Eagle Island Lodge, A Belmond Safari, Botswana — Hotel in North-West District

Recently I was privileged to visit Botswana and the amazing Belmond properties.||||On arrival into Maun, we took a light aircraft (only 1 engine) to our first destination the awesome Belmond Eagle Island Lodge. This is the ultimate Okavango Delta water-experience-focused safari lodge, unveiling a sleek new look after an almost total rebuild.||||The lodge is decorated to reflect an explorer’s base. Design highlights in the twelve spacious deluxe tented rooms include oversized beds with views of the delta, large outdoor decks with a view over the river and savannah, private plunge pools, indoor & outdoor showers, a reading nook, fully stocked fridge with complimentary drinks and walk-in wardrobes.||||Fully rebuilt public areas include a stylish dining area with a pizza oven, a lounge area with an artisan-style bar, a library, a campfire area and the Fish Eagle Bar which is located directly on the water. Local artisans and materials were used throughout the renovations.||||The lodge offers a variety of water-focused safari activities including motorboat safaris, barge cruises, mokoro safaris (a local canoe), fishing, as well as walking safaris and the ultimate air safari experience by helicopter.||||Due to the low water levels, we were unable to partake in a full mokoro safari as there were too many hippos (and one croc) in the water but we ‘floated’ around for about 20 minutes before enjoying a drink in the Fish Eagle bar. We witnessed elephants, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, baboon and many varieties of antelope come to drink at the waterhole at days end. ||||For dinner our first night we enjoyed a beautiful table setting a few metres from the main dining area with a fire pit and fabulous food.||||In the morning we were woken at 5:30am with our guide providing us with a knapsack of goodies for our early morning cuppa – tea, coffee, cookies, milk, hot water. The safari kicked off at 6:30am after a light breakfast.||||As the lodge is in natural bushland we had to be escorted to our rooms due to the possibility of animals on the paths. We encountered water buffalo on the first night and elephant on the second.||||The morning and late afternoon safaris were awesome. We saw so many animals. On the first drive 4 out of the big 5 were spotted and the next morning we found the elusive leopard. After lunch I took the helicopter flight over the Okavango Delta and this was a highlight as we saw giraffe, hippo, elephant, even a croc in the waters below us. It was truly amazing. Returning to our rooms after lunch we encountered an elephant on the footpath so we returned to the dining area and were escorted to our rooms, because like all wildlife, elephants are unpredictable, but she stayed for a while grazing on the trees outside my room.||||After our safari on the second day we were privileged to go to a nearby local village. After a short walk and explanation of village life, we were quickly surrounded by beautiful smiles and big brown eyes as the children clambered to receive the gifts we had for them. The ladies of the village produced their handwork consisting of beautiful woven baskets, carved animals, jewellery and other items. After this they enthralled us with songs and dance in their native language. It was truly a memorable visit.||||||Our next stop was the awesome Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge in Chobe National Park.||||Evoking the feel of a timeless explorers’ lodge, it immerses you in the untamed wilderness of Botswana’s Savute region. You could relax in visually calming spaces, filled with rich textures, earthy colours and furniture crafted by local artisans. Watch elephants, hyenas, cape buffalo and other animals drink at the watering hole from the viewing hide. Relax by the serene pool and enjoy African-inspired treatments in the beautiful Spa or gather round inviting firepits to share stories with new friends. After the afternoon’s game drive, an enchanting Boma (bbq) dining experience awaited us. || ||It was so special seeing the elephants at the water hole and watching them come and go through the bush to enjoy the refreshing water. Some of the babies enjoyed a swim as well.||||The highlight of the stay here was watching an actual lion kill! We watched for about 45 mins as the lion selected their prey – warthog – positioned themselves then went in for the kill. Watching the lioness chase and catch her prey was awesome and we took off across the savannah to sit among them while they devoured their catch. Amazing.||||It was also here we encountered a beautiful leopard cub. She was 9 months old and hiding in the bushes until the lions came by then she scrambled to the trees before taking her chances and running away to hide in another tree. Her mother was out hunting so we didn’t see her. ||||||After another short flight we arrived at Belmond Khwai River Lodge. This lodge is nestled on the edge of a Leadwood forest overlooking the vast floodplains of the Moremi Wildlife Reserve.||||Belmond Khwai River Lodge is home to luxury tents on raised wooden platforms with traditional African thatch roof. Private decks with easy chairs and hammocks offering panoramic views of the vast wilderness.||||Inside you’ll find a netted four-poster bed, an elegant bathroom, a stocked mini bar and discreet air conditioning.||||Tucked away from the main tent there is a private suite which offers a more secluded, romantic experience. The large deck has a heated splash pool, an open-air bathroom, double showers and copper Victorian bath, outdoors and so close to nature.||||Hippos were grazing on the grasses growing in the water and birdlife was abundant. After lunch we were shown to our rooms before enjoying the late afternoon safari.||The highlight of this stay was spending time watching a pride of lions with their 6 month old cubs, they were adorable. We saw the male lion as well and one mother had 3 week old cubs who were just small fluff balls.||||It was in this area that we followed 5 wild dogs hoping to see them hunt and perhaps kill but they are unsuccessful. This area of Botswana is very different to the other parts we had visited as it was green and lush with abundant birdlife. One evening we ventured into Moremi National Park and here we came upon lions chewing on an elephant carcass (the elephant had died from natural causes), hyena with their pups, zebra, giraffe and elephant.||||||After our last safari we headed back to Maun in the light aircraft, then a flight to Johannesburg where we all went our separate ways to return to Australia.||||The accommodation was amazing, the food unreal, and the locals very friendly and helpful.||||All the lodges are fully inclusive – breakfast, lunch, dinner and high tea (prior to late afternoon safari), morning wake up cuppa, evening sunset drinks while on safari, plus all alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and two safaris each day it is a special destination. It is not a cheap holiday and the rooms only have bedding for 2 people. They do not really cater for children.||||Pricing is from $800.00 per person per night up to $1,600.00 per person per night depending on the season.||||Travelling between the lodges is stress free and the people are so welcoming and helpful and the guides extremely knowledgeable.||||I would thoroughly recommend...

