Reviews of Shipungo Safari & Tours

Traditional Grassroots Safari Experience

If you’re looking to rough it out on a Safari, Shipungo Safari and Tours is the company for you. Tough to beat from a cost benefit perspective, but there are still opportunities to improve the overall service. They provided a great support team for photo Safari, with experienced guide. The vehicle is fine, although demonstrating some age. The food prepared met expectations. The purpose of the trip was wildlife photography, the mission was accomplished. Strongly recommend that they install radio in the vehicle to communicate within the local guide network, this would go a long way to finding animals, but above for safety concerns, in the event of an emergency situation in an isolated or remote location

Fernando Pegado

Excellent communication upfront, timely pick up.

Shipungo Travels wa a very reliable partner as we had to plan our trip from Kenya. Their offer was fair and they kept it valid until short notice (we wanted to wait and see how the weather in Ocavago was at the planned days). The communication upfront was excellent. We were picked up very punctually, the vehicle was in excellent condition. All was well planned. Some minor improvements in the equipment - and staff (The main guide was extremeley knowledgeable and experienced but his English language skills basic so that we could not understand a lot of the information provided. Pity!

Katharina von Maltzan

Very reactive tour operator and great service

We went for a customized 9 days tour in Kalahari and northern Botwana, organization was very effective, all question were answered in very short time. We had a great mobile safari experience, the team was very dedicated to make the tour as good as possible and to feel in the bush like at home. Problems (which are expectable in the bush) with solved very quickly and the operator was very concerned to give us the best possible safari.

Rémi

Perfectl safari (6D5N Northern Botswana)

Absolutely top company, in all aspects. Starting from communication point of view - all our questions were quickly responded too and through whole process we felt welcome. Even made suggestions to our plans that made us rearrange the trip and worked out perfectly. Safari itself was amazing. Our guide - Voice - had an incredible knowledge about all wildlife and nature around us, on top of that was an amazing driver, greatly contributing to comfort of viewing scenes in front of us. It was a budget tented safari and I could be praising this for hours - being this close to nature, right in the middle of it, yet eating amazing food cooked by staff on fire, and staying in very nice tent. 10/10. Overall, the trip was perfect value for money, and if really don't need to look for your safari anywhere else.

Rafal Woda

Professional, ensuring things ran smooth, kind and excellent

Me and my son just finished with an excellent 5 day 4 night tailored tour with Shipungo - the communication and service was punctual and professional. We had an amazing time at the magkadigkadi salt pans driven there by PH in a very comfortable and clean car. We were then taken to see the giant baobab and meerkats by Oneal. We enjoyed our stay at Gweta lodge. We then had a special night travelling by mokoro to camp in the delta. Our guide Heaven took us for an evening an early morning bushwalk . He was so knowledgeable about the delta flora and fauna and shared jokes and stories . Two wonderful ladies set up the campsite and helped Tour the chef cook up a delicious meal. Our last two nights we went with Kem , Tour and KG to camp in Maremi and this was incredible - KG and Tour set up a very comfortable campsite with shower and toilet and safari style dining tent. Kem went above and beyond to take us on game drives in the evening and early morning to maximise our time in a new and comfortable open safari vehicle. We saw two cheetahs , lions , jackal , wild dogs , hyenas , honey badgers, elephants, giraffes and antelope and spent some hours watching a leopard which was very special . Tour and KG supplied delicious food. For a private tailored trip to Magkadigkadi and the Delta that suited our available dates this was hands down the best value and an amazing experience. Thanks so much to all the staff at Shipungo.

Cielle van Vuuren

Very very nice

I’m Jacopo from Italy We choose a trip with Shibungo on August 2024 for 4 people. The experience was great and also the organisation We visited Chobe river Chobe national park Savuti Moremi game reserve , okavango delta with scenic flight and experience of mokoro. We also visited the zone of baobab and 1 night under the star . The organisation was great and also the tent are very very big , the shower and wc experience are fun. They are very good for the nature experience and for the animals. The dinner and lunch are always very good. Thanks a lot

Jacopo Trama

Would recommend

The company was Very responsive from the start and willing to be flexible to accommodate our preferred itinerary ( Kasane to maun one way, passing Chobe, savuti, delta and moremi) so went with them. Arrive early on day one, easy communication on WhatsApp and email throughout. Cam our tour guide was amazing and we saw lots of animals thanks for his expertise in tracking, the big 4 (no rhino in Botswana) , and many more. He also have a fun personality to spend the next few days with. 5 of us learnt a lot. Camp site set up was great, we were taken care of by the other 3 staffs Blue, Dicks and Rasp, our talented chef who cooked all the delicious meals. Unforgettable trip overall! It’s the natural so might require some luck to see animal and actions but Cam really knows what and where to look for, meanwhile we passed lots of self driving tourists who didn’t get to see anything, so definitely hire a guide.

