Feedback

December 2009
Oddballs:
Very nice camp with friendly people. Our 3 night trip by mokoro was wonderful. We saw lots of animals close by (hippos, elephants, zebras, all kind of antelopes). Our guide did a good job in finding the right relation between bushwalks, mokoro trails and time to relax. We ate a lot of fresh fish from the river something I did not expect.
Iris Frings

December 2009
The stay at Oddballs Camp was great.  The staff was very friendly and the guides were knowledgeable.  The shared areas of the camp were very nice / relaxing and had amazing views of wildlife.
Jake Doty

November 2009
We've just returned from Africa and can't believe how amazing Oddballs' Camp was! Thank you so much for organising the best five days we've had. The flight in, accommodation, camping, guide (Cox was brilliant) and scenery were out of this world and we want to go back! Hearing hippos outside our tent, spotting giraffes and sidestepping elephants is something we'll never forget.

Have a great week and thanks for everything,
Hejira and Phill Convery

October 2009
How can I say enough nice things about Oddballs?  While reputed to be a more 'budget' safari, it feels like anything but.  Located in an idyllic part of the Delta, the view from the comfortable couches, chairs, and porch of the main building is as glorious as it is tranquil, and is accentuated by the sounds of nearby hippos, frequent visits from elephants and baboons, numerous graceful birds, and stunning African sunsets.  We slept in beds complete with sheets and blankets in our raised platform tents, and had towels, clean bathrooms, and plenty of hot water.  The food and service were fantastic; I loved the chance to eat with other guests/ staff and the food was easily restaurant-quality.   Our guide, Papio, was simply amazing; he could tell everything about seemingly every animal and bird (and we saw plenty of both) from behavior patterns to migration paths to dietary preferences to scientific names. Beyond professional, he took every opportunity to do his best to ensure that we had the maximum best time possible, never once showing any sign of boredom, frustration, or anything other than positivity and upbeat-ness (pretty impressive considering we spent every waking moment of >2 days with him, and then significant portions of another 3). When we were apologetic about asking him to do things that created more work for him (such as back up in the mokoro so we could take a picture of something or see something more closely), he always just brushed it aside and simply repeated his generous response "I am here for you, and you are here for me”- a beautiful description of what was in truth a business relationship, but in a way that invited equal power and further interaction. He also had an incredible sense of humor, possessed humility in a way that was so much a part of him one might easily overlook it, loved to laugh, joke, and learn, and was just a genuinely good human being. And I never once had even the slightest waver of trust in his ability to keep us safe in the wilderness.  Finally, I loved that Oddballs gave us the chance to do all mokoro and walking safaris; I did several driving and bigger boat safaris later during my stay in Botswana, and the increased frequency with which one sees game when driving simply can't (in my mind) compare to the feeling of peace, tranquility, and harmony with nature one gets when coming across game on foot or in a mokoro.  I would HIGHLY recommend not only Oddballs, but that anyone going there request Papio as their guide.
David Carrier

October 2009
The staff at Oddballs was fantastic. Joyce was so welcoming and helpful. She made our stay really great. The entire staff was really great. The food, housekeeping/maintenance and ambiance were all fantastic.
We were met right off the plane by our guide Papeo. He took care of us for our entire stay: both at the camp and while we were on the bush trail. He was really terrific...incredibly knowledgable in regards to birds, trees and animals of the area as well as very safe. He was always concerned for our safety and comfort and did a great job of cooking too!
Elizabeth Ekroth

October 2009
We loved Oddballs - our guide Kitso was great  as was the manager Joyce.
Nikki McAllen

September 2009
Oddballs was exactly what we were looking for! Not too fancy, not pretentious, just nice people in a beautiful setting.  Our guide was excellent! He ensured we saw a lot of animals but were safe.  Our bush camping experience was incredible but not for the faint of heart--highly recommended!
Kristy Deep

