Biwakwango
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2001)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $129 to $1,615 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
FR
Email Jaouen | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Cote sauvage puis trek dans Lesotho et amphithéâtre du Dragensberg
Excellent trip : only nature and montains, sea. Thierry is very nice , he knows a lot of plants, animals. He does everything: guide,driver, cooking, he is excellent. I recommand this trip so particular.
Reply from Biwakwango
Posted on Nov 25, 2023Thank you very much Marie-Pierre. Excellent group on a superb trek, far from the beaten tracks. One of my favorite trip in South Africa.
TR
Email Zeynep | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experienced and reliable tour operator
As a small group of friends, we made an amazing walking safari in Zimbabwe organized by Thierry Pagnot of Biwakwango and guided by Steve Bolnick of Camp Mana. This has been the second trip arranged by Thierry after a hiking trip in Drakensberg mountains, South Africa last February. We asked from him for a unique safari; and knowing our capabilities and interests from our first trip, Thierry organized a rather unusual and off-scale safari in Mana Pools national Park in Zimbabwe, just as we dreamed of. Chitake Springs was a superb place in total wilderness! After that we spent few days in Camp Mana. There were no crowds of people that you may come across especially in East Africa. There were days we did not see more than few people as we were walking on foot. Yet, we had the incredible opportunity to get very close to the wild animals with the supervision of our incredible guide Steve. It was a unforgettable experience. I highly recommend Biwakwango and Camp Mana for anyone interested in a safari in Zimbabwe.
Reply from Biwakwango
Posted on Oct 16, 2023Thank you very much Zeynep. What a pleasure it was for me to first guide your small and friendly party on this beautiful hike in the Drakensberg. And then thank you again for untrusting me in organizing this once of a life time safari in Mana Pools.
FR
Email Didier | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Biwakwango with Kgato Safaris 1/5: To be avoided. Prices top of the lines for services down of range
Biwakwango associated with Kgato Safaris 1/5: To be avoided. Prices top of the lines for services down of the range, or even much less!
Namibia part, rather poor, ensured by Thierry Pagnot, owner of Biwakwango. Very old vehicle without any comfort (rough suspensions, no air conditioning and no comfort equipment available in the fleet of other 4x4s such as refrigerators, chargers, etc.). Very ordinary animal guide (by far the worst on the 4 safaris experienced previously) and does what he wants without taking into account our wishes (we completely missed sites like Swakopmund, according to the people we met at the end of travel). In addition, he is someone who saves money on everything, hence the daily hungry and tasteless picnics, bottled water distributed by droppers (we had to buy it several times) and a problem of Accommodation over the 3 days at Ngepi camp for which we had to fight to get something decent. Other accommodations in Namibia were OK.
But the worst by far was the Botswana part which he subcontracted to a structure with which he is used to working, Kgato safaris run by a pastor named BK. It was truly a nightmare. 4x4 with trailer out of breath, overloaded and with worn tires. On the vehicle side, 3 predictable punctures with, for the first on the 1st day, the need for a repairer waited more than 1 hour because there was no jack in the 4x4. Several getting stuck in the sand with our help to collect branches of tree to put under the tires (no sand removal plate) and to push and even once to transport luggage and equipment a few hundred meters to reach the camp, the 4x4 being in waiting for other vehicles to be towed and get out of this mess (safari on evening canceled due to the late arrival and our tiredness. A fire started in our feet due to the faulty power supply in a fridge and which could have ended very badly. An engine overheated several times which required several stops, culminating in the explosion of the radiator which put an end, before the end, to our journey with this unprofessional structure, to say the least, that is Kgato Safaris and its boss BK. After hours of waiting in full sun (40° in the shade), we were rescued by Tony from Tony Mobile Safaris who we can never thank enough for getting us out of this bad situation and who led us to Kasane is 3 hours of slopes away, despite the 3 clients he was transporting who were kind enough to accept that we join their team. Not from Chobe River but finally extracted from this hell.
The only positive point is that the cook and BK's aide-de-camp, very friendly and always smiling, did their best to make our stay a little less stressful (in particular, the food was very good). Note that the so-called purified water was in fact that of the self-service tap at the entrance to each reserve via a large plastic pipe lying on the ground (another lie from BK).
But the worst part of all that is not there. We could have accepted all these hazards tinged with amateurism if at least we had been able to explore the Okavango Delta as we dreamed of since it was the essential reason for this expensive trip. Instead, to save money, BK and his Kgato Safaris have set up their camps outside areas of interest. For example, for the Moremi Game Reserve, they set up camp for us at Xini Lagoon, more than 20 km of track from the Moremi area indicated on the “Tracks 4 Africa” map. The place was dry and uninteresting while the photos and videos taken by Tony Mobile Safaris clients testified to this magical place that we completely missed. Same for Khwai and Savuti. I didn't take any photos during certain safaris as the areas explored were so uninteresting.
