Travel reviews by A and N from VA

"Very polite and helpful staff. Restaurant and lobby area very attractive decor. All rooms have river view and porch or balcony which is very nice. Bathrooms are spacious. Restaurant had a medium sized menu but enough choices, everything was very good. You can order off the "snacks" menu for lunch and dinner which worked well for my teenager. Breakfast was great, a continental buffet plus hot dishes off menu. Pool attractive and pleasant. Complimentary tea w/ a few sweet and savory snacks in afternoon was nice. Staff can book outings and activities. They also arrange a shuttle to the falls for guests, but you need to arrange for your complimentary return with your shuttle driver which was a little confusing, I'd prefer shuttles on a schedule, but we managed to work it out. There is nothing nearby so if you want to be in the middle of things or walk to restaurants don't choose this place, but if you want to have a quiet and tasteful base for activities I recommend it. We stayed on our way from US to a safari in Botswana, it was nice to have a day to help adjust to time change before the safari, this was a great place for that. You can get picked up at the hotel for any local activities. The hotel has boat line associated with it that docks on the property, but they were not available for cruises while we were there but the hotel arranged a dinner cruise with another group and it was easy and we had fun."

"We loved Lebala! It was our first camp in Botswana and a great one to start with. It had a wonderful welcoming and friendly vibe. The guides, trackers and staff were very kind and genuine. The rooms are beautiful with lots of space to get your things organized, two sinks etc. In retrospect the rooms here were a little more rustic than at other camps, but were completely comfortable. There is only hot water midday for the outdoor shower, but that was no problem. Meals were great, always enough choice for guests' palettes and special diets. Fresh baked bread and peanut butter available for the pickiest of eaters. The staff planned a special private dinner for me and my son on our last night, celebrating his graduation, which was the purpose of our trip. We were totally surprised.
We shared a vehicle with other "new" guests which was wonderful because we were all just beginning our safari experience together so we stopped for every bird or antelope on the first drive as we got accustomed to the wildlife. Then by late in day two we knew that we could drive by some animals. Lions were the stars of Lebala. We got to observe playful cubs and adults in many settings. We saw many many elephants as well. We saw hyena pups which were adorable. Plus cool surprises like a few African wild cats, mongoose, an aardwolf and a civet. Fantastic birds of prey and owls.
The night noises at Lebala are fantastic, more interesting than other camps we visited. We were in room 8 and heard hippos each night, for a lot of the night. We heard lions at night as well as a lot of other sounds. Some guests were a little nervous by the volume, but most thought it was amazing. (Staff are very safety conscious, they would not let guests outdoors when dangerous animals were near, but we could listen to them from the safety or our chalet.)
We also really liked the Kwando safari company that uses trackers and guides. We had so many discoveries."

"Stunning facility and rooms. Very high level of service including hot drinks brought to your rooms at your wakeup call in the morning, and sherry left at turndown . Chalets had yoga mats and hair dryers, not something you see at every camp. They had wifi in the common area. Pool is nice, although we were there in winter we took a chilly dip on a warm afternoon. There a really pleasant places to sit and relax at the main building. Campfire was fine. The staff does a traditional singing and drum performance that lasted maybe 20 mins or more before dinner one night, some guests were surprised by the show. I learned they do this a few nights a week.
We had great sightings including leopards which was our goal at this camp. We took a speed boat ride which was fantastic, saw elephants right in the water with us.
They had a full breakfast with eggs cooked to order. Amazing baked goods at tea time. Game drive times are later than at some camps, they have a later wakeup call time as well as the eggs at breakfast so you don't get out quite as early as other places.
The overall vibe here was fancy. The staff seemed a little more scripted than at other camps, some seemed nervous around the guests. Maybe it was just the days we were there, but the other guests were more standoffish towards fellow travellers than at other camps, and some guests were pretty bossy to staff etc.
It was still a great experience and the location is incredibly gorgeous, but if you don't need a hairdryer and are more interested in the animals than the silverware a more mellow camp would work. I think this place would be super for part of a honeymoon or for people travelling with older relatives who require luxury."

"We loved Splash! It was our second Kwando camp. We love the tracker and the focus on wildlife. Facility was gorgeous. Rooms were fantastic. Food great. Service super. Guides incredibly knowledgeable. We did a boat ride which was great. Saw cheetah and wild dogs. Great vibe.
It's a big camp 12 rooms, but there was room in common areas and the different guests made it fun at campfire to compare notes. One of our three nights it was not full, so that was nice for a little more intimate experience. I'd recommend three nights here.
We enjoyed relaxing in the afternoons looking at birds and water bucks right outside our chalet. It was windy at this camp in July."