8 days: Best of Zambia, Botswana (Chobe) and Zimbabwe (Zambezi) Wildlife Safari Tour

Customer Reviews

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  Patrick

  · April 30th, 2025
  Overall great experience seeing the culture of Zambia and getting to see Botswana and Zimbabwe. Our tour guides fines and Alec where both great lads, nice as,quality sense of humor and had great knowledge of the history of zambi. Both lads definitely need a promotion 🤙Once in a lifetime opportunity and glad I got experience it. although we missed out on seeing lions on our tour, they were just probably on vacation we got to see a lot of everything else and cannot complain about that. 5 stars , highly recommend, ask for the dynamic duo of fines and Alec. Cheers!
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  Trip date: April 2025
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  Wei Min

  · March 26th, 2025
  8 days and 7 nights, but it can be completed in 5 days and 4 nights. The first and second days were just to rush to the starting point of the tour. The so-called attractions were just small tombstones and a small iron bridge. There was no lighting in the small local history museum. The self-funded project on the seventh day was not suitable for us. We stayed in the hotel and could not go anywhere. We just waited for the tour guide to pick us up for lunch and dinner. Helplessly, we chose "Walking with Lions" for 15 minutes at US$150 per person, an average of US$10 per minute! We went to three game drives for the five big animals, but we could not see lions. If we stated before joining the group that we could not guarantee to see them, I would not be so disappointed. The food and drinks were monotonous with only a few choices. There were only three or four staple foods to choose from in seven days. The accommodation was poor and shabby, with power outages every morning and midnight, and we could not access the Internet. We found cockroaches on the bed several times. There was no mention of tipping when we signed up for the group, but when we got there, the tour guide told us to tip. The itinerary was very exciting, but I was very disappointed after going there! I strongly recommend that your company understand it well before recommending it, wasting time and money, and letting tourists come back from a long journey with disappointment.
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  Lochinvar Safaris commented on this review

  Dear Wei Min Wang, Thank you for your feedback. It was a pleasure hosting you and your wife on our flagship safari tour, which many of our tourists have enjoyed immensely. We are glad to hear that you found the safari experience exciting. However, from... Show more
  Trip date: March 2025
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  Denise

  · December 28th, 2024
  We just completed our Safari in Zambia Botswana...
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  Lochinvar Safaris commented on this review

  Dear Denise and Family, Thank you so much for sharing such a heartfelt and glowing review of your recent safari adventure with us at Lochinvar Safaris! We are absolutely thrilled to hear that your experience far exceeded your expectations. Your kind... Show more
  Trip date: December 2024
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  Cindy

  · November 12th, 2024
  I suggest customers thoroughly research safaris and confirm where you are staying and the costs that are not included in the trip. There may be a lot of surprises. I have to say the employees are wonderful. Fines, Cynthia, Lucky. I had a lot of questions and all were answered. My only issue is how Lochinvar handled the lady, demanding $420 CASH for the trip that she and we booked way in advance. This was only the beginning of my 3 separate bad experiences.(the other 2 were Kenya, julimas safaris (demanding cash for park entry fees). I googled and called the park and confirmed they accept credit cards)and Sabilom Kenya tours. (They canceled the balloon option after collecting $900, then offered, only after asking, $675. I didn’t have to pay extra for Hwange Park because I chose not to agree with the “change. ” there was supposed to be a waiver. I never saw a waiver. Unfortunately, a lady on our budget trip was charged extra to go to hWange Park(according to her). I was told, She was advised to cancel that Hwange park game Drive and go to Zambizi Park instead. I was told they cited dangerous roads as the reason for the “change”She said she wasn’t granted any partial refund for the lesser Park, but says she felt intimidated in to canceling the hwange park. We went anyway( my partner and I refused to cancel Hwange) and she had to pay $420 extra cash or they would not take her, but we were going anyway . How can that cost $420 extra when it was included initially? . I feel bad for her and for all the other travelers that may have done the same thing and canceled that hWange Park. It was lovely. So many animals and the roads were the usual bumpy dirt roads but nothing serious. In the future, I would spend a little more money and get better hotels and be much more aware of the itinerary and reconfirm in writing. Dealing with her problems($420) for the entire 8 days was avoidable. Mark( the owner I think) even asked my partner to write up a release for her and us to sign!!! I was there on vacation! By the way Victoria Falls was dried up on the Zambia side. I also want to say the The best company I’ve ever used for booking tours is: “Get Your Guide” they care, and have assisted in getting my refunds. The lady says tour radar has not helped yet to recover her $420 , that she feels was an over payment. I’ve been reading a lot of reviews about Zambia. This is not the only tour company that has disappointed guests. I know there’s a drough and all, but i think tour providers should try to do things as promised and exceed expectations. I will continue to use “Get Your Guide” as my go to for tour providers.
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  Lochinvar Safaris commented on this review

