4.9 /5
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Based on over 1000 Verified Reviews.

Overview

Savute Safari Lodge sits on the banks of the Savute Channel in the centre of the Chobe National Park. At times flowing and other times dry, the channel forms part of a rich ecosystem renowned for its large concentrations of elephant, spotted hyena and lion - the latter two often being in brutal conflict over kills and territory - and the region is one of Botswana's premier game-viewing destinations.

The main building is made of thatch and timber and has a lounge, library, and cocktail bar. It is nearby is the viewing deck, which is ideal for watching game at the waterhole below. The real drama, however, lies away from camp when you head out on early morning and late afternoon game drives in search of big game. Savute is justly famous for its high concentrations of predators, and if you visit in summer (about November to March), you may be lucky enough to witness the Linyanti/Chobe zebra migration as well as enjoying amazing bird watching.

Highlights

  • Unique setting on the ephemeral Savute Channel
  • A traditional safari lodge with spacious suites, all with great views
  • Dramatic game viewing & rewarding birding
  • Large lion prides & hyena packs in the area
  • Superb close-up elephant viewing & many predators
  • Experience the summer zebra migration (March)

Activities

  • Game drives
  • 4x4 Drives
A very comfortable lodge with private and spacious rooms, located in an area that offers amazing lion sightings. The highlight of my stay was the elephants drinking at the waterhole in front of my suite.
Rikke Williams

Rikke Williams

Africa Safari Expert

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Rooms

Standard Room

Savute Safari Lodge has 11 luxury wood, thatch and glass suites, sheltered from the sun by the spreading branches of camelthorn trees. They each have spacious interiors, a lounge area and private viewing deck plus an en suite bathroom.

There is one family suite for small groups travelling together.

Facilities

Relax in the comfortable leather couches of the lounge as you read a book from the library or sip a cocktail from the stylish bar.

Cool off with a dip in the lodge's plunge pool or sip a cocktail on the viewing deck before moving to your own private deck to watch the sunset.

Dining

Order a drink from the cocktail bar and enjoy the sunset before settling down to a casual dining experience with elephants wallowing in the mud pool right in front of you.

Each sumptuous meal at Savute Safari Lodge is served in the fantastic dining area, alfresco on the viewing deck, or in the privacy of your own suite.

General facilities

  • Library
  • Swimming Pool
  • Bar
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Traveller Reviews

Savute Safari Lodge
IG

Ian Gibson

"We were really well looked after in the lodge! Between the two lodges we stayed in we saw almost everything that one could see - all in all a great holiday."
JB

Jean-Sebastien Bres

"Conversely Savute was crowded with animals and it was even a bit too easy to see them... I remember you said Chobe was definitely too busy, but here there was always 20 cars around the lions! And the lodge was nice but not as intimate as Xugana."
LM

Lynn Minella

It was a wonderful trip and truly an experience of a lifetime. Everyone had an outstanding time. As to arrangements, everything went incredibly smooth and all of the accommodations were excellent. I have no complaints on any part of the trip. A ll of the staff, guides, and trackers at the camps were knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.
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WA

William Angear

The Savute Safari Lodge was absolutely perfect . The staff , lodge , food and game drives all superb and I got to get close up with a leopard at last , all magic . Emma had a fantastic birthday which she will not forget for a long time , the staff re ally did a good job .
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GC

George Cunningham

Trip was excellent, the staff were great, the guides were great too. I highly recommend Savute, Moremi and Leroo La Tau lodge, really enjoyed the staff there. A very beautiful place. I miss it already, I will go back, especially to Savute… a drea m place.
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SP

Sarah Poitras

There was a watering hole pretty close to our room, so we got good views of elephants drinking throughout our stay. The first night we saw a pregnant hyena wandering around camp. During our morning game drive, we saw lions and a leopard. The second n ight we ate outside and saw even more elephants drinking, as well as porcupines.
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AB

Agnieszka Baranska

"Savute - excellent accomodation with unbelievable view (elephants' pond) + unexpected visitor (a leopard visited our roof to hunt birds!)"
JG

Joan Graff

"Savute was amazing!!!!"
AO

Ali Osman

We all agreed that the three camps we did (Xugana, Leroo La Tau, and Savute) offered a diverse perspective from a landscape and animal standpoint and were therefore a really nice complement. The order in which we did the camps was also great. Savut e was a great finale as we saw many lions and leopards and were thoroughly entertained by our bigger-than-life guide Baba.
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SV

Scott Vara

IF we had to mention one negative, it would have to be the room we were assigned at Savuti Safari Lodge. In reading the materials, we assumed we would be in a room that overlooked their signature man-made watering hole that had non-stop elephant act ion. However, our room was in the back of the camp, and did not have a view of the watering hole. It was one of what seemed to be only 3 rooms that did not have a view. We did ask for a room change, but the staff said that because of their bookings, they could not move us. They also mentioned that there were no notes in our reservation, indicating that we wanted a view of the watering hole. We did tell them that we did not provide any such instructions, since we did not know there were some rooms without a view. So you may want to keep note of that for future bookings of other travellers. However, with all that said, the staff at Savuti did go above and beyond to make sure that all other aspects of our stay we very enjoyable.
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CE

