Reviews of Lebala Camp
(95%) From 166 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Great Traditional Bush Camp
Lebala is a lovely tented camp with a traditional feel. One of us has mobility challenges, and the staff could not have been more helpful, finding ways to make it easier to get and out of the vehicle and negotiate steps and ramps within the camp.
We had a great team in our guide Bate and tracker Simo and every game drive was full of fascinating encounters. Numerous species of antelope were plentiful, plus zebra, hippo, buffalo, and giraffe. Predators included lion, leopard , wild dog and hyena.
The highlight was being able to get really close to leopards - one a large male, the other his mother - on three occasions and spend time just observing these beautiful cats.
Great time at Lebala, felt like home.
Again great staff, singing all the time, made us feel special. Esp at our last evening they performed dances and said goodbye from the hart.
At night we found little animals on our cushions as a present.
Also here a very good ranger/ guide Bate and his tracker. Good game viewing.
Nice surprise at one of the afternoon game drives was the sundowner in the bush, a bar set up in the middle of nowhere!
Very varied animals, particularly nocturnal
Much more remote than the other camps we visited - no electricity in rooms, no wifi or mobile signal, but very comfortable. Excellent food. Compared with further south, the plains were bigger and more open, so when there was a sighting you could follow it for longer rather than it go into the bush, which was good.
Game was up and down - a couple of drives produced almost nothing (not even a lion), then on a single night drive we saw lions hunt and consume a wildebeest, serval, side-striped jackal, civet and really good wildcat sightings. The following morning a dog chase, large herd of stampeding and leaping lechwe and big breeding elephant herd which let us get right in the middle.
Funny how it goes - halfway through our stay we were wondering if it was a bit of a dud, and by the end it was probably the best set of safari sightings we'd ever had.
Lebala Camp review
Wonderful. Just what we hoped for. As in other of the resorts, the guides were excellent and the animals were prolific. The food is great - and never seems to stop and the rooms are very comfortable. An outstanding experience.
Two minor issues: I think the South African wines (most of which I know well) are at the bottom of the acceptable range. I found one in a SA supermarket for R53. I think you could do better. Secondly, I hate tipping at these resorts. I don't like to spend my time with the nagging thought of what would be fair. I would far rather have the sum included in the cost and a 'no-tipping' policy brought in.
Friendly atmosphere at Lebala
Tent very cold in the morning, but it’s winter and a tent. Warm and cosy on early drive with poncho and Bush baby (hot water bottle) yes really needed! Guide made every effort to bring us close to the animals and I was pleasantly surprised at their lack of disturbance and relaxed demeanour.
Read more about the whole safariBrilliant Lebala - the highlight of our trip
Lebala was the second stop on our trip and was the highlight of our whole holiday. In terms of sightings we were incredibly fortunate to have such an action packed visit. We had some sightings of elephants in very large volumes, Lebala is known for it, but on the last morning when we were dropping off two of our vehicle companions for an earlier flight... the runway was blocked by 100+ elephants and just as they were cleared, a male lion wandered out to add a further delay to proceedings.
There were many regular camp visits from elephants... one munching on bushes beside the lunch table and when walking back to our tent after lunch, 6 surrounding our tent giving a beautiful opportunity to observe these creatures from a safe distance (but still close). If you want elephant sightings, Lebala is your camp. Excellent sightings of Hyena/Lion and Leopard plus a tense standoff between 9 Lions, 2 Buffalo and 3 manic Hyena really made Lebala perfect for us. Plenty of time was allowed for us to observe the animals with the chance to really watch their behaviour. Lebala uses both a guide and tracker.. with the tracker in place to pick up the tracks that the guide can't see. The enthusiasm of both was another highlight and we were fortunate to to be treated to a real masterclass in tracking as we found lion after over an hour of hard work by the team.
The guides here are persistent in looking for the big game but not to the exclusion of birding and balanced this perfectly. Ishmaeil and Shooes (guide and tracker) deserve special mention and were knowledgeable and very free in sharing everything they knew.
The camp staff at Lebala were welcoming and genuinely made our down time fun. As with all the other camps, the team eat with guests and we felt that the whole Lebala team were a really close knit group and, whilst working, were also clearly having great fun.
The tent was lovely with an outside shower which was perfect when returning from the morning drive. We'd suggest that Lebala is great for people who have been on safari before and also wonderful for first timers.... if you had limited time to visit Botswana we'd suggest including Lebala on your list - You really cannot better it.
This trip was for my wife's birthday and the camp put on a special treat (I will not spoil it) but it was truly so special and involved some skullduggery on the part of our guide and camp staff....
Some advice we'd give is get to know the staff, they are enthusiastic, passionate about the animals and Botswana and so generous in sharing their knowledge and experiences..... the camplife matched the game viewing and sometimes combined it. Our first trip back to our room after lunch saw us greeted by 4-5 elephants outside the front door.. a true treat to see these wonderful creatures (from a safe distance) and on the the return from the last drive on the first evening, whilst everyone else went to get changed, we grabbed a drink on the platform over the fire just a a hyena wandered in .... sniffed the flames and wandered off.
Lebala is right at the top of our list for a return
Lebala Camp review
same area as Lagoon [Ed: "Lovely camp, well sited and excellent game viewing"], but some different habitats. Good game sitings.
Read more about the whole safariTop review Lebala Camp
This is my sixth stay at Lebala which probably tells you that they are doing something right. The camp is at the southern end of the concession, close to the river system. It was good to see that the water levels are coming up again after several years of drought. There is a good range of terrain. Marsh, riverine, good open areas together with mopane and apple leaf woodland. Great sightings of the resident lion prides plus the bonus of several hours with Jane’s (the resident female leopard) small cubs. The guides and trackers are all very knowledgeable and happy to discuss what the plans for the day should be. The camp staff are delightful and nothing is too much trouble. I am already booking up for next year!
Read more about the whole safariLebala Camp review
Loved the remoteness and privacy of Lebala. It was great not having other camps/vehicles around our game drives, which made them even more special.
The staff were super friendly and couldn't do enough for us.
Overall, this was our favourite camp.
