Savanna Safaris and Tours
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2000)
- Member Of:
- HATAB & Botswana Toursism
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $350 to $1,300 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
IT
Email Simona | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Savanna Safaris: a second trip marred by chaos and lack of support
We entrusted Savanna Safaris for a second trip, expecting the same standards as before. Instead, we encountered three major issues: serious organizational failures, a complete absence of support during an emergency, and poorly planned logistics. These failures compromised our entire journey.
Although our first experience with Savanna Safaris had been mostly positive, this second trip, lasting only 8 days, left us deeply disappointed and disillusioned.
SAFETY: Non-existent emergency response
On the final morning, we left camp early to reach Maun Airport. After just 30 minutes, we got a flat tire—only to discover that the vehicle had no tools to replace it. We stopped every passing vehicle, but none could help: our wheels had different bolt sizes.
It became immediately clear that Savanna Safaris had no emergency plan. They rely solely on cell phones and car radios. If there’s no signal, you’re simply left to your fate.
We called Emmelyn and Fred (owners of the agency) multiple times, with the calls connecting but never answered. We also used a satellite device with text capabilities (Garmin), widely reliable in Botswana, to send messages. No response.
How can a tour operator be unreachable when clients are in danger?
The contract clearly states that “Savanna Safaris shall monitor the entire operation from arrival to departure and liaise with lodges/charters in case of any delays/emergencies.” This promise was completely ignored.
The driver had no “plan B.” With more than three hours of road ahead and an international flight looming, we were in a state of panic. Eventually, we had to ask other tourists for help and pay extra for a ride to the airport.
We received no assistance or follow-up from Savanna Safaris, even at the airport. Once home, our messages to Emmelyn went unanswered as well.
LOGISTICS: Poor planning, misleading information
We had specifically asked Emmelyn to suggest the best areas for photo safaris. However, she booked us 4 nights at Black Pools (Moremi) and only 3 at Khwai. This created two major grievances: the decision seemed unbalanced and made without explanation, and it did not align with our request.
Black Pools is a remote, isolated area, far from other camps, with limited routes and very little wildlife. You drive the same track every day, seeing the same few animals. We left Khwai at 6:30 am and arrived at Black Pools at 8:30 pm—an exhausting transfer. Upon arrival, the zone was flooded; no other vehicles in sight; no guides reachable by radio; no phone coverage.
With the main road flooded, we became lost in the bush at night. This lack of planning is unacceptable for a professional agency.
We finally reached camp only with the help of staff from another camp over an hour away.
The site turned out to be abandoned and unsuitable for a photographic safari.
The agency never specified that the destination would be Black Pools; the contract referred only to “Private Camping in Moremi.” We were not warned that the transfer would take all day. We later discovered that excellent safari areas were easily accessible from Khwai. Our main grievances are a lack of transparency about the destination, misleading transfer information, and missed opportunities to choose better safari locations, all of which result in stress, lost time, and wasted money.
AFTER THE TRIP: SILENCE
Despite several attempts, Emmelyn never replied to our messages after the trip.
CAMP STAFF: Excellent!
In sharp contrast to the management, the tented camp team was outstanding professionals, kind, helpful, and prepared.
A big thank you to Edna (always impeccable tents, hot water ready), KG (our brilliant chef), Tandy (our attentive waiter), and Nico (an expert driver with eagle eyes).
FINAL THOUGHT
There are great safari companies in Botswana that prioritize client care and safety. Our core grievances with Savanna Safaris are organizational failure, lack of emergency support, and misleading logistics. Sadly, they no longer demonstrate responsibility or transparency.
If you’re looking for a responsible and transparent operator, look elsewhere.
CA
Email Mayuri Modgill | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Extremely kind and helpful!
“Fantastic Wildlife Experiences and Warm Hospitality”
We had a memorable trip overall, with several standout experiences, and a few areas that could be improved.
Our transfer from the airport to Insika Lodge was smooth and well‑organized. The hotel offered very good accommodation, although the dining experience didn’t quite meet expectations due to a few mix‑ups with food and drink orders. The Victoria Falls tour was wonderful.
