Reviews of Nxamaseri Lodge

"We enjoyed our time at this lodge, the room was good and we enjoyed the boat cruises and particularly the mokoro" See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana

"For some reason Nxamaseri airstrip was not in use so we were flown from Maun to Shakawe airstrip and then driven to the lodge. It was a very interesting to drive through Shakawe and see where and how local people lived, including sightings of working donkey carts. The driver stopped at an old quarry on the outskirts and showed us where carmine bee eaters were nesting. He also showed us around Nxamaseri village and introduced us to some local people.

The journey to the lodge was about an hour including “off road” through land where cattle and working donkeys were grazing, youngsters were using mokoros to fish; the final part of the journey was by motor launch to the lodge where we received a traditional sung welcoming greeting from the staff.

The lodge and public/dining areas were beautiful and a lovely place to spend time relaxing. Our accommodation was extremely comfortable, spacious and well equipped. It was lovely to hear birds and animal life from the room.

A choice of meals were available at lunchtime, which were booked in advance as was the lunch timing, which was flexible. Evening drinks and mealtimes were fixed. The food was simple and wholesome.

In terms of activities we opted for a cultural trip to Tsodilo Hills which took half a day and included an outdoor lunch. A local guide accompanied us and pointed out the rock art on the guided walk which was easy and did not involve any climbing. It was a magical place and a very worthwhile and interesting experience. The trip is likely to change when the new “sleep out camp experience” commences later this month.

We also had some highly enjoyable trips on a flat bottomed motor launch where we enjoyed multiple bird sightings including bee eaters and many kingfishers; we also saw many crocodiles and hippos and a particular highlight was a sighting of at least 15 elephants which we had not expected during our stay. System was a very friendly and knowledgable guide and we really enjoyed his company." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana

"We had a time to meet our guide at the roadside, we were early and so was our guide Adam.

What a welcome we got when jet boating up to the lodge!!! Happiness and Bee stood on the jetty singing and dancing a welcome to Nxamaseri.

We were the only two guest in the lodge so we did feel rather special. The food, service and room were excellent. So lovely to lay in bed listening to the hippo’s munching away outside.

We did a trip to Tsodilo Hills which was excellent and very interesting. Bee came with us and prepared a lovely picnic lunch. We also did two sunset river cruises where we saw some fabulous birds along with Croc’s, Hippo’s and Otters

Again I would love to return Nxamaseri!!" See all these reviews: 7n in Namibia; 4n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"Well what a special place to celebrate a 70th birthday! Being met at the waters edge and taken by boat to the lodge will be a memory we hold for a long time. You can hear the welcome singing before you see either the staff or the lodge and it was truly special. The staff are wonderful and made it a few days to remember.

The lodge is looking a little tired and the rooms are maybe more functional than luxurious but bearing in mind the remoteness of the location that's little wonder really. What it lacks in refinement it more than makes up for with heart. As an example our bathroom door did not shut and looked like it had been like that for a considerable time - one assumes that these are simple things that could be sorted easily.

Our only complaint is that the food, whilst good, was always luke warm. It would be so easy to provide some means of keeping the dishes warm at the buffet we didn't understand why that was not done. Meals are served as a group which we loved but may not be everybody's choice.

Boat trips out were great although there seemed to be a few problems with flat batteries - on one trip we waited about 90 minutes unable to go anywhere until a replacement battery arrived. But there are worse places to be stuck than out in the Okavango quietly communing with nature!

We saw lots of wonderful birds but only saw the elephants and hippo when we booked a helicopter flight - highly recomeended to really appreciate the Okovango from above." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"We arrived at meeting point 2 hours early and were pleasantly surprised that our guide was waiting. We had lunch on arrival and they accommodated my son's vegetarian request (when traveling he is flexible.)

The chalets were very comfortable. We went to Tsodillo Hills which I recommend. We spent about 6 hours looking at Bushman paintings. Our guide was very informative and the museum interesting.

We also saw elephant and a black mamba as well as kudu, impala, steinbuck and duiker. We also liked being on the river in the rainy season. The birding was terrific.