Cassie Ngai

Excellent 1-Day Moremi Game Reserve Game Drive!

We had a great day with our guide Kem! He arrived perfectly on time to pick us up from our lodge in Maun and then we headed off to Moremi Game Reserve. We were so lucky since we spotted two Leopards, two small prides of lions, elephants, hippos, giraffes etc. - Again, thanks so much Kem for your guidance and for your excellent spotting of the animals - you made this trip really special for us and we highly recommend you as a guide! We would take this tour again anytime!

Jackie

We have for an Unforgetable experience in Moremi Game Reserve

It was rainning ao much. But they are very patient and try to find every single animal. We were very happy to see their passion and kindness. Finnally we ended up seeing lions that are hunting. It was perfect. I really had a lot of fun.

K.S Kim

Professional and friendly

If I would book again I would not Look for any other Tour Operator but Shipungo Safari!! It was best values for Monet, everything would perfectly and smooth! It was a perfect day for my Kids and me!!

W. Hornisch

Great Mobile Safari in the Okavango Delta

We booked a 3 days/2 nights mobile safari in the Moremi Game reserve and Khwai Concession via Shipungo Safari & Tours. The communication and booking process was straight forward and uncomplicated, Mark was quick to reply to inquiries. Our guide was very knowledgable about the area and the wildlife as well as the fauna. Thanks to him we were able to see and learn about a lot of the wildlife animals, including 2 of the big five, which are Lions and Elefants. Also we found a lot of Zebras, multiple (sometimes rare) antilope types as well as Giraffes and Hippos. Even though we visited the delta at the end of the rain season our guide got us through the muddy paths savely and with ease. The chef of the groud provided excellent safari food, cooked over a camping fire. Allergies and diatery restrictions were catered for without any problems or complaints. Additionally two campers accompanied us, who took excellent care of the camp and all necessary amenities. We can only recommend Shipungo Safari & Tours for mobile safari trips in the Delta.

Daniel

Excellent 1 day Moremi tour from Maun

During April 2024 we, a party of 4, were collected promptly at 06.00am from Audi camp by Kem, who was our driver and guide for the day. The whole tour was a pleasant experience, and Kem a knowledgeable guide. The tour included breakfast at the Moremi South gate, and lunch in the middle of the bush. We can certainly recommend Shipungo Safari & Tours to other travelers, and would most definitely make use of their services again.

Pieter Koster

Great experience with Shipungo Safari & tours

We booked a Full day Moremi tour and a Mokoro tour with Shipungo. Mark, the owner, reacted very fast on my request and gave me all the information I needed. After deciding to book the tour with him payment was secure and easy. Once in Botswana we were picked up at our hotel, strictly on time. Our guide to Moremi was Voice, a very nice guy, good driver and guide. We were lucky to see many animals and had a fantastic day. The next day Voice picked us up and brought us to Mokoro station. There the guide from the local community was already waiting for us, his name was Papillon. He also was a nice guide with a lot of experience. He could tell us so much of the environment and all the animals we saw. After a bushwalk and a lunch we went back to the hotel, looking back at another great day. We can highly recomment Shipungo!

Rob Schell

BEST TRIP EVER! Highly recommend this tour

My husband and I did a 6 day 5 night tour with Shipungo from Maun > Moremi Game Reserve > Khwai Consession > Savuti > Chobe > Boat trip at Kasane We made our plan very last minute and they were super accommodative and responsive that they customised our whole trip based on our needs and what’s best for us as someone who have never done Safari. The whole booking and planning process was seamless! Voice was the most amazing tour guide ever! He has extensive knowledge about wild animals and safari routes. He truly is passionate about the nature. We managed to capture 20 lions, 4 leopards, the Big Four and many other precious animals and scenery so easily, thanks to his incredible expertise knowledge on how and where to identify the animal tracks and habits. It was unbelievable. He was also very thoughtful the whole journey that he drove very safely, even though the game drive and road trips between campsites could be long and bumpy. We have learnt so much about the wildlife from him. The camping crew Left and John were wonderful companions that they were very efficient with setting up our camps, cooking us the most delicious meals every day and providing us very comfortable campsite environments. The bonfire and dinners are the part that we really looked forward to every evening after the game drives. They would even make our beds in the tent and sweep the tent ground every day. They would take night shift to make sure we were safe from the wildlife at night. They were also very humorous and sociable that made our trip very enjoyable! We had the best (honeymoon) trip ever! Highly recommend and will definitely travel with them again!

