Reviews of Savute Safari Lodge

"Each lodge we visited had its own character and we enjoyed our experience at each one. My sister and I perhaps enjoyed the Savute Safari Lodge most of all.

The chalets are large, very nicely appointed and well lit during the day and from our decks (units 1 & 2 overlooking the channel) we saw numerous elephants but also giraffes, kudus and wildebeests. The channel in front of the dining area is softly lit at night and the elephants put on quite a show. The drives here were so much fun….in some areas our range rover maneuvered through fairly deep water. Our guide (Gee) found lions for us on each of our drives…including 2 females with 3 cubs and a mating pair mating. Gee also spotted a leopard, but it was getting dark and a bit difficult to see. Of course, we also encountered the "usual" elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, African fish eagles, lilac breasted rollers, red and yellow hornbills and impalas...wonderful! One afternoon, we went to see the rock paintings. The hike/climb was shorter than expected and there are just a few paintings; still we enjoyed getting a little exercise and the view from the rocks was quite nice.

Even with the wonderful accommodations and excellent gaming, it is the staff that makes Savute Safari Lodge so outstanding. I felt a warm welcome from the moment we arrived and a genuine desire to make our stay fabulous.

And that they did. On our second night they whisked our party of 4 upstairs to the library deck where they had prepared an elaborate dinner to celebrate our special occasions (our 35th wedding anniversary, our daughter’s 21st birthday and my husband’s retirement). It was truly spectacular…candlelit, private setting, excellent food (including delicious grilled kudu)…definitely a night to treasure.

We encountered one issue with chalet 2 during our stay. The bathroom had a very strong sewer/septic odor. The maintenance staff was responsive and the issue improved but was not completely resolved during our stay. We saw some PVC pipes outside the chalet as we were leaving, so we assume that the problem did get resolved.

I would love to return to Savute Safari Lodge and I would definitely request chalets 1 & 2. They are the farthest from the lodge; they are the most private and have the best view of the channel.

P.S. Safute Safari Lodge has hairdryers that can be checked out from the office...nice to have after several days in the bush!" See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"lovely lodge
good game drives and guides" See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"The bumph says 'Spectacular sunloungers' and indeed they are! Overlooking the channel and seeing non stop elephant visitors.

Very friendly staff, easy going guide who was determined to find lions for us and did, good food, excellent accommodation." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana

"A great lodge with excellant accomadation. Staff were lovely and really helpful, even bringing us hot bottles at night when we told them we had been cold the night before.

Lovely guide; Baba who was very knowledgeable." See all these reviews: 4n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"This is a lovely lodge with lots to see as there are always elephants at the water hole, and Savuti Chanel. There was a lot of game in the area - elephants everywhere also particularly impala, giraffe, ostrich, and zebra. Before I arrived they had not seen leopard for 6 days in the camp, but I saw two different ones on two separate game drives and on my second night another one was seen catching a guinea fowl just outside of the dining area.

There are lion at Savuti, but I did not see any, although on my last morning when we were looking for lion we ended up in the middle of a vast herd of zebra which stretched as far as the eye could see on every side: it was spectacular.

I had an excellent guide, Baba, who was also great at pointing out birds for me as well. Because the other party who should have shared my truck did not do the first evening drive and the left the next day I had two days with a truck to myself so it was like a private safari - it was great." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"We had an excellent guide (Gwist), who found us wild dogs and a cheetah!

It was a real treat to be able to watch so many elephant drinking at the watering hole from our deck, and we enjoyed this very much.

We found the facilities were not as good as at the other camps. The buffet food was fine but not brilliant, which was a shame as the staff were very enthusiastic." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 1n in Zimbabwe

"Again made to feel very welcome. Extremely comfortable. Views from wonderful rooms amazing.

Staff again fantastic as were guides. Loved the change from Moremi. Found some excellent wildlife and birds apart from elephants at waterholes." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 5n in Mozambique; 2n in Zambia