Our time at Imbali lodge in Kruger National Park was exceptional. This small, private lodge is staffed with incredible folks who are experts in service and the guide, Mosha is without comparison. We were able to follow a leopard from prints to tree to hunt and kill of a leopard. The food was all good with plenty of choices. The GM Ursula was always available to make everything an upgrade. Our agent at Across Africa, Meghan saw to our every need and made changes to logistics on the fly.
We also stayed at Tge Victoria Falls Hotel for 3 nights. The evening river cruise was beautiful. The hotel itself is lovely but was struggling a bit with training staff during our stay. All was done with professionalism and smiles. The falls were full and very misty.
Three days at Chobe Game Lodge were nice, but not up to our expectations of a five star property especially after our stellar stay at Imbali, a 4 star property. The setting is stunning on the river with daily visits of elephants playing just off a tree canopied deck. The guides here stay on road and daily lion, elephant, and giraffe sightings happen on the game drive. Sunset river cruise yields an amazing array of animals coming in shifts to the river and mineral wall.
Three days at Botteti Tent Lodge were a bit disappointing because the access to Game drives and mokoros required a 2 to 3 hour drive on awful roads. Vehicles here were not reliable but the staff, especially our guide Izzy were great.