Reviews of Little Kwara

A little gem of a camp

Little Kwara has just 5 tents on stilts in a forest clearing and they are really well equipped.The staff and food was excellent again just like its sister camp, Lebala.

We went on the water for our first evening activity where we saw mainly birdlife and even though we are not birders this was very impressive. Do take a scarf though to wrap around your face for this activity as the midges come out on the way back on the river!

Wildlife around little Kwara was great with following wild dogs hunting on our very last game drive very exciting, thank you Wago and Mike.

Thank goodness for a great guide.

Little Kwara was included in our safari itinerary to give us a taste of the Okavango Delta.

As this was our third safari to Southern Africa we wanted to experience the Delta, but game viewing was our #1 priority.

Fortunately we had a great guide in Tom Nkwazi, who quickly picked up on the fact that we had been spoiled by having superb private guiding on our two previous safaris in Zimbabwe. Tom made a point to create a unique experience. Thanks to his efforts, we had great experiences with Leopards, Painted Dogs and two female lions with cubs. His knowledge was broad and his professionalism obvious. He knew his birds and flora and he handled us with skill and enthusiasm.

All his efforts balanced out the fact that Little Kwara had just had a major bush fire, had a new inexperienced co-manager, and is obviously due for a scheduled refurbishing. The shower and the gas geysers needed repair and the physical camp is pretty tired.

It just goes to show, when on safari it's not the accommodations that are important. It's the people. Tom rescued our three day experience.

Little Kwara review

Excellent all round!

Could use more eco lighting - solar lights - instead of many many kerosene lamps

Guiding superb, food amazing, location excellent

Lovely accommadatin

We were welcomed with open arms at Little Kwara, nothing was too much trouble for the guides and staff. We had 3 huts between us and the other 2 huts housed another family. Our activities were tailored to our exact needs and requirements and although we saw the odd other vehicle out on game drives it really felt as though we had the whole plains to ourselves. We saw a huge amount of wildlife and the guide and tracker were very knowledgeable.

We especially enjoyed the waterboat trip along the delta.

The food at the camp was great, all freshly cooked lots of it and there is nothing quite like having snacks and a G&T watching the sun go down. Wonderful memories.

Each night the camp was alive with the sound of elephant, hippo and even lions wandering around. We had total faith in all the staff and felt safe at all times.

Fantastically varied safari at Little Kwara

Having received news of the fire affecting Little Kwara while we were at Lagoon, we wondered what we would find on arrival. The fire had clearly been extensive, we could see the large swathes of blackened land, reaching very close to the camp, as we flew in and we were so impressed with the way in which everyone had dealt with and was coping with what must have been a devastating experience for them. It did not spoil our experience in anyway, on the contrary, it taught us much.

We probably had the best guide of our entire holiday at Little Kwara (though the guide at Savute came close) and the combination of water based and land activities brought a variety we had not had at either Lagoon or Savute. The boat ride and the mokoro trip were both fascinating but so too were each of the drives. Again the benefits of off road and night drives were clear. We were lucky enough to see cheetah and leopard as well as lions and a wide variety of other game and some amazing birds. We were again treated to a private dinner and champagne which was really lovely, and we felt very spoiled. Vegetarian food was amongst the best on our trip.

The room on stilts was full of character though not luxurious in the style of Lagoon.

Little Kwara

Guide was knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodating. Loved the proximity of the animals to camp, even if the vervets were a bit pesky.

Here we sought out and followed lions on the hunt. Although unsuccessful, very interesting to watch.

Great views of cheetah and her adult cubs. Very nice walk learning plants, tracks, and scat.

Feedback to Little Kwara by Hitoshi Enda

Dream-Like Scenery Surrounded by Great Nature

Good Points
1 Dream-Like Scenery: Here in this camp, lying on the sofa, you can see the dream-like scenery around the camp. It is so peaceful and lovely.

2 Close to Nature: When we were eating lunch, elephants were also eating fruits right next to us (but behind the fence). Elephants, Impalas, warthogs and hippos can be seen from the wood deck. In the game drive, we saw two cheetahs.

