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Chitabe Camp
Chitabe Camp
Chitabe Camp
Chitabe Camp
Chitabe Camp
Chitabe Camp
Chitabe Camp
Chitabe Camp
Chitabe Camp
Chitabe Camp

Reviews of Chitabe Camp

Wildlife sightings and reviews

69 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Chitabe 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 Aug-2018, 11 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Chitabe Camp.
Lion

100% success

Leopard

100% success

Cheetah

82% success

Wild dog

56% success

Buffalo

100% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Hippo

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Wildebeest

90% success

Spotted Hyena

88% success

White Rhino

25% success

Aardvark

13% success

Roan antelope

13% success

Sable antelope

13% success

Black Rhino

0% success

Eland

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Showing 1-10 of 69
Duration
Arrival date
LB
Toronto

"Chitabe Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 9 Nov 2023
"Excellent guide, many wonderful sightings." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 6n in Mozambique
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Cheetah

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

B & H
Uckfield

"A true African bush experience"

3 nights Arrived 13 Sep 2023
"The lodge was well constructed and a perfect size for two people staying for 3 nights. It was nestled among the surrounding trees and connected via a raised walkway to the other lodges and the central area where the restaurant and bar were located. This seemed to us to be the perfect set-up for a comfortable stay yet retaining the ambience that one aspires to in the African bush.

The wildlife here was very good. We caught up with a large pack of Wild Dogs, along with their many pups, and experienced the interaction between them all, with much yapping and playing going on. We waited around until the hunt started but, after rushing after them over bumpy terrain, we lost sight of them.

On another day we visited the sett of the Spotted Hyena's where there were several adults (6-8) resting nearby and several pups venturing out but then disappearing again down the hole. This was the first time in our many visits to Botswana that we had seen so many Hyena together during the daytime.

This camp was also where we had several sightings of Leopard, some up a tree, one of them at the foot of a tree (adult and young) and one at the foot of a tree along with its kill (impala). Then, to cap it all, we found a group of Cheetah (2 adults and 4 young) together on a slight mound in the full sunshine - a really tremendous sighting." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

2 sightings

Cheetah

1 sighting

Elephant

2 sightings

Giraffe

2 sightings

Hippo

1 sighting

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

2 sightings

Spotted Hyena

2 sightings

Wild dog

2 sightings

Zebra

1 sighting

Mr & Mrs S
UK

"Fabulous sightings at Chitabe Camp "

3 nights Arrived 10 Sep 2022
"We had a ball here! Wildlife encounters were prolific and very close to camp.

A bigger and more luxurious camp than we might normally favour, but definitely one to put on your list. The staff members were very attentive under the guidance of camp manager Masedi.

Lesh was our excellent guide. The Leopard sightings here were exceptional - a male on a kill, a female hiding in a Sausage Tree poised to pounce on some unsuspecting Greater Kudu, and Leopards mating.

There was other cat action including a male Lion chasing an intruder out of his territory, a Cheetah making a successful kill to feed her young cubs and a Wild Cat pouncing on a mouse." See all these reviews: 19n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Cheetah

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Roan antelope

Multiple sightings

Sable antelope

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Ms D.
Falmouth

"Chitabe Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 4 Sep 2022
"Chitabe was wonderful and the animal viewing a cut above.

We also appreciated our guide, Odee, who was very mature and professional. The ceremony honoring the community and us as guests was special and Steve was "elected" Chief which he never let us forget!

The walking safari was fun and we got close to elephants and giraffes while on foot." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 7n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Cheetah

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Wild dog

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr & Mrs F
UK

"Chitabe Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 3 Aug 2022
"Fantastic experience. Excellent on all fronts.

Guide EBS (pronounced Eebs) simply outstanding.

We had the opportunity of meeting the co-owner Dave Hannam and told him how impressed we were." See all these reviews: 15n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

5 sightings

Cheetah

1 sighting

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

8 sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

10 sightings

Spotted Hyena

2 sightings

Wild dog

3 sightings

Wildebeest

2 sightings

Zebra

4 sightings

Mrs & Mr P
Essex

"Chitabe Camp review Our new Mombo!"

3 nights Arrived 24 Jul 2022
"Wonderful sightings of interesting wildlife activities. Again great guiding by OD who made sure we ticked all the boxes of things we wanted to see.

Saw HUGE herd of buffalo. lots of baboons. Mongoose, hippos etc.

Well furnished rooms but open loo in bathroom/dressing area was a drawback.

