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Sandibe Safari Lodge
Sandibe Safari Lodge
Sandibe Safari Lodge
Sandibe Safari Lodge
Sandibe Safari Lodge
Sandibe Safari Lodge
Sandibe Safari Lodge
Sandibe Safari Lodge
Sandibe Safari Lodge
Sandibe Safari Lodge

Sandibe Safari Lodge


19°27’11.0"S 23°18’8.0"E

Reviews of Sandibe Safari Lodge

Wildlife sightings and reviews

76 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Sandibe Safari Lodge and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in May-2018, 10 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Sandibe Safari Lodge.
Lion

100% success

Leopard

90% success

Cheetah

50% success

Wild dog

78% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Spotted Hyena

100% success

Wildebeest

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Buffalo

89% success

Eland

50% success

Roan antelope

13% success

Aardvark

0% success

Black Rhino

0% success

Hippo

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

White Rhino

0% success

Showing 31-40 of 76
Duration
Arrival date
safari lovers
UK

"Fabulous!!"

3 nights Arrived 15 Oct 2012
"A very special camp on the edge of the Delta. Wondefully knowledgable, attentive staff, nothing was too much trouble. Having elephants pass through the camp within a few feet of your table is v exciting/special.

Only minor disappointment was that because of water levels and v active hippos, mokoros were not possible. Had we understood that this might be an issue , we might have booked a camp deeper in the Delta, where mokoros are always available. We put this down to our lack of knowlwedge of the Delta even though we had done alot of reading. I suggest that ExpertAfrica makes sure potential clients understand this.

Basically Sandibe is not the right camp if you really want mokoro excursions. (which we did!!). We will just have to go back to the Delta one day !!." See all these reviews: 5n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs M
Vancouver

"Sandibe Safari Lodge review"

3 nights Arrived 30 Sep 2012
"We were thrilled with our accommodation and experiences at Sandibe. We have nothing but praise for the staff, the accommodation, the safaris and the whole experience!" See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Margo
California

"the highlight of our trip to Botswana"

4 nights Arrived 18 Jun 2012
"We just returned from a dream vacation which included 4 nights at Sandibe, our favorite of the three camps we visited in the Delta. We loved the fact that there were no fences; the first afternoon we were there we encountered a mother and young elephant right outside our chalet when we left for tea.

The twice daily game drives were amazing--we saw cheetah, lots of leopards, wild dogs, lions, zebra, elephant, giraffes and more. The fact that they're not in a national park means they can go off-road and get close to the animals, which is great for photography. We felt really pampered by & Beyond's service; camp manager Kate saw to our every need, including trying to help arrange a last minute change in our plans.

We especially enjoyed the night drives, something you also can't do in the national parks. We were there when there was very little moon, and we asked to be taken to somewhere open where we could see the stars. Our guide, Shaka, took us to the airstrip where we saw the night sky in all its African glory--one of the highlights of our trip! Shaka was a fabulous guide and had a great sense of humor. The food was uniformly excellent and we got to sample some local dishes such as papa and kudu.

Definitely a great experience that I would highly recommend to anyone considering a trip to Botswana." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Family M
Phoenix

"Fabulous food and romantic cabins"

3 nights Arrived 16 Jun 2012
"We were so delighted with Sandibe that we spent our first afternoon luxuriating in our cabin instead of going on a game drive. Each and every meal at Sandibe was spectacular. One dinner we had the accompaniment of the staff singers. To have meals in the thatched open-air dining area while watching baboons or vervet monkeys or a wandering male kudu right off the deck made us all shake our heads in awe.

The game viewing was first rate, and our guide, Tsabo, and spotter, Bring, made sure to get us to the action. While watching a pride of lions, Tsabo noticed something moving in the far bush and off we drove. We came upon a leopard !! walking through the brush and finally climbing a tree to drape itself over a branch. Another sighting produced a mother cheetah and her two almost-grown sons.

By the end of our stay, we had seen elephants, giraffes, gnu, buffalo, leopard, lions, cheetah, warthogs, a myriad of bird species, zebra, kudu and even a monitor lizard. I told Tsabo that I would give him a crown if he could find an ostrich. A few twists and turns in the 4x4 vehicle, and we came upon a lone female ostrich. I owe you a crown, Tsabo." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe; 1n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr T
Los Angeles

"Awsome game viewing!!!"

3 nights Arrived 10 Jun 2012
"I had a great experience at Sandibe. Due to certain circumstances, I ended up being the only person in my vehicle on 4 of my 6 game drives (I was traveling solo). Still, I was treated like we had a full house in our vehicle. My guide and tracker, Shaka & Bring, were very good and quite knowledgeable. I never felt like I was getting less than the usual level of service due to me being the only passenger. I actually felt like I was getting customized service.

I visited 4 camps and I had some of the best game viewing here. There was a cold snap the first few days, so it was very cold early morning and late afternoon. (Tip: if you're going in the winter, bring a warm scarf or two!) However, that didn't deter us from some great game sightings. I got to see (usually fairly up close) lions, lion cubs, cheetahs, leopards, lots of elephant, giraffe, ostrich, hyena, hyena pups, warthogs, impala (and related species). One afternoon, we had a leopard walk right by our vehicle. I could have reached out and pet it had I not wanted to keep my right arm. The overall game viewing was great and quite diverse. I had an awesome time here.

The camp was very well kept up. My only complaint was the lack of hot water. Maybe I didn't keep it on long enough. At a later camp I found I had to leave the faucet on for a LONG time (4-5 minutes) before the hot water showed up. The staff took great care of me (and everyone) there. They went out of their way to make sure I was entertained since I was traveling solo. The rooms were average to above average. Now, this is in relation to other camps I visited while in Botswana. 'Average' is pretty nice and comfortable for being out in the middle of nowhere. I found the food to be pretty decent as well.

