Reviews of Lagoon Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
287 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Lagoon Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Jun-2018, 83 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Lagoon Camp.
Lion
93% success
Leopard
72% success
Cheetah
60% success
Wild dog
52% success
Elephant
100% success
Giraffe
100% success
Hippo
100% success
Wildebeest
99% success
Zebra
95% success
Buffalo
85% success
Spotted Hyena
62% success
Sable antelope
52% success
Roan antelope
42% success
Brown Hyena
11% success
Pangolin
4% success
Aardvark
3% success
Mrs P
Alderley Edge
"Watching lions bringing down a buffalo"
3 nights Arrived 26 Aug 2015
"Very spacious, comfortable accommodation with far more natural light than most we stayed in. The bath however is a bit of style over substance - it takes ages to fill, the water is gritty and being by the large open mesh window it is draughty. The shower on the other hand was wonderful with really good water pressure.
This was where we had the most impressive sighting of the holiday: a pride of 7 lions bringing down a buffalo from a herd that had gone to the water to drink. The flurries of action followed by standoffs where the protective tightly grouped buffalo stood motionless encircled by the equally still lions made more dramatic the sudden charge by the buffalo pursued by the lions, one of which managed to cling on to the hind quarters of one buffalo. That allowed the other lions to target that injured animal. It took some time for the buffalo to give up struggling and then the lions could enjoy their meal.
Our guide Hobbs seemed rather withdrawn at first but later at communal meal times he was good company." See all these reviews: 15n in Botswana
This was where we had the most impressive sighting of the holiday: a pride of 7 lions bringing down a buffalo from a herd that had gone to the water to drink. The flurries of action followed by standoffs where the protective tightly grouped buffalo stood motionless encircled by the equally still lions made more dramatic the sudden charge by the buffalo pursued by the lions, one of which managed to cling on to the hind quarters of one buffalo. That allowed the other lions to target that injured animal. It took some time for the buffalo to give up struggling and then the lions could enjoy their meal.
Our guide Hobbs seemed rather withdrawn at first but later at communal meal times he was good company." See all these reviews: 15n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr g
Illinois, USA
"authentic camp experience deep in the bush"
3 nights Arrived 15 Aug 2015
"an outstanding safari camp experience, which met or exceeded our high expectations. Located adjacent to a lagoon tributary with no "fences", wildlife, especially elephants, literally would pass thru the camp day or night -- during one evening we could hear an elephant munching/ consuming a small palm tree adjacent to our detached room.
Th Kwando Lagoon staff were very friendly and helpful and seemed genuinely interested in maximizing the guest experience. All of the meals were served a large table where all of the guests and guides ate together to share the day's experiences. This enabled the guests to interact with the other guides as well as the specific guide "assigned" to us for the drives.
On the drives, the various guides worked extremely well together (via radio contact) so that key wildlife sightings e.g. wild dogs with cubs, lion prides etc by one vehicle were quickly communicated to the other guides so that the other vehicles could participate in the viewings also. A tracker was utilized at this camp (the other camps we visited did not utilize a tracker) which appeared to increase the likelihood of a wildlife citing. My impression of this camp was that wildlife sightings were the number 1 priority of the camp as the guides seemed relentless (in a good way) in this pursuit." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia
Th Kwando Lagoon staff were very friendly and helpful and seemed genuinely interested in maximizing the guest experience. All of the meals were served a large table where all of the guests and guides ate together to share the day's experiences. This enabled the guests to interact with the other guides as well as the specific guide "assigned" to us for the drives.
On the drives, the various guides worked extremely well together (via radio contact) so that key wildlife sightings e.g. wild dogs with cubs, lion prides etc by one vehicle were quickly communicated to the other guides so that the other vehicles could participate in the viewings also. A tracker was utilized at this camp (the other camps we visited did not utilize a tracker) which appeared to increase the likelihood of a wildlife citing. My impression of this camp was that wildlife sightings were the number 1 priority of the camp as the guides seemed relentless (in a good way) in this pursuit." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mrs S
Kings Langley
"Lagoon Camp with Family"
3 nights Arrived 12 Aug 2015
"We spent 3 nights at Lagoon with our 3 children. We had the family tent (master bedroom and 2nd bedroom) and a second tent which had twin beds. The accommodation is excellent, extremely spacious with a glorious position over the river.