We therefore completely missed out on our trip, particularly in the Okavango, and this, mainly because of Thierry Pagnot from Biwakwango who bears full responsibility for organizing this entire awful trip.
Reply from Biwakwango
Posted on Oct 16, 2023Thank you very much Didier for this edifying feedback. After 15 days in your company, I expected nothing less, your comments reflect the man that you are: a disappointing inability of appreciating the beauty of things and all the efforts we make to make the journey most interesting, unique and exciting. If you had brought a little moderation in your feedback, I would have happily responded constructively, but such a display of negativity and hypocrisy becomes almost laughable. Because the truth is that this trip to Namibia went perfectly without any hitch and that we saw and did wonderful things there, most often far from the beaten track and in very pleasant charming camps. What about our walks on the dunes and Dead vlei, alone far from the crowds, our walk in Damaraland at dawn, our lions sighting at the waterhole, cheetah, leopard, hundreds of elephants, herd of sable antelopes to mention just few examples? A superb day full of wonders has no effect on your mood, you will only remember the small detail that was not to your taste. Fortunately there were your older brother and sister to balance your heavy attitude. Your poor sister, unfortunately for her, was your main scapegoat and would have done without your arrogance and incessant reproaches.
Didier will remain the most unpleasant customer in my 20 years of guiding. We have our reviews on this platform and many others which attest to our reliability and standard of service. Didier is the customer that no one wants to have! And I can only warn all tour operators approached by this individual to think twice before accepting him... In fact from the start he warned me that he had already had two bad safari experiences with agencies and guides in other countries. Then he wanted to obtain unjustified discounts. Then the payment terms did not suit him. In short, a lot of signs that should have warned me from the start.
I will only give 2 examples (among many others) to illustrate this gentleman’s bad faith. He mentions the 3 nights at Ngepi camp. Although it is true that we had a small problem with the accommodation upon arrival (1 room was missing), I solved the issue in 20 minutes and everything was back to normal. If there were comments to make about Ngepi it would have been to say that it is an exceptional, unique and superb camp! That we had wonderful sightings of hundreds of elephants, sable antelopes, a nice mokoro safari on the Kavango river, that we heard the lions roaring just on the other side of the river every night, an exceptional experience on its own. This is what he could have said. But this insignificant negative remark he makes, what is the point, for what purpose?
In Botswana, it was my partner's turn to suffer his moods for the next 7 days. Didier complained every day that he would have liked to do his safari in a closed vehicle and not an open one, and that supposedly this is what I would have mentioned in my documents! This is of course a shameful lie but what's more, who wants to go on a safari in a closed vehicle in Botswana? Nobody of course! And if he had done this safari in a closed vehicle, there is no doubt that Didier would have protested (this time rightly). Didier was of course careful not to mention this absurd complaint which would have totally discredited his display of negativity and bad faith...
An experience with this man as a guide and tour operator that I would have done without…
FR
Email Bertrand MAIRE | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A true professional
This is the second time we've travelled to Southern Africa through Thierry, who runs Biwakwango, and this second trip to Namibia was just as magical as our first to Botswana and Zambia. Although we were a little late in getting started, Thierry was able to organise a fantastic tailor-made trip for us, which enabled us to discover many facets of this incredible country. His excellent local knowledge (of the regions, parks and lodges, as well as the local people and culture) was a huge advantage, enabling him to give us sound advice tailored to our needs. Many thanks Thierry
Reply from Biwakwango
Posted on Oct 16, 2023Thank you Bertrand. It was indeed not an easy one to organise with so little time ahead but I'm so pleased that this trip went very well.
FR
Email Nicolas VIX | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Biwakwango is an amazing wildlife safari designer
We have just spent 2 weeks in Okavango Delta, Victoria Falls and Zimbabwe. Our family trip was absolutely amazing : full immersion into wildlife, top small lodges with great confort, outstanding locations, good food and very well experienced guides.
It ended with an incredible 3 day canoe trip on the Zambeze river, quietly navigating among hippos, crocodiles and elephants !
Congratulation Thierry and team, we will be back soon for Namibia !
Reply from Biwakwango
Posted on Oct 16, 2023Thank you Nicolas, it was a real pleasure to organize this trip for your lovely small family and even more to share with you those incredible moments in Mana Pools.
FR
Email Jennifer | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A lover of Africa, Thierry designs original tours to meet budget needs.
