Muchenje Safari Lodge — Hotel in Chobe District

An amazing experience and great value. We were there in early June for 3 days with adult family and friends - 5 people. From greeting to good-bye it has the feel of family. The rooms had grand views of the river valley and were well taken care of.

The meals were exceptional - we are all vegetarians and they produced a daily menu that was excellent, curries, etc.

Two outings a day - one at 6 am (to catch the nocturnal animals before they settled in for the day) and then again at around 4 (to catch the animals getting a final drink or meal). The guide - GB - was so knowledgeable - he tracked down a leopard for us to see one evening just using the paw prints in the roadway.

Afternoon trips end with a sundowner snack and drinks as the sun sets over the river - stunning sight.

If you stay for multiple days (recommend a 3-day stay) you'll get a river safari which was exceptional. Elephants came into the river to feed and frolic and we were just a few meters from them. Alligators, hippos, water birds, etc. are on display in ways you'll never see them from land.

We had a night watchman walk us to the rooms, which I thought was an unnecessary touch....until we had an elephant walk trough the compound one night after we went to sleep.

Lodge staff were all great - and the guides sat with you at meals (unlike the other lodge we booked) which gave a chance to talk more about the animals but also about the guides themselves. We got to know our guide GB, his upbringing in the Okavango Delta as the son of a guide. learning to track as a child, etc. We also got to ask questions about the culture, education, taxes, politics, etc. in informal conversations.

The lodge management is exceptional - thanks to Evelyn, one of the first women in the safari sector with years of experience (she ran five lodges for Abecrombie and Fitch at one point!). Muchenje, like all Botswanan lodges, has to return benefits to the surrounding communities, since the lodges occupy land that used to be hunted and farmed. Muchenje goes WAY beyond that, supporting two schools, having bought a van and supplying a driver for school children in the village and encouraging guests to bring along school supplies to drop off at the lodge for distribution to the students. There is a trip to the village optional with stops at local stalls to purchase home-made souvenirs - the baskets are exceptional having been dyed with materials at hand. You'll not find these at the airport shops and the money stays in the community this way.

The access to animals is over the top - big five all in one day! We saw two male giraffes fighting for dominance - just a few meters from our vehicle. We even had to stop for elephant, zebra, and giraffe crossings on the paved road to the airport.

If you get one chance in life to go to Africa, this would be a great place to spend part...

We stayed 2 nights in the 2 bedroom 2 bath room #1. The husband and wife property manager Tof and kiddie are nice folks and present at checkin and after Safari and meals. The lodge sits on a hill overlooking Chobe River . Beautiful views ! It's a about 30 minute drive to Chobe National Park entrance. The lodge, rooms and trucks for Safari are overdue for a refresh. The truck for Safari we were in was 20 years old per the guide. The rooms were clean but very dated and not attractive. Showers had limited hot water. The rooms did have heater and AC . The heat was great . No wifi in your rooms and while we were here the internet was down at the lodge.

Meals are served in a family style buffet. Twice a day . Breakfast is a bit of a head scratcher . Eggs to order from a server who may or may not get to you while your there. No water on the table . Coffee is instant . Food was good just not a lot of the meats. Both dinners I had were cold . The 2 days we were here it was very cold . Lows in the low 40's at night and early am. Highs in mid 60's. Very windy . The 1 full day we were here we did the full day Safari. About an hour drive to there pontoon boat. The boat is like the rest of the assets of the hotel . Old and tired. With the exception of the transfer van it was newer and quite nice ! Due to the wind and cold we saw very little game . This was about 3 hour trip. Once completed we jumped in the trucks and went in the bush and down by the river for 4 hours .Overall very disappointing animal sightings for this area due to the cold weather. The staff are mostly unengaged and not interested or untrained on serving quests at a high standard. With a few exceptions. Tiny in the dining room and the chef were kind, outgoing and on point. The rest of the team we encountered seemed like they did not want to be here.. It's a bit of a challenge to rate because we paid for our entire trip as a package and the other camps we were at we had such better experiences and accomodations. delta and desert safaris really set the bar high for our first 2 stays at xugana and camp moremi. There are many folks that rated the muchenje lodge high and I'm sure they meant it. It's obviously based on what you expect in relation to value you place on the money you spent. Overall in my opinion this is a 3 star lodge that didn't deliver on service , needs a refresh across the board and training for employees on customer experience. We would not...

My family (6 people total) stayed at Muchenje Safari Lodge, for 4 nights and 5 days. I never have, and probably never will again, experience the magic felt during our stay.

Our transfer from Victoria Falls was easy, comfortable and we really appreciated the water available for the trip. We arrived at Muchenje, and were greeted with drinks on arrival, and a personal welcome by two of the lovely managers, Jost and Evelyn.

From here, our stay unravelled into a beautiful, once-in-a-lifetime experience, leaving us wanting to stay for longer, and making promises to be back as soon as we could!

The intimate experience evolves from the personal greetings at arrival, the dinners spent with other guests, guides, and managers, and the personal attention that each member of the staff gives to each guest, all day and every day. I truly don't know how they have the energy to give 110% at all times! We left feeling like the team was a family at Muchenje, and we really appreciated that they welcomed us into this family for a few days.

Our guide, Tips, went above and beyond every day. From early morning drives, to sundown drinks, to close-up experiences with the animals - he made sure that we had a truly special experience. He answered every question without a skip of a beat, on all topics - birds, animals, plants, trees, animal tracks, culture, community. His deep understanding and respect for the animals truly amazed us. More importantly, the kindness, passion and support that he shows to his local community did not go unnoticed, and was appreciated by all of us.

To name a few (there were so many!) - Special highlights include the chef taking time to prepare some local spinach that we purchased from the local village, the security guard (Jack) walking us a bit past our room to go look at a baby elephant, the impeccable service by the waitresses every night, the chat with Jost by the fire, Bryan and Mulah ensuring that we always had a Pina Colada in our hand, visiting the local village with Tips, and the personal touches left after our room was meticulously cleaned every day.

Thank you for a wonderful and special time at Muchenje Safari Lodge. We will spread the word to all of our friends and family, and will be...