Hippo and elephant are often to be seen from the camp. The staff were so kind and helpful and gave us a very warm welcome. We had Spencer as our guide - he was exceptional and we enjoyed our game drives so much and saw an enormous amount of game and wildlife. We had a good boat trip one evening too.
Would highly recommend staying at this camp." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana
Hippo and elephant are often to be seen from the camp. The staff were so kind and helpful and gave us a very warm welcome. We had Spencer as our guide - he was exceptional and we enjoyed our game drives so much and saw an enormous amount of game and wildlife. We had a good boat trip one evening too.
Would highly recommend staying at this camp." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Smitz
UK
"Lagoon Camp Review"
3 nights Arrived 21 Jun 2015
"Lagoon's location is excellent and the rooms are spacious and comfortable. The laundry service is excellent. Visitors shouldn't be concerned about the baggage allowance on the flights to the camps and the storage and retrieval of my additional suitcase with Mack Air went without a hitch.
The quality and variety of the food was good. I particularly enjoyed the traditional Botswanan dinner. The staff were very pleasant and willing to help.
My only really adverse comments about Lagoon centre around Hobs, the guide I was assigned, Hobs is clearly knowledgeable but he would benefit from being more communicative. He readily answers questions but it would be better if he offered more information about the animals and birds, particularly when the vehicle stops and there is an opportunity to observe the animals and their behaviour. Its not enough to say for example,'Its a lioness'. He has the skill and the knowledge, he needs to exploit it. This was somewhat mitigated by Timmo, our tracker who was very knowledgeable and a much better communicator than Hobs.
Sadly for me there were no wild dogs but a lion kill on the first morning made a very good start!!
." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana
The quality and variety of the food was good. I particularly enjoyed the traditional Botswanan dinner. The staff were very pleasant and willing to help.
My only really adverse comments about Lagoon centre around Hobs, the guide I was assigned, Hobs is clearly knowledgeable but he would benefit from being more communicative. He readily answers questions but it would be better if he offered more information about the animals and birds, particularly when the vehicle stops and there is an opportunity to observe the animals and their behaviour. Its not enough to say for example,'Its a lioness'. He has the skill and the knowledge, he needs to exploit it. This was somewhat mitigated by Timmo, our tracker who was very knowledgeable and a much better communicator than Hobs.
Sadly for me there were no wild dogs but a lion kill on the first morning made a very good start!!
." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Mr W
London
"Lagoon Camp review"
3 nights Arrived 15 Jun 2015
"The rooms were great. The camp was beautiful.
It would be good if the camp offered private meals in the evening. Sometimes you don't want to sit with everyone else and make forced conversation." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
It would be good if the camp offered private meals in the evening. Sometimes you don't want to sit with everyone else and make forced conversation." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Mr K
Southend On Sea
"Lagoon Camp review"
3 nights Arrived 10 Jun 2015
"I was lucky enough to witness a day in the life of a pack of African wild dogs, to see them sleeping,greeting each other, protecting a pregnant member of the pack who was about to give birth and to follow the pack on a hunt leading to a successful kill.
The guide and tracker were excellent. A completely amazing experience." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana
The guide and tracker were excellent. A completely amazing experience." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Mr & Mrs C
Herts
"Amazing Lagoon"
3 nights Arrived 5 Jun 2015
"We loved it at Lagoon.
Everyone was so welcoming and our accommodation was very comfortable. The kitchen staff went out of their way to help me with my dietary needs and at every meal/trip out there was plenty of food for me. Our guide (Spencer) and the tracker (PK) were excellent. Spencer was a walking encyclopaedia, giving us so much knowledge about the animals and their surroundings. Both he and PK set up a wonderful rapport with us." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana
Everyone was so welcoming and our accommodation was very comfortable. The kitchen staff went out of their way to help me with my dietary needs and at every meal/trip out there was plenty of food for me. Our guide (Spencer) and the tracker (PK) were excellent. Spencer was a walking encyclopaedia, giving us so much knowledge about the animals and their surroundings. Both he and PK set up a wonderful rapport with us." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Ms S & Mr K
USA
"Lagoon Camp review"
3 nights Arrived 4 Jun 2015
"Huge and beautiful rooms
Excellent Food
Favorite guide: Sugar
Phone service
Lions mating twice in five minutes, wild cat and cerval night sighting, herd of elephants at water hole during sundowners, great evening boat cruise with hippos, crocodiles, and birds.
