Botswana

It's always more fun on the water... birding, that is. In Southern Africa birding is usually done by foot or car - car being the most used method generally, especially in national parks where there are certain creatures that can make you very glad that your medical cover is up to date. In open savanna habitat the car has certain advantages - it acts a bit like a mobile hide (or 'blind' of you are American), and also allows you to cover more distance, upping your bird daily bird count. But sitting in a car for long periods is not ideal either, and where possible, birding by boat offers a fresh perspective. Read more about the various boat trips we do on our 'Windhoek to Victoria Falls' itinerary....

There are literally hundreds of private safari lodges throughout Southern Africa, all trying to entice you, the client, into staying with them, rather than the next-door lodge, or another lodge in another country. The competition is fierce! Of course, the price tag will be the initial filter, and we find that most lodges are getting to be very experinsive overall. Some are worth it, but some aren't, and many of these tend to be a bit ostentatious (100-square foot bathrooms, 'his and hers' showers, more food than one can possibly eat etc) and just 'over the top'. Other lodges don't try to compete in this market however, but rather aim at delivering perfectly adequate food and accommodations and a good safari experience at a reasonable price. And Tuli Wilderness's Serolo Camp, in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana, is just such a camp...

NOTE: This lodge suffered severe fire damage in September 2021, and is currently closed.

Every now and then we're going to look at our choice of best safari lodges in Africa. This month's is: Ta Shebube Polentswa Lodge, Botswana.

The small safari lodge concept is done better in Africa than anywhere else, and we are fortunate to have visited a fair few on our tours and travels. This month’s featured safari lodge is Polentswa, situated deep in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, on the Botswana side of the Nossob River, in one of the remotest parts of Southern Africa.