  Dear Cindy and John, On behalf of Lochinvar Safaris, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for choosing to spend eight days with us on the “8 days: Best of Zambia, Botswana (Chobe), and Zimbabwe (Zambezi) Wildlife Safari Tour” in October 2024. It was... Show more
  Trip date: October 2024
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  Carol

  · November 11th, 2024
  I give this tour an “okay” just because of the people on the ground such as Cynthia and what I ended up seeing. The company itself is run by liars and cheaters and I came away shaking my head wondering why they had to be so mean. The tour called “8 days: Best of Zambia, Botswana (Chobe) and Zimbabwe (Hwange) Wildlife Safari Tour” was confirmed on March 15. On May 10, I got a message through Tour Radar that there had been “minor changes to the itinerary”. MINOR for them was substituting a lesser park Zambezi National Park for Hwange National Park. This company thinks it is MINOR to take out a park that consistently ranks in the top 10 of African safari parks for a park that does not even make the top 50. The reason they gave was the “bad condition of 400 Kms of road heading to and from Hwange National Park Zimbabwe from Livingstone Zambia.” They claimed the road had “…deteriorated to dangerous and unsafe levels..deep across the road potholes making it extremely risky to travel.” This was to take 2 days so they substituted a much lesser park experience for one day and an “open and free day”. How nice for them; a day where instead of providing the activities I paid for they don’t have to provide them, they keep the money and I have to pay for something else to doe I was not happy at all and I did not want to agree but they kept at me until I did and then checked again to verify that I was really okay with it. That should have really made me suspicious. I should have realized I had been baited and switched. But I envisioned vehicles on 400 km of unpaved rocky roads with sheer cliffs and no guard rails. I had driven around 8 African countries including Ethiopia where some roads were quite rocky and steep, so I stupidly believed them. It must be even worse than than I had previously experienced. I became even more suspicious when I found other companies were still going to Hwange. And, when I met another participant of the tour in the meeting hotel in Lusaka. She felt the same as me, but stood her ground. After speaking with her, and knowing they were going on the tour I had paid for, I asked to be added back into the Hwange portion of the tour. They said it would cost MORE money, although I had already PAID for it. They charged me over $400 USD. I was shocked, but figured I had no choice. The other tourists brought up that Lochinvar may have paid some cost for admission to Zambezi National Park (the substitute) so I asked how much they had paid for the alternate park and was willing to lose that amount, since it was my stupidity for falling for the scheme. Four people from the company sat down with me at the hotel and just stared at me not answering my questions. They would not tell me how much had been paid out in advance. There was already a car going and I had already paid the full cost of the trip. They totally ignored me and said they “wanted me to be happy” which to them meant a greatly lesser park experience and a day of nothing (the hotel had no working WI-FI and there was rarely electricity). So I had no choice but to pay them the $420 AGAIN. Most of the road to Hwange was paved and straight (no steep shoulders to topple over). There were a few kilometers of construction where we had to drive on a bumpy sandy shoulder. There was very little traffic and definitely no dangers. Going back and looking at the email I was sent to fool me into accepting the lesser activities, I was told that a great general from Zimbabwe had recently been killed on the road. I just looked up the news story and the driver pulled out to pass when he should not have, thus it had nothing to do with the condition of the road, rather driver error. They totally schemed to take my money and then alter the tour to take out the best part and keep the money. I went back to check the exact words of the tourradar messages to convince me to agree and my reluctant agreement, but they had been deleted. It was important to them that I agree, which makes it odd they deleted that. What was seen especially in Chobe and Hwange was really good and the Hwange guide, Ethan was exceptional as was the woman running the lodge near Hwange called National Park Guest House. However, the staff of Lochinvar are not be trusted. Be very careful to get what they advertise, i.e. what you paid for.
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  Lochinvar Safaris commented on this review

  Dear Carol, I hope you’re well. Reflecting on your recent tour, I wanted to extend my gratitude for the unique and memorable journey we shared, marked by our many engaging conversations and your discerning attention to detail. Despite the challenges... Show more
  Trip date: September 2024
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  David

