Oddballs Camp — Hotel in North-West District

Trying to give a balanced review of the good and the bad!|Oddballs was offered up as "luxury camping" which in regard to it having a futon style bed rather than camping mats was true, however further luxuries passed me by! Tents were large enough for the bed and to walk around the sides but no bigger. Bucket showers, whilst a bit of fun, provided only brown water which meant that the bed sheets were stained every morning (especially pillowcases when hair had been washed!) |Our booking stated that all drinks were included (local spirits etc and wine/beers) this coincides with Oddballs own website statement (I've added photos) however on arrival we were told that ALL drinks were chargeable... including our "welcome drinks" and bottled water. Several people had the same experience.|The free water was described as "Okovango Champagne" which is water filtered/purified by reed beds. Although safe to drink it smells and tastes like mud! The extreme taste may have been due to the lack of water in the Delta during our visit.|Each party is assigned a guide who remains with them for the duration of their stay which is great as you have an opportunity to get to know them and they are from the local village so are totally in tune with the environment and the animals. They see and point out things that we would never have spotted! |The only drawback to this is that they are expected to be with their party all the time... including all meals. Now I may be selfish here but I enjoy chatting and catching up with the day's events and mealtimes are a good time to do this, however our guides English was not as good as he himself wanted it to be (albeit 100% better than my attempts at his local tongue!) Trying to involve him in all conversations felt forced and uncomfortable for us as well as him, but as he said...it's the camp rules!|Despite some language issues our guide was a ninja at spotting animals and birds and gave us some fascinating information about local plant life and it's medicinal uses.|The location of Oddballs is stunning. It's disappointing that we were there when the Delta was dry so didn't get the full effect of the wildlife from the camp or the Mokoro trips which we'd hoped for but mother nature had other ideas! Nevertheless the walking safari's were great... immersed in nature we felt safe but had heightened senses "just in case" exhilarating!|The staff are lovely and absolutely do their best to help you enjoy your stay.|There was one member of staff just to provide massages but she had no work at all (massages very expensive compared to other places!)|All in all if camping and fully back to nature is your thing then Oddballs is the place for you.|If you like to get what you pay for maybe...

I have to say that because we had already been to a couple of secluded camps in Botswana this seemed like somewhat of a letdown in comparison to them.|The view of the delta from the main area of the camp was the best thing about it.|The sunsets were spectactular.|We did not see much wildlife(at least not up close with the aception of one incounter that was too close) on the walking safari or the boating safaris. |The food was good and served buffet style just like the other camps we had been to.|The dining and shared living area was rustic and fit the atmosphere. There were several veiwing decks overlooking the delta. From there you could see elephants and Hippos at a distance and a beautiful sunset.|The tents and bathrooms were as described in other reveiws. We did not try to shower because the wash water was brown. There is a small footlocker in the tent to put your belongings because the baboons have learnd how to get into the tents and steel things. The matress is on the floor. We did wish for a small table to set things on instead of the floor.|The elephants use the trails around the tents. One night a ripping crash just outside or tent woke us up. I sat up in bed just in time to see a tree fall and just barely miss out tent. We had all of our windows open and I was suddenly face to face with a big bull elephant with nothing but the screen between us. His tusks were scraping the screen! If I was lisening to this story I would probably think how cool! But, it was really terrifying. The elephant was in a tight place between our tent and other obstruction he himself had created. If something is in an elephants way they just push through it.|I froze hoping he would not see me and be startled and maybe attack. |He finnaly wiggled his way around the back of the tent brushing agaist the walls causing the frame to jolt and shake. Then he was gone. |The next morning we found other guest were visited by the big boy but not as close.|In conclusion, If we had seen the same amount of wildlife on our safaris there we might have felt better about it. As it was we only saw eleiphants and hippos in the distance and nothing on our walks and floats. With the acception of...

Okavango Masterpiece |We spent time (not NEARLY enough) at the Oddballs camp in the Okavango Delta (Moremi Reserve). The camp is fantastically peaceful and surrounded by wildlife. Our host at the camp was Chello; and our guide was Lekko. They were extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife of the delta. They were very friendly and it was obvious that they really wanted us to have a great time. The crew that runs the camp is very small, and I feel that they all truly cared that the guests had a great time.||The trip consisted of a fly in to an air strip that was a short walk to our camp, mokoro rides, game walks, and plenty of wildlife viewed from and within the camp (elephants, hippos, zebra, baboons, giraffe, impala, cape buffalo, bush pigs, warthogs, and many many birds and lizards). A day at the camp consisted of a morning mokoro/walk, then breakfast, a mid-day break (when wildlife is least active), lunch, another mokoro/walk, dinner, and then camp time. During the mokoro rides and game walks, Lekko patiently answered all of our questions about the wildlife and was a very interesting individual. We saw so much; and learned so much. The tents provide views of the water from the beds. Each tent has it’s own bathroom/bush shower. The meals are served at a table just meters from the water. Beautiful views.||The serenity of the camp is fantastic. Despite being on the water, the bugs weren’t worse that our home. Despite being adjacent to the air strip, it was still so quiet. The planes don’t come very often. The food was great. The coffee and tea were great. The sounds of the delta overnight (the nocturnal wildlife) emphasize the fact that you are embedded in nature and it still exists in these beautiful pockets of the world. The night sky was so spectacular, it seemed like a painting. ||The most succinct way to express my feelings for Oddballs is that it is a masterpiece...