We enjoyed our 3-day stay at the Eagle Island Lodge, although we had a few minor issues that made it less than perfect. EIL has its own dirt airstrip that’s about 300 yards/meters from the lodge itself. When our plane landed to drop us off, there was nobody there to meet us. The airplane crew can’t leave us there on our own in big game territory, so we had to wait about 10 minutes until a vehicle finally drove out to meet us.||The location and setting of EIL is perfect. We were there in the dry season, but one of the few flowing rivers was close by, so from our deck we saw many large animals walking along the river. Elephants, vervet monkeys, and baboons regularly walked right up to our cabin, and some animals drank from the plunge pool on our deck.|The size and layout of our room was nice, but in some ways it was a bit dated. Our AC system was marginal at best and could not overcome the outdoor heat. Even though the hotel staff left it set at 18°C (64°F), the temperature would get to 27-28°C (81°F) in the day, and about 24°C (75°F) by morning after running all night. The staff did offer to move us to another room, but by then we only had one night left, so we declined.||Although we never saw a mosquito, there were a few small bugs or beetles that occasionally got into our bed, despite the fact that our bed was surrounded by mosquito netting. On our last morning, I noticed a small crack, maybe 6mm or ¼” wide, between the floorboards and inside boundary of the netting. Not a big deal, but staff should have noticed that and fixed it.||The staff tries very hard, maybe too hard, to do everything for you. We had very limited time for a quick bite before the morning game drives, and it would have been nice to have self-serve coffee and maybe some pastry or fruit set out for the taking. Instead, we ended up waiting a few minutes for a server to come to the table, we’d order a coffee and a croissant or something similar. Several minutes later they would bring out our coffee and a few minutes after that a big plate of fruit and pastry, most of which went to waste. By the time we were served, it was time to go. While they wanted to give us a full-service experience, what we needed was a “grab and go” option. Lunch and dinner were fine since we were never in a rush.||Our very best game drive was at EIL, in that we got to see a mating pair of lions collaborate to stalk, kill, and devour a warthog, all of which we got it all on video. The images are amazing, although a bit gruesome. Our driver was taking a lot of his own pictures however, so the audio picked up his non-stop...

I will try to put into words how amazing our experience here was, but it will be hard. From our beautiful singing welcome to our rooms to just everything there, we had such an incredible time at Eagle Island Lodge. Our guide, Robert, who made our time there that much more special, picked us up from the airstrip and took us to the lodge. We were welcomed by the whole staff singing us a welcome song and we walked were offered delicious welcome drinks. We were then introduced to the managers, Louie and Rachel, who were so kind and truly happy we were there. We had a debriefing of the lodge and guidelines for our stay and then we went to our GORGEOUS rooms with our own plunge pool!! all of the amenities were perfect and the room had everything you could need. The stunning stone bathtub was my favorite but there was also a beautiful outdoor shower. There was air conditioning and heat at night to ensure comfort. ||||Robert took us on our game drives and was so knowledgeable about everything. We learned so much from him and felt the passion he had for his job just made us even more excited to be there. He was attentive to us and always checked in to see if we were having fun. Belmond is so lucky to have Robert as part of their team and we are honored we got to be with him for the short time we were there. ||||We also did the Mokori with Olly, who informed us of his experiences growing up and what life is like on the delta. ||||The food was outstanding and all of the servers/employees were so attentive to our needs and always asked us how we were and what they could do to be of assistance. On Tuesday and Saturday nights the choir does a small performance of cultural songs and interacts with the guests to ensure that we are a part of the experience. ||||The wifi only worked in the main reception area (and a little in the rooms) but you’re too busy to be on wifi so it was not an issue for us whatsoever ever. ||||Overall I could not recommend eagle island lodge more to anyone who is looking for a truly luxury experience and seeing some of the most incredible animals ever. Belmond really did it right here!! I cannot wait to come back and spend more time with the staff and see...