Really helpful efficient staff. Made an effort to ensure we were able to visit friends straying at Chitabe Ledibe." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana; 7n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

3 sightings

Cheetah

2 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Leopard

3 sightings

Lion

10 sightings

Wildebeest

4 sightings

Zebra

5 sightings

Mr D.
Libertyville

"Chitabe Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 5 Aug 2019
"We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Chitabe. The camp staff were very friendly and went the extra mile to enhance our stay. Immediately on arrival, we were served lunch set out on the deck for just the two of us. The room was extra large, with both a fan and portable air conditioner, and even a hair dryer. The extra outside shower was very refreshing. The charging station in room included all plug types, including two Usb ports. Although this camp did not have wi-fi, they mentioned that it will be installed in the future, as they are losing business by not having it. One note concerning laundry of personal items – several of the lodges provided mesh laundry bags for personal items, eliminating the need to wash those ourselves.

We were lucky to arrive on a Monday, when they have a weekly cultural dinner in the Boma. The staff sang 3 native songs during our dinner.

Wildlife was abundant despite the very dry conditions. Our guide was excellent at tracking the predators. Of note was the lion pride with cubs, a hyena den with cubs, and especially fun to watch were two lions stalking warthogs, with one narrow escape after a long chase. Unfortunately, we failed to see any wild dogs again as the breeding female had been killed the year before.

The camaraderie of all the guests was excellent, with drinks around the camp fire and dinner at a communal table including guides and manager. The food and service were excellent, with the afternoon tea an outstanding highlight.

Due to a late morning flight to our next camp, our guide made sure we were still able to go on the early morning game drive. On our account, the early morning game drive was brought forward 30 minutes for everyone. We were dropped off directly at the airstrip where our luggage awaited. The service, food and rooms were impeccable at this camp." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

7 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Leopard

3 sightings

Lion

8 sightings

Spotted Hyena

2 sightings

Wildebeest

9 sightings

Zebra

7 sightings

Family R.H.S.
Zürich

"Very rich wildlife in Chitabe Concession"

2 nights Arrived 1 Nov 2018
"Chitabe Camp is a beautiful location in an area with an amazing wildlife and its staff is very friendly. Our guide (Tank) was very competent and showed a great passion to show us a maximum of wildlife and the diversity of the Chitabe landscape." See all these reviews: 2n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

3 sightings

Cheetah

2 sightings

Elephant

6 sightings

Giraffe

4 sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

5 sightings

Spotted Hyena

1 sighting

White Rhino

1 sighting

Wildebeest

4 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Mr & Mrs H
UK

"Chitabe is superb"

5 nights Arrived 8 Aug 2018
"We had four objectives at Chitabe - Wild Dogs, Cheetah, Cats with Cubs and Leopards - and saw all four in our first 2 days out of 5. The variety of wildlife and habitats is excellent and although 5 nights is a long time to stay in one camp, we could quite happily have stayed longer. The guides were excellent and the people incredibly helpful and friendly. A superb experience and seeing a white rhino was an unexpected bonus." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

4 sightings

Cheetah

1 sighting

Elephant

7 sightings

Giraffe

8 sightings

Leopard

6 sightings

Lion

7 sightings

Spotted Hyena

4 sightings

White Rhino

1 sighting

Wild dog

4 sightings

Wildebeest

4 sightings

Zebra

8 sightings

Mr K & Ms S
Roswell

"Chitabe revisited - excellent again"

3 nights Arrived 17 Oct 2017
"In 2009, Chitabe was the first camp we visited and was the only one we chose to visit again on this (our second) trip to Botswana. I was very happy that we visited again - it was as good as we remembered, yet provided a very different experience.

The tents are very nice - I like the ones with sliding doors as at Chitabe much better than others with zippers. Greater ventilation would have been nice on those 100 degree (F) days. The food was excellent and provided in great quantity as always. The staff was always attentive and helpful. This was all as it had been on our first visit too.

What was different this time was the wildlife experience. Our first trip saw few elephants and many buffalo - on this trip it was the opposite. Bushbuck were in camp every day, and I think an elephant came to visit every day as well.

Gordon, our guide, was excellent - he could spot animals without even looking at them. (For example, on two occasions, he backed up after passing under a tree to show a giant eagle owl that he hadn't seen "directly" - just realized after going by "wait, that wasn't a branch!")

We had numerous elephant encounters, spending time with large breeding herds, including one large group spread across the road in front of us. We saw a female leopard both in and out of the tree where she had cached her kills, and a male leopard whose path through a large thicket Gordon successfully predicted. We saw some lions. Wild dogs had been out of the concession for a few days before we arrived, but Gordon found them on our last evening drive and the next morning as well. We also spent some quality time with a trio of spotted hyenas.

Gordon informed us that there are now (sometimes) white rhinos in the concession. That was immediately high on our list, but they were apparently out of the concession during our visit. We did encounter some people who were there just after us who did see the rhinos, so the possibility exists." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 2n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Showing 1-10 of 69
96%
69 reviews of Chitabe Camp by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
57
10
2
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0
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