  · October 8th, 2024
  Fabulous. The game drives exceeded my...
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  Lochinvar Safaris commented on this review

  Dear David, I am extremely excited to hear from you! I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt appreciation for your fantastic review of your safari tour with Lochinvar Safaris. Your kind words truly mean the world to us! It’s wonderful to... Show more
  Trip date: September 2024
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  Ilene

  · September 29th, 2024
  Trip of a lifetime! 5 🌟 Going on an African...
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  Lochinvar Safaris commented on this review

  Dear Ilene, Thank you so much for your beautiful review and for choosing Lochinvar Safaris for your dream African safari! We're absolutely thrilled to hear that your experience was everything you had hoped for—and more. It warms our hearts to know that... Show more
  Trip date: September 2024
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  Elyse

  · September 29th, 2024
  My trip with Lochinvar was my first entry onto the African continent. I was on the continent of my, sadly, enslaved ancestors. I was so happy to see the continent for myself. Before the advent of social media, Africa wasn't (and isn't) painted in the best light; I wanted to see the truth. Mark and Brown greeted me at the Lusaka Airport and the adventure began! I always travel with an open heart and mind and I was not disappointed. Due to no fault of their own, the drought has affected the hydroelectric power from the Zambezi River resulting in outages. Our main hotel had solar power, which eventually powers down in the evenings. I liked the trip because there were cultural aspects (museums, monuments, villages) to the trip in addition to several game drives (including a game "sail"). Our primary hosts were Brown, Alek, and Maggie. They were a delight and so kind. Phillimon was an excellent safari guide in Botswana, Patrick Musole is half veterinarian half safari guide. Let's not forget the animals - lions, zebras, warthogs, water buffalo, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, kudu, waterbucks, crocodiles, a hyena ...INCREDIBLE!!! We saw Victoria Falls from Zambia and Zimbabwe. The trip included a sunset cruise with the Radisson Hotel. The last day of the trip was our free day. We (an Australian grandmother and granddaughter bought this tour package too) asked if we could hang at the Radisson for our free day. Yes! After so many beautiful adventures in nature, it was nice to treat ourselves with spa services etc. We suggested this be an option for the free day. Of course we paid for everything at the hotel. This was an amazing and unforgettable holiday. I saw and learned so much. This might not be the trip for those who want to travel in 100% luxury with 5 star hotels for their social media outlets. I thought this was a great value, especially for a safari first timer. I struck it rich with Lochinvar because of their well-thought out and comprehensive itinerary. I also liked how Brown, Maggie, and Alek would join us for meals, we got to learn about and laugh with each other. In another country I had to beg my driver to sit with me; it was like a caste system and I didn't feel comfortable with that. We're all human, let's share the table! Zikomo for a priceless memory on my maiden safari.
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  Lochinvar Safaris commented on this review

  Dear Elyse, We hope this message finds you well and thriving in your current endeavors. On behalf of everyone at Lochinvar Safaris, I want to extend our deepest gratitude for choosing to embark on the "8 days: Best of Zambia, Botswana (Chobe), and... Show more
  Trip date: September 2024
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  Kathleen

  · September 22nd, 2024
  We have learnt so much during our trip. About the culture, history and lifestyle especially in Zambia. So lucky to have had many of our meals in regular Zambian cafes rather than touristy spots. The impact of drought on all 3 countries is immense. Specifically the power shedding they have to endure. As travellers it was challenging at times, but it gives you a glimpse of the impact on daily lives of Zambians. Our guide and drivers were first class throughout our trip and we were made to feel incredibly special. Lochinvar are an incredibly caring tour company.
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  Lochinvar Safaris commented on this review

  Hello Kathie. What more could we ask from you, Kathie and your amazing team! It was an absolute honor to host such an incredibly warm and wonderful group. This tour gave you a true insight into the realities on the ground here in Southern Africa,... Show more
  
  Trip date: September 2024
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  peter

  · August 16th, 2024
  Interesting program, some details not. Organisation Lochinvar was very focused to let me enjoy the trip, and for extras!There are some details which they can do better, but I enjoyed very much. Lunches during the days can be better. Zambia-English of guides and drivers need extra focus.
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  Lochinvar Safaris commented on this review

  Hello Peter. On behalf of the entire team at Lochinvar Safaris, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for choosing us to be your guide on your safari tour holiday in Southern Africa of three countries of Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. We... Show more
  Trip date: August 2024