Savute Safari Lodge

OVERVIEW:

Savute Safari Lodge offers homely, elegantly designed accommodation on the banks of Chobe National Park’s remote, wildlife-rich Savuti Channel. The camp provides a great location to explore the Savuti marshlands and encounter the huge elephant herds for which the area is known. Cultural experiences are also available, including visits to ancient San rock art sites. Savute Safari Lodge is managed by Desert & Delta Safaris, a highly accomplished safari business with an impressive portfolio of camps and lodges across Botswana, including the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, Chobe National Park, and the Makgadikgadi Pans. Accommodation is booked on a full-board basis, including all meals, a selection of alcoholic and soft drinks, scheduled safari activities, and park entrance fees. The lodge is open year-round, apart from February.

ACCESS & LOCATION:

Savute Safari Lodge is located on the banks of the Savuti Channel in the remote western part of Chobe National Park. The camp is accessed by light aircraft from Maun or Kasane (approximately 30 minutes from Kasane and 40 minutes from Maun), followed by a 20-minute road transfer from the local airstrip.

ACCOMMODATION & FACILITIES AT SAVUTE SAFARI LODGE:

Guest accommodation at Savute Safari Lodge consists of 12 natural thatch and timber chalets, including a two-bedroom family unit, all raised on expansive wooden decks and together accommodating a maximum of twenty-four guests. The style is elegant and comfortable, neither overly luxurious nor a true bush camp experience, but somewhere comfortably in between. Each chalet has an airy open-plan bedroom and living space, further enhanced by lofty, double-height thatch ceilings and sliding glass doors across the entire front of the room leading to the veranda. Outside, you’ll find two sunloungers providing an ideal spot to relax in the shade and enjoy the stunning panoramic views of the Savuti Channel and waterhole. All double or twin beds are equipped with mosquito nets, and every unit features wicker armchairs, a writing desk, a tea-and-coffee station, and plenty of storage space. The camp provides flashlights, standing fans, umbrellas for the rainy season, emergency air horns, battery-operated reading lights, hairdryers, and small digital safes. Each smart en-suite bathroom features double basins, a shower cubicle, a flush toilet, and a full-length mirror. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom chalet with a large shared deck is an excellent option for families.

Savute Safari Lodge’s two-storey thatch-and-timber main building has been carefully designed to maximise views over one of Botswana’s most dramatic waterholes, featured in wildlife documentaries such as National Geographic’s Savage Kingdom and the BBC’s Planet Earth series. There’s a large, shaded wooden deck and communal fireplace, while a sunken hide allows guests a front-row view of Savute’s stunning wildlife. The al fresco dining area is perfectly positioned for sightings of the elephant herds as they make their way to the channel, and the adjacent fire-pit is perfect for swapping safari stories beneath the stars. An outdoor swimming pool with sun loungers offers a great cooling-off space between game drives. Finally, the camp has its own curio shop with a well-curated selection of jewellery, bags, trinkets, and safari clothing. Please be aware that a laptop with basic internet connection is available in the library, but there is no Wi-Fi or mobile phone network (there’s a satellite phone and radio for emergencies).

ACTIVITIES AT SAVUTE SAFARI LODGE:

Savute Safari Lodge focuses primarily on game drives within Chobe National Park’s Savuti region.

• Game drives

  – Chobe National Park’s Savuti region, also known as the Savuti Marsh, is famous for its wealth of wildlife. The belief is that tectonic plate movements cause the channel to flood and dry up. However, there are theories that water levels depend primarily on the rainfall in the Angolan highlands, which also feed the Okavango Delta. The area around the marsh comprises wide savanna and dense mopane woodland, attracting large numbers of predators and herbivores. Drives from the lodge focus on sightings of four of the Big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo – as well as cheetah, hyena, wild dog, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, and antelopes. Birding is also brilliant, as the Savute is home to over 450 bird species, including the kori bustard, secretary bird, and red-billed francolin.

• Cultural experiences

  – Not far from Savute Safari Lodge, a small hilly outcrop emerges from the otherwise flat bushscape. This dolomite mound is known as Gubatsa Hills, and it houses some fascinating San rock paintings estimated at over 1,500 years old. Archaeologists believe that the San people used plant juice, snake venom, and blood to create their depictions of elephant, giraffe, eland, and sable. The hills are well worth a visit!

*This property is unfenced and located in a wildlife area, so large and potentially dangerous animals do pass through. If you opt to stay here, always be alert when walking around the camp and request for a member of staff to escort you if you have any concerns. Any guest is escorted after dark as a matter of course.