Overall, I was very happy with my experience there and would definitely recommend Sandibe to others. If you are interested, click here for pictures and short videos of my trip (from 4 different camps). Included are video reviews of my rooms at the various camps too. I hope this was helpful." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs O
Dorset

"Sandibe - Land of the Leopard!"

3 nights Arrived 2 Jun 2012
"Accommodation - This was our fourth camp in the Delta (the others being Lebala, Nxabega, and Kwara) and we stayed here for 3 nights. The accommodation is well appointed, although we understand that it is under review, and may move in the near future. Like Nxabega, this camp is run by & Beyond, and therefore you are set up on individual dining tables for your meals, rather than as a communal group. Special dining can also be arranged - the couple sharing our Jeep were on their honeymoon, and had a candlelit dinner set up on their private veranda on the last night.

Like all the camps we stayed in, there are no fences and the wildlife roams freely throughout the area. We shared our time in Sandibe with the resident Baboons, Vervet Monkeys, Bush Buck Antelope and Elephants who came through to feed on the trees.

Wildlife - we were extremely lucky during our stay to see 4 different Leopard on different Game Drives. Our first drive took us to an area where a Mother and Sub-Adult Male cub were known to be resting following a kill they had made the previous day. The kill was large, and so both animals had stayed in the area in order to take advantage of the amount of meat available, and we were able to photograph them both as they rested after eating.

The following afternoon we found a female leopard resting in a tree - the kind of sighting that you see photographs of in Guide Books and Brochures, but never expect to see yourself! We were able to get very close to the tree, and take some fantastic photographs of a "chilled out" leopard. And on the last afternoon we came round a corner of a track, just as a young male leopard crossed on it's way to hunt. Again, we followed the leopard, and observed as it tried on 3 separate occasions to hunt Impala. Sadly, the wind gave it's direction away on each occasion, and in the end it settled for a Ground Squirrel snack, before we left it for the evening.

We were also fortunate to see some of the nocturnal wildlife at Sandibe - including the African Wild Cat, Civet, Genet and a Hyena nicknamed "Fluffy" who was at the camp.

After 7 nights spent in other camps, and 6 previous safari trips to Africa, we arrived with a certain level of expectation - and sadly, in a couple of areas, Sandibe failed to deliver, which is why we have only rated our overall experience as "good"." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Mrs M
Virginia

"A Small but Charming Camp"

3 nights Arrived 28 May 2012
"This camp being smaller felt more intimate not only because of size but because of the warmth and friendliness of the staff. The manager, Kate, made everyone, staff and guests, feel comfortable. The animals also felt at home because there were several instances of visitors at night walking around the tents (elephant, hippo and baboons).

Our last night was special as they served us dinner on the deck of our tent illuminated by candlelight with champagne and overlooking the lagoon where we could hear the hippos making their distinctive noise. The previous night the staff had done traditional dancing and singing. Wonderful.

This camp was the only one where tables were set for four. To sit with more guests one had to request a specific set up which was cheerfully granted. This may be a camp of choice for honeymooners." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr B&Mrs P
Luxembourg

"Thank you Sandibe!"

4 nights Arrived 2 May 2012
"We have spent 4 nights there in May with the idea to focus on photography of predators mostly. We have not been disappointed by anything there: the lodge, staff, food and activities were just perfect. We were guided by Jonas and Tssabo who make a fantastic duo always wanting to make the extra mile for you and show and explain things the more they can. The safari vehicle was good and comfortable (even though you have a lot of gear) and you are never more than 4 per drive which is quite good.

As far as the wildlife is concerned we have been particularly lucky: leopards, lions, wild dogs, elephants (even one very close in the camp), tsessebes, zebras, red lechwes, buffaloes (big hard), giraffes and so much more (not mentioning the birds).

The night drives are also a nice addition! We haven't felt too much that the concession is rather small: the landscapes and environment are very different from one place to another.

Thank you Sandibe!" See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
G family
Netherlands

"Exactly what I did not come for"

3 nights Arrived 29 Apr 2012
"Tired place, atmosphere and people.
Detached from nature and africa.
Just chasing lions at high speed.
Negative advise." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Terrible

Location:
Terrible
Service:
Average
Activities:
Poor
Rooms:
Poor
Food:
Poor
Facilities:
Terrible
Mr E
Canada

"Stunning wildlife plus a wonderful setting"

3 nights Arrived 12 Dec 2011
"Kwara and Sandibe camps were the clear winner from a pure wildlife perspective. They were best for both the abundance and the variety of wildlife (including some rarer species). For example: Sandibe (wild dogs, leopards). Truly impressive.

From a pure camp (design, built) and comfort perspective Sandibe was probably the winner. Their main lodge was really nice, so was the verandah of our hut. We had elephants going through the camp (in a somewhat controlled way).

The food in Sandibe was best, mostly for two reasons: 1) they served more 'local' food, like our first Kudu steak (whereas Kwando seemed to have rather neutral 'western' food; nothing wrong but not special), 2) we asked for one of the dinners to be served on the verandah of our hut (built into the papyrus); very special! (I think you talk about it in your brochure, so you are fully well aware).

Suggestions for improvements:

When we arrived on the airstrip in Sandibe there was no-one to pick us up; waited for about 30 minutes. We waited for some 30 minutes before anyone arrived. At Sandibe a little sorry would have been nice…. Our pilot (Ed) was great. Moremi Air might improve by purchasing some satellite phones." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Showing 31-40 of 76
94%
76 reviews of Sandibe Safari Lodge by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
61
11
3
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1
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