Reviews of Lebala Camp

"We loved Lebala! It was our first camp in Botswana and a great one to start with. It had a wonderful welcoming and friendly vibe. The guides, trackers and staff were very kind and genuine. The rooms are beautiful with lots of space to get your things organized, two sinks etc. In retrospect the rooms here were a little more rustic than at other camps, but were completely comfortable. There is only hot water midday for the outdoor shower, but that was no problem. Meals were great, always enough choice for guests' palettes and special diets. Fresh baked bread and peanut butter available for the pickiest of eaters. The staff planned a special private dinner for me and my son on our last night, celebrating his graduation, which was the purpose of our trip. We were totally surprised.
We shared a vehicle with other "new" guests which was wonderful because we were all just beginning our safari experience together so we stopped for every bird or antelope on the first drive as we got accustomed to the wildlife. Then by late in day two we knew that we could drive by some animals. Lions were the stars of Lebala. We got to observe playful cubs and adults in many settings. We saw many many elephants as well. We saw hyena pups which were adorable. Plus cool surprises like a few African wild cats, mongoose, an aardwolf and a civet. Fantastic birds of prey and owls.
The night noises at Lebala are fantastic, more interesting than other camps we visited. We were in room 8 and heard hippos each night, for a lot of the night. We heard lions at night as well as a lot of other sounds. Some guests were a little nervous by the volume, but most thought it was amazing. (Staff are very safety conscious, they would not let guests outdoors when dangerous animals were near, but we could listen to them from the safety or our chalet.)
We also really liked the Kwando safari company that uses trackers and guides. We had so many discoveries." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"Very upscale and lovely rooms. I loved the bathtub!

More "civilized" than Chobe under Canvas so a nice change. Staff was welcoming and guide was good.

The guide at Labala was very knowledgeable but less passionate.

Food and other guests were again top notch." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe

"Guide not as enthusiastic or informative as elsewhere but wildlife still plentiful- good game viewing" See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"Lebala was more of a dry plains camp, with waterholes and marshlands. We were told that the cheetahs and wild dogs had been mostly displaced by large prides of lions (June 2022).

There were plenty of plains animals - lions, giraffe, zebra, impala, wildebeest, jackals, ostriches. The night game drive gave sightings of an aardwolf, genet, serval, spotted hyena and spring hares (which reminded us of small wallabies). Hippos, and a lion prowling the camp area, roaring loudly, woke everyone during the night - authentic African safari experience!

The tracker "Akeem" and guide "Mike" worked very well together, enthusiastically tracking and finding game off-road, and explaining the habits of the animals. We were delighted to see small lion cubs practicing their hunting skills on each other, and chasing our vehicle while their mother was absent!

A baby hippo provided a lot of entertainment by riding its mother's back then introducing itself to basking crocodiles on the bank of the waterhole (oops), before mother came to the rescue!" See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 4n in Namibia

"Nice people, like every where else in Botswana. But when you are not there to see lion, they are very much out of their comfort zone. Tracking lions, that is what they (can) do. They do not (try to) keep track of the dogs. Wildlife and wildlife sighting disappointing. Not used to approach other - potential - interesting sightings. Neither have the patience. Area nothing special.

Could have skipped this camp in my itinerary without missing anything.

Rooms could use some repairs, refurbishment and fresh paint." See all these reviews: 20n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"we really enjoyed our time at Lebala and met some really nice guests

We had an excellent guide and tracker plus the food was just mouth watering" See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"What an amazing return to Lebala. I love this camp.

Yes, there are a few things that maybe need sprucing up, and the tents are a little less than perfectly private. But you cannot beat this concession for predator sightings. The guide/tracker method of searching for game is rare, and with this size of concession, makes a big difference in your wildlife experience. Food is plentiful. Wine is flowing in the evening along with the stories of the day. I can still hear Wago's laugh (guide), and MP(tracker) saying Im-Pal-a!

The last time I visited, the whole area was quite dry. No need to use the bridges. This time, the "hippo path" out front, was indeed filled, and I was surprised (delighted) to have hippos come by at night. (We encountered 3 on foot going back to our tents at night!!) Many thanks Wago for keeping us safe on the walk back.

The staff at this camp is incredible. MP (we nicknamed MVP) is a fantastic tracker. Everyone from the manager, to the kitchen staff is courteous, and smiling......even in the most trying of times. Speaking of Covid......temps were taken regularly, and sanitizer was every time you entered and exited the truck. Staff are all vaccinated, and every precaution is observed. There were zero worries.

I can't wait to return" See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana

"In contrast the remoteness of Tau Pan, Lebala felt a busier place especially at mealtimes and with accommodation set closer together, at times this meant overhearing guests instead of the sounds of the night.

Again our guide and tracker were informative and keen to show us all aspects of the diversity of this lush riverine environment.

So many birds and so many antelope!" See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"We were here the shortest time but felt we could have stayed longer. It was a very friendly camp.

Lions moved into camp to mate so we had to move to and fro from main area and room in a vehicle !

Standing around with our sundowners we saw an impala being chased and escaping wild dogs.

Slight delay plane taking off to our next camp due to zebra deciding to cross the airstrip." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana

"Our visit to this camp started in a spectacular way: we saw one leopard on our way from the airstrip to the camp, and another one on our first game drive that afternoon. They both were doing what leopards are known for: hanging out in trees. And unlike our experience in Chobe NP, we were the only guests watching them, so our guide Elvis could drive around and provide the best possible angles for photography.

Other than that, our activities were really focused on lions, and for big cat people like us that was really a joy.

At least one tour operator in the UK rates this camp as the best for lions in all of Africa, based on long-term observations. This was one major reason to visit this camp, and the other one was that we have become fans of Kwando Safaris (see my review of Kwara Camp). While we had plenty of lion sightings, we didn't see any cubs or many females. We happened upon several lion matings, which are always a memorable sight. Our guide Elvis assured us that this camp "has too many lions". According to him there was a territorial "war" going on between competing males, which is why a large pride of females with their cubs retreated into the hinterland.

We also were lucky in meeting one male lion to perform a roar a few meters from our vehicle.

I would also like to mention that, on the morning of our departure, we sat on the veranda of our tent, and out of the blue, a lion pair showed up engaging in a lengthy rendezvous approximately 50 to 60 meters away. In between matings the lioness showed some interest in us and moved closer to the tent. That was the signal for us to retreat back behind our screens. We were in fact picked up by a staff member in a car, although the walking distance between the tent and the main area was perhaps only 100 meters. As soon as we entered the car and slowly drove away, the lioness walked towards the tent, briefly went under the veranda and sniffed it out. But it was of no particular interest to her, as she quickly returned to her loverboy.

Another thing that puts this camp and the others of Kwando Safaris in a different league is that they utilize a driver and a tracker in their cars. Based on our experience, this often increases your chance of finding predators.

The room, the food and the facilities were all exceptional, as we came to expect from Kwando Safaris.

Taken together, I would recommend this camp wholeheartedly, particularly to those with a strong interest in the big cats." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana; 1n in Zimbabwe