Reviews of Lagoon Camp

"The second high point of the trip. Amazing location with pods of hippos and elephants coming to bathe right next to the lodge.

Perfect accommodation with every comfort and beautiful surroundings. Great food and excellent service.

However the high point was really attributable to the fabulous guides, Bate and PD, who demonstrated astonishing skill in tracking lions and leopard - predicting what we would find before we arrived - and in educating us in relation to birds, antelope .and wild dogs.

Unforgettable" See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe

"The room we had (overlooking the river with large numbers of hippo right outside our room) was superb. It was one of the highest standards of rooms throughout the holiday. It was our wedding anniversary while we were there and they surprised us with a private dinner, gift and champagne- it was truly wonderful.

The game viewing was again very good indeed and included one of the most memorable experiences we had when we followed the wild dog pack on a night hunt. Incredible. The guide and tracker's enthusiasm for this, clearly not an everyday experience for them either, was part of what made this so special. We also had the opportunity to enjoy a particularly good walking safari. The freedom to drive at night and go off road also brought great benefits.

The vegetarian food was not quite upto the standard of some of the other camps but it was still very good- and the lunches were generally better than the dinners.

The communal areas in comparison with the room were a bit tired in appearance but had a fantastic setting on the river.

The low water levels meant that all activities were land based which was a shame but out of anyone's control. Expert Africa might like to note that had we been told of this when they were in Oct 2015, (ie soon after our booking was made ) we might have asked to make a change. As it was we were only told when our final information pack was sent out when it was obviously too late for a change." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 9n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"Lovely accommodation. Great to be by the river.

Wonderful encounters with lion family (lion, 4 x lionesses & 4 x cubs) coming together over old kill, cheetah, wild dogs. Our guide, Josiah and tracker, Timo were excellent.

Camp staff were excellent - very friendly and helpful." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"accommodation good but cold at night. we had to get the staff to drop the outside window flaps to keep some of the heat in especially the one by the bath.

our guide Joshia and tracker were very good. they made sure we saw the wild dogs which was what we were hoping for.

we spent a mad half hour following them hunting. food and staff were both very good." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 3n in Namibia; 2n in Zimbabwe

"We spent four nights in early June at Lagoon Camp. This was an excellent continuation after Kwara Camp, where we started our Botswana safari trips. There was plenty of game, and very good variety, plus colorful birds. Contrary to Expert Africa review, game drives were not overly focused on wild dogs or big predators. We saw them, with more than enough time for photos, but we also paused to photograph many sorts of animals and birds, which all the guests in our vehicles wanted to do.

Guide Josiah and tracker James were excellent. We never had to ask our guide to stop for photographs; he did it routinely as well as placed the vehicle for the best sun angle and the best lighting. We always paused for photos as long as people wanted, and we were never pressured to move along.

Camp managers and staff were very friendly, and we appreciated that the guides and managers joined the guests for sit-down meals. We liked the family style dining, which allowed plenty of time to chat with other guests. Flexible brunch and dinner times accommodated the game drives, since we didn’t have to quit a photo op just to rush back to camp for a meal.

We really enjoyed African singing and dancing shows by the staff, which showcased local music. The staff was extremely talented, and it seemed that everyone participated.

Lagoon was a small camp (8 tents) which fully met our wishes for an intimate African experience. Food and accommodations were excellent in all respects.

Highlights: the resident pack of 14 wild dogs finishing their kill, and then visiting a pond for water; a leopard chased up a tree by wild dogs which per the guide were harassing the leopard to chase it away from a nearby den; the sound of hippos munching grass outside our tent at 3am; African sunsets.

We also stayed at sister camps Kwara and Lebala, and the following comments apply equally to them.

The safari vehicles were well designed, with (relatively) easy access, canvas tops (removable), and very few support poles to interfere with photography. Only six passengers were allowed, giving everyone a "window seat", extremely important to us.

The same guides and trackers remained with us throughout our stay, from pickup at the air strip to delivery for the return flight. This added a great deal to the safari experience, as guides came to know what guests were interested in, and which areas were best to meet guest interests. It also allowed us to get to know our guide and tracker better.

Having both a guide and a tracker measurably improved the safari experience, as the guide could concentrate on driving, especially off-road, while the tracker spotted the wildlife. When trying to find an animal, it couldn't have been done effectively without the tracker to watch for paw prints in the sand.

Night drives took place after the sundowners, en route back to camp. Pickings were sparse, but we were pleased to see the occasional nocturnal predator.

We really appreciated "bush babies" (hot water bottles) on the early, cold morning drives. They were also provided in the evening for our beds, as the nights were quite chilly (maybe cold better describes the temps). We brought several layers of light jackets and sweaters, plus knit caps and gloves, taking them off as the morning wore on, and putting them back on after the sun set. We had back packs which worked well to carry all these items of clothing, plus camera gear and whatever.

Laundry service was efficient, which meant that we could have left some clothes at home, and not have stuffed our duffels quite so full.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at Lagoon Camp and would readily return. In hindsight, three nights would have been better, both more relaxed and less rushed, plus additional game drives in this wildlife rich area." See all these reviews: 8n in Namibia; 8n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"Everything was great about the Lagoon Camp.

Our only complaint is that it was our last camp and meant the end of our safari." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana

"Beautiful camp with amazing rooms and again superb staff, Our guide, Carlos, was a mine of information, not only about the wildlife but also about all aspects of Botswana and James was an excellent tracker. Food was, as in the previous one,w onderfully good!

I've put only 'good' for the facilities because there were several blips with the water - we had none when we arrived and when we did get some, it came up black as it has to be pumped from the river. We completely understood the problem, but it was slightly off putting to bathe or shower in black water - and you need to after the dusty safaris in the dry season!" See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"Best camp for location , rooms and public areas.

Our driver and spotter were very good trackers.

Hundreds of Carmine Beeeters - fantastic to sight" See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"Received a warm welcome after a very long journey by the management and staff of Lagoon. Setting of this camp is truly stunning. Beautiful tents, with very comfy beds! Food was varied, inventive and always plentiful.

Our guide and tracker were Carlos and Timo. We found Timo a very friendly guy, enthousiast and good at his job. Our views about Carlos are somewhat mixed: our game drives were, overall, interesting and varied. However, we would have appreciated Carlos to be more communicative during the drives and during dinner. At times, we honestly had the impression we were bothering him with our questions.

Personal highlight: the Sunset Boat trip on our last evening, which offered truly wonderful sightings of elephants and hippos bathing in one of the most amazing sunset we have ever seen..." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 1n in Zimbabwe

"Great Camp, saw leopard, wild dogs and lion, so very rewarding. Food was good, wonderful staff. The rooms are very spacious (maybe even a bit too spacious) and are very comfortable. As they are not in the shade, it gets pretty hot during the day time. Sitting on the verandah overlooking the river is hardly an option, as there is no shade here either." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana; 6n in Mozambique; 2n in South Africa