Reviews of Chitabe Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
69 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Chitabe Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Chitabe Camp review"
"A true African bush experience"
The wildlife here was very good. We caught up with a large pack of Wild Dogs, along with their many pups, and experienced the interaction between them all, with much yapping and playing going on. We waited around until the hunt started but, after rushing after them over bumpy terrain, we lost sight of them.
On another day we visited the sett of the Spotted Hyena's where there were several adults (6-8) resting nearby and several pups venturing out but then disappearing again down the hole. This was the first time in our many visits to Botswana that we had seen so many Hyena together during the daytime.
This camp was also where we had several sightings of Leopard, some up a tree, one of them at the foot of a tree (adult and young) and one at the foot of a tree along with its kill (impala). Then, to cap it all, we found a group of Cheetah (2 adults and 4 young) together on a slight mound in the full sunshine - a really tremendous sighting." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana
"Fabulous sightings at Chitabe Camp "
A bigger and more luxurious camp than we might normally favour, but definitely one to put on your list. The staff members were very attentive under the guidance of camp manager Masedi.
Lesh was our excellent guide. The Leopard sightings here were exceptional - a male on a kill, a female hiding in a Sausage Tree poised to pounce on some unsuspecting Greater Kudu, and Leopards mating.
There was other cat action including a male Lion chasing an intruder out of his territory, a Cheetah making a successful kill to feed her young cubs and a Wild Cat pouncing on a mouse." See all these reviews: 19n in Botswana
"Chitabe Camp review"
We also appreciated our guide, Odee, who was very mature and professional. The ceremony honoring the community and us as guests was special and Steve was "elected" Chief which he never let us forget!
The walking safari was fun and we got close to elephants and giraffes while on foot." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 7n in South Africa
"Chitabe Camp review"
Guide EBS (pronounced Eebs) simply outstanding.
We had the opportunity of meeting the co-owner Dave Hannam and told him how impressed we were." See all these reviews: 15n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
"Chitabe Camp review Our new Mombo!"
Saw HUGE herd of buffalo. lots of baboons. Mongoose, hippos etc.
Well furnished rooms but open loo in bathroom/dressing area was a drawback.
Really helpful efficient staff. Made an effort to ensure we were able to visit friends straying at Chitabe Ledibe." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana; 7n in Namibia
"Chitabe Camp review"
We were lucky to arrive on a Monday, when they have a weekly cultural dinner in the Boma. The staff sang 3 native songs during our dinner.
Wildlife was abundant despite the very dry conditions. Our guide was excellent at tracking the predators. Of note was the lion pride with cubs, a hyena den with cubs, and especially fun to watch were two lions stalking warthogs, with one narrow escape after a long chase. Unfortunately, we failed to see any wild dogs again as the breeding female had been killed the year before.
The camaraderie of all the guests was excellent, with drinks around the camp fire and dinner at a communal table including guides and manager. The food and service were excellent, with the afternoon tea an outstanding highlight.
Due to a late morning flight to our next camp, our guide made sure we were still able to go on the early morning game drive. On our account, the early morning game drive was brought forward 30 minutes for everyone. We were dropped off directly at the airstrip where our luggage awaited. The service, food and rooms were impeccable at this camp." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
"Very rich wildlife in Chitabe Concession"
"Chitabe is superb"
"Chitabe revisited - excellent again"
The tents are very nice - I like the ones with sliding doors as at Chitabe much better than others with zippers. Greater ventilation would have been nice on those 100 degree (F) days. The food was excellent and provided in great quantity as always. The staff was always attentive and helpful. This was all as it had been on our first visit too.
What was different this time was the wildlife experience. Our first trip saw few elephants and many buffalo - on this trip it was the opposite. Bushbuck were in camp every day, and I think an elephant came to visit every day as well.
Gordon, our guide, was excellent - he could spot animals without even looking at them. (For example, on two occasions, he backed up after passing under a tree to show a giant eagle owl that he hadn't seen "directly" - just realized after going by "wait, that wasn't a branch!")
We had numerous elephant encounters, spending time with large breeding herds, including one large group spread across the road in front of us. We saw a female leopard both in and out of the tree where she had cached her kills, and a male leopard whose path through a large thicket Gordon successfully predicted. We saw some lions. Wild dogs had been out of the concession for a few days before we arrived, but Gordon found them on our last evening drive and the next morning as well. We also spent some quality time with a trio of spotted hyenas.
Gordon informed us that there are now (sometimes) white rhinos in the concession. That was immediately high on our list, but they were apparently out of the concession during our visit. We did encounter some people who were there just after us who did see the rhinos, so the possibility exists." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 2n in South Africa
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