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Kwara Camp - Kwando Safaris, Botswana
P.O. Box 550
Maun, Botswana
Overall impression: Set in a remote concession adjacent to the Okavango Delta, Kwara offered all the creature comforts and wonderful game viewing opportunities. Its reputation for leopard sightings was reinforced during out stay. We were able to see lots of game and birds during our drives and river boat ride. We found the camp well run and inviting in spite of the wilderness setting. The staff were welcoming, the food good and the game viewing excellent.
We especially liked the Kwando approach to safaris through which a guide/tracker team was assigned to guests for the duration of their stay at a camp; meals were coordinated between the three Kwando Botswana camps to ensure guests enjoyed varied meals when going from one Kwando camp to another; and the company’s emphasis on experienced and knowledgeable trackers and guides to enrich and maximize guest’s limited game viewing experience. We particularly liked the format that allowed us to extend our game viewing drives without worrying about meal times. When we arrived tired and hungry, sometimes after four or five hours of viewing, there was always a warm smile and home cooked breakfast or dinner awaiting us.
Location: North of the Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta in Botswana
Owned: Kwando Safaris (John Mynhardt)
General manager: Clive Moffett and Louise Coetzee
Year opened/renovated: 1998; rebuilt 2001
Class of accommodation: Wilderness safari amp
Size: Eight tents and 16 guests on a 175,000 hectare (175,000 kms2; 1750 m2) concession. A staff of 24.
Handicapped access: No
Check-in/check-out process ease: Excellent
Languages: English, French, Dutch, Portuguese and German
Lobby and common areas : Classic Africa themed lounge, dining room and gift shop
Tent: Our accommodations were in a spacious permanent tent for two with beautiful and sturdy Rhodesian teak wood floors (450 ft2). Furniture included: Two double beds together to make a king sized bed with a night table on each side and a back board behind both; a small sundry table; a furniture rack; a small hanging clothes closet and an adjacent bathroom.
Our small porch with two canvas chairs and a table offered a view to a water hole, where occasionally animals would walk by. It also provided a comfortable place to lounge in the shade. Our tent was about 20 feet from our neighbors on either side so we had to be quiet and discreet to keep from disturbing them, we hardly ever heard more than the sound of voices in the distance. Curiously, we saw no insects in the tent or adjacent bathroom.
Bathroom : Our bathroom area, under the same tent but separated by a flap of zippered canvas for privacy, was great. It included his and hers sinks, a regular toilet, and an outdoor shower (the shower itself had a covered area over it). We took advantage of the warm afternoons to shower since the early morning and evening were a bit too chilly, especially out doors.
Cleanliness: Excellent
Amenities: Kwando toiletries including bath and shower gel, shower caps, body lotion, and shampoo. Mosquito repellent coils and sprays were available in our room and on the game drive vehicles.
Activities: Dawn and dusk game viewing drives; river boat rides; mekoro (dug out canoe) rides; and bush walks. We were delighted with our driver/guide Obi and tracker Hobs team. In addition to a smooth drive on and off road, including potentially bumpy sandy roads, their combined skills and finesse allowed us ingress and egress to small corners for maximum game viewing efficiency. It also allowed us to approach skittish animals for extended viewing in some tricky spots. One such example was a two lion viewing in a location so difficult to reach that another vehicle after us got stuck and we had to return to assist them.
Facilities: Curio shop, plunge pool, lounge/bar, fire place area, and game viewing area
Pool: Plunge pool. It was too cold to take advantage of it during our winter visit.
Food: During lunch and dinner guests and senior camp staff sat together at a long table. All meals were fixed menu. Guests served themselves their choice of main course items; staff served drinks and picked up plates and cutlery. Little time passed before someone checked on us during the meal. During breakfast, guests were offered made-to-order hot meals, including sausage, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans and eggs. A biscuit and hot beverage was served before early morning drives. Sundowner beverages and snacks were served during the evening activities. We especially enjoyed the home made biscuits and breads.
We enjoyed our meals at Kwara and appreciated the effort they required, especially when considering the remote location, basic supply limitations and diversity of guests. Cold buffet breakfast options included: Fresh fruit such as apple, grapes, bananas, and kiwi; two kinds of yogurt, five cereal options; cold meats; cheeses, toasts, and muffins. Lunch dishes included: Greek salad with home made dressing or oil and vinegar; vegetable quiche; beat and potato salad and a cheese tray with three kinds of cheese and crackers.
A sample dinner included: White asparagus appetizer followed by couscous; beef stew; cooked carrots, cauliflower, and spinach served separately. A well received chocolate mousse, coffee and tea followed the meal.
Service: From senior to junior staff we found the service to be warm, efficient and accommodating. Small details like our request for a hot water bottle to warm our beds at night or repeated requests to photograph flora and fauna during a game drive were met with patience and a helpful attitude. We especially liked that our guide and tracker team were assigned to us for the duration of our stay. They accompanied us on every game viewing ride and Obi, our assigned guide dined with us and the rest of the guests and their guides. This meant we had a chance to get to know each other and exchange impressions during our stay. The extra time together allowed our Kwara team to understand our interests and top priorities, which made our visit more effective and fun.
Game viewing: Birds: Crested barbet, dwarf bittern, reed cormorant, Senegal coucal, wattled crane, darter, laughing dove, mourning dove, great white and little egrets, Egyptian geese, helmeted guinea fowl, grey heron, rufousbellied heron, redbilled hornbill, sacred ibis, African jacana, blackshouldered kite, grey lourie, Meyer’s parrot, grassveld pipit, blacksmith and crowned plovers, lilacbreasted roller, longtailed shrike, Burchell’s starling, saddlebilled and yellowbilled storks. Mammals: South African lesser bushbaby, chacma baboon, springhare, spotted and sidestriped hyenas, leopard, lions, giraffe, impala, tsessebe, and wildebeest. And a painted reed frog herd.
Other: All meals, beverages and alcoholic drinks were included. The area within the camp was sandy. This meant walking from our tent to the lounge or dining area was like walking on a beach. Comfortable shoes were a must.
Each seat of our game open top viewing vehicle included a canvas wool blanket. When it was cold first thing in the morning and at the end of the evening drives, we bundled up under several layers of clothing and gloves (bought a pair at their gift shop) and covered ourselves with the blankets. The kind of canvas blanket they had was excellent for game viewing in an open vehicle. It repelled the cold wind and provided some protection against runaway branches, especially when we drove off road.
Conference facilities: No
Length of stay: Two nights
Date of last visit: May 2004
Would you stay again? Yes
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