Lily Jim

Professional, punctual, helpful.

Absolutely fantastic experience - the staff was very helpful and I felt that they really care to make my experience as great as possible. I had a great time seeing all different species of wild animals - it was one of the best experiences in my life! I can definitely recommend this company :)

Maciej

Absolutely worthy

Our guide, Kem, was very professional all the time and did his best to show us all the treasures of Moremi, which included several lions and 4 cheetahs, not bad! Also the food provided for breakfast and lunch was abundant and good, and the blankets for the ride in the cold morning were really appreciated. All in all, it was a memorable experience.

Rosa

Shipungo gave me one of the most amazing experienced of my life

This was a brilliant trip, a seven-day safari that gave my two colleagues and I (three Kiwis) a wonderful taste of the Okavango and Northern Botswana. An excellent variety of amazing experiences of flora, fauna and landscape in the presence of amiable and knowledgeable Shipungo staff -- Voice, Kev and Arvalino (not sure of spelling there). We saw all manner of animals, including countless lions and five leopards. I'm particularly keen on birds and, with help from Voice especially, I managed to photograph 138 identifiable species. That number will increase once I have time to consult web resources. And then there was a handful of identifiable birds that I wasn't able to photograph. Tent accommodation and, especially, the food (thanks Arvalino), were unbelievable. Amazing value for money too -- I don't see how the company can charge so little. Any downsides of the trip? As a New Zealander, northern Botswana is hot and dusty; and the roads are very rough, to the point where the "African massage" was generating calloses on my buttocks. But those things are not under the company's control and easy to bear in comparison with being able to see this amazing part of the world. I would rate this as one of the best experiences of my (six-and a-half decade) life. Thank you so much.

Bryce Williamson

Excellent 11 days safari, great guide very knowledgable, amazing food and camp, we loved it!

We took a 11day/10 night safari with Shipungo going through several of the huge parks from the Kalahari desert to Chobe via the Okovango delta. Mark always responded to my requests and questions very fast and planned a very good tour for us. We had an amazing time, thanks to Kem, our guide, we saw many many many animals (lions, leopards, wild dogs, african wildcat, buffalos, hippos, girafs, elephants...) and lots of beautiful birds. Kem was very knowledgeable, identifing all birds we spotted, teached us a lot about the animals and how to recognise their fingerprints and sounds. Fortune and Aron took very good care of us on the camp, both Aron and Fortune made sure our camp was all set neatly and cooked for us the traditional bush way including bread, cakes, pizza! Delicious! The team was speaking very well english. We really loved our safari, enjoyed the adventure, the days with many encounters of all sorts and the nights chating with the team, learning few words of Setswana and looking at the stars. We definitely highly recommend them!

Emilie and Kilian

Fantastic team led by Mark who are dedicated to providing you with a tailor-made trip of a lifetime.

We cannot recommend Shipungo highly enough - our experience from the very first email to the final drop off at Maun airport was 5 star - communications, service, value for money, reliability and the tour itself. Mark was very accommodating and flexible through every stage of planning our trip; including making some changes at a late stage when our travel plans had to be adjusted. He answered all my queries patiently and very promptly, every question was thoughtfully answered. The trip itself was conducted by 'The Dream Team' led by Kem; a highly knowledgeable guide, Shine; a very talented creative chef who baked fresh bread every day and prepared delicious meals that were hard to believe were rustled up in the bush; Left and Aaron; a wonderful double-act in charge of camp logistics and always considerate of our comfort. We were so well looked after by the team and enjoyed many memorable days and nights together which we will cherish and remember with great fondness. The safari itself was extraordinary. We saw 4 cheetah, numerous leopards, hyena, jackal and lions and had an extraordinary encounter with a pack of endangered wild dogs amidst a thunderstorm. All this as well as incredible birding and encounters with herds of elephant, hippo, zebra, wildebeest, antelope and giraffe. Despite our safari being in the 'shoulder season' and on the cusp between wet and dry, we were spoilt for choice of where to look on many occasions; there was so much wildlife activity all around us. Shipungo are also committed to supporting local communities and charities. At our request, they shared details of the needs of two schools that we delivered donations to in Maun and Khwai; which made our safari experience all the more meaningful. So in summary, don't hesitate to book with Shipungo who you can trust to ensure will have your interests at heart and are a very caring company committed to ensuring you have a memorable safari experience. A very big thank you Mark, Kem, Shine, Left and Aaron. We would love to go on another adventure with you!

Rumu and family