Reviews of Camp Kwando

We put these comments to Johan Liebenberg, the owner of Camp Kwando, who was very upset that these clients did not enjoy their stay here. He felt that there were faults from Camp Kwando’s side; he wanted to apologise that there where no welcome drinks and no bath plug.

Camp managers do change periodically, but given that the owner and assistant manager at this time (Johan and Ramona) were the same team who were here when Tracy, from Expert Africa, visited in September 2006 … we haven’t noted this as an issue here.

We are sorry that there was a communication error on the room type booked here. We had a Tree-house confirmed to us, but Camp Kwando had a chalet allocated by the reservations staff. We are investigating this at the moment to find out where the miscommunication occurred.

Like many camps in Africa, Camp Kwando informs guests, when they arrive, about how the lodge runs; about hot water, electricity, meal times, and things like that. This is an important briefing, although we are sorry that these clients were kept standing for it. We’d recommend that they ask to sit down and for a drink.

Camp Kwando is 140km from mains electricity and fuel is driven 280km for their generator. Like many remote camps, electricity runs for only a few hours every day. However, the generator runs from 10am to 1pm, and again from 6pm to 10pm. There is also hot water in the morning from 6am to 10am, and the lodge makes a fire again for hot water at 5pm, so that guests can shower until late evening.

All the staff at Camp Kwando are local – and we applaud this. Eight years ago, most of Camp Kwando’s staff did not know about taps or light switches, and certainly didn’t speak English. Now the camp relies on their skills; they generally communicate well in English, although it isn’t perfect – so we’re sorry that these travellers experienced language difficulties.

We were sorry that one of this party became ill during their trip, although we understand that one of them had an upset stomach when they arrived at Camp Kwando. Whilst such upsets are thankfully rare for our trips in Africa, they do occur – although in our experience, cases like this aren’t usually because of ‘food poisoning’ (ie: incorrectly stored or cooked food); they’re usually down to poor hygiene. Camp Kwando assure us that they maintain high standards of hygiene throughout their kitchen and lodge. Whatever the cause; we’re sorry it impacted on their trip.

Johan and Ramona felt that they, and Camp Kwando’s staff, had tried hard to help these travellers when problems were raised, but he commented about these travellers that “when you are so unhappy, nothing in the world will help.”

We’re sorry that this was the case, but are reassured by Johan – as we believe that he has learnt valuable lessons for the future from this episode.

We put these comments to Lee, Camp Kwando’s manager, who appreciated the feedback, and apologised that these travellers felt that their stay was just ‘average’ – as he aims for much better.

Lee tells us that the team member who shows new guests to their rooms usually follows a ‘set procedure’ to explain to the guests their meal times, activities, and how the camp is run – and there’s always a chance for questions. He’s not sure why these travellers seem not to have had this, and hence why they didn’t know how the place worked. Whatever the reason, he’s sorry that this was the case.

He tells us that the management and staff here normally make a point of leaving the guests alone, without interrupting them. He’s sorry that these guests perceived their ‘hands-off’ approach to guests as being indifference – and assures us that this isn’t the case.

Lee explained to us that his team all have different duties – and that’s why a member of the bar staff was called from the kitchen to make a drink. The guide, Eli, introduced himself during dinner because one of his duties is to find out what activities each guest would like to do during the next day.

Lee was also sorry that these travellers felt that they didn’t have anywhere relaxing to sit. He commented that the camp usually accommodates up to 30 people, so there are a number of places to sit around the lodge. Our two travellers were the only people in camp at the time, and he’s sorry that they felt there was no space for them in the lounge. That said, he has discussed this with his team, and reminded them that they should vacate seats when guests come through.

Lee was appalled to learn that the guide, Eli, had smoked on an activity with guests; he agrees that this is totally unacceptable, and he has “dealt with it accordingly”.

Getting staff to camp for work can often be an issue in Africa. Lee explained to us that Camp Kwando doesn’t have the resources to provide transport to and from work for all of its staff, and that some, like the guide John (not David – there’s been a mix-up with names here), do live two hours’ walk away. They assure us that the situation is clear when people apply for jobs with the camp.

Lee told us that their policy was to lay on transport when it is raining heavily, or for any staff that work late – and that the small ‘night shift’ is always taken home after work. (In this case, for example, these travellers returned late to the lodge after their afternoon drive, and hence the manager drove John home.) We realise that such a long walk may seem (and probably is) difficult … but we’re pleased to hear that this lodge has a clear policy, which is broadly similar to many safari lodges.

Lee apologised if he, or anyone else in his team, seemed rude then these travellers checked out. He was disturbed by this comment, as he feels that he and his team do care about both their staff and guests alike. He was at pains to advise us that whilst Camp Kwando does aim to leave guests to themselves, he and his team aren’t unfriendly – and would always like to be viewed as approachable.