Tuesday 4 December 2012

On Safari at Ghoha Hills Camp in Savuti

At the end of October I got the chance to see Ghoha Hills Camp which opened its doors in mid 2012.  The most impressive selling point of this lodge is its location which boasts a magnificent view. The lodge lies on top of the hills it’s named for, overlooking the Ghoha area and a small waterhole. Ghoha Hills offers a brilliant compromise between other lodges based in the Savute & Linyanti areas because it lies between them. The design of the lodge is stunning with the light colour schemes and pale woods used, making a really fresh, modern & welcoming impression.  Even being a grumpy morning person, I had to be impressed by the stunning sunrises, which I watched through my window in camp.

The smooth sunrises at Ghoha ensured I was happy and ready to start my days of game viewing. The lodge offers game drives on their own private road network, daytrips into Savute or if clients stay 3 or more nights, into Linyanti. The lodge offers some flexibility however and is willing to cater to the preferences of guests in camp for activities provided there’s enough interest. With the longer daytrips you also need to keep in mind that the transfer takes a while, because the lodge is situated a while from the Savute marsh. It’s a 45 minute drive from camp to the airstrip and further again to the Savute marsh, but it was worth bumping around in the car on the sandy roads.

During my time at Ghoha Hills I saw so many things: thousands of elephants & buffalos, huge herds of zebras, giraffes and my personal highlight, a cheetah feeding on an impala. We found the cheetah underneath a little bush but the moment I got the camera out of my bag and tried to take a photo it ran away and I was left with a nice shot of buffalo “poo” next to our car instead.

After I had overcome the big disappointment of my failed cheetah photograph I at last had the chance to get a nice photo of an elephant standing next to a dead tree, giving me a beautiful scenery shot and bringing the beauty of the area across. After spending a few days at Ghoha Hills, I was reminded how great the Savute area is and how much it is worth every visit.  As Ghoha Hills is one of the few lodges with family units (they have two) and are willing to take kids from 6 years onwards, it’s also a great family choice.

Over all, Ghoha Hills offers very good value for money and a great safari experience which is why we’ve packaged it in our 10 night Northern Highlights Standard itinerary and 12 Night Family Safari.

Check out our agents’ corner for more information on Ghoha Hills and packages that include the camp and the Savuti area.

 

Saturday 1 December 2012

We personally “Meet & Greet” all our clients in Maun

I am sure you all know that we personally “meet & greet” all your clients upon their arrival in Maun (be it in the beginning or at the end of their safari). We introduce ourselves as the on the ground partner agency of their tour operator and greet the clients on behalf of their agent.

Here is one example of a client’s feedback after a beautiful safari which took them from Vic Falls (Ilala Lodge) to Chobe Game Lodge, Sandibe and Nxabega of &beyond, Sango Safari Camp and the last couple of nights they spent at Kwando Nxai Pan Camp. They had booked a stunning and very varied safari itinerary.

“I met your clients ….  x2 ex Nxai Pan Camp and they were so happy and said they had a great safari. They loved the hospitality in every camp – said that Ilala Lodge was excellent with its outstanding staff  and great food. They said because they were vegetarians – they were very much impressed with the manner with which they were well catered for – the vegetables everywhere were fresh and the spices were too nice. They were really happy with every lodge and camp, although Chobe Game Lodge was more like a hotel and had so many guests it felt less bush-like, but they said the activities were excellent, they had seen so many animals and they immensely enjoyed the boat cruise on the Chobe River. They both agreed that the highlight of their safari was Sango Safari Camp – for the mere fact that it is run by local people, unlike other lodges that they had been to. They said they both enjoyed their stay there. Mr … said that he also loved Sandibe very much – he said it was one of the best lodges during their safari. All in all, they were extremely happy clients and they were very thankful for the excellent organisation of their safari.”

We always forward feedback from our Meet & Greets to the relevant agent (generally we get super positive feedback, sometimes clients also give us constructive critisicm, additionally to informing the agent, such feedback gets communicated to the supplier of the service).

As part of our service we offer to store excess luggage in our office in Maun, assist with lost luggage, communicate flight changes with the air charter companies and the lodges and generally support our agents while their clients are in our “good hands”.