Reviews of Lagoon Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
278 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Lagoon Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
92% success
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"Lagoon Camp review"
Our guide, KB and tracker, Vincent deserve particular mention for their knowledge and their skill in helping us to find the location of this year's Wild Dog den in the area." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
"Lagoon Camp review"
The highlight at this camp was locating a pack of 8 wild dogs and followed some of them to their kill where they were feeding on a Kudu. From there we followed the alpha dog through dense vegetation to their ground level den where the alpha female dog was looking after her newly born pups. They were not on view.
Later that day we saw the dogs chasing wildebeest unsuccessfully." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
"Lagoon Camp review"
Breakfast was held around the campfire before we headed out on the morning drives, and as Lagoon was on a private reserve vehicles were able to return later in the afternoon enabling potential nocturnal sightings.
Guiding by GI, and Tracker, John, was excellent. I experienced two great leopard encounters and saw a tremendous variety of birds. The young, energetic, and service-oriented management team - Victor, Beano and Kay made every effort to ensure one's stay was a memorable one.
The only disappointment at Lagoon Camp was the lack of wild dog sightings. When I booked this trip back in 2019, I was assured wild dogs would definitely be evident at this camp." See all these reviews: 14n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
"Lagoon Camp review"
The design of the spacious chalets was very good, but the lighting inside was totally inadequate (there was adequate lighting to read by except in bed), there wasn't any mosquito netting around the bed and the building settling had made the doors hard to open. Fencing around the propane tank was falling down. Lagoon Camp was the only one that did not have WiFi. In essence, only two and a half means a day were served. Before the early morning game drive, coffee/tea and porridge (actually a soupy maize one notch above gruel) was offered around a fire, then a lunch buffet of one item plus eggs to order and an evening meal with only one main and a vegetarian dish on offer. All the dishes were of inexpensive ingredients and the choices were very limited and it was all buffet style not requiring any service.
In contrast to the Camp, the wildlife was abundant and quite varied. For example we saw a Pangolin that we had never seen at any camp on any trip. The guiding was excellent and the only limitation to finding animals was the tall grass. It would be have excellent game viewing in the dry season as it was when we visited at that time in 2013. It is just a shame the camp's operating philosophy is to cut costs as much as possible even though its pricing remains high." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 6n in Zambia
“We’re sorry that you found Lagoon disappointing. It is one of our older camps, but we strive to maintain it well. Some of our team are naturally reserved; that’s their nature. But this shouldn’t be mistaken for a ‘corporate approach’. When you witnessed their singing, it was the staff choir singing and dancing to finish their day; it was cited as a highlight in feedback from other guests who were there.
We apologise that the room’s lighting was low. Following this up, your standard lamp was faulty and has now been fixed. Equally, the fencing around the geyser tank was in the process of being replaced when you were in camp; that’s now complete.
Our beds have never had mosquito nets as the doors and windows are netted, and a mosquito coil is lit every evening. However, as some guests find bed-nets reassuring, we are introducing these gradually as we refurbish our camps.
It is a shame that the absence of WiFi didn’t suit you. We know that some travellers love the ‘digital detox’ whilst others don’t. As times are changing, we are now looking at introducing limited connectivity, albeit in a way that doesn’t upset guests who wish to remain ‘unplugged’ from the world.
We are sorry that our food didn’t impress. We’ve built our reputation on world-class wildlife viewing and so our meal times have to be flexible around the game activities. Hence, we aim for tasty, homestyle cooking served as buffets, with a good selection of fresh salads and vegetables rather than haute cuisine.
Typically we serve:
- Early quick breakfast of cereals, fruits, yoghurt, porridge made over an open fire, muffins, tea and coffee
- Snacks & coffee on the morning game drive
- Brunch comprising a hot dish, vegetarian option, selection of salads, homemade bread, eggs cooked to order, cheeseboard, fruit salad
- High tea – selection of sweet and savoury items, iced tea, homemade lemonade, fruit platter, pickles
- Afternoon game drive snacks & sundowner drinks
- Dinner – Starter, meat and vegetarian main courses, as well as at least three vegetable side dishes, dessert and coffee.
If any guest wants something extra, then we’d encourage them to let our chefs know as they will always go the extra mile if they possibly can.
We’re delighted that these guests found their guide excellent and that they had the amazing luck to see a pangolin. Our philosophy isn’t about cutting costs: it is about focusing on the safari activities and delivering great value for our guests. Hence, we always provide a guide and a tracker on every vehicle. This is unusual across Botswana; it doubles the size of our game-drive teams and a big extra cost across all of our camps –– but we think it’s worth it for the better game experience.”
"Lagoon Camp review"
We had fabulous leopard and cub, lion and wild dog sightings and even a couple of springhares fighting in the daytime.
Food and room were excellent." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana
"Lagoon Camp review"
"Lagoon Camp review"
The staff were delightful, friendly and obliging.
Because of the on-going problems of Covid we had the place to ourselves so we had great treatment although it was clear that the staff are well trained and motivated." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana
"Lagoon Camp review"
The food was very good and the accommodation was airy and comfortable. Lodges have interesting views over the river.
There are ample opportunities to see a good range of wildlife - animals, birds and plants - and Ike and our tracker James had a very broad range of in-depth knowledge from which we benefited.
As well as game drives we enjoyed our river boat cruise and our short walking safari. Ike and James were able to respond well to our game viewing requests." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana
"Lagoon Camp review"
There were more elephants seen on the first game drive, than on my entire first trip to Botswana.
The camp feels like.......comfortable elegance. Love the indoor and outdoor showers. Communal spaces were welcoming.
Hippos were always out front, and quite often munching on grass next to your tent at night. (Caution light sleepers).
The concession is amazingly beautiful, and was very green with recent rains.
My guide and tracker, Matt and Vincent, were great." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana
"Lagoon Camp review"
First trip out after tea we saw spotted hyenas, three adults and two pups. We spent 25 minutes with them while they played/socialised near their den. It was such a beautiful experience with just our vehicle there. This was is what we wanted, this private concession prevents a mass gathering of vehicles.
We were fortunate to see a leopard up a tree eating an impala another priceless viewing. The only animal we did not see, that was on our pick list, was a sable. Saw our first ever bat eared foxes and honey badgers, the latter did not provide a photo opportunity.
Great to see so many bee eaters, carmine, and white fronted in addition to the often seen little ones. Yellow billed kites, wattled crane, purple and goliath herons and grey headed kingfisher. Hippos were quite lively at the end of a boat trip, which was a warning for future excursions on our holiday.
Food here in the evening was average, lunches tend to be better with a top afternoon tea you never go hungry." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana
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