Reviews of Ndhovu Safari Lodge
Wildlife sightings and reviews
127 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Ndhovu Safari Lodge and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Ndhovu Safari Lodge review"
Ndhovu is located right on the Kavango river and getting to it was quite interesting. There were roadworks on the C48 which meant that there were 4 lanes of sand to drive on but no indication of which lane to use. So traffic was in all 4 lanes and in both directions. Once on the track to Ndhovu the last stretch of road was not actually flooded (although the water was high) but there are 15 small bridges to cross, so it takes a bit of time.
The lodge feels a bit like a campsite on arrival and is run more like a guest farm than a lodge. Everyone eats dinner together at a long table in the main area which is lived-in and comfortable rather than sophisticated. We stayed 2 nights and food was unappetising on the first night and delicious on the second. Breakfast is on the lovely large deck which overlooks the river. On the opposite bank is the Buffalo Core Area where you can see game from the deck.
The tents are in the process of being refurbished and we were in a new one which was beautifully clean, well equipped and comfortable: a walk-in tent but with proper wooden doors, lots of charging points, a large fan (definitely needed, it was very hot in March), a lovely large bathroom behind the bedroom which was open to the outdoors above the back wall. Twin beds and mosquito nets were very comfortable (but with too much bedding given the temperature at night).
We did a boat trip on our first afternoon and saw lots of birds as well as hippos and crocs in the river and red lechwe, bush buck and elephants on the bank. The following day we did a self-drive into the Buffalo Core Area (part of Bwabwata national park) which involves driving back to Divundu towards Popa Falls. We collected an indecipherable map from the park office and spent 3 happy hours driving in the park, close to the river, and saw plenty of game - large herds of impala, a warthog family, 2 sable antelope, kudu & a small herd of elephants. Well worth it." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia; 5n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Elephant
6 sightings
Hippo
6 sightings
Sable antelope
2 sightings
"Good"
Good boat cruise here with lots of birds, crocs, hippos, monitor lizards and otters.
Another place where everyone ate together." See all these reviews: 22n in Namibia; 2n in Zimbabwe
Buffalo
1 sighting
Elephant
1 sighting
Hippo
5 sightings
Wildebeest
1 sighting
"Ndhovu Safari Lodge review"
The staff at Ndhovu were very friendly and welcoming and guided trips were good.
Staying at Ndhovu was different to everywhere else we'd stayed on our trip - a little quirky!" See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Buffalo
10 sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Giraffe
10 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Roan antelope
10 sightings
Sable antelope
10 sightings
Wildebeest
10 sightings
Zebra
10 sightings
"Ndhovo lodge "
We were going to bed and the power went off so we hadn’t sprayed the tent and got bitten unexpectedly, this is the only place we got bitten and with care could have been avoided" See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia
At Expert Africa, we think of Ndhovu as the kind of small, simple lodge where travellers might well expect to put down their own mossie nets - and we're sorry if we didn't get this across properly to these travellers. That said, Horst did note that 'all the rooms at Ndhovu are fitted with insecticides and mosquito repellant spray.'
"Systems Manager & Senior Africa Specialist | Southern Africa"
"great"
"Ndhovu Safari Lodge review"
"Ndhovu Safari Lodge review"
This was reflected in the activity ,trip int the Mahango park where our guide although clearly not well, showed little interest in the surroundings & didn't provide us with much information.
Most of the local staff were friendly & helpful." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 5n in Botswana
"An authtic African safari experience"
Dinner was superb - kudu stroganoff on the first night and oryx lasagne on the second.
The lodge surroundings were kept very tidy with all the leaves raked up every day. There was a nice deck for viewing across the river and we saw a herd of 30/40 elephant on the other side. We did a boat trip which was interesting; seeing the hippos close up, some crocodiles and plenty of beautiful birds (we particularly enjoyed the bee-eaters and kingfishers).
Nearby there was a small game reserve which we visited a couple of times (self drive). This was probably one of our favourite game reserves; although it was quite small it was interesting with lots of game and it only took a few minutes to get to from the lodge. We were pleased to have a good 4x4 as some of the tracks had very soft sand and I wouldn't have wanted to get stuck when I came around a courner to find myself facing a herd of 15 elephant.
On the morning of leaving I went to load up our car to find it had been washed for us. Unexpected and very much appreciated." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia; 2n in Zambia
"Ndhovu Safari Lodge"
Ndhovu has in Michael someone with the sharpest eyes on the River Kavango. We had three boat trips with him and each one was an adventure in to wild Africa.
In addition the lodge is very efficiently run by Horst, Peter and Bola.
It is within a 10 minute drive of the Mahango Game Park - the best place in this area to see birds and animals." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia
"This lodge is in a lovely setting"
The staff were very withdrawn and there was no personality present.
The manager was new so maybe needs time as he was pleasant and my favourite was the very affable boxer." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana
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