Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge

The Botswana safari was undoubtedly the absolute highlight of the trip ! We flew on light planes between the camps and on one occasion I sat in the co-pilots seat which was good fun ! The camps were excellent – can't rate them highly enough. The food and wine were very good, staff were friendly and efficient.The tents had everything that we would expect, plus a few extra's.

Savute – great game viewing. Lovely camp, well run and again great staff. Food was great. They organised a lovely romantic dinner for us on our last night with candles all around on the ground and special wines – it was beautiful. The staff at all the camps sang for us and I would suggest that Orient Express get this on dvd or cd, as it was beautiful. We would have loved a copy of all of them.

Although very modern and artistic in a contemporary African style, the main dining area is comfortable and cosy and the view of the river is fantastic!

Really lovely and we were so well looked after. The tents were ‘luxurious’ and the beds very comfortable. Our outdoor shower looked over the waterhole which was really magical. The lodge area and swimming pool were wonderful. The Food and drinks were fabulous – a great choice and loads of food. The inclusive wine list was very impressive.

We had Savute Elephant Camp absolutely to ourselves for the first 24 hours (a big group had just left), and they gave us the finest “tent” they have – directly across from the waterhole. Elephants were there probably 20 hours a day, just outside our room. The staff treated us to a private dinner on our deck, and two private game drives since there were no other visitors. On the first of these drives, we saw a leopard, two mated pairs of lions (one pair actually in the act of mating as we watched), many other animals, and the incredible highlight of a hunting cheetah. We were with him for about an hour, and he actually walked right up to within 10 feet of our vehicle. It was nearing sunset, and the rosy gold light of the late day sun was gorgeous on his sleek form. I was moved almost to tears. There were no other people anywhere in sight – just the two of us, our guide and driver, and the cheetah. We eventually had to leave to return to the camp before dark, but stopped along the way to watch a lioness with her 4 playful cubs. What a day!!!

Having us start our trip at Savute was a great way for novices being introduced into a first experience into Africa. The lodge was fantastic, management were welcoming, the service and accommodations beyond our expectations, our guide Sello was an incredible guide who took great care of us and he set precedence for what we expected from a guide from there on. We saw incredible animals straight away (first 10 minutes into the first pm drive) and we were told that we were lucky. The food, service and the mood of the staff made our stay so enjoyable. We met very nice people there as well.