Bush life camping, and real animal tracking experience. - Review Walking Sticks safari. Owner guide Philemon. When choosing an African safari from a foreign destination, the choice can be confusing. Offers from tour companies in Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia and Botswana seem to be similar, however when studying the uniqueness of the Okavango river, creating the shape of a hand, as it flows into the Okavango region, forming a natural delta, home to many rare and endangered species that the choice becomes obvious. Now to narrow the choices, we prefer real close to earth safaris, not the fly in luxury lodges with day game drives but the sleep in the wild tented variety taking us back to the original safari experience. Our choice last year was Walking sticks safaris, when we traveled with friends from Maun on a eight day experience to Vic Falls. No surprise last week ( early July) this time just two of us called Philemon of Walking sticks to create a three day safari in Moremi Area. Right on time we met up, arranged to leave our vehicle for safekeeping at Walking sticks base and proceeded on our drive to Moremi Game reserve. Philemon and his team had the camp prepared, and as a local operator have designated private sites in prime areas. The tents have individual open air ablutions attached, so privacy from neighbours is in place, however if you are shy of a Lilac crested roller watching you shower or a Grey Loerie ‘go away’ bird shouting at you, then maybe this is not for you. Simon our chef produced simple and very tasty fare before we relaxed under the stars with a safety fire creating the ambience for bush stories. Yes the camp is open and in wildlife habitat, yes lions, hyenas and elephant may stroll through the camp, however if left alone do not interfere with the camp residents. If there is a Gold medal for tracker or game spotter than Philemon would win with ease. His Origin Bushmen and Tswana brings centuries of knowledge to bear on animal behavior and tracking skills. Recognition and bird-spotting, given the variety in the Delta is a true gift. Large pride of Lion, Wild dog ( becoming very endangered ) Cheetahs, Leopard, Buffalo, many Elephant, Giraffes and various types of antelope as well as numerous smaller species were spotted and photographed in the three days. Visitors return as we did, for the people we meet, the service provided and in the end we leave as friends. Botswana has a policy of low volume and higher pricing, value for money with Walking Sticks safaris, Philemon and crew is well spent.

Magical experience with a lot of comfort and care - They made our overall experience a memorable one. The team is excellent and they are very well equipped logistically and very experienced .

Above expectations and below budget - Our goals for booking a safari in the Okavango area was to find someone locally-based, with a good track record, and reasonably priced, and Phil's team at Walking Stick was the perfect fit. We did a 4 day/3 night mobile camping safari (game drives in Moremi, canoe/walking safari in Okavango). Even though our flight was delayed about 12 hours, the team was flexible and let us push our safari one day back at no additional cost. Phil knows Moremi like the back of his hand and we saw everything we dreamed of, and more (he is friendly with other guides and communicated with them to find us lions, leopards, wild dogs, etc). Camp was comfortable and the cooking was great, being mindful of my traveling partner's nut allergy. Our canoe/walking safaris were also amazing. We only wished that we spent more time. Compared to what it seems other operators are charging for a similar experience, Phil's price seems competitive and the service more than worth what we paid.

Great 5 day safari (Moremi and Kwai River) with unforgettable experiences - During the 5-day safari we experienced a very high level of reliability, which we as a Swiss family really appreciate. We spent 1 day with a tent in the Okovango Delta (Mokoro) and then 2 days in Moremi and 2 days on the Kwai River. Our guide (Philimon) is highly professional and we enjoyed the combination of a local guide (and his stories) combined with his empathy for tourists and his high work ethic. He and his team (in the second car with cook/tent etc.) worked hard to make our experience unique and unforgettable, and they succeeded. Warm water and coffee before the game drive etc. I traveled all over Botswana (and also in Moremi NP) with my own car (self-drive) 25 years ago and needed some detailed information beforehand. For this trip we had less detailed information in advance, hardly any marketing. And that was fine with us. We had all the necessary information and our tour guide optimized our trip during the safari (e.g. added a boat tour). We assume that our guide's many years of professional experience as a guide/driver in the Okovango Delta gives him a connection to both worlds (local and international) - and we liked that. We trust Walking Stick Travel & Tours and recommend them to people who are looking for an unforgettable private camping safari (with good value for money).

In depth outstanding safari 5/5 - Throughout the booking and payment process Philimon kept in touch with us helping and answering all emails rapidly. On arrival in Maun Philimon was waiting for us and his easy manner and overview of our safari was very reassuring. He collected us from our hotel on time the following morning along with our cook and helper, who were also very friendly. Once on safari it was clear that Philimon was a very experienced guide with great depth of knowledge of both birds, animals, their characteristics and habitats. A ll four safaris that we did were special with not only a huge variety of animals and birds but in-depth observations of Lions (a pride of 9 crossing a river, hesitantly) , leopards (hiding their kill in a tree) , a cheetah in relax and a huge bloat of Hippos yawning and fighting. The bush camp was more luxurious and caused less anxiety than expected, though the sound of both hippos and lions was noted on one night along with the incessant bell frogs. Meals, cooked on an open fire were a treat , thanks to Jo, along with freshly baked bread I would thoroughly recommend Walking Stick Safaris for the experience offered, value for money and look forward to a long trip in 2023..

Highly recommended camping safari with the best! - After being picked up from Maun airport, Philimon drove the 4 of us to our private campsite. On the way we experienced our first safari drive, so by the time we reached the camp we were fully immersed in the experience. Dinner was wholesome, good food, surrounded by the sounds of the bush, sitting under an open tent. When it was time to go to sleep, P explained that under no circumstances we were to leave our tent at night "no matter what happened outside our tent"! Very exciting! We slept well with the sounds of the birds and animals all night. Just before dawn we were woken up for breakfast and our first safari drive of the day. Would you believe that we watched a leopard in a tree, 3 young cheetahs relaxing on a termite mound, and best of all, a lion family with three cubs, that first morning? P takes lots of time to watch the animals all the while telling us about their habits. Nothing was too much for P and his team, making our days together the best possible. It's like someone else said, yes we loved watching the animals, but it was also the amazing experience of camping in the middle of the bush, completely disconnected from our normal life, sleeping under the stars with just a thin tent between us and the animals, listening to the sounds, being lulled to sleep, and looking forward to the adventures of the next day. In one word; unforgettable, thank you Philimon and your team, you're the best!

Walking Stick safari…wonderful holiday - We spent 9 days on safari with Philimon and his wonderful team. Throughout the safari we were extremely well looked after and Philimon was attentive to our every need. The food was excellent, varied and plentiful and prepared by Joe. Gift was the support man and once again was attentive and friendly . We had our own full height tent, with separate area for loo and shower. Gift provided a bucket of hot water for the shower every evening. A hole for the toilet was dug at each campsite and a full portable was installed. We slept on comfortable camp beds with simple bed rolls. Philimon was saying he was planning to upgrade these. The safari trips out morning and evening were just wonderful. Philimon owns his own company and grew up in a village near where we had our first 3 nights of the walking safari. His knowledge and enthusiasm for the flora and fauna was extensive. He saw things we would have failed to see and remained consistently patient when asked to stop on numerous occasions for yet more bird photography! We would highly recommend Philimon and his team and we were extremely happy with every aspect of the trip and felt we had very good value for money - however travellers who are looking for top end luxury accommodation and cuisine should consider a different experience.