Reviews of Lagoon Camp

"Lagoon Camp was excellent in every way. It was not entirely full at the time, perhaps less than half full.

It has a lovely position on the edge of the lagoon and a lovely feeling of being out in the wilds of Africa with no one else around. Away from the lagoon the countryside is quite bushy.

We had an excellent chalet, the food was excellent, the laundry was done very well and the staff were efficient and charming.

There was not a huge volume of wildlife, no large herds or groups, and few animals came down to the lagoon to drink, at least in the vicinity of the Camp. But there was a very good variety and the sightings we had were absolutely superb -- the stand-outs were a leopard and cub on a kill, lions drinking at the lagoon, wild dogs resting, magnificent male kudu and hundreds of carmine bee-eaters at their nests in the bank of the lagoon.

The guide and tracker were very good indeed. Altogether it was a wonderful three days." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana

"Lagoon Camp was a rock and roll epic! Spencer is a legendary driver and we were fortunate enough to get his truck. We saw leopards, lions, cheetahs, hyenas, hippos, a huge herd of African buffalo, and a multitude of antelopes, baboons, and birds. The sights were breathtaking and the pace was extremely fast. The cabin was elegant and spacious - immediately adjacent to the river with hippo sounds all night long. We would go back to Lagoon Camp in a heartbeat." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"This is our second trip to Lagoon and it is our favourite lodge.

We experienced an amazing array of wildlife and thoroughly enjoyed the stories (which are a mixture of myth and truth) as well as the extraordinary skills of our guide Spencer. He known the inside thinking of the animals and we just loved it.

The food is very good and the staff attentive to all needs. The setting of the lodge by the Kwando River allowed us to view hippo, lechwe, all manner of birdlife as well as elephants crossing the river from the Lodge itself. Fishing was offered and we saw bream and catfish being caught.

Amongst our sightings were multiple leopards (including a group of three), sable, roan and oribi antelope, honey badger, multiple wild dog sightings as well as all the usual animals." See all these reviews: 13n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"Lighting in sitting area very poor. But lovely spacious room. Were in room 5 - would not have liked having to walk much further as the sandy path was hard work and would have been further from the pool which again I used each day.

Enjoyed the boat trip. Had one disappointing morning when we saw nothing but heard that we could have seen what the others saw - leopard cubs etc. Clearly poor communication. However the next day we were given a surprise lunch on the boat and returned to camp that way which was very special.

That morning we saw a record number of species totalling 21 including 4 large bird species + 2 extra sights in the afternoon so a truly bumper day. We made sure the guide knew this and congratulated him." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 3n in Zambia

"The overall condition of the camp was excellent. Our room was spacious, comfortable and spotless. It was maintained this way throughout our stay. It was quite wasn’t quite a plush as Kwara but there wasn’t much in it.

The location on the Kwando River was spectacular. I thought the view from central camp was breathtaking with Elephants regularly wading in the water on the bend of the river. Sitting on the river boat, with drinks and snacks laid out on the front and the sun going down felt totally unreal.

Once again there was a worry about laundering silk, once again I explained how to care for it (treat like cotton) but although they washed it, it came back un-ironed. I found this worry about silk a little odd as all the travel books suggest that along with cotton and linen, silk is a recommended material to wear to keep cool and I chose it, not for any fashion reason, but because it is a natural fibre and the one that I find the coolest to wear.

The food was excellent. A great selection and all very tasty. Once again, I loved the fresh made hot porridge cooked on the fire each morning and of course, that African blue cheese, plus another that has dried Cranberries. Totally delicious.

Once again, the staff were lovely, friendly and helpful and remembered all our needs.
I was encourage to have my first outdoor shower here and this became a ‘must’ thereafter.

Our guide was Ricco and our Tracker was James. Another amazing pair in their ability and efforts to find the wildlife. We quickly built up a great rapport with them and had many jokes passing back and forth.

After sneezing and joking that he was allergic to Lions……..we were parked by several at this point, this became the ‘saying’ between the four of us anytime anyone sneezed. It will remain as an ‘in joke’ with Peter and I. I will forever see the pair of them disappearing off into the bush following Pangolin tracks. We had a brief thought about hiding behind the vehicle so that it looked empty when they came back but safety took the lead here. However, we told them we had thought of this and all had a good laugh. Another departure from camp that was like leaving family and home. We all hugged at the airstrip again.
A great place.

The Little Extras that were appreciated at this camp:
Cold towels and a welcoming drink on all arrivals at camp.
The personalised bottle for water.
Good sanitation care from our guides.
The decorative towels on the bed on arrival.
The pretty beaded animals left on our pillows on the last night. These will be also be added to our Christmas tree as a memento of our visit.

The down side:
This may seem a little picky given we were in the Botswana bush but the pathway to and from central camp was a nightmare to walk. At all the other camps the pathways had been ‘flattened’ or covered. Here at Lagoon it was soft loose sand. By the time I had gone one way, anything on my feet and lower legs was black and the irritation on my feet was unpleasant. As we were in a room at the far end, this walk became quite a trial especially in the afternoon heat.

The rooms here are closer together than Kwara and other camps. It was possible to overlook each other’s bed area and although we talked in hushed voices so as not to be heard, other guests did not and this disturbed the overall peace of the place. Only two public loos here for both male and female and there was often a queue when it was time to depart on an activity. Perhaps this was because of the discomfort of walking back to a room on soft sand." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana

"Great accommodation. All staff very helpful and friendly. Guide Vasco, tracker Freddie really helped us see many birds as we had requested. Full of other interesting information" See all these reviews: 16n in Botswana

"The Kwando reserve is renowned for its Wild Dogs and we had booked this and its sister Lebala Camp to maximise our chances of seeing these amazing and endangered predators.

To our astonishment a pack of 8 showed up on our very first afternoon. We were privileged to watch their ritual greeting before they set off on a hunt. We spent our next few days tracking their whereabouts and this was a great thrill. There was plenty of other predator action too.

The Red Lechwe were spectacular when they leapt across the shallow water areas to escape the Lions of the Holly Pride. We saw Leopard too. Our more unusual sightings included Aardwolf, Wild Cat, Eland, Sable Antelope and Honey Badger.

The lodge has very spacious bedrooms overlooking the Kwando River. One afternoon a mother and baby Elephant passed right in front of our front window. We recommend the double deck boat trip in the evening to pass Hippos and Elephants as well as Carmine Bee-eaters.

Great guiding from KB and his tracker Vincent." See all these reviews: 19n in Botswana

"Accommodation, food, service , game drives and boat trip all excellent.

Guide G (or Gee) and tracker James also excellent.

Nick really enjoyed being close to the hippos and their gentle noise at night!" See all these reviews: 15n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"Great location and the accommodation was of a very high standard. Sadly, the food was not to the same standard and the Vegetarian option lacked imagination.

On a more positive note both the guide and spotter were very good and worked very hard to ensure we enjoyed our time at Lagoon camp. Besides game drives you can also spend time on the river which we both enjoyed.

We were very fortunate to witness a pride of lions feasting on a buffalo kill and on a last morning drive saw Wild dogs, Cheetahs, Leopard and Lions. If that was not enough a herd of elephant’s were enjoying a drink by the river. Some morning!" See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"We had some wonderful sightings and memorable experiences at Lagoon Camp.

Guide (Ike) and tracker (James) were both very good - even amazing.

The "tents" are huge! The camp is in an excellent setting." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana