Khwai River Lodge, A Belmond Safari, Botswana

This was our first of the three Belmond Safari locations and Khwai was a great introduction to safari for our two (older) children. We had the warmest welcome from the "choir" (which brought a tear to my eye) and from that point felt very much at home. Every member of the team took time to introduce themselves and quickly remembered us (and how I like my margaritas!). Our "tents" were capacious, well appointed and very comfortable with everything we needed and overlooked the river complete with grazing hippo, elephants and other animals. We were provided with delicious food and impeccable at every opportunity. A *minor* negative, and only having visited the other two Belmond locations, is that Khwai would benefit from being brought up to the design standards of those other locations - we were nevertheless very happy with what was provided at Khwai. Our absolutely amazing and knowledgeable guide DK, found us pretty much every animal that was available including zebra, hippo, warthog, lion, leopard and hyena cubs through to the pretty lilac breasted roller and took us to the most beautiful spots for sundowners and morning coffee. Even the short drive on our last day was rewarded with a lion chasing a leopard up a tree!

What a way to begin our 3 week Southern Africa trip. From the moment we were welcomed to the lodge by the singing and dancing staff to the moment we left with fresh baked challah and cookies for our flight to Zambia, Khwai River Lodge was exceptional. Our "tent" was very large, comfortable, clean and just perfect. In the back we had an outdoor shower and a very refreshing private plunge pool. Our porch overlooked a watering hole around which we could watch hippos, impalas, buffalo and the lodge's resident elephant. One night we even had 4 hippos outside our front door. We could not have asked for better service or a more attentive staff. Our "butler" Chippy catered to our every need. Being kosher, very often, can create difficulties when we travel but not here. The lodge has a dedicated kosher kitchen, and a kosher trained chef was brought in for us even though we were the only kosher guests. Ruth, very creatively, cooked up 3 multi course delicious meals daily. In addition, she packed us up with a variety of delicious snacks for our game drives. Though we were in the middle of nowhere, we were still able to get top notch massages from Wozzy. Finally, the highlight of our stay was our game guide, John. He was warm, friendly and seemed to know the bush as well as it could be known. Not only did he make sure we saw the Big Five multiple times but was relentless in his efforts that we see just about every possible animal out there. Not only did he find the animals for us but he taught us so much about the animals, the bush the culture and Botswana/Africa. Back at the lodge, he even hung out with us around the fire just talking about everything. Bottom line, great lodge, great location and GREAT staff.

The lodge is beautiful and in an amazing location. However, yesterday at the dinner, it was completely taken over by an extremely loud group of tourists. We were given a tiny table in a place with no light. When complaining, staff just ignored us and stated there was nothing they could do. At game drives, the same group kept shouting and standing up, which may even make the experience dangerous for all of us. Again, the staff said nothing. What I find unacceptable is that today everyone apologised, but yesterday, when they had the chance to do something and make the evening pleasant for everyone, staff did nothing and treated us as second class guests (I wish I had taken a photo of the tiny table at a corner they offered us for dinner).

We had the very best time at Khwai! Belmond is an exceptional company & they delivered! There is a river in front of your chalet that is full of hippos! You can watch the beautiful sunrise! We saw lions, African wild dogs, elephants, giraffes, zebras, hippos - everything one wants to see in the wild! The customer service was excellent & we will never forget our guide Jimmy & the manager Gladys, who made us feel so welcomed & taken care of! Thank you for the beautiful memory!

I have been to Africa and Botswana before, but this trip was unique because it was my very first time going solo. I had the best experience and am so glad that I did it. The highlight was my guide, Mokopi. He has guided me in the past when he worked for another company before moving to Belmond. He is a huge asset at this camp. Incredible person, amazing tracker, I could go on and on. I absolutely loved the managers and staff. They made me feel so comfortable. The first day my wifi wasn't working in my room and they promptly moved me to another room where I had great wifi. The camp is extremely comfortable. Not quite up to date with other camps in terms of design/style, but sooo comfortable and has a nice classic feel. The rooms have beautiful views and the AC was a game changer in October. The food was delicious at every meal. We saw great game including wild dogs. I had such a great experience that I will be returning again this year.