3 Nice Dining: At the second night, all the guests sat around the fire and had dinner. It was fantastic to eat dinner hearing the unique calls of hippos. The chef and food were very good.
To be improved: Nothing special

Feedback to Little Kwara by Kazuko E.

After our emergency exit from Lebala, we were welcomed by friendly staff in Little Kwara, which was another cozy camp in a beautiful location. I was surprised to see many animals roaming right in the camp—elephants, impalas, and warthogs. In Little Kwara, we were able to enjoy both land and water activities.

Little Kwara review

overall experience was excellent but there were issues over our room. one wash basin badly cracked, some mesh in windows torn and therefore not bug proof. on last night after lights out we did not have any hot water. it worked ok next morning which was strange. all issues reported to management.

we found out that little kwara is being closed down in the near future and a new camp is due to be built nearby. not sure you are aware of this.

guide and tracker were good but not as good or communicative as at the other camps.

Little Kwara- Mixed Feelings

Overall we enjoyed our stay at Little Kwara however it didn't quite match up to other places that we stayed in, all of which were considerably cheaper.

Our tent was very spacious, had a lovely veranda surrounded by trees and a very comfortable bed. It was a little tired and the bathroom area could have done with being updated. Getting hot water for a shower was a problem, our solution was to have one in the heat of the day which was fine. The communal areas were nicely furnished, comfortable and had a great view over the plain. Many animals could be seen wandering about in the distance and also at times in the camp itself.

Meal times were communal with manager and guides joining guests. The food was delicious, some of the best we had enjoyed on our trip and the service excellent. All lodge staff were friendly and helpful.

The aspect of the camp which led to some disappointment was the activities and guiding. I am in agreement with the previous reviewer. Although Charles the manager had told us that our guide would discuss our activities with us it seemed to be already decided that we would be doing land drives. As I had specifically chosen Kwara because of it's land and water activities I was a little concerned and discussed this with Charles who then ensured that we experienced a very enjoyable river cruise and a short mokoro trip.

On reflection I wonder why guests are not asked on their arrival what activities they would like to experience then be allocated these, where possible, even if it means not being with the same guide all the time or the same guests. This would also allow for people who have a specific interest in say birds or in tracking more elusive animals to be allocated on the same drive. It might be a little more difficult to organize but it may lead to better experiences for guests and be easier for the guides.

We too found our guide, who was different from the previous reviewers, a bit of an enigma. At times talkative, cheerful and informative, at others taciturn and difficult to engage with. This did impact on my enjoyment of some of the activities and I felt uncomfortable which I have never felt before with any guide. Maybe because of the camps use of guide and tracker my expectations were too high and it is after all nature so animal spotting is unpredictable but I was surprised at the general lack of animals around. However we did see leopard, cheetah and lion which other vehicles had tracked. The remoteness and wildness of the reserve was a definite plus.

This review may sound rather negative and I would stress that the overall experience was good with some great memories being taken home.

Two night stay in Little Kwara

Both Little Kwara and Kwara appeared to be quite busy while we were there, which appeared to put quite a strain on resources. They seemed to be short of guides, vehicles, boats and blankets, which restricted the options of activities available to the guests. Our guide, Wagu, who is married to the assistant manager, told us from the start that the guides would decide the best activities for us. Repeated requests for a boat trip from some of the guests were greeted by refusals, but granted for others, and twice we had game drives curtailed, once to enable the tracker to go on holiday, and once to release the vehicle to take other guests to the airstrip. The only activities on offer to us were game drives.

We found Wagu a bit of an enigma - at times full of fun and conversation, at others taciturn and somewhat difficult to engage with. He was, however, very knowledgeable and we were extraordinarily lucky in the game that we saw during the two days. This included three visits to a female leopard and her cub enjoying the kill that she had made, two close-up sightings of a cheetah and her two adolescent cubs, and sitting within metres of a lioness as she devoured a freshly killed impala ram.

The food was OK, but the least good of all the camps at which we stayed. A faulty light bulb in our room, which drained the battery, resulted in our having to dress in the dark one morning but the fault was quickly rectified when we reported it. Having stayed in two Kwando camps (see Lebala later), we felt that they had a modus operandi which was less flexible that others we stayed in.