June 2009
Our flight to Oddballs was waiting for us. Landed at Oddballs and was welcomed be the manager.  We shown our tents which were very clean and well maintained. Mokoros were an adventure through the reeds of the delta.  Bush walks on the islands were amazing. Stalking wildlife on foot is a great experience,  the food was home cooking and delicious. Nice relaxed atmosphere and the Hippos at dinner was the icing on the cake.
Richard Fornadel

June 2009
The staff at Oddballs were excellent and should be highly commended for their attentiveness and courtesy, nothing was too much trouble. A rarity these days.
Brett Richardson

June 2009
we just came back today from our trip through southern africa.
we enjoyed the stay at oddball's camp, the staff was very friendly and good humoured. we had very good food, the tents and the facilities were very clean.
also the communication with island-safari worked very well.
we are happy!
thank you very much, eva
Dr.med.vet.
Eva Scheidegger

May 2009
As for Oddballs, what a magical experience, especially the two nights on the Mokoro Trail. My wife and I are no strangers to wild camping and we found having a sit down toilet with a cover hilarious, but I suppose rich folk are used to this sort of luxury!  Tracking lions through the long grass on foot was great and I personally had implicit trust in our guide, Jackson, despite his gallows humour ! It was an experience we will always remember.
Bryan and Marcelle Davies.

May 2009
I have only good things to say about our experience. Correspondence was mostly in a timely manner, transfers were all on time and easy and our experience at Oddballs was magnificent.
 
Thanks for everything and for following up.
Jeremy Alberga

May 2009
Then on to Oddballs, a horse of a different color, perfect for us with their laid back atmosphere, proximity to amazing wildlife in hippos and crocs, camping, and mekoro experience extraordinaire.  Cara asked what we liked and my answers of camping and hiking for 5 days were completely fulfilled in Oddballs exp.  The food was simple yet adventurous with lovely lamb chops, nice array of vegies, simple and lovely.  There were more chances for close encounters; also plenty of bird life and more game
Susan Fairfield King

January 2009
Oddballs is a small permanent tented site that you reach by light plane from Maun or Kasane. It was a magical experience! There are no cars. All safaris are on foot or by mokoro (local dug out canoes). There is nothing more peaceful than floating along a small river channel through the reeds! We did long safari walks each day and saw an unbelievable number of animals - elephant, impala, zebra, etc. As we were on foot, we were also able to appreciate the smaller animals, such as butterflies, frogs and small patterned turtles, as well as the different flowers. Our guide was a local man and he would find the animals through looking for animal tracks and droppings. He was always sensitive to safety and keeping downwind and a safe distance from the animals, although close enough to take photos! It was a completely natural experience. Oddballs would not suit everyone as the toilet facilities are shared, and you are sleeping in 2 man tents on raised wooden platforms. The lounge and dining area are a huge wooden structure open sided at the front overlooking a pond with hippos and a gorgeous outlook. The food is very good. Don’t drink the water even though it is filtered, as my kids got sick! Also, you need to be fairly fit as the walking safaris take up to 3 hours.

Rosemary Webber

November 2008
The stay at Oddballs was lovely, the food absolutely wonderful and everything was kept so neat and clean, it couldn't have been better.
 
We went bush camping for 3 nights and again I can only say how magnificent it was. Our guide Kogishi (KG for short) was a true gentleman to 2 females. He looked after us, was knowledgeable, helpful and great with the Mokoro and walking. We even saw a lion. If I was pushed to make any criticism it would be to say that that instead of the chairs we had to sit on it would have been wonderful if there were 3 fold basic loungers so that you could rest in the heat of the day more comfortably. However I know that space in the Mokoro is at a premium but maybe that could be something to be considered in the future.
 
The entire booking procedure was most helpful. All my questions were answered quickly and efficiently and I don't think it could have been bettered.
 