Unforgettable trip to Namibia, originally designed and accompanied by Thierry. It was a journey of about 2500 km off the beaten track with comfortable, ecological lodges judiciously integrated into their surroundings. The two nights sleeping under the stars in the Namib desert remain etched on our memory! We made lots of discoveries, interesting at all levels: animal (white rhino); vegetation and geological nature (rocks, minerals, and dunes). We recommend the dune 40! The landscapes are unique and so varied from one place to another, from the white "pan", a gigantic basin that is dry for a good part of the year in the Etosha reserve, to the red and black rocks of Damaraland, to the fine red sand of the dunes of the Namib desert.
This was a more upmarket trip that lasted 15 full days but Thierry can design a tour to meet all types of budget needs.
Reply from Biwakwango
Posted on Apr 17, 2023Thank you very much Jennifer. What a great and special trip indeed and in great company!
FR
Email Guillaume CAZAURAN | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
BIWAKWANGO is the best travel agent for a journey in the south of Africa.
Hello Thierry, we were really delighted with this trip to Zimbabwe:
Mana Pools for 10 days (3 camps) and Hwange for 5 days (Somaliza). We left in November at the end of the dry season.
Mana pools is an extraordinary nature reserve. The landscapes are different and the animals are everywhere even in November.
Hwange was relatively empty of animals. This is not a good date to visit Hwange. That said, the big cats were present in Somaliza since they are attached to their territories. We saw leopards in numbers, animals that we had never had the chance to see.
Regarding the camps:
- Kenga camp (African Bush Camp) is a good camp in the standards of comfort, functioning and preservation of nature that we appreciate. Too many tsetse flies. I was devoured but I am responsible because I did not put repellent.
Very good table.
- Camp Mana managed by Steve is a more rustic camp. Atmosphere much more respectful of nature. Steve knows all the animals and all the ecosystems. Very impressive.
Very Anglo-Saxon table. We saw the wild dogs with them and followed them on foot with Steve. It was great. For me it is an excellent camp, even the best, but a bit rustic. Suitable for backpackers. I suggested Steve call you. I will send him emails.
- Nyamatusi is the most comfortable camp we tested. Tents that are almost no longer tents (almost villas). The tents are very far from each other. You have to walk a lot, which is not a problem, but at night they come to pick you up by car (compulsory). It lacks charm.
Meals are for couples or families. No more mixing of guests, it's unfortunate.
Excellent table but too Anglo-Saxon.
Nyamatusi is the worst experience of this trip apart from the small private pool which was great.
Somaliza awesome as usual. The best compromise for us. The Somaliza teams are truly exceptional. I recommend Somaliza to all French people who want to go to Zimbabwe. Do not go beyond in terms of comfort.
Sincerely
Guillaume says "the leopard" given the number of bites I had. sent from my Iphone
(automatic translation from French)
Reply from Biwakwango
Posted on Apr 17, 2023Thank you Guillaume and Sylvie. It's always a pleasure to organize some awesome and unique trips for you! Anytime!
Email Kumaran | under20 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Namibia
We absolutely loved our road trip with Thierry in Namibia. We really had an amazing and unique experience and we have some unforgettable memories thanks to Thierry.
I would definitely recommend this experience for the nature and safaris lovers.
Reply from Biwakwango
Posted on Apr 17, 2023Thank you Kumaran
FR
Email Genty Nicolas | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Umfolozi KosiBay, Swaziland,Kruger,Cap Town
What's this crazy trip" dad and mom!!!! ». This is the unfiltered return of our children.
Total immersion in this multifaceted country (South Africa) organized by Thierry who knew thanks to his knowledge his professionalism his kindness and especially his passion for fauna and flora to make our trip unforgettable above our expectations.
If you are looking for a trip off the beaten track, do not hesitate to contact Biwakwango
Reply from Biwakwango
Posted on Apr 17, 2023Thank you Nicolas. What a pleasure to guide your friendly and fun family
FR
Email stéphanie P | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
South Africa, lesotho, drakensbert, kruger
Magnificent tailor-made trip. We made very beautiful hikes in Lesotho, in the Drakensberg. We are great walkers. The landscapes were magnificent.
Unforgettable experience in the animal park of umfolozi. 3 days and 2 nights hike in the savannah in the middle of the animals,
The serenity, the kindness of the inhabitants of Swaziland.
Everything was perfect. We finished with the kruger with intimate lodges (6 to 8 people maximum,
4-week trip organized according to our wishes, our rhythm.
I recommend Thierry's professionalism.
Reply from Biwakwango
Posted on Apr 17, 2023Thank you Stephanie. I'm very happy you enjoyed this great trip and safari.