Chobe Safari Lodges

Lodge itself was OK, comfortable and clean enough, nothing special. Several things were a bit annoying – it took quite some effort to open and close terrace doors, the electric switches in the room follow strange system, it took us some time to understand how some lamps are switched off; we had to ask for a second blanket at least twice, water in the pool was somewhat murky and uninviting, we did not dare to try it out, there was some misunderstanding with our afternoon game drive (however, it finally went very well with an excellent guide). The good things: surroundings are fantastic – not only is the lodge close to the entrance of the National Park, but the Park visits the lodge frequently: mongooses, baboons and warthogs were daily visitors (no danger from them unless you do something foolish). There is also a short nature walk in the territory of the lodge, but they do not allow visitors to go there unattended as larger predators sometimes visit, which may pose a danger. Apart from the closeness of nature, there are all the comforts of civilization just outside the gates: a supermarket, a money exchange, and a small souvenir market. Food at the lodge should be mentioned, too – it was very good, they served European and African dishes.

Firstly the accommodation- very smart and clean in beautiful grounds with warthogs and bushbuck grazing. Great food and friendly staff. The safari trips however left us feeling extremely sad and concerned for the future. It’s simply too busy. We opted for the early times - best time for the big cats. We counted over 16 vehicles all full of up to 10 people swathed in blankets surging out together across the park. It resembled whacky races with each guide intent on hunting the lions down. Once they are spotted they compete for the best viewing points. On the second morning our guide went off road as did others positioning the vehicles like a bottle neck forcing the lions to walk close by. If you just want a photo with your iPhone, didn’t bring any binoculars and are not bothered about the impact this behaviour has on the lions then this is the trip for you. Previous to this we had self driven in Namibia. We had our own wonderful experience viewing a lioness - just us keeping a respectful distance, engine off and binoculars focused on her as she hunted warthog. Zero impact on her hunting or behaviour and we all noted her healthier weight despite being a recent mother compared to the somewhat thinner lions at Chobe. The evening cruise safari down the river was even worse. The amount of vessels great and small milling about was ridiculous. Apparently the elephants swim out to an island but the sheer volume of boats viewing them,on the evening we were there,prevented them or put them off. Our boat driver cut up other boats due to its vast size and spoiled others views of the sunset and of buffalo grazing. He was so close to a large crocodile on the bank it was disturbed and made a dash for the water. They really need to address how to manage viewing without exploitation. There are more lodges being built so the situation will get worse. The desire to give guests an animal experience with all the other competition leads to rash behaviour with the animals ultimately suffering. Chobe is a victim of its own success.

Right on the edge of the Chobe National Park you could not get closer to the action - on land and water. A superb location to be able to get close up to wildlife - even right outside your own room. A perfect place to stay with amazing sunsets to enjoy too.