Spent hours tracking wild dogs to no avail
Game drives were a little long due to the expansive area but overall a fantastic camp" See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa
Excellent Food
Favorite guide: Sugar
Phone service
Lions mating twice in five minutes, wild cat and cerval night sighting, herd of elephants at water hole during sundowners, great evening boat cruise with hippos, crocodiles, and birds.
Spent hours tracking wild dogs to no avail
Game drives were a little long due to the expansive area but overall a fantastic camp" See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs K
Oklahoma
"Lagoon Camp review"
2 nights Arrived 1 Jun 2015
"Lagoon camp was beautiful, and we really appreciated the way the guides tried to keep up with the wild dogs. That was exhilarating and a highlight of our overall trip. The boat trip we took was pleasant as well.
One camp manager, Chawa was excellent, the other, BK was not. The camp employees spoke in Setswana to each other constantly. Around the fire before dinner, in the vehicles, at meals. At times around the fire, guests were sitting silently and employees were having animated conversations in Setswana. The staff also wanted things done their way and were not relaxed about guests doing their own thing (about things as small as where you sat for meals).
They did do a good job on the gluten free diet." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana
One camp manager, Chawa was excellent, the other, BK was not. The camp employees spoke in Setswana to each other constantly. Around the fire before dinner, in the vehicles, at meals. At times around the fire, guests were sitting silently and employees were having animated conversations in Setswana. The staff also wanted things done their way and were not relaxed about guests doing their own thing (about things as small as where you sat for meals).
They did do a good job on the gluten free diet." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Average
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Mr & Mrs W
Utah
"Lagoon Camp"
2 nights Arrived 6 Mar 2015
"Lovely setting, loved the elephants walking into camp! Nice boat ride, again. Loved the informal atmosphere of all the camps.
Loved the fact that we weren't charged extra for beverages, or laundry. Probably written into the price, but better than being nickle and dimed!
Good guides." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana
Loved the fact that we weren't charged extra for beverages, or laundry. Probably written into the price, but better than being nickle and dimed!
Good guides." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Holiday styles & special interests in Botswana
From birdwatching breaks to walking holidays, find great ideas for your trip in Botswana.
Other lodges in Kwando-Linyanti area
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Lebala Camp
With enthusiastic guides and trackers, Lebala – in a vast private reserve – is particularly well-placed for seeking wild dogs.
Selinda Camp
In an attractive area that is particularly rich in game between June and November, the luxurious Selinda Camp caters particularly well for photographers.
DumaTau
DumaTau, in the private Linyanti Reserve, offers game drives, seasonal boat cruises and walks. Wildlife safaris here are quite seasonal, and are at their best during the height of the dry season, between June and October.
Linyanti Bush Camp
An increasingly rare find in Botswana, Linyanti Bush Camp blends relative simplicity with numerous activities and very good guiding.
Selinda Explorers Camp
The luxurious, traditional tented Selinda Explorers Camp offers a mix of walking, canoeing and game drives led by really top notch guides in a game-rich area.
Savuti Camp
Set above the Savuti Channel, the refurbished seven-room Savuti Camp offers the potential for viewing large herds of elephant and significant lion encounters.
Zarafa Camp
Zarafa is an exclusive camp overlooking the scenic Zibadianja Lagoon within the Selinda Reserve, a particularly game-rich area between June and early November.
Kings Pool
King’s Pool is a top-end luxury safari camp with a price tag to match; the game viewing can be very good during the dry season.
Linyanti Ebony
Independently owned and run, the small Linyanti Ebony sits on the same site as Linyanti Bush Camp, with similarly high standards of guiding, and a strong emphasis on the wildlife experience.
Linyanti Expeditions
Tip-top guiding. In tune with the habitat. Down-to-earth, authentic camp comfort. A place of wilderness safari harmony.
Little DumaTau
Small and sophisticated, Little DumaTau lies adjacent to its larger sibling in the private Linyanti Reserve, overlooking a beautiful lagoon.
