Reviews of Nambwa Tented Lodge
(90%) From 10 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Luxury at Nwambw Tented Lodge
Excellent tents, very luxurious. Great food and staff.
special thanks to Eustace, great ranger/ guide thought us much about his culture besides the wildlife.
Nambwa Tented Lodge review
By far the most luxurious of all the 'tents' we stayed in, which was much appreciated coming to the end of the holiday.
The drives (by boat, on foot and in the car) were all excellent with much wildlife on display.
beautiful tented cabins above the forest
We were transported from the main road up a sandy track which took almost an hour to reach the lodge. There were elephants everywhere around the lodge and we were able to walk above them on the wooden walkways between the tents and restaurant. The service, safaris and wildlife knowledge was terrific. Lovely meals overlooking the waterhole nearby.
Read more about the whole safariNwamba lodge
Very good experience here with the exception of the water for washing in which was brown.
The room had a bath but the water colour was off putting.
Superb location,camp & staff
We were not able to phone the camp before arrival at the park gate so had to wait for transport. This was not a problem. Given the nature of the drive, I was glad that we had not hired a 4x4 as I would then have attempted the drive & almost certainly been stuck in the deep sand. Apparently this happens regularly to guests, even those with experience & well equipped 4x4s. You would also miss the chance of being able to drive off-road with the guide to get closer to the huge herd of elephant we saw from the track.
The lodge is superb with spacious & very well equipped & supplied tents. the guiding was excellent & we had one of the best boat trips ever, seeing a host of birds & river life at close quarters. The lodge & tents are raised high off the ground, which is just as well as the site is on an elephant path.
It is quite exiting to see 20-30 elephants approaching the camp knowing that they an traverse the sit by passing under most of it. Even more exiting for the campers at ground level! we can thoroughly recommend Nambwa.
We had hoped to do some guided walking on this visit but it unfortunately was not a possible option.
Lovely Accommodation
This is a modern lodge with lovely rooms accessed via raised walkways enabling the elephants to walk underneath.
Having crossed the border (without difficulty) into Namibia's Caprivi Strip from Botswana at Mehombo, it was an easy drive along a good road to the entrance of the Bwabwata National Park. Our guide was waiting and having left our car securely, we were taken via a game drive to Nambwa.
It is true that game density is not as high as some other national parks but we did see two of the antelope on our wish list - the Lechwe and Tsessebe - plus one drive when we came across elephant as far as the eye could see. There are also water safaris which are enjoyable. Birding was good.
Nambwa Tented Lodge review
The room at Nambwa was extremely large and luxurious.
Unfortunately, the service did not live up to this high standard. The staff were disorganised, other than Linda, who seemed to have to involve herself in everything to make things work. Nothing seemed to happen without asking twice, from ordering hot water for coffee in the room, getting a drink or lunch at the time requested.
A stunning tented camp, but so-so service
The facilities are stunning - very large tents with all facilities, and game pretty good in the surrounding area. But our stay was marked by two things:
the fire - there was smoke in the air when we arrived, and it developed as the afternoon progressed. We went on the sunset river cruise, but that was cut short to return because of fears the fire would engulf the camp. As we returned there was an intense bush fire raging just across the river channel from the camp, and evacuation was being considered. I think it was only the efforts of the staff working to divert the firs that saved the camp.
there was no proper camp manager at that time, and although the young F&B manager and head guide were doing their best the organisation and service did not match the quality of the facilities.
We'd definitely go back, but we'd probably take a fire extinguisher!
Nambwa Tented Lodge review
Did not get off to a good start as we waited over an hour to be picked up at the entrance to the park. We then had to drive to where we were leaving our car and had an hours drive to get to the camp.
The camp itself is located right on the river on wooden platforms so the views all round are good. The tents are huge and well equipped and whilst I accept it may be an old fashioned view I still like my bath in the bathroom not in the bedroom !
There is a large living area in the tents but we prefer to be outside and although there is a balcony all round the tent there are no sunbeds anywhere and no pool.
The evening meals were disappointing as the food although OK was cold by the time it got to you, nothing worse than cold soup. The service very hit and miss, we ordered two glasses of wine the first night and they arrived after we had finished our main course. We also asked what was on the menu that night and the waiter didn't know and there was no written menu.
The best thing were the activities with the excellent Beaven, an early morning river cruise and an evening game drive. Thankfully they were good as they were extremely expensive, more than double the price we paid elsewhere.
For me this is somewhere that is trading in style over substance and needs to provide more than a pretty tent.
Expert Africa comments
Despite several positive experiences, these travellers didn’t experience the high standards we expect from Nambwa. We followed this up and a senior manager, Tinolla, responded apologetically and in detail.
It seems that just before these travellers visited, Nambwa’s General Manager had quit the bush and move town for medical treatment. Clearly service levels had dropped; Tinolla offered apologies for this on behalf of the whole team.
To remedy this, Tinolla herself has stepped in to run the lodge whilst new managers are appointed and trained. A new assistant manager (a former ‘executive chef’) started at the end of October.
With this focus, we’re assured that high standards of food and service should be restored at Nambwa.
There’s also good news: Nambwa is now installing a swimming pool, which should be operational within 2016. They’re also considering sun loungers/day beds for the decking around the rooms.
So these travellers did visit Nambwa during a period when standards were unacceptably poor. However, we believe that subsequent changes should quickly return standards to the high levels that we’d expect.
Nambwa Tented Lodge - A Great Experience
We thoroughly enjoyed our three night stay at Nambwa Tented Lodge.
We were picked up at the park entrance by Kennit ,our guide for our stay. Unless you are an experienced 4x4 driver I would recommend making use of this service as the road is rough with deep sand. A large number of elephants were encountered on our road to the lodge, a theme which was to be repeated throughout our stay.
The communal areas are comfortable, pleasing on the eye and offer views over the plain below. Our tent, built high off the ground was simply stunning. Very spacious, very well appointed and relaxing to be in with the bonus of a lounge area. A wrap around veranda also gave views across the plains. Whilst there is no pool at the moment (plans for two are in the offing) there was nowhere to simply stretch out and take in the views and soak up the sun.
Juan was a very welcoming and attentive host. He spent a lot of time engaging with the guests, ensuring everyone was happy with all aspects of their stay. Kennit, our guide, took us on river drives, game drives and bush walks. His knowledge, bird spotting abilities, patience and humour all added to our overall experience. We have brought home treasured memories from these activities. All staff were engaged in their work, friendly and helpful.
We had a great time here and would highly recommend it. Perhaps two nights would be the ideal if you have a busy itinerary.