Carra Elkins

I loved it all but especially the Delta, Savute and Elephant Camp. The accommodations were great but have decided that I definitely like the private concessions better than the National parks. The guides were great and very accommodating to meet a ll our desires and needs. Met some wonderful people and took over 800 photos. The photos are just beautiful!
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DT

Dave Taylor

Probably the camp we enjoyed most. Really great staff and we were able to socialise with other guests and staff in the evening. Great atmosphere. Great rooms (very similar standard to Leroo). Public areas looked a bit messy and run down. Perhaps just not so well maintained (plunge pool full of leaves and green water. Not appealing !). Probably the best guide we had - Very experienced, friendly and professional. Good food served in an informal, buffer style. Good game viewing, especially the big cats! Water levels in the creek were low and rapidly dropping which was a concern to the staff. Great value for money
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SP

Steve Peterson

The rooms are a great size, tasteful, very comfortable and taking a shower while watching elephants is something special. Lots of windows overlooking the waterhole make the afternoon rest easy. The evening meal often started with the staff singing, s omething I really enjoyed. The food that is offered family style is tasty with healthy choices always available. Watching animals come and go during the meals is a nice touch. Managers, Bujos, Natasha and young Taz seemed disappointed when there were no problems to solve. The entire staff wants you to be comfortable and have a flawless stay. At one point we drove into and open park and we could see elephants, giraffe, impala, zebra, warthogs, kudu, tsessebe, and wildebeest. It looked like a national geographic moment. Metal, the guide, looked like it happened on a daily basis and nothing special was happening. Earlier in the day, the leopards were 20 feet from the truck. My wife enjoyed watching the family of dwarf mongoose that played in the common area and the guinea fowl that come to roost in the trees above the room. We had a great stay!
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KT

Kathryn Taghon

Savute Safari Lodge was perhaps our favourite of the whole trip. The accommodations were very pleasant, the food good, the wildlife spectacular. What really made the Savute stand out among the rest were the staff. They were the most genuinely warm an d comfortable about discussing their country, life and family. We would be most likely to return to Savute.
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GK

Guy Kent

We had a fabulous time and it was an amazing experience for my mother in law for her first safari. Both the lodges were lovely and made us feel so welcome with a nice touch from the Savuti Safari Lodge giving us a bottle of bubbly for our anniversar y and the food expecially at Nxabega was absolutely delicious.
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SS

Silke Stoll

The Savute Safari Lodge is exceptional! We really loved the lodge: The cabins, the staff, the ground and the wonderful game drives. This camp could not have been better and we really were sad to leave this place and this would also be a camp to go ag ain in a few years.
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DN

Doug Neilson

We started at Savute which for the first time in 28 years had water in the channel in front of the camp. This made for some wonderful Elephant viewing. Our accommodation there was great; Shane and Kim run a great operation, the staff are very friendl y, the food was wonderful and everything was punctual. Wildlife viewing was fantastic.
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HD

Han Drijvers

We saw a lot of this beautiful country, by plane, by boat, on foot and by car on the game drives. The lodges were excellent, we felt at home. Very kind people and great hospitality in all the lodges.The food and drinks were great. We are glad that we spent our holiday in Botswana.
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CP

Carlo Paterlini

This is probably the one we liked the most. The location directly in the bush creates a magic atsmosphere: one night, during dinner, a hyaena came to drink directly in the swimming pool. Food was very good and the dinner served on the terrace in fron t of the water pond was a great experience, with all the elephants gathered to drink water. Game viewing activity is well balanced during the day (this is where we saw most cats) and the managers and guides are very well prepared.
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JR

Jeff Regan

Our stay at Savute was wonderful and unforgettable. Upon checking in we immediately came across the elephants drinking at the camp's watering hole. Fortunately we were extremely lucky to see two lions the next morning. Another truck from the lodge s potted a pack of wild dogs that had caught an ostrich earlier. While we were watching the dogs, hyenas were canvassing the area. Jeff turned to ask the guide a question and was shocked to see a female lion walking right beside our truck toward the wild dogs, which she ran off. A few minutes later, a male lion came around our other side. It was the most amazing part of our stay.
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DH

Deirdre Hamstead

Ahhh! Savute! Savute! Savute! ... Even in retrospect it is still our absolute favourite. The service was impeccable, great food and gracious people. The camp seemed to have great staff harmony and respect. Our guide "G" was the best of many in that he was knowledgeable and informative. As to animal sightings; truly exciting and abundant.
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HS

Holly Schmadeke

This was a little disappointing because we did not see the cats like we had hoped. We saw evidence of them but not an actual lion or leopard. We did get see wild dogs in both Chobe and Savute. At Savute, they game up to the watering hole at the edg e of the camp right before dinner and almost chased a rabbit right into camp with all of us watching. But once again, the staff was amazing and the camp was fantastic. We would have stayed just for the food if we could have.
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PL

Peter Leigh

"Very friendly and helpful. Totally professional. Guide, Captain, very good. Best accommodation of the 3 small lodges."
V/G

Valenci / Goldman,

I loved Savuti Safari Lodge. The accomodations were excellent, the people who ran it and those who worked there were terrific, the guides very knowledgeable and friendly, the animals great, and the food really good. I wish that we could have stayed l onger there. If I were ever to go back, I would definitely go there.
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