Savuti lodge - Savuti Elephant Lodge

Savuti Elephant Camp in a Nutshell

If you are looking for indulgence in the bush, then this should be a good choice of lodge for you. Savuti Elephant Lodge is owned by a world renowned hotel company (Belmond), therefore similar international standards have been maintained out in the Savuti wilderness. To sum up the quality of this lodge, each luxurious tent has air conditioning! This is something that you would really appreciate in October, our hottest month. With all of this luxury, you also get dramatic game drives in the productive Savuti area.

Fast Facts

12 luxury tents
24 guests Maximum
Price range from USD1390 – USD1920 pppn
Inside Chobe National Park
Heated swimming pool with a view!
Incredible game drives in open 4×4 vehicles (only)
Access by road or light aircraft
Private waterhole in front of the lodge
Mini bar in room
Wifi (not great speed though!)

How to Get There

You can fly into the Savuti from just about any other bush airstrip. We like this camp because it is also accessible by road on a self drive safari or as part of your itinerary on a mobile safari.

Game Viewing and Activities

The only activity on offer here is game drives. This lodge is inside the Chobe National Park, so strict park rules prevent night drives and walks. Savuti offers something special for visitors and it is one of the most sought after destinations for dramatic predator sightings. Years of photographic tourism presence in this area means that the cats are well habituated to the presence of vehicles – so you can get close and easily take pictures. Savuti is a relatively small resource for its predators, so inter-species interactions are fairly common.

General game viewing is also excellent here with dramatic landscapes of the central rocky hills and flat expanse of the Savuti Marsh adding to the theatrics. For more about Savuti, please click here.

As mentioned before, the game viewing from the lodge is also outstanding, because it has its own waterhole in front of camp. You may even choose to rather not go out for a drive?

Camp Environment

The layout and location of this lodge is excellent. All of the tented accommodation face the Savuti Channel with a view of the comings and goings of thirsty wildlife – the lodge pumps its own private waterhole in front of camp. As mentioned, this camp has just been refurbished to meet the modern high standards of lodges in Botswana. The overall layout has been maintained in the tented rooms, with the thatched roofs kept in place for their cooling effect. The tents remain spacious and the finishings lightened up from the older dark teak wood used in the old camp. The decked floors are whitewashed and the canvas used is all light coloured. Each unit has a front deck facing the riverbed with sofas for relaxing. There is a mini bar, air conditioning and wifi in each unit, making this easily the most comfortable place to be in Savuti in between your game drives!

The main area includes an expansive pool deck with sun loungers and umbrellas for shade – the elephants drink throughout the day from the waterhole just below! Slightly raised is a canvas covered area for dining, still with views down to the riverbed. There is also a modern lounge area with plenty of seating options and an expansive library of photographic coffee table books and reference guides. Attached is a bar with an expert barman that can fix you various cocktails on demand. Feel like a proper coffee? Waiters will prepare fresh cappuccinos or espresso! (We should mention that there are not many options for this type of service at other Botswana lodges).

A small curio shop is well stocked and there is also a TV room.

What We Think

The waterhole game viewing possible from this camp is a big plus for SEL – you could even choose not to leave camp?

We certainly do not always go for over the top luxury when it comes to choosing camps, but SEL does have a certain appeal in this regard. Savuti can be harsh and hot and so gaining a little respite by staying at SEL, does have its obvious advantages. Wifi, air conditioning, the heated pool and hotel standard service of cocktails and coffees are just simply to good to resist (if your budget allows mind!).

The game viewing in the Savuti area is of the highest quality and this is an excellent base to explore the area. There are cheaper Savuti options, if you think you do not need all this luxury.

We like the fact that you can dine at your own leisure here – there are no strict meal times and you will be given your own table to sit on. This means no forced interactions with staff or other guests! If you want to eat with your guide, you can always invite him (or her) to sit with you. There are also phones in the rooms, so you can call reception to arrange your after-dark escort to dinner. This is very convenient indeed.

Lastly, one must compliment Belmond Safaris on their investment in solar power for this camp. Using the latest battery technology (with Tesla batteries no less), this camp can operate almost entirely on solar power!

Download a Savuti Elephant Camp Factsheet