Reviews of Lebala Camp
(95%) From 152 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Lebala Camp review
Lovely camp.
The only slight negative was that the veranda was facing the sun and it was too hot to sit out in the afternoon. But apart from this minor comment, the camp was excellent with friendly staff and good trackers and guides.
Amazing!
This camp provided a different experience than the others we visited.
The camp is in a beautiful setting and the tents are fantastic. Wildlife is present, though presents more of a challenge to spot given the size of the roaming area.
That said, we saw nearly everything we saw in other locations.
Staff and guides were tremendous.
Stunning location
Lebala is set in the middle of a huge flat plain covered in tall grass with hidden water channels all around. Visiting in June the mornings felt the coldest here, especially with the outdoor-only showers. (The bath took for ever to run a few inches of water). This felt the most remote camp we stayed at with no electricity at night and the strange noise of screaming spurfowl next to our cabin during the night adding to the more usual sounds of hippos and elephants sploshing past.
This camp had the least happy atmosphere and least user-friendly management out of the 4 we visited on this trip. There was little fun at meal times and both morning and afternoon activities seemed to end as promptly as possible.
The food was less good here than at the other camps we stayed at. Our first dinner was a slice of fried hallumi followed by very tough beef casserole followed by one slice of fried banana. No coffee with wake-up call.
We were disappointed to be 6 in a vehicle with a group of four friends. It was impossible to hear the guide from the back.
Due to the location activities were limited to game drives. The grass was too long to be able to see anything on a walk. We loved the scenery at Lebala; beautiful open spaces then groups of trees and tranquil water holes. Although we didn't see any big cats here, we loved the views of large numbers of elephants including lots of tiny babies, mixed groups of zebra, wildebeest, tsessebe, impala and giraffe and a sighting of 2 male sable antelope. We also watched a pack of wild dogs which other guests saw later with a kill. I was pleased to miss that bit! Also lovely views of swallow-tailed bee-eaters. Some of the loveliest views of our trip.
Our guide was professional and knowledgeable but with the encouragement of our fellow guests spent too long near a female elephant with a calf, encouraging her to repeatedly trumpet and mock charge again and again. She was clearly distressed by us. Racing flat out for sundowners seemed a daily ritual. Night drives seemed half hearted, although perhaps the long grass limited our chances of seeing much.
Another excellent visit to Lebala
This is my sixth visit to this camp and it will certainly not be my last.
Standards continue to be very high and the new manager has made some changes. No details because it will spoil the surprise. I elected for a private vehicle and I was looked after solicitously by Jacko and GT.
We discussed each day what we would do, and we had some excellent game sightings.
Lebala Camp review
This lodge was exceptional in every way.
The staff made everything fun. They were so engaging and playful. The guide with a tracker was an exciting experience. The singing of the staff brought us to tears as it was so warm and let us share in the culture a bit. This was probably our favorite for its atmosphere.
Les and opie were an energy that was penetrating and fun.
Lebala Camp Review
Lebala is a sister camp to Lagoon and offers similarly very high quality rooms.
We felt, however, the location was not quite as good as Lagoon as it is much drier. However, it is still very worthwhile a visit.
The only major negative of our time there was that we were really quite unimpressed by the guide that was allocated to us. He was quite uncommunicative and, unlike most of the other guides in the other camps, lacked enthusiasm and certainly didn't express any particular interest in his guests!!!
Two nights here following 2 nights at Lagoon word well.
Brilliant stay at Lebala
Lebala was absolutely lovely. Rooms were a really good size and design with gauze netted walls so no mosquito nets were required.The camp was run really well and the food was amazing, we always seemed to be eating some delicious homemade cake or dish and you could never go hungry here. All the staff were first class.
Bate and Nalgo were our guide and tracker who were briliant. There are several different types of terrain around Lebala which made for interesting game drives and we really liked having both guide and tracker which not all camps have as their tracking paid off with some lovely sightings.
Great Safaris at Lebala Camp
A lovely camp in a dryer part, but nevertheless, interesting part of the concession.
Lovely, friendly staff who, together with the Managers, Action and Violet, went out of their way to make our wedding anniversary a wonderful and very special evening which we will always remember.
Our thanks also go to our guide, Bate, and tracker Ngarko, who provided us with some excellent game drives.
Lebala review
After 2 nights in Lebala's sister camp, Lagoon, around 30kms away, I spent 3 nights in Lebala. As with Lagoon, the quality of the experience in Lebala was outstanding. The rooms are very nicely appointed with outdoor showers, a deck overlooking the plains in front of the camp, and loads of space. The walls are mostly a mosquito netting type material, which allows you to look out into the plains and up to the stars at night from your bed. A really nice touch, particularly when the plains are so constantly alive with the echoes and cries of animals throughout the night. The camp also has a small plunge pool, which was very nice during the break over lunch between game drives when it was very hot.
On my first game drive back to Lebala from the 'half way point' (to Lagoon), Ishmal and Mr More (our guide and tracker) impressively managed to spot a leopard running in the bush some distance away. Over the following 45mins or so, we were able to spend some very enjoyable, quiet time right next to it. A very nice introduction to Lebala! Their eagle eyes were generally very impressive, with another leopard spotted up a tree on a later game drive, as well as lions (we had a price of 19 lions on the final day), hyenas, jackals, a huge variety of birds, etc.
On a couple of afternoons, we had sundowners in a truly majestic setting, known as 'Twin Pools' (for memory), which is a huge open savannah full of elephants (100+ on one of the nights), zebras, wildebeest, etc. So beautiful and tranquil. For one of the dinners, the camp organized a lantern-lit dinner away from the camp buildings, right next to the open plain, complete with a campfire apero and BBQ. The memory of that night will live on in my memory for a long time. Everybody loved it. The quality of food at Lebala, generally, was unbelievably good, a real highlight. As was the service and attentiveness of the management and all staff (Action/Violet, Hobbs, etc).
Wonderful safari
Overall, assessing the all-round experience, I would say this camp just edged it as my favourite of my 3-week long safari.
I very much liked the room I was assigned, far from the main lodge, nestled amongst the trees and frequented by much wildlife, including bushbuck, elephants, and hippos at night. The food was good and plentiful, and everything was very well organised, and I enjoyed the company of the other guests.
I also enjoyed the flexibility of being able to take brunch at your convenience, not having to dine with fellow guests at a specified time.
The highlight was the fantastic game drives. Our experienced tracker, Mr More, was excellent, showing such dedication. One morning we spent nearly two hours tracking leopard; very interesting watching him at work, with his determination to find the leopard clearly visible. And his perseverance was rewarded with a sighting of a 7-month old leopard cub.
Other highlights included observing wild dogs interact with the elephant herds, time spent with the wild dog puppies, and spotting a herd of sable antelope.
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
