Elephant Valley Lodge

Fabulous room overlooking the watering hole. Saw so many animals including giraffes, elephants, hogs and so much more. We were so lucky to have that room. The 2 on-site mongoose chilli & mango are adorable. The massive spider in my room wasn’t though and we had a few of them. Food disappointing and sometimes hard to get a drink during the day. The safari day trip was disappointing.

The first thing we saw was the water hole, where a family of elephants had gathered in the sun. This is a lovely camp, everyone so friendly, and very comfortable. Food was delicious! We had 2 safari drives each day, and saw a leopard, and lions, as well as so many elephants, giraffes and zebras. Our guide Lebo was great. It was very cold at night, and the electric blankets being turned on ready for your bedtime was such a treat!

A lovely stay at this very charming camp where all manner of animals gather at a watering hole facing the common area of the camp. From our tents we had spectacular views of sunrise and sunset. Our guide did his utmost to ensure we saw as much wildlife as possible, and the staff looked after us very well. Thank you to Florence and co !

Amazing to view the animals coming to the watering hole each night. It was an incredible experience. You are about 30-45 minutes to and from the national forest and the tours and the ride is bumpy! The boat tours are a nice alternative safari experience.

Stayed in luxury tent. Plenty of wildlife, including view of the local watering hole, whisk was floodlit at night. Florian and his team did everything they could to make our stay special, including arranging special, individualised safari trips at short notice.

EVL was absolutely amazing. We visited with our two adult children (20 & 23). Our guide, Sox, was incredibly knowledgeable, accommodating and very personable. He and all of the staff here were extremely attentive to our needs and ensured that we had an incredible experience. The staff at the lodge were super friendly. The food and drink were fantastic and plentiful. The accommodations were exactly what we expected and then some - cute “tents” overlooking a waterhole that gave us incredible animal viewings. We felt like we were having a private African safari most of the time! The evening river cruise was a unique highlight. We highly recommend this lodge!!

Loved this place. We were lucky to get the best room overlooking the watering hole. As a result we saw EVERYTHING from monkeys to giraffes, elephants, wart hogs and so much more. It was amazing. I also made friends with the house Mongoose Chilli and Mango. Adorable little thngs but naughty when they followed me and hid in my room. The room was nice - basic as expected and the massive spiders I did not like!! The food wasn't good - just OK and the staff tried to encourage us to go on trips so they didn't have to serve us. It was difficult trying to get hold of anyone if you wanted a drink. The manager was really nice and accommodating. The pool is tiny but you can sit around it and the elephants come right by to play in a semi dry watering spot. Loved this place - definitely recommend.

This is a fantastic situated camp, where you can come very close to animals, even when you enjoy your meals or your sundowner. We woke up and fell asleep to the sounds of numerous birds. Comfortable tents, friendly and helpful staff. One night we heard the roar of lions in 'discussion' with many hyenas, close to our tent, and the next day we were shown the buffalo cadavre they had byen fighting over. Every evening before sunset, several elephants visited the waterhole close to the fireplace, and we could observe them. Fascinating! We hope to be back one day! Reidar og Anne-Beth

This lodge was one of three on a 9-day Botswana safari and fortunately it was first in line as the other two were great where this one was very disappointing. The few positives were: Nice location close to town overlooking a watering hole with serenely positioned permanently-tented accommodation. Tents included AC (welcome in the high summer temps) as well as a fan and spacious open plan bathroom (no door for the toilet area). The housekeeping was fantastic providing spotlessly clean rooms, fresh towels every day and washing turn around rapidly. Rooms are set up at night while at dinner with mosquito’s nets over the beds. The night time chef was excellent and her food was very enjoyable. It was especially nice to witness the pleasure she took in providing tasty, very well-prepared food. Breakfast on the other hand was very disappointing. Not only was it the same boring selection each day but the toast and some of the other hot items such as the eggs, sausage and bacon where not hot. There was a group of 15 visiting at the same time as us and the single waitress responsible for everyone focused on them and pretty much left us out in the cold to fend for ourselves. She also had an attitude when we asked for anything. On the first morning most of the breakfast choice had been consumed by the last group who were provided breakfast before us so we had the choice of their left overs. We had to request on both mornings that they provide fresh filter coffee which was totally empty the first morning and only a small amount left on the second. On one all day drive, a packed lunch was provided which included a single small chicken leg, two dried out meatballs and a half a soggy sandwich with a multitude of items on it as well as a candy bar and apple. Honestly for what we paid we expected substantially more. The other big negative to this lodge was that its located a solid 30 minutes or more from the Chobe gate so each day you have to endure a road transfer in an open air safari vehicle for an hour or more just to get into the park. On the way home at night, we had to cover our faces to prevent bugs constantly flying into our eyes and mouth as there is no protection from the outside when bugs are at their worst. Instead of a sunrise and sunset drive each day, this lodge provides an all-day excursion which departs later but is quite tiring being out in the vehicle and open to the elements and hot temps most of the day. The only advantage is that it results in an hour transfer time instead of two for two game drives a day. The guides don’t carry rifles so not nature walks occur and they all depend on the Chobe River for game siting’s as the animal’s head down there during the day to drink and in the case of elephants to bathe and play in the water. On the day of our transfer to our next concession we opted to sleep in and take the morning easy rather than waking up really early to do the same thing over again. We have done many safaris in South Africa and