WhereKwando concession in the Linyanti, near the Namibian border
TypeTented safari camp
LevelDeluxeSomething special. Indulge yourself with a high-quality experience.
Price guide££££

Lebala sits in the Kwando concession near the Namibian border, where the Kwando River runs into the marshes and comes out the other side as the Linyanti. The landscape is different from the Delta camps: wide open plains broken by a handful of wooded islands and palms, which makes for enormous skies and some of the best sunsets in Botswana.

Eight tents only, one of them a family unit with two bedrooms. The walls are mosquito net, which sounds alarming and is in fact the best thing about them: the breeze comes through, and you can see out from your bed. Large sliding net doors open onto a private viewing deck.

The rooms are properly done. Wooden furniture, beamed ceilings, solid wood floors, plenty of storage, a bathroom with a claw-foot bath and twin basins, and a separate double outdoor shower, screened but open to the sky.

The wildlife is the reason to come, particularly in the dry season from May to October. Elephant, hippo, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and antelope, with lion, cheetah and wild dog following them. Much of it can be seen from camp itself, spotlit after dark. Wild dog sightings here are unusually reliable.

Being on private land, Lebala can drive off road and after dark, and night drives across those open plains are particularly atmospheric. Guided walks run too, though they depend on weather and where the game happens to be, and go ahead only at your guide's discretion.

The main lodge is thatched and holds the lounge, bar and dining area, with a wooden walkway to the firepit where breakfast is taken and a nightcap ends the evening. There is a plunge pool and sun deck nearby.

The rooms

Tents

Eight rooms, one a family unit with two bedrooms. Mosquito-netted walls that let the breeze through and keep the insects out, beamed ceilings and wooden floors, a lounge area and a private veranda with lounge chairs. En suite with a large bath and an open-air shower.

Good to know

  • 8 guest rooms
  • One family unit with two bedrooms
  • Open all year
  • Children aged 6 and over welcome
  • Families with children under 12 must book a private safari vehicle
  • Walks at the guide's discretion, depending on weather and game
Why we are happy to send you here. Kwando Safaris is entirely Botswana-owned, with 98 per cent Botswana staff and 100 per cent in camp. They back the Lady Khama Charitable Trust, their Bucket Project delivering household essentials around Maun, and Mummy's Angels for mothers and newborns without support, matching guest donations to both. Every booking we take also plants trees in deforested parts of Africa through The Travel Forest, and supports the Tribes Foundation.

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