Reviews of Little Kwara
(93%) From 177 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Little Kwara review
After the related camp at Tau Pan we had reaonable expectations of Little Kwara but unfortunately we were disappointed. It was clearly not as well managed or run ( and could have assisted with input from the bossy consultant who was at Tau Pan). Little things were noticeable, no towels on return from the drive, the staff were often not in uniform, making it tricky to work out if they were on duty etc. The food was no where near as good as Tau Pan.
It was however the busiest of all the camps we had been on with 10 people in residence at all times, and maybe this put pressure on the team. ALSO the issue with the fans is real - it was 34degrees every day and over 20 degrees during the night, it really would have assisted if there were fans and it was not apparent why there weren't any.
Guiding was good, a little bit overwhelmed by the numbers of staff and it felt like they needed a break.
Little Kwara review
We enjoyed Little Kwara, but it didn't quite live up to expectations.
The staff were friendly but the camp was missing the personal touch. The tent was comfortable but could have really benefited from a fan.
We were surprised that we didn't see as much game as we expected, and there was too much single minded focus on tracking cats to the expense of anything else, including our comfort on occasion.
We did however successfully track a family of cheetahs and some lions.
Our favourite place on the trip.
we had a fantastic time here - staff were just excellent - we loved celebrating Botswana day with the staff having dinner in the bush - they went to enormous trouble to make it special and even had us all up dancing and singing with them. - I will never forget Little Kwara.
In fact on our visit to the village there we met a young boy about 11 or 12 - He impressed me greatly and I would like to keep in contact with him - perhaps you could help me make contact - He had great ambitions - I would like to ensure he succeeds.
Wild life viewing was superb and the staff were fantastic.
Little Kwara review
The rooms were spacious and private with attention to detail.
We had an elephant walk though camp on 2 occasions which was exciting and certainly added to both the atmosphere and conversations over the dinner table!
We were in camp for the celebrations for independence Day and the staff sung to us before encouraging the guests to join them for dancing. A Joyous evening
Little Kwara review
Good camp , but only on edge of Okavango - had hoped to be further tin .
Read more about the whole safariLittle Kwara review
Really nothing to find fault with in this camp and again our guide, Woga, and our tracker, T Bone (Not his real name!) were once again excellent.
T Bone was also our skipper on the river cruise to see the stork nursery and was a very competent one!
Food was again very good and the staff helpful and friendly.
Great Safari at Little Kwara
Very intimate camp wikt only 5 tents. The tents are very comfortable and have great views. Impala right beneath our verandah. Saw cheetah and lion, both with cubs. Wonderful people.
Read more about the whole safariLittle Kwara review
We had been a little bit concerned to read a few mixed reviews for Little Kwara before we travelled, but our experience there was wonderful right from the moment we saw a beautiful leopard barely 10 minutes into our first game drive.
The camp was perhaps more rustic and simple than Lebala and Xigera, but the accommodation was still perfectly comfortable, and we found the camp's small size and warm management helped give it a friendly and intimate feel. The mixed dry/wet setting was always interesting, though we mainly opted for game drives rather than the water based activities which were available since we knew we wanted to focus on water activities later in our trip at Xigera.
The game viewing at Little Kwara, which included fantastic (and protracted) wild dog and cheetah sightings, was everything we could have hoped for and though we were largely out of luck with the spotlight when we made our way back to camp after sunset, this was a small price to pay!
Little Kwara review
This was my favorite of all the camps we visited - despite the others being wonderful.
The main reason why was our guides- T-bone (nickname) and Wagu - who were two of the best trackers I have ever seen. We saw lion every time we went on a drive. We also saw an African wild cat and a Serval on a night drive. But one of the most memorable experiences was seeing a cheetah and her three cubs. We were so close you could hear them purring!
Our guides were also funny and warm, which made every day there even more pleasurable. I will forever remember my time spent at Little Kwara.
Little Kwara review
Good location. The rooms are spacious but very tired and the whole place is in need of some basic maintenance let alone refurbishment. The charging point in the public area wasn't working and hadn't been working for some time.
The staff, though helpful, appeared to be low on morale and I thought that there was a general air of dejection pervading the camp. However, the laundry service is excellent and the food good and varied.
I was returned from one of my morning game drives at 1025. I considered this to be particularly early and said so to the guide, who said it was the 'normal time', which t wasn't. He did offer to take me and the two other guests out for another 30 minutes but that really is a ridiculous suggestion. I don't want this to be perceived as a criticism or complaint against the guide as I have little doubt that brunch had been arranged early to accommodate a family who were leaving at 1230. The camp's schedules need to be addressed.
My guide Wago, was average and gave me the impression that everything was a lot of trouble. However, Mike the tracker was very good and a very pleasant man and appeared more knowledgeable than Wago.
There is a good deal of very deep sand in some areas and we got stuck more than once, not anyone's fault, its easy to do. The guys had to jack the vehicle up and put brush under the offending wheels. Would it not be more practical to but some sand ladders to use on such occasions.
I did see wild dogs here and 3 tiny puppies. Brilliant!
However, overall I consider Little Kwando to be poor and not good value for money.
Expert Africa comments
We were sorry to read that this guest’s stay at Little Kwara didn’t meet expectations and, as with all feedback we receive, we forwarded these comments on to Kwando (who own and run Little Kwara) for their take on things.
We’re aware that some areas of Kwara and Little Kwara could do with upgrading and we are informed that there should be an announcement on that subject in the very near future. The broken charging point in the main area at Little Kwara needed two new batteries and, due to Civil Aviation regulations, these could not be flown in by light aircraft. This meant the camp had to wait for a truck to transport them in by road. In the event camp management arranged to charge all guest’s devices in the main office and we’re happy to read that, despite it clearly not being an ideal situation, the camp made a plan.
We also discussed the early return of the game drive that this traveller refers to with Kwando. Kwando spoke with management at Little Kwara. Management explained that because this traveller decided not to head out on a mekoro trip but instead opted for a drive they were allocated the remaining vehicle which included a group of travellers who had been together for the duration of their stay. These guests had been searching for leopards. The group continued to look for leopard on this particular drive and did indeed eventually find one, quite close to camp. As this group of guests was flying out that morning, and because the other game viewing areas were some distance away, they had to head back to camp in order to catch their onward flight.
Kwando explained that "Brunch was available from 10:30 - there is no obligation to be back in time for 10:30, but circumstances do sometimes necessitate that arrivals and drop-offs of other guests need to be factored in."
We would agree that a 10:30 return from a game drive is early. Under the circumstances we appreciate the guide had no other option however. It was great to read that this guest was offered an extension to the game drive to make up for this.
We were of course very disappointed to read that this traveller wasn’t impressed by their guide. Kwando have mentioned that they will speak with the guide and discuss his performance and this feedback with him. The general comments on staff morale are also very sad to read and again Kwando have said they will look into these.
We are confident that Kwando have taken on board these comments and where possible will act on them to improve. We were very happy to read that this traveller did at least find wild dogs with puppies, that's fantastic.
