Reviews of Kwara Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
234 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Kwara Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
97% success
68% success
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98% success
98% success
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"Outstanding Safari at Kwara Camp"
Guide Caltex and tracker KB were excellent, probably the best team at any of the camps we visited. KB was always on the lookout for wildlife, and we would have missed many of the smaller animals and birds if he had not pointed them out. Caltex was expert at positioning the vehicle for the best sun angle, and made sure everyone got good shots. He never rushed us.
We found camp managers and staff to be very friendly, and especially appreciated that the guides and managers joined the guests for sit-down meals. We also much preferred the family style dining, which allowed plenty of opportunities to exchange experiences with other guests. Flexible brunch and dinner times meant that we didn’t have to abandon a photo op in order to rush back to camp for a meal.
With four days available, we were able to enjoy additional activities, including mokoro ride, boat ride, and nature walk. If offered, don't pass them up, it's another side of Africa, not often experienced. Unfortunately, African singing and dancing shows by the staff were only scheduled for one night while we were in Kwara, and we would have liked to hear and see more of them. Since the performers were mostly in the dark while guests sat around the campfire, it was difficult to see and hear the performance. The shows were put on much better at Lagoon and Lebala Camps.
Kwara was a small camp (8 tents) which was exactly what we wanted. We were quite pleased with the food and accommodations, and didn't find the tents dated or much in need of freshening. Maybe we're just easy to please! After all, it was the wildlife that we came to see, and we were very satisfied on that account.
Highlights: the excitement of spotting a photogenic family of giraffes driving from the air strip to the camp; the beautiful lioness lounging with her very curious six week old cub less than 20 feet from our safari vehicle; returning daily to the lion pride at a giraffe kill, with vultures waiting above in the trees – and the smell of the dead giraffe getting worse each day; a leopard with her playful cub stalking mom while they walked; other beautiful leopards; the cheetah with her two “teenage” cubs; other activities including mokoro ride, small boat cruise, and guided nature walk.
We also stayed as sister camps Lagoon and Lebala, and the following comments apply equally to them.
The safari vehicles were well designed, with (relatively) easy access, canvas tops (removable), and very few support poles to interfere with photography. Only six passengers were allowed, giving everyone a "window seat", extremely important to us.
The same guides and trackers remained with us throughout our stay, from pickup at the air strip to delivery for the return flight. This added a great deal to the safari experience, as guides came to know what guests were interested in, and which areas were best to meet guest interests. It also allowed us to get to know our guide and tracker better.
Having both a guide and a tracker measurably improved the safari experience, as the guide could concentrate on driving, especially off-road, while the tracker spotted the wildlife. When trying to find an animal, it couldn't have been done effectively without the tracker to watch for paw prints in the sand.
Night drives took place after the sundowners, en route back to camp. Pickings were sparse, but we were pleased to see the occasional nocturnal predator.
We really appreciated "bush babies" (hot water bottles) on the early, cold morning drives. They were also provided in the evening for our beds, as the nights were quite chilly (maybe cold better describes the temps). We brought several layers of light jackets and sweaters, plus knit caps and gloves, taking them off as the morning wore on, and putting them back on after the sun set. We had back packs which worked well to carry all these items of clothing, plus camera gear and whatever.
Laundry service was efficient, which meant that we could have left some clothes at home, and not have stuffed our duffels quite so full.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at Kwara Camp and would eagerly return. But apparently there's a possibility that Kwara and Little Kwara camps could be combined into a single, even larger camp. We would consider such a development to be very unfortunate, and would not return to a larger, combined camp." See all these reviews: 8n in Namibia; 8n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa
"Great safari and lodge"
We really enjoyed having them join us for dinner to get to know them. We had amazing sightings of a lioness and lion cub, cheetah, leopard and many elephants, giraffes and other wildlife.
Gathering in the morning around a fire and at night at the dinner table, meeting people from all over the world, hearing the animals all around and in camo....amazing memories." See all these reviews: 3n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe; 2n in Namibia
"Kwara Camp stay"
Sometime, towards the end of our stay at Kwara, Monika displayed mild symptoms of skin allergy (irritation, peeling, rush and eachiness). We concluded it was related to timing and content in the water and once she started to wash her face with drinking water, the symptoms disappeared. It may be worth bringing to the attention of other guests who may develop similar problems.
Still our stay in Kwara was great." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana
"Kwara Camp review"
The in-lodge staff were ok but did not compare in enthusiasm nor attitude with those at other lodges. That said, the guide was superb. He was so knowledgable and eager to share all he knew with us. He also had a great sense of humor and was fun to go exploring with. We saw great wildlife. The food was not good at all.
It was (sorry Megan) what I think of as the legacy of British colonial food, bland and uncreative." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
"Great location"
The staff are friendly and helpful and this camp offered both a guide and a tracker on the 4WD trips. This felt a bit more relaxing to me as the guide could concentrate on driving the difficult terrain.
The boat trip on the delta was wonderful, plenty of wonderful birds and views. This was our last camp and we were lucky to see a cheetah with cubs and a kill, a leopard and plenty of lion." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia; 7n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia; 2n in South Africa
"Wildlife paradise at Kwara"
THE experience of the whole holiday was the mokoro trip gliding silently through the narrow channels of the Okavango (hippos at a suitably discreet distance - generally!) and getting so close to birds." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 4n in Namibia; 2n in Zimbabwe
"Beautiful memories of landscape around Kwara"
Food was less varied then the other Kwando camps we visited during our trip (Lagoon and Lebala) and there always seemed to be something missing (e.g. no eggs at breakfast; no fresh fruit for lunch, no milk to put in the tea...). Staff was not unfriendly, but didn't seem very interested in their visitors. During dinner, guides mainly kept to themselves and talked in Setswana to each other. Overall, the general atmosphere in this camp was not as warm and welcoming as we have experienced in the other camps we visited.
That being said, we did have a memorable stay as, again, the landscape around Kwara is among the most beautiful we saw during our trip, and we wouldn't have wanted to miss that. And to top it off: we had stunning sightings of lions and cheetah at this camp ! Reason why our overall appreciation of the camp was "good" instead of "average"." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 1n in Zimbabwe
"Great views of wildlife, especially wild dog"
We had wonderful sightings of cheetah and cubs, jackals and, best of all, a wild dog. She had become separated from her hunting partner and was plaintively calling to re-establish contact.
Our guide, Josiah, and tracker, Gomms, were friendly and knowledgeable. Gomms made an excellent gin and tonic!" See all these reviews: 15n in Botswana
"Amazing safari at Kwara Camp!"
Camp was nice and staff was pleasant. Our guide was amazing (George), as well as our tracker (Gomes)." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
"Kwara Camp review"
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