Tough Decision between two trips
We have don the T&K grand safari and Africa is calling me again. We are torn between Botswana, , South Africa & Zambia and the Wildlife Odyssey. These may well be our last big exotic trip and I would like to hear from those of you seasoned travelers that have done these what your honest opinion is. I looked through the forums and never got a handle on it. Thanks for any suggestions.
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Here is my honest opinion. I have done T&K. If I return to visit SA I would take the cheapest Tauck tour that still visited Victoria Falls because that would be my primary reason for spending the time and money to return. I know all would have some better wildlife viewing, etc. but for me even though the wildlife is spectacular Victoria Falls would be the driver. So to conserve those travel dollars I would take the Wildlife Odyssey, if that is the one that visits Capetown, Johannesburg, a couple of game drives, and Victoria Falls. I believe it is the cheapest and I think its travel arraignments might be the easiest because it starts and stops in a large city. Some of the SA tour you have to make your own way to Livingstone. That's just a small detail but for me is another factor.
There's my opinion. Obviously the reasons for travel are different for everyone. Things like what are the features that actually make you want to spend the time and money to see them are different for everyone.
We took the Botswana, South Africa, Zambia years ago and loved it. The Odyssey tour is fairly new and we booked it as soon as it came out, but of course Covid happened and it was cancelled. We rebooked for last year but could not get the flights to make it work so we cancelled. We’ve already been to Vic Falls twice, from the two sides, so that was not the primary reason, but More of Botswana was. We’ve now decided that we need a tour that just goes to Botswana, so that may not be with Tauck. Getting to or from Vic Falls really complicates things. We’ve done. K and T twice and Tanzania Zanzibar. We go to Tanzania next year.
Sam, Elegant SA is the tour that goes to Jo’burg and CapeTown.
What is important to know is that the Southern Africa tours are very different from the East Africa tours, so it’s worth experiencing both.
British - Thanks for the correction. I didn't look them up.
We have not been to Africa with Tauck, so I cannot speak to specific tours. However, we have been to SA twice, including Capetown and Joburg. Also been to Kenya and Tanzania, including Ngorogoro Crater. Our last visit to SA included two camps in Botswana, in the Delta in dry season. All these areas are very different experiences. I have not done Victoria Falls, so would include that in your choice. Joburg IMO, is really not much to see. The safari experiences in SA and Botswana are even different. Botswana is more wild and sightings are harder. We LOVE SA as you can go off road and get closer to the animals than in East Africa.
I have done K&T with Tauck last October and loved it. The animal sightings were amazing. I've also done South Africa and Victoria Falls with another provider. Loved the safari portion in Sabi Sands and then decided I needed more animals and did K&T. Going back to SA and Botswana next month with a different provider. Some of the itinerary including the Falls will be the same as previous but i really enjoyed Capetown and wine country so I'm looking forward to repeating there. The upcoming trip includes 3 nights on the Rovos Rail which was a key driver along with the Botswana safari portion. The additional Falls visit will be nice but it wasn't a driver.
It's a long way to go so I try to tack on additional time pre or post tour. For this one I'm spending 3 additional nights in Capetown but heading straight home. For K&T last October I spent a week on my own in Zanzibar post tour. Also did one pre night just to get adjusted to the time zone and deal with the jet lag.
I'd agree with Marla526 about being able to go off road in SA much more than in East Africa. There was no off-roading in Tanzania and just a wee bit in Kenya. But the wee bit in Kenya us up close and very personal with the reticulated giraffe which was spectacular.
Botswana, , South Africa & Zambia , was Amazing, even with
TD I had. .
If you have done K&T the B,Z,Cape will be a great one to complete everything Africa. You would see The Delta, the Historic part of South Africa and the animal experience it's also great. Chobe It's incredible.
We have done a few Tauck tours to exotic places like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, India, Australia and New Zealand and I would have to say that our trip to Botswana, Zambia and South Africa was the best ever! From the majesty of Victoria Falls to the volume of Elephants on the Chobe river through the progressively rustic camps from Khwai river, Eagle Island and and finally the Kalahari desert, the animals the food the variety of experiences were just amazing. Even in the "rustic" camp at the Kalahari it was "Tauck rustic" and just the best experience. The optional sleep night out on the salt pans was just nothing like you could experience anywhere else, but it was still inside the "Tauck Bubble", so you never really felt isolated or left to your own devices. Cape Town stay was at the aptly named "the one and only" and was excellent. The only thing I would add in Cape Town that Tauck didn't cover was a trip to the wine country. However it can be easily be set up as an add on day by the front desk at the One and Only. I have added a few shots I took to whet your appetite. Sorry they don't appear to be in chronological order. PM me if you need more info.
RWilso15 - FANTASTIC photos. Thanks for sharing.
Amazing photos !
RWilso15 - Excellent photos. I would love to go back again, but I have already plans fro 2023,24 & 25. For me out of all 3 camps* Kalahari was rustic but staff were superb and the food the best!
Amazing trip.
RWilso15….what FABULOUS photos. You make me want to go back to Africa. My favorite place on Earth!!
Spectacular and breathtaking photos.
Amazing Photos! Thank you for posting.
Wow, thank you everyone. This group is amazing. I don't think I could o wrong with either trip. I am all about the Wildlife though.
I have heard the flights can be more difficult to Wildlife Odyssey (Starting in Victoria Falls, Zimbawe) over the BSA&Z (Livingston, Zambia)? Any experiences with that?
The flights are harder to arrange, if doing so on you own, for any tour that starts and/or stops in anywhere other than Capetown or Johannesburg.