I would have no hesitation in saying that as my first experience of this kind of trip it was wonderful and I had a truly remarkable holiday. I would love to return one day.
Jenny Warren

November 2008
During my holidays I must have to say that I have seen the best time of my life while staying Oddballs camp.
I am also pleased with the transfers to and from Oddballs made by such a reliable company
Eduardo Da Costa

November 2008
Oddballs was great, especially the "honeymoon suite". The staff were excellent and our 2 guides very good, they looked after us very well particularly on the bushcamp which we did for 2 nights.
Sue Mason

September 2008
Oddballs was very special.  The camp personnel were there to greet us at the airstrip and took good care of us for our two day stay.  We had a full-day mokoro trip the second day with a packed lunch and we saw many different kinds of animals.  My son celebrated his 18th birthday at Oddballs and Michelle arranged for a cake and celebration from the staff.  Great attention to detail.  I've recommended Oddballs to friends and I hope to go back someday.
Brooks Berry

September 2008
Our stay en Oddballs Camp, was perfect, people very friendly and profesisonaly, very, very good.
Pilar Pozo

August 2008
Oddballs Camp was of course not luxurious but well run and again the food and guides were good. 
Lorraine Mascarenhas

August 2008
Oddballs is a dream come true.  The management is very professional and saw to all our needs.  They treated us as if we were there only visitors.  Our guide Kagiso was brilliant.  He saw to all our personal needs and our safety.  He is a true asset to Oddballs.
All in all we had a magnificent holiday.  Thanks to everyone who arranged it.
Nicolene Potgieter

August 2008
Stay at Oddballs - In general this excellent and mostly what I had expected. Our guides, Kagiso and Philemon were ideal.  Kagiso's knowledge of  the fauna and flora of the delta is to be marveled at.  Joyce and MD at the main camp were the perfect hosts.   The camping experience at Oddballs was a real delight and we all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
Patrick Buerger

July 2008
The flight and stay at Oddballs also worked out well. Everyone enjoyed the mokoro trips and the friendlly atmosphere at camp. The guides knew their trade well, both in handling the mokoro and on explaning about the delta, fauna and flora... Again the staff did everything possible to make our stay pleasant.
Geir Michalsen

July 2008

Oddballs will remain my personal favorite and I think the rest of the group would say the same. We felt welcomed and were immediately immersed in the rhythm and sights and sounds of the Delta. Our guides met us at the plane and stayed with us until we left. We became one group enjoying each others company, learning about each other and being led on some amazing adventures. We had a great experience, seeing leopard, lions, elephants in our camp ground, hippos and crocs in the water, giraffes walking across the island from us….

Mary Lee Fay

July 2008

We were made to feel very welcome at Oddballs by the management team, catering staff and all the guides. TK was fantastic to have as a guide and the way that we were looked after, especially on our first night at Oddballs, was wonderful. In all, top-class 5-star service!
Our stay at Oddballs was perfect. It's a stunning setting, very relaxing atmosphere and we just wish we could have spent more time in the camp on hindsight. However, our 4-night mokoro safari was execatly the way we wanted to experience the delta. We saw, heard, smelt, avoided and stalked all kinds of things. To spend 4 days exploring one of the world's richest and most important ecosystmes in a traditional dug-out mokoro being guided and taught by the person who hand-crafted it is something very special indeed!
The trip to the village on the last morning was a really inspiring experience for us - because I work in the environment sector here in the UK, it was inspiring to see how the people in the village made good use of waste materials in such a sensitive environment. It was also pleasing to learn about the agreements around land and sustainable hunting in the area. I just hope that more people go there willing to learn rather than just to buy a bowl or mat and take photographs!
Again, just from my experience having visited many lodges over the years and having seen the sector from the client, guide and marketing points of view, I would say that the opportunity to travel in a traditional mokoro is very special and while I know there are sustainability issues around the raw materials, it is a unique experience worth marketing and holding on to where possible.
Neil and Chloe Aldridge