The staff also did an excellent job accommodating differing ages and interests." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"We arrived at 13.30 at the arranged meeting point to be met by System in a safari vehicle. He explained that as the water levels were low, we would be able to follow him in our Hilux on the track all the way to the lodge - when the area is in high water, part of this journey needs to be by boat. The drive took around 35 mins, across (dry and very green) flood plains where the local farmers were grazing their herds.

We were greeted at the lodge by Amos, who checked us in and let us know what different activities we could do. We arranged for a boat excursion on the delta at 4pm, and to be driven to the Tsodilo Hills early the next morning. The birdlife here is excellent. System was very knowledgeable on everything in the delta, and we saw many types of kingfisher,cormorants, bee eaters, fish eagles, yellow billed kites, mourning doves, coppery tailed coucals, the 'go away' bird, as well as others. In the main Okavango channel (Cubango River), we also saw hippos and crocodiles. We dined that evening at a table of 4 with the only other guest at the lodge, and Action, another member of staff. Dinner was good, although we did eat it in near darkness as there was an issue with the lighting on the viewing deck, and also the Wifi (which was sorted the next day).

System also was our driver to the Tsodilo Hills. The road is approx 40km long, and is in a very poor condition. Ollie from the lodge also came with us, as she had packed a delicious lunch that she would prepare for us once we had finished our tour of the hills. Once at the hills we were introduced to our local guide, Lopang. He was very enthusiastic about the area, its importance and significance, which he shared with us in an informative and friendly manner. We started on the female hill, and then incorporated parts of the 'Lion' and 'Rhino' trails to get an excellent overview of the sites history, and to view the rock art and other points of interest. We finished the activity in the museum, before heading back to the lodge (which due to the road conditions is a journey of approx 2 hours).
We went out for another birding excursion on the boat with System at 5pm, which was just as interesting as yesterday, except there was also a storm in the distance for added drama. We then all sat at one large table for dinner with the guests that had arrived that afternoon, and several members of staff. It was a self service buffet of pork chops, mash, veg and salad, with starters and dessert served by Ollie.

N.B. We had not got any Botswanan Pula ahead of crossing the border, we assumed we could use an atm like in Namibia just to withdraw some. There were a couple of banks in Shakawe, but the queues were exceptionally long, and none of them seemed to be dispensing any cash. There is no cash machine at the Mohembo border, but the card machines there worked for us to pay for our car permit. Also remember to retrieve all paperwork from the officials before you leave. We handed over our car cross border permit to allow the official to copy down the car details. We didn't get given it back in the bundle of documents and our passports, which led a fraught 20 mins or so when crossing back into Namibia a few days later, until we remembered that we had given it to them. We still then had to conduct a search of their office before it turned up in a pile of paperwork!" See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia; 4n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"What an amazing place - the most beautiful rooms and amazing location - very special and intimate with the most friendly staff for which nothing was too much trouble. System was a brilliant guide but also everyone at the lodge made such an effort to be part of making our stay here very special." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana

"Very good friendly staff and excellent guide.

It was cold and windy in the tent and in the communal areas.

Better birds than the Caprivi." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia; 4n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"The lodge was remote, small, intimate and luxury. We only spent two nights there, as our goal was to visit Tsodilo Hills. In fact, all the guests took the tour of the hills. The ride to the hills was exhilarating and cold in the winter month of May. Be sure to dress warm. Our guide was excellent and the tour of the hills employed a different local guide. A major component of our trip was seeing San people, their culture and their landscape. Tsodilo Hills was a highlight of the trip. The rock art is spectacular and the location beautiful.

Nxamaseri Lodge provide morkoro and boat trips that were very interesting. I wanted to see the main channel of the Okavango River and we had a very pleasant excursion there. The guide was excellent, very personable, professional and knowledgeable.

Although the activities of the lodge were more limited due to its being on a small island, it was certainly worth the visit. I wish we had planned a second day to visit Tsodilo Hills to see more rock art and summit Male Hill." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia; 10n in Botswana

"Wonderful place on a small island in Okavango Delta (short boat trip from end of track). We loved the private guide and fishing trips on the river. We loved the spacious room and the perfect dinners. The hosts were very friendly and helpful. There was no internet - but that just added to the peaceful feeling at this place. Would love to return (and will)." See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia