Day Trip (MGR 14)
Kalahari Marsh Safari Holidays
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- HATAB, BTO, ATB, WTN & WTTC
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $280 to $900 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
PL
Email Robert | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
not reliable
Overall, we do not recommend this company due to the dishonesty of the owner.
The opinion is based on experiences during an 8-day safari including Parks in Botswana and Victoria Falls.
Cons: Why do we rate the Owner of Lucky as dishonest? We had to buy our own entrance tickets to Victoria Falls, which he confirmed were included in the safari fees. Furthermore, even though he promised to refund these tickets, we never received our money back. An additional minus were the cars we drove - they were not properly checked and prepared, so one of the two vehicles broke down halfway through the safari, and Laky ineptly repaired them after two days.
Pros: It should be noted that the service team itself is great and we highly recommend them. A very good and committed guide, he tracked down every animal and always got very close to it. He was very nice and took care of us at every step. We would also like to thank the chef and assistant for the super tasty food and good organization of the camp, it was delicious, clean and very nice.
Reply from Kalahari Marsh Safari Holidays
Posted on Oct 26, 2024Dear Robert
Thank you for bringing out the review to our attention that and that you had to experience this with us.
NOT RELIABLE
Since we received your quote request we have always been very responsive to your emails and all your questions were answered. Preparations were made before your arrival including pickup from the airport by the company owner. Later we arranged a meet and greet session so we can have a short discussion about the whole trip together with our guide on what to expect. Throughout the entire trip the company owner was on stand by so he can be able to attend to any problem. Later the company owner joined you on the last 2 days of the trip until your departure at the Zimbabwean boarder ensuring that you don’t experience any difficulty at the boarder. Even after the trip ended we still responded to your emails. If all this means we are not reliable, we kindly apologize and appreciate the chance to fix our mistake.
CONS
The 8 day trip started in Maun and ended in Victoria falls, no extra payments except for optional activities. We made all the arrangements for the tour, all our days in Botswana there has never been a problem until the last day in Victoria Falls. The time when you informed us that you were charged entrance fee for $100 we immediately contacted the tour operator in Vic falls regarding this and we were told that there was miscommunication and we promised to refund you. IF by now you have not received the $100 refund we kindly apologize because we have long made arrangements for this.
Before every activity our guide explains to you about the road conditions and the driving distances. Some roads are dusty, some roads extremely bumpy some roads are sandy. We ensure that we check our vehicles before the trip departure from Maun since we are familiar with all road conditions. For us to arrive at the campsite we booked in Savuti we had to use Savuti Marsh road, which is very dusty and bumpy so this affected our backup vehicle. Some sensors were affected making it difficult for it to proceed with the journey due to the dust. We had to load the camping equipment on our game viewer roof rack which was in a good condition and proceed with the journey to the campsite.
Our guide then reported this matter to the wildlife officers to help us contact Lucky from the office. As soon as he received the message he organized another vehicle with the mechanic to attend the breakdown. After fixing the backup vehicle it then proceeded with the trip to Chobe. This didn’t stop your activities because we had 3 vehicles available.
Even if were were to arrive in Savuti the same day, we were still not going to be able to fix the vehicle because of dangerous wild animals especially predators at night. It will still take us 2 days, we apologize for the vehicle that had a problem with the sensors due to dust in Savuti Marsh.
PROS
We thank you so much for recognizing our service team for their great service and recommending us, our good and committed guide, chef for nice delicious tasty food and camp hand for good organization of the camp. We strive to ensure that we meet our customer expectations and satisfaction all the time.
Thank you
Email Anna Dobson | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our family holiday with Kalahari Marsh surpassed our expectations. We had an amazing time.
Lucky's organisation and itinerary were fantastic. He worked very hard to personalise the trip for us and always kept me up to date with the planning. We choose a mid-range camping/lodge option which was excellent value.
We camped in the Okavango Delta and Central Kalahari Desert and stayed at Maun Lodge, Planet Baobab and Elephant Sands. It was an incredible experience. LT our guide and driver amazed us with his knowledge and tracking skills, we saw over 80 different species of wildlife including elephants, giraffes, hippos, lions, leopard, cheetah, a variety of birds and buck - even baby mongoose in the Makgadikgadi pans and a leopard tortoise.
The staff at Kalahari Marsh really looked after us well, from setting up camp to delicious food whilst camping.
There were so many highlights it's hard to pick a favourite.
Thank you all so much for an incredible experince.
Email Craig | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Provided and memorable experience for the family with a talented team in some stunning locations
The team worked with us and was flexible in the locations we wanted to visit. Helped curate and set of experiences with a great team. Had a range of ages in the group from 25 to 87. Our lead guide was amazing. The qty and variety of animals & birdlife was saw was outstanding. The camping was stunning. It was so memorable.
ES
Email Elena | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic trip with friends
We have to thank the Kalahari Marsh Safari team for our unforgettable experience in Botswana, not just because of the beauty of the Okavango. The entire team organized the trip very well, including the luxurious tents, the comfortable transportation, the organized activities, and more. The guide was excellent; he took us on routes only an expert would know, teaching us about all the animals and giving us information about them. The chef was incredibly good; he truly prepared delicious and elaborate dishes with every detail taken into account. We would definitely repeat the experience; I highly recommend it.
