Reviews of 4 Rivers
Wildlife sightings and reviews
9 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited 4 Rivers and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"4 Rivers review A delightful camp"
My tent was immensely comfortable, spacious and well appointed.
The food was excellent and I was touched by the care they put into providing non-meat dishes for me. And the surprise bush dinner on my last evening was great, with all the staff singing and dancing. An emotional occasion.
My guide Mwamo and tracker King KT were very good and eager to please. I had some good sightings, particularly of dogs, but otherwise the game was average.
If I have one criticism it's that the mokoro outing was too short, but maybe that was because it started raining a little?" See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana
"4 Rivers review"
Everything was immaculate and the food was amazing. Loved overlooking the hippo pond - could hear them all night! Also the elephants and baboons which were frequent visitors. It was also nice to have wi fi in the rooms. Super comfy beds! My only complaint was the late dinners coupled with the early wake up times (in both Kwando camps I visited), but it makes sense.
As for the game activities … absolutely phenomenal. Loved driving through the water - those Land Cruisers are indestructible! And Clifford and Akim got us so close to the lions, etc. but in a way that I always felt safe." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
"4 Rivers review"
"4 Rivers review"
The tents are huge, and beautifully appointed and beautifully done. The food was great/ very fresh and super tasty. They ensured on two occasions that we dined outside at lunch time. We sat with other guests on a large table but that made it pleasant as you chatted to others at dinner. We were sang to by the staff on two occasions which was a really nice touch.
Our guide/ tracker and guide driver were brilliant. Ensuring we always got the camera shot, as this is a private reserve you never saw more that two other cars and they waited to show each other where the game was. We saw literally everything, two female lions hunting wading through water, a leopard and her cub, drinking and sitting up a tree. The most amazing groups of elephants constantly crossed our path and a fantastic male cheetah seen on two separate occasions. Three male lions resting near the airstrip and last but certainly not least, on the last morning we got to spend time with two wild dogs! We stayed three nights and enjoyed every minute.
They don't yet have license to use a boat on the river, however we did wade through in our vehicle, which was cool. We also could see elephants crossing the river from our deck area." See all these reviews: 7n in Namibia; 5n in Botswana
"Memorable new riverine camp"
The flood was arriving before our eyes, such that one access track flooded overnight. The 4WD bogged in deep mud on the next day. Mwamo and King KT did everything imaginable to get it out, and even the rescue vehicle was unable to help. So, despite our offers to remove shoes and walk through the mud to dry land, they wouldn't hear of it - memorably (and embarrassingly) we were carried to the rescue vehicle! A safari experience we'll never forget.
Aside from this, we saw a surprisingly wide range of animals in our short stay: several large herds of Cape buffalo, pods of hippos, several families of elephants, several herds of giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and many types of antelope. We also saw lions and a leopard, but no cheetah (unsurprisingly, with all that water). There were baboons and cute vervet monkeys, a couple of ostriches, and an enormous variety of birds!
It was a memorable short safari experience!" See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 4n in Namibia
"4 Rivers review"
Our guide, Broks, and tracker, JD, did an amazing job identifying a vast variety of animals. We saw lions, leopards, a huge number of elephants, impalas, hippos, giraffes, zebras, buffalo, wild dogs, kudus, wildebeest, ostriches, warthogs, lechwe, bushbucks, jackals, baboons, crocodiles, mongooses, tsessebes, antelopes, an endless number of birds, and many more. The ability of the guide and tracker to track animals from a distance, using clues from animal behavior, was simply remarkable.
The guide was an endless source of information, and we learned so much from him. They were so comfortable in this remote environment that they could return to a specific tree where, hours earlier, we had spotted a leopard climbing with its prey.
The accommodation was spotless, very comfortable, beautifully decorated, and fully equipped. The balcony overlooks a lagoon where animals come to drink and bathe, right before your eyes. The only downside was the lack of nighttime heating, which made it a bit cold considering the outside temperature of 10°C. The staff was extremely friendly and eager to help in any way they could to enhance the experience.
This was meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket-list trip, but we all (age range: 25-65 years) enjoyed it so much that we want to do it all over again. We've traveled almost the entire globe, and this trip was one of the best we've ever had—if not *the* best. What an amazing experience!" See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
"4 Rivers review"
On arrival, we were warmly welcomed by ATee, who was our tracker in 2016 at Little Kwara and in 2021 at Splash, and he was camp manager at Tau Pan Camp which we stayed at In 2022. To see people again who have become friends over the years was very nice indeed.
The rooms at 4 Rivers are huge, very comfortable and with a nice veranda and comfortable chairs. The décor of the room was very contemporary and stylish and probably catered more to today’s younger urban crowd. I, for one, prefer the more traditional safari style they still have at Lagoon at Lebala Camps.
That said, this camp just opened less than year a ago, so we imagined to see fewer animals because they may not have enough time to become habituated to human presence. But our worries were unfounded. The camp lived up to the high standards we came to expect from Kwando Safaris.
A final note on this camp: In contrast to other Kwando camps, this one has WiFi in the rooms.
And there’s a final note on all Kwando camps: The communal dinners are being served at 8 or 8:30 pm. Given that on safari, everybody has to get up at 5 am or earlier, this is too late in my opinion.
Also, I don’t really like that they serve dinner at a communal table with up to 18 guests plus the guides of the day. It is completely up to luck whether you will have a decent conversation with fellow travelers. In my experience, most of the time these do not go beyond questions like, where are you from, where have you been before, where are you going next, and how did you get here? We much preferred the way this was handled in Kenya last year: Every party had their own private dinner table. If you happened to meet people on game drives that share your world views, the staff was happy to set up a table for like-minded people.
This isn’t a deal breaker, it’s just a thought." See all these reviews: 12n in Zimbabwe; 11n in Botswana
"4 Rivers review"
It is not as large as some of the other camps but it does not feel at all cramped with plenty of space to sit down and enjoy the view.
The rooms are reached by raised boardwalks, with periodic drops to ground level for elephant crossings.
The location gives access for excellent game sightings to both the flood plain and dryer woodland and open areas.
The team contains as many familiar faces from other camps as it does new, and this ensure that the guests receive the full traditional Kwando experience.
The food was of the high standard I have come to expect in the Kwando camps.
Kwando, you have done another superb job with this new location." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana
"4 Rivers review"
All the staff including the cooks, the managers, and the guides felt like a great family team.
The rooms were well appointed on the river and although canvas, they felt safe even when the hippos went crashing past in the night.
The food was plentiful and truly delicious with plenty of options. Breakfast by the fire as the sun rose whilst waiting for the safari was really special. Two safari drives a day with expert guides and trackers with coffee stops and sundowners as the sun set were fabulous. The night time safaris yielded so many extra animals to see.
There is no wifi currently at the lodge and it would have been good to know this in advance - my daughter almost sent a search party when none of her messages were getting through! However I loved being disconnected from the world and would definitely recommend this.
The pool and a siesta in the middle of the day was wonderful. I saw all that I had hoped for and more.
A special mention to Meloni and Bonnie as well as our guide Tapps and our tracker G. The breadth of knowledge from Tapps in particular was impressive. I was also so grateful to keep the same team when my friends left a day early.
I felt very welcome and supported as a solo traveller" See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
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