Chobe River Campsite

Everything about this place is great on principle however so many aspects let it down. Some staff are wonderful and others rude.
Breakfast is ok and dinner is disappointing and expensive, I don’t want to eat the game I have taken photos of, the vegetables are dull and lack variety. The soup & bread was the best option. Accommodation in the chalets is very comfortable, not so well cleaned during the stay.

We arrived a day late for our 4 night stay, and despite us emailing head office to notify them of this fact, our fully paid up booking had been cancelled! Yes, completely removed from the room listing. Something really wrong with Gondwana systems. It's illegal to do that! We have reached out to them by email but received no reply!
Nevertheless we helped the poor receptionist move other guests around on the computer system so we could spend 3 nights in the same unit. And from then, things changed for the better…
The spot is beautiful. The assistant managers that were always in duty were front and centre with the guests and unbelievably professional. The big bosses you barely saw.
We visited in June 2023 which means it gets a bit chilly and you could hear guests in the next tent coughing! A fridge in the unit would have been lovely. The staff had to keep our meat in the freezer for us, and delivered ice to keep our Fridge items cold. I know there've been some renovations done this year. Holding thumbs fridge included.
The buffet breakfast was really good. Quality of fresh fruit etc also good. We ordered lunch in the restaurant which was also very nice. Well presented too. But unfortunately the boma buffet was just so so. Fantastic that they went to the trouble to set up the boma. But the choices of menu items as you can see from our photos of the menu wasn't of the same standard as the rest of the impression the lodge provides. It was very mass produced.

What a wonderful experience, we have booked a Campsite for 4 nights, everything was above our expectations.
The Staff was very nice, all services reception, Bar, Restaurant and not to forget the people who have been in charge for the daily cleaning and maintenance of the site.
The Dinner Buffet at the Restaurant is very good, every day you have a different choice.
Gondwana Collections is also very much engaged to help the Communities that the children have their equipment for school, and to promote it we have had the fabulous chance to have, during our dinner, an amazing event organized by the staff with local music and dance. We loved it, we’ll be certainly back.
Thanks for everything and we wish you a successful continuation.

Chobe River Lodge is a beautiful and exclusive property with a stylish atmosphere. The food was outstanding, especially the grilled springbok.
The only small drawback was that the water level was too low for a river cruise.
Overall, a wonderful stay that we would highly recommend.

Great Wildlife, but Service and Comfort Disappointing.
We arrived during the day with about 38°C and were looking forward to some cool rest in our rooms. Unfortunately, there was no power and therefore no AC — it happens, but it wasn’t the most welcoming start. Power returned in the afternoon, but the AC wasn’t working properly plus dripping water and turning on and off during the night. It wasn’t the best night’s sleep.
The next morning, there was no water — no shower possible, which wasn’t a great start after that rough night.
At lunch, service was very slow. We were seated but nobody came by, so we had to call the waiter for menus after about 10 minutes, and again another 10 minutes later to finally place our order. The restaurant was rather quiet, but the staff seemed even quieter — not very guest-oriented, which was disappointing considering the high rates the lodge charges.
The staff-highlight was definitely the chef — he was very kind, attentive, and even cleaned tables himself because the waiters were nowhere to be seen.
We decided to go for a normal game drive since the river was quite low. It started off rather uneventfully but ended with a great game viewing experience, which was a nice conclusion to an otherwise mixed stay.

This was the second time we have camped here. The staff was so friendly and helpful.
Camping spot just perfect with own ablutions and deck. Lovely trees and shade if you want shade.

We spent two nights at Chobe River Camp in a cottage, the first one right next to the swimming pool. The house was fantastic with a view of the river. The amenities were wonderful and everything was well-maintained and clean. The dinner buffet cost 395 Namibian dollars.
We did the sunset boat cruise twice because it was so incredibly beautiful and the guide provided good information. The cruise was even more special with nice snacks and drinks included — one day we enjoyed a G&T and the other day we opted for white wine. The cruise cost 505 Namibian dollars per person. The staff at the restaurant and reception could be a bit friendlier and more emotional. Otherwise, this accommodation is an absolute dream and we would love to come back anytime.

Stunning view from each room. Exquisite interior design. We did a bird walk and a boat cruise — both with guide Marshal, who has superb fauna and flora knowledge. Great almost infinity swimming pool.
The meals were disappointing — ran out of food and each time had to request more; food didn't correspond with the menu. Unfortunately the staff attitude was disappointing — unfriendly and even rolled their eyes when requesting service (information at reception, tea or bacon! ). Quite loathe to offer any service. A shame for such a stunning new camp — opened 3 April. Hopefully these teething problems will be addressed promptly.