The transfer vehicle to Botswana was unfortunately below standard. There was a noticeable exhaust smell inside the cabin, and the seats were in poor condition, which made the journey uncomfortable.
Our stay at Chobe Bush Lodge was excellent. The food and service were consistently very good, and the boat trip was a real highlight of our time there.
The bush camp, Kadizora Camp, was exceptional. The game drives and boat excursions were outstanding, the staff were warm and personable, and the food was truly wonderful. It was a first‑rate experience from start to finish. This experience we will not soon forget!
CH
Email Zoran Lukic | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect organization, competent, friendly and fast
Making a safari trip to Africa was our wish for a long time. When we started to realize it, we first contacted several agencies in Europe (where we live). In addition we checked the offers by agencies in Botswana. Based on feedback by other customers, we chose Savanna Safaris and Tours. Soon we discovered that they are much more knowledgeable and responsive compared to agencies in Europe.
Our contact was Emmelyn, who answered very competently and friendly our mails within hours. She helped us to organize a perfect trip in following lodges: Saguni Safari, Jumbo Junction, Camp Savuti, Cresta Resort and Insika Lodge. Each of them is in a different part of Botswana (with different animals and vegetation to observe). Insika is in Victoria Falls. All lodges offered very comfortable accommodation, perfect staff and guides, very good food. We took small planes to travel between lodges in order to avoid driving on bumpy roads.
Emmelyn, thank you in the name of all four members of our group for enabling this fantastic vacation.
CH
Email Reto | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good tour organizer! Reliable, courteous and very responsive
I can highly recommend Savanna Safaris & Tours! We booked a 10-day trip through Botswana through Emmelyn. Value for money was very good and Emmelyn had everything perfectly organized, was very responsive (felt like 24/7 via whatsapp) and we had a memorable trip.
Thank you Emmelyn for the wonderful memories and pictures we were able to take with us from Botswana.
Email Rahul Sanghi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Professional, Quick and Responsive
A very professional, quick and responsive travel partner. The trip was planned and executed within 2 days and exactly to our request.
NL
Email Roderick Rasquin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Reliable, accessible and well organised.
We only had one week in Botswana and Emmelyn made it an unforgettable trip. She organised everything perfectly and was available any time (before and during the trip) to answer our questions. We had a great time starting 2 days in Savuti in Elephant Lodge. We flew to the Delta (Moremi) from there and had 2 amazing days in Okuti. After those days a straight flight into the Kalahari where we finished our trip in Dinaka. All three places very different from another and would highly recommend to see the different landscapes and mammals.
Once again a big shout out to Emmelyn since she did a great job making this trip unforgettable!
SG
Email Caspar | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very responsive, creative and professional
Savanna Tours is a very reliable travel partner that showed excellent service during the planning phase and trip itself. Emmelyn was very flexible helping us out with our itinerary, provided solid suggestions and could be reached at all times if we had any questions/challenges we needed to sort out. Responsive and fun, thanks a lot!
CH
Email Simon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Perfect Experience
We had a very pleasant stay on Botswana thanks to Emmlyn. We booked a fly in safari journey with different camps in Botswana. The whole journey was a dream and was very good organized. This was especially important during these difficult times. This was our second journey booked with Emmlyn and we can highly recommend her skills and profesionality.
IT
Email Maria Teresa Lubes | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
All the best of safari!
Although it was a difficult time due to the pandemic, Emmelyn of Savanna Safari & Tours managed to organize our trip, preparing a very interesting itinerary that allowed us to visit Botswana and Zimbabwe. We had a very knowledgeable guide, Anthony, who we highly recommend. All went well.
IT
Email Gianna Partpilo | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari tour
Savanna Safaris provided an excellent organization, the safari was great.
The driver has been the best safari tour guide we could have, he was able to look for many animals, explaining us everything about savana life and animals characters we found. He was also very patience with us answering to our many questions. Also the team used for the organization of the tented camp was nice and kind, always with a big smile on their face. We appreciate a lot also the effort that they provided and all the care that they had also considering the COVID situation and the different measures to be adopted.
Reply from Savanna Safaris and Tours
Posted on Sep 9, 2021Thank you Gianna
really appreciate, all the best