Reviews of Shametu Lodge
Wildlife sightings and reviews
3 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Shametu Lodge and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Shametu River Lodge - somewhat disappointing"
The 'welcome' was almost non-existent. Only when reception staff realised we didn’t know our way around did they take us to our room, which was shabby and tired. Definitely in need of TLC and/or a refurb.
There were no plugs in the bathroom hand basins, so trying to conserve water was a waste of time, despite the signs to do so! One plug did eventually turn up. Storage space was somewhat sparse.
The tea/coffee station had no fresh milk provided despite a big fridge. Crème in tea is horrible. We did get some milk from the helpful lady in the cake and tea lounge however. When speaking to management at the end, they said that for some time they hadn’t been able to get any milk in sachets so they resorted to powdered stuff. Some sort of explanation in the room was all that was needed.
We were charged for all drinking water at 20N$ for 500ml (you cannot drink the tap water apparently).
The food, wines and restaurant service were however very good.
The evening river cruise was pleasant enough and well organised but the falls were very busy
The region around the Poppa Falls is billed as one of the top places for birding. It was very disappointing to find that there was no list of local birds available for guests to us. You were left to your own devices. In fact there were no obvious local fact books or even a hotel directory/information guide – just a menu of food and drink to order and to pay for." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana
Hippo
2 sightings
"Strange welcome at Shametu River lodge"
Our tent had a great position on the river with a family of water otters living just in front of the tent. To give privacy from other tent and chalets at the side of the tent, our tent windows had their flaps nearly and partly closed. this meant their was little natural ventilation. However this issue was solved as tent had a fan and air conditioning. The tent was made by its location by the river.
The food was good and service pleasant. The bar area by the the river was nicely located but would have benefitted with more comfy chairs in place of the benches. the pool was refreshing but needed more sun loungers and shade.
We went on a game drive to the Mahango National Park on the first morning and the game viewing was good with a lot of birds. A lunch time mokoro trip was relaxing but also involved visiting the small islands by the Popa Falls with the chance to swim in rock pools. The sun-downer boat trip on the Kavango River was also enjoyable with close encounters with crocodiles and hippos, then a chance to watch the sunset over the Popa Falls.
The game trip to the " buffalo" area of the Bwabwata National Park took a forty minute drive to get in the park. Game viewing was quieter than the Mahango National Park but people said it was normally better" See all these reviews: 22n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana
Buffalo
10 sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Giraffe
10 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Roan antelope
1 sighting
Sable antelope
1 sighting
Wildebeest
10 sightings
Zebra
10 sightings
"Lodge by Poppit Falls"
The cabin itself was lovely with good facilities and a pleasant design. The paths were being laid and we had to tip toe around the grounds amongst concrete debris. We were the only guests and we felt as if we were slightly in the way as so much rebuilding was going on.
The design of the main lodge was nowhere near as sympathetic to the surroundings as other lodges we stayed in.
Restaurant staff were absolutely lovely to us." See all these reviews: 26n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana
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