Gondwana lodges are quite beautiful and take great care of the environment and the communities around them.
This lodge was no exception, the rooms were gorgeous, the colour palettes well thought out and the beautiful big window out of the room, excellent. Gave you great undisturbed view to the floods-plain.
However, the window being huge is also a problem as there was no tint or privacy tint and the cattle herders and people from the community who were walking outside the rooms had a great view of us too (inside the tents). The camps will benefit from privacy film on those windows, without affecting the view.
The staff service was actually not good, but not high as at other Gondwana lodges. Electricity went out, they started the generator, but not all the rooms had electricity. We were unlucky and didn’t have electricity, the staff assured us they’ll restore power, but we ended up with no power and water from 13:00 till we checked out the next morning. It was not a great way to enter the new year. No light, no candles offered, luckily there was still some water left in our geyser tank to take a shower in the morning.
Overall, I’d recommend the camp, but bring a torch (luckily we had one). If you do not have 4x4, I suggest you call ahead of time and ask the lodge to assist you with the small car route, they’re happy to. The road was a bit tricky as it had just rained so there were a lot of big puddles, mud, and slippery terrain.

A fabulous campsite with the best private, tented area, great bar and restaurant, lovely pool and great view of the river. The photos don’t do the campsite justice — very private and secure.

Room is spacious, very nicely decorated, neat & clean. Bed & pillows are comfortable. Lotion, shampoo, conditioner, body wash provided. Wonderful view of Chobe River from dining area. Check in & check out was efficient & quick. Staffs are helpful & speak English.

Excellent 👌!
Beautiful homes with amazing views, thought-out design and airco 🌅
Great swimming pool 🏊
Many animals across the water 🐊
Delicious dinner: absolutely phenomenal 😋 using healthy ingredients in the right proportions and combinations! There was a campfire 🔥 with a very cozy atmosphere. Haven't had such a great dinner in a long time.

Chobe River Campsite is beautifully situated on the banks of the Chobe River, very close to the Ngoma Bridge Border Control with Botswana. Each campsite features practical tents with private showers and toilets. The pool is very nice, and the restaurant serves great food, though it needs to be booked in advance. Everything is well-settled, and despite some trouble with the hot water during our winter stay, we would surely recommend this campsite. A highlight was the visit from a small herd of elephants near the campsite, which was a lot of fun.

We spent an unforgettable day here late June 2024. River Camp has been undergoing quite a transformative upgrade, with many of the new and substantially upgraded units already completed. Once all is done this will no doubt become an even more popular destination.
We stayed in one of the newly built East-facing units, which are tastefully furnished with beautiful decor and views. It was the dry season — from photos it seems that these will also have great water views during the wet season. Several nice luxurious touches and thoughtful architecture included in the rebuilds! We hear the main lodge/dining area will also receive an upgrade shortly to complement the stylish new units.
A large herd of buffaloes across the Chobe river was a special sight to watch in the morning over the buffet breakfast, which like all Gondwana establishments, was tasty and well-prepared. An added bonus would be a facility for heated plates, especially on those cooler winter mornings. Dinner the night before was tasty and good (but to be honest there’s probably a little room for some improvement here) — served outside in a large boma surrounded by leadwood posts and with a big bonfire in the middle — that created a bit of a cosy game lodge vibe and is quite beautiful.
A big shout-out to the management: an issue that we experienced was resolved through the caring and professional attitude of management on site (Frank and colleague), as well as head office in Windhoek.

Stunning game drive — more than 300 buffalo, elephant herds, great for birds. Currently accommodation is under renovations — a bit noisy.

Simply a wonderful accommodation! Situated right next to the Chobe River, there is so much wildlife to spot. Often giraffes would come out of the Chobe National Park and you could see them in the distance from the porch. The tents were very clean and to my surprise there we no insects or any mosquitos. The food was great too, with many vegetarian/vegan options as well. The staff is very kind and friendly. For a lovely escape into nature the Chobe River Camp is ideal and we hope to be back soon.

Had car trouble en route, and despite sending emails to the booking office explaining our delay, when we arrived after 6pm, one day late, our reservation had been cancelled. This was to be our first camp of 3 for the 9 days that we booked, and paid for in advance in the Gondwana group in Namibia, so extremely distressing. It took us about an hour to check in and we helped receptionist Beauty to re-arrange bookings to give us our 3 consecutive nights in one room.
We also somehow misread the marketing material and were very surprised not to have a kitchen or at least a fridge as we generally do self catering.
But a happy surprise was that the price included breakfast, which was a really nice spread with quality ingredients. We had the boma dinner one night, but felt the menu was very boarding school like and could be elevated for the experience. We also ate lunches and dessert at the restaurant which was of much better standard. The duty manager Bevan is a real people person and an absolute asset to the lodge. The area had a problem with no power for a day, and of course the Wi-Fi couldn't work with the tower down. Felt so sorry for the staff trying to assist Guests checking out. And also dealing with the elephants at night, who crossed the river into the camp.
Despite all this the location is amazing, staff friendly. We finally felt we were on holiday and could destress, enjoying walking around the area and birding. The boat cruise is an absolute must.