Reviews of Chobe Under Canvas
(100%) From 14 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Chobe Under Canvas - Amazing experience!
I booked this with a little trepidation as I was not sure living in a mobile tents would mean, but I should not have, it was an amazing experience and the best.
The tents are large luxurious tents with double beds and bathroom and shower area attached. There is a communal tent area for breakfast or brunch, tea and dinner. Food was excellent as the cook specially made delicious vegetarian options for us. Thank you Bee and team for the lovely flavours in the bush. The camp is set in the bush, at night we could hear distant lion roars and hyena calls and elephant rustling. First night there was even an owl who decided to hoot from 2-4am. There were no concerns from a danger point but made it a bit edgy the first night as you wonder how far are the animals making the noise.
Staying within Chobe National Park meant our safari started within minutes of driving. We specially wanted to see elephants and we saw many familiy groups. When asked one day what we wanted to see, my son replied, hundreds of elephants. Guess what we saw, groups of 100s. As it is national park, off roading is not allowed but this did not hinder us seeing a wide range of animals and some did not that others did eg leopard. But we did not feel we missed out. The Chobe river area is a magnet for animals and birds.
The best ever excursion was the Pangolin photography boat trip on the Chobe one afternoon. We were on a small 6 person boat where each person is on a swivel chair with a professional level Nikon camera, large lens and a moveable gimble to hold it. Janine from Pangolin was great both with photographers were she could be technical and non where she made it fun. Every one then gets to keep the memory card with their photos.
What made this an exceptional experience were the people and our amazing guide, KD. He has incredible knowledge and passion for flora and fauna and conservation. He would explain interesting items during the drives and meal times. We all learnt where to look to see certain stars and planets in the night sky. KD was very widely read and one evening we even had a fun discussion on US politics given there was a couple from US.
With hindsight, I wish I had booked 3 nights here instead of 2. It was one of the best overall experience. Well done &beyond, Daniel the camp manager and his very friendly and nothing was too much trouble team and the amazing KD. A great option recommended by Expert Africa.
Comfort in the bush
We spent three nights 'under canvas' - being looked after by Blue and his team, and guided by Moses and Max.
The camp location at the time we stayed was secluded - with accommodation for 10 guests over the 5-day period in situ. The staff were friendly and helpful and we enjoyed the ambience around camp. Food, given the cooking circumstances, was brilliant - we done Prince!
Chobe is full of game of all sorts - we shared game drives, generally with people who... like ourselves... were not hung up on seeing particular things or getting a particular angle for a photo (it can be very annoying to share drives with people who never look or listen, just have their cameras glued to their face... which did happen once while we were here).
The drives were excellent - with highlights being elephants crossing the river at sunset and seeing both sable and elephant drinking at the river from a high, but close, vantage point. As others have mentioned, the Pangolin Photo Safari was also excellent.
Chobe Under Canvas review
Our first experience with the "Under Canvas" camping was superb. Our guide, Moses, was extremely knowledgeable, welcoming, very friendly, and an extremely enjoyable traveling companion. He is a true gift to visitors and a tremendous representative for &Beyond and Botswana.
Blue, the camp manager, clearly demonstrated an ability to maintain a camp and staff that were attentive to our needs; with the staff having our tents ready to welcome us following our afternoon tour, with very warm shower and wash water as well as the needed "bush babies" following dinner.
Food was exceptional with varied and plentiful meals. Also, the food provided during our morning break while touring was unexpected, hearty, and very much appreciated. The camp area was very well maintained and the location within the the Chobe Reserve provided us with earlier access and later tours than any tourist who was lodging outside of the park.
Nothing could have been improved
We can't think of anything that can be improved.
All staff were professional and knowledgeable and friendly. The accommodations were great. Food was delicious. And the number and variety of animals were amazing.
Great stay, good food
The staff were very welcoming and attentive. The food was some of the best of the trip. Simple but flavoursome.
The shower was however hardly a trickle. A few more holes might help.
The premises and tents were kept to a high level of cleanliness given the location.
What an amazing experience!
I can't speak highly enough of Chobe Under Canvas! The tents are comfortable (even with animals wandering past at night!) and the food was great - hard to believe it was cooked in a bush kitchen! The chef even prepared a birthday cake for me, which was a really lovely gesture.
The best part our stay at Chobe Under Canvas was our guide, Max. Max was knowledgeable, fun and passionate about wildlife. Highlights included a rally car style race to find a leopard, spending a morning with a group of lions, being surrounded by hundreds of elephants and cruising the Zambezi River alongside pods of hippos.
Thank you Max and team for an incredible stay!
Wanted Another Day
We originally were trying to book three nights at Savute Under Canvas, but could only secure two nights. Accordingly we filled the remaining night at the sister camp, Chobe Under Canvas. I regret only being able to spend one night as the game viewing and guiding were excellent.
Reading the reviews on Chobe National Park, I expected the northern Chobe River area to be busy. I had visions of ten land cruisers jostling to get a view of a lion sighting. While we did experience more traffic, including several private vehicles, the area was not nearly as crowded as I had feared. Furthermore, the additional activity did not impact the game viewing. We particularly enjoyed observing a couple of male lions challenging for a pride, the social interactions of chacma baboons, migrating elephants at the river, as well as herds of tsessebe antelope and majestic sable antelope at a watering hole.
The mobile camps have an advantage over the lodges located outside of the park with respect to time spent observing the wildlife. Chobe National Park regulations require all vehicles to be out of the park or back at camp by a designated time. This meant that all the vehicles operated by lodges based outside of the park started pulling out a good 30 minutes before us. This was especially appreciated when watching the lions, as they start becoming more active later in the evening.
The &Beyond mobile camps are very comfortable and the staff are extremely accommodating. I was very impressed with the ability of the staff to move the camp every five days, or even more frequently as bookings and park regulations mandate. The meals, served under an open sided tent, were fresh and delicious - quite a feat given the remote locations and the mobile nature of the camp.
Thank you!
When I telephoned expert Africa it was to book the Chobe Game Lodge, following our conversation Megan suggested ‘Chobe under Canvas’ and I am so glad that she did. This was the highlight of our holiday in Botswana and Namibia.
We were in one of the five tents, each tent has a basic bathroom. You just ask and hot water is provided for your bucket shower. The beds were extremely comfortable, and warm despite the cold June weather. The food was good as was the open bar, but best of all was the company of the camp staff but especially our guides, Dishu and Chief. They kept us entertained from dawn to dusk and made our stay in Chobe unforgettable. Thank you to all the staff at &Beyond for a wonderful 3 days.
Rustic setting with tons of elephants!
The staff here was great. First class operation. Well organized game drives and boat cruise. Lots of wildlife viewing. Good food (Savute under canvas was better).
Read more about the whole safariChobe Under Canvas review
You cannot get a smarter tent - noting that it does move every 5 days! But don't forget, it is still a tent!
Very happy, friendly and knowledgable staff. We enjoyed a fantastic thunder storm and if elephants are a major element of your trip, here is a must.
Note that because it is a national park, you cannot follow animals into the bush but we saw lions (in the distance), leopard (close) as well as lots of elephant, buffalo and hippos.
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