July 2008
ODDBALLS CAMP: 3 nights was perfect! Absolutely fantastic. Service excellent. Accommodation great in dome tents on wooden platforms. Mattresses were a little thin, so I think this may not suit everyone. Food.. unbelievably good. All comments in the guest book praised the food. Guides were excellent and very cautious (and needed to be) when taking us out on walks or in the Mokoro. Elephants visit the camp regularly at night. This was very confronting for us, but exciting, as one stood next to our tent for 30 mins and devoured the shrubbery.
Lighting was mainly oil lamps, but a 9 volt supply via solar power available in the tents. This was a real getaway and so relaxing... no contact with the outside world!
Peter and Barbara Pamphilon

July 2008
The stay at Oddballs was excellent, initially we were disappointed that the tents were not larger, but we adapted. The food, service, style, layout, location was great. The environment was beautiful, the trees magnificent, the night time and day time visits by elephants memorable. We will go again but probably vary our timing, though for a first visit it was the correct choice. The camp was largely empty, I am not sure if the atmosphere would be so good if it was full or even half full. Joyce was the pivot around which the camp operated smoothly. She is a gem; the cooks should be complimented on their creations.
Robin Jones

July 2008
Oddballs Camp: 
We absolutely loved our bush camping experience.  Our guide, Culture, was wonderful.  We didn't  quite realize what a complete wilderness experience this would be  (thought our guide would have a gun!).  But this was one of the most  memorable experiences of our lifetime.
Pat Livingstone

July 2008
Oddballs Camp was haven on earth with very friendly staff and guides.
A trip, i would certainly recommend to friends and family!!
Marian von Mitschke-Collande

June 2008
We had great fun at Oddballs, and are very glad we decided to spend two nights camping. Our guide Kitso was savvy and friendly. If we had not had confidence in his bushcraft and good judgement, we would not have followed him unarmed into the bush. Actually getting out for two long walks a day made the trip for us, and the afternoon siesta allowed us to recover from our jet lag. He even netted some fresh tilapia for dinner. He was very careful and looked out for us. He got up in the middle of the night to feed the fire, and on the way back to the base camp, had to gently persuade a stubborn elephant to move out of the way of our mokoro. The food at the lodge was excellent, and the staff there were all very friendly.

May 2008
Oddballs was fantastic

Susan Kerr

May 2008
Everything in place when we got to Maun for our flight to Oddballs.  Delta air was very accomodating and the pilot gave a very safe scenic flight.  Oddball's staff and guides were out standing.  They went out of their way to make sure our stay and mokoro trips were of top service and quality. 
Thank you again,
David Hummel

May 2008
Oddballs Camp — Just our style. Nice, but not over the top. Our guide, Julius, has  worked for Delta Camp in the past and we were most impressed with his knowledge,  skills and kindness.
Erin Ellis

May 2008
Oddballs Camp Great place, very nice guides, good food; we particularly liked the mokoro transfers and the walking, even if this keeps animals at a distance.
Anton Tschopp

March 2008

Our safari experiences were amazing particulary the walking safaris at Oddballs.  We would most certainly like to go again one day and would recommend you to any one we know thinking of doing the same.  Our expectations have been more than met and we have had such fun.  Thankyou all so much and for all the time you had to spend altering answering etc. 
Hilary and Andrew Smith


February 2008
Oddballs Camp – my husband and I really enjoyed the serenity of this camp.  The kids were a little less comfortable with the walk to the bathroom (in the middle of the night) and my daughter (because she was alone)said that the fact that she could hear the hippos feeding during the night so close to her tent made her a little uneasy.  We explained that this was the African experience we were trying to expose them to.  The food at Oddballs was great.  I am not sure that walking safaris are for me but I really enjoyed seeing the local village; a mokoro being made and eventually seeing elephants and giraffes on the first morning there.  Our guides were very knowledgeable and amiable.
Lynelle Crawford

January 2008
We loved Oddballs, staff, accommodation, food was great.
Alexander L. Meyer