Mary, there may be more flight choices now because we were looking earlier in the Pandemic. However, one of the domestic African airlines went out of business and I don’t know if anyone else has taken over those routes.
No one has posted about the Odyssey trip as far as I know.
Tragically, I was just reading this morning that Botswana has lost one third of it’s Rhinos to poaching in the last five years.
https://forums.tauck.com/discussion/comment/86107/#Comment_86107
Botswana was extraordinary!Sleeping under the skies in the salt pan was so unique;we had full moon on that night.The tour guides take such special care for preparing the beds for warmth with hot water bottles etc.If you can only go to one place in Africa I would definitely no miss Botswana.
Booked and ready to go! I have combed through all the threads and appreciate the time and effort and will be sure to return favor. We arrive 9/6 at 12:45 and don’t check into to Royal Livingston until 8th ( trip starts 9th.) We originally wanted to book the full day trip to Chobe but was advised on here that our tour already goes there (which I did not see in itinerary. We are going to spend our 1st 2 nights in another hotel. So we basically have 2 full days. Is the day or possibly overnight trip to Chobe foolish? Who did you book your pre tour excursions through? Thanks to those who have so thoughtfully responded in advance!!!!
I contacted the Livingstone Hotel to inquire about transportation to the Elephant Cafe and interacting with the gentle giants. They sent me good information. That is on my bucket list.
Your group may not need to take the Kazangula ferry to get to Botswana, then van to the Chobe River for your excursion then on the the Kasane Airport. I believe the new bridge is now finally completed and open! They were making good progress, but we had to take the "little ferry" because the bridge wasn't done in 2019 when we were there. It took two ferry trips- one to transport our bags (the large orange ones belonged to our TD) and one trip for us!
I agree with cathy, what you see with Tauck on the Chobe River is sufficient. It is a water excursion on large pontoon boat. You'll see animals typical of the marshy Chobe River islands (hippos, elephants, waterbuck, cape buffalo, crocks, etc. and all sorts of birds.
There is enough to do in and around Livingstone. A few months prior, we booked a microlight flight over the falls through the concessionaire (Bushtracks, back then) at the hotel and animal encounters directly with Mikuni Big 5. There are plenty of other activities, elephant cafe, bungee jumping, river cruise, canoeing and kayaking, etc. etc. to fill your pre-tour time. If you send an email to the Royal Livingstone concierge they will send you a very large document listing many of these activities. I'll attach what they sent us in 2018.
Are you staying in the Avani which is right next to the Royal Livingstone and part of the same hotel group? You can take a short walk from either through their adjoining properties out the rear security gate and visit the Falls park for free with a hotel pass and also visit the souvenir village. We did that and also walked across the bridge, through the border formalities, and into Zimbabwe. We were going to eat lunch in the Rain Forrest Cafe near the park on the Zimbabwe side of the falls but learned it was in the park and we would need to purchase park tickets, too. We took a vote and just checked out the local vendors and headed back across the bridge to Zambia.
Chobe is an area, not just a river, but it is not in the same country as the Royal Livingstone so there are border controls and visas to consider. You will see so many animals on this trip, I just don’t see the reason to go to Chobe too. The river is great for wildlife variety.
I don’t know whether you suffer from jet lag, but you might want to consider that too before you plan too much on your first day. Also, you will have to check out of your first hotel early and get to the Royal Livingstone and possible wait to get your room too after the second night. By not staying at the Tauck hotel you will miss the thrill of the ride on a speedboat to get to the hotel. The Royal Livingstone has wildlife roaming around the grounds like Zebra and monkeys, it has a nice swimming pool. You can do helicopters rides, microlight aircraft rides etc. as well as tours to see wildlife right there. No need to go to Botswana before the tour when you are going there later.
Speaking of border formalities- I haven't kept up on what is required, but when we went in 2019 we got the KAZA Univisa which allowed us an unlimited number of border crossings to/from Zambia-Zimbabwe and Zambia-Botswana for 30 days. If you are thinking about crossing before your trip you'll need a multi-entry visa or get the KAZA. We got it upon arrival, it was the same price as the regular single-entry visa, plus the line for it at the Livingstone Airport was really short, much shorter than the regular visa line!!
Another thing we did (forced to do because of flight timing) is that we spent the night in J'burg before flying to Livingstone. I was skeptical, but it worked out perfectly!!! We had a good night's sleep at the airport Intercontinental, then got up rested and refreshed for our mid-morning flight, and arrived in Livingstone ready to go! In fact, we did our microlight flight that afternoon!!
The new road and bridge were open when I was there last September 2022. In fact the tour guide made a big deal when using it as it crosses the intersection of the four countries that all come to a single point at that location on the Zambezi river. (Angola, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Cathy, I understand, which is why I used "'may' not need"
. It is kinda like keeping up with the status of the GEM opening! 
- I haven't kept track of that either. It may also be that switching vehicles and moving bags at Kazangula is easier (and cheaper) if one of the ferries is used. I read some horrible stories about the border formalities. Most however were by people who weren't thinking- e.g. using one passport going one way and trying to use another going in the other direction.
I just checked Mr. Wiki: " Before the bridge was opened for traffic in May 2021 . . . " FYI, the GEM is still not open! Close, sometime this year??? Inshallah!
They are supposedly making it "possible for Egyptians and foreigners to visit, with several guided tours, to test the readiness of the site before the official opening, through pre-booking on the Grand Egyptian Museum website."
British:
About seven years ago, I took the speedboat entry to the Royal Livingstone. While on the boat and not knowing how to swim, I asked the pilot for the location of the life vests. He said to me “Sir, given the many crocodiles in the water, a life vest is not your primary concern!”
New bridge it's finish, so need to take any ferry..