ES
Email Pol | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Horrible experience - Avoid at all costs
Avoid this operator at all costs.
After booking 6 months in advance, nothing was booked - we had to wait for hours to know the plan on every step of the trip.
Last minute changes on the original planning, inexistent organisation, and we had to ask constantly for the next steps since we didn't know what was next. Boat trip wasn't book in Moremi nor in Chobe, so we had to wait and solve it there with the local people.
Sometimes we didn't have lunch nor dinner and we had to ask for it - nobody was even asking. We had to organise ourselves because if not, you skip what you agreed.
Avoid this company if you want a happy trip.
Email Juliet | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional service and a commitment to safety
5/5 stars -Unforgettable Canoe Trip Experience...
I recently had the privilege of embarking on a canoe trip with Kalahari Marsh Safaris and it was truly an adventure of a lifetime.Our guide was knowledgeable, friendly and ensured safety throughout the journey.
Wildlife Encounter
The incredible animal sightings I spotted
*A dazzle of zebra drinking from the riverbank.
Tips for Future Travelers
*Bring binoculars for better wildlife viewing
*Don't forget your camera to capture the stunning scenery.
Recommendations
If you're looking for a guided canoe trip with exceptional guide and unforgettable wildlife encounter, look no further cas Kalahari Marsh Safari got you.
Email George | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Signed a full confession that he defrauded us of the 8000USD
We paid 8000USD for a tour with Lucky lasting 9 days- when we arrived it turned out to be fraud. He signed a full confession of fraud and was arrested. He had not organised/paid for the tour despite taking the full payment from us upfrount. He is currently being seporately prosecuted by the botswanna tourism office.
Full Summary of each of the days:
Day 1 (Friday 13th June 2025)
Victoria Falls
-not given any plan for the day on the first day so we had no idea what was happening with the guide until we finally got through to Lucky on the phone
-hotel refusing to provide food for lunch or dinner as Lucky hadn’t arranged it or paid for it
-then no chef at lunch time so only sushi (which we had to pay for), then the taxi was late to take us down to the start of the Victoria falls walk.
-then half an hour of waiting for them to try to pay for entrance, until they said they couldn’t and we finally had to pay the 100USD for entrance ourselves despite this being agreed as included as part of the tour.
-then the hotel (N1 Hotel) said they’d not been paid so we had to wait for dinner until they were paid (which they still weren’t by Lucky)
-There was also no balcony in the hotel yesterday despite there being a balcony advertised in the itinerary for the first nights accommodation.
Thus- activities, food and accomodation (the contents of day 1's itinerary) all paid for by us.
Lucky agreed to refund the first day but never did.
2nd day (Saturday 14h June 2025)
-we wake up and the hotel said Lucky didn’t give them our breakfast order so the food had run out, and the hotel would not let us leave as Lucky hadn’t paid for the night's accommodation.
-We were then stuck waiting until midday (meant to leave at 9am for a game drive) until the driver came and we had to pay the hotel ourselves to be allowed to leave
-Only one car waiting at the border with Botswana not two as promised- so only the other family (not known to us but on a separate tour with Lucky's company) could use the car and we had to stay in the van.
-No lunch- had to buy our own and eat it in the back of the car.
-Missed both the game drives described in the itinerary- had to drive to the lodge in the freezing cold and pitch black.
-Only got half a single boat ride (only 1.5 hours not 3) as it started so late.
We arrived freezing cold to the accommodation after a 2 hour drive in the cold and dark from Chobe to the lodge.
Lucky agreed to refund the second day- witness statement of the hotel manager from the morning of the 15th taken.
3rd day (Sunday 15h June 2025):
-6 hours of driving as we needed to refuel, 1 game drive only (car has no speedometer- and was not road worthy) then the hotel was not booked so we had no hotel room, leaving us in the middle of the outback without anywhere to sleep, unsafe, with no dinner and he had not transferred the money back for days 1 and 2 when he said he would.
-Eventually the hotel owner who witnessed the above discussion regarding day 3 stepped in and explained Lucky was lying to us and that Lucky had not booked the hotel. We were stuck waiting for over an hour in the cold. At that time we begged the hotel owner to be able to sleep somewhere as we were unsafe and had no other choice, the owner agreed out of compassion but took Lucky's car keys and car battery as Lucky had not paid and did not have a booking, and we were not given anything to eat.
4th day (Monday 16th June 2025):
Unable to leave the lodge as Lucky had still not paid the owner, so his car keys remained confiscated by the hotel owner.
5th day (Tuesday 17th June 2025):
Finally released from Camp Savuti and went with Lucky to Maun Police station to report Lucky to the police - a 5 hour drive in the outback, the car broke down half way and had to be repaired with the help of a passing vehicle). Lucky was taken into custody for fraud by misrepresentation.
He has been charged with Fraud, he was imprisioned for 3 days, we have a full signed confession from him signed in the presense of his and our lawyers. He is seporately under investigation from the Botswanna Tourism Office.
Email Jenna | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The tour is fraud
I experienced the same fraud as the below reviewer- including having a signed confession of fraud from him for several thousand dollars and him being arrested during our tour, he did not pay any money back.
BD
Email Akash | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
good
They gained our trust - From beginning to end, everything exceeded our expectations. Exceptional service!