Eagle Island Camp in a Nutshell
Read on if you are looking for ultimate indulgence in a genuine Okavango lodge. This camp is owned by world-renowned hotel group, Belmond (formally Orient Express) and they have leaned this lodge towards similar high standards of luxury and service. To sum up the standards of this property, each tented “chalet” has air conditioning – don’t worry, your environmental impact is minimal as this has been achieved with state-of-the-art solar power! Among all this luxury, the location provides access to ideal locations for water activities. Personally, we feel that this property may put more of an emphasis on the lodge itself rather than the guided bush experience.
Fast Facts
- 11 luxury tented chalets, 1 private suite (all with air conditioning)
- “Wet Camp” with an emphasis on water activities
- 24 guests Maximum
- Price range of USD835 – USD2060 pppn
- 20 meter swimming pool, spa and gym, wifi
- Access to Moremi Game Reserve (chief’s Island) by boat
- Game drives in open 4×4 vehicles, night drives (seasonal)
- Access by boat or light aircraft
- Located in a private concession
- Permanently based helicopter on site for scenic flights
How to Get There
You can fly into the lodge’s own airstrip from just about any other bush airstrip. We like this camp because it is also accessible by boat as part of your itinerary on a mobile lodge-to-lodge safari.
Game Viewing and Activities
This is a “wet” camp, with boating, mokoro and walking safaris being the main activities. The schedule is typical of most bush lodges with activities conducted early morning and late afternoon. This lodge has also recently introduced game drives, however these are offered seasonally as the roads flood annually. The flood pulse makes roads impassable for game drive vehicles during what would mostly be the best time for game drives (June through to October). Therefore, one should not book this camp for these drives but rather for the water activities and the viewing of mostly aquatic species.
Eagle Island is located in a community concession meaning that guides can also conduct night drives on request. The lodge looks directly across the Boro River which separates the island from Chief’s Island in the Moremi Game Reserve.
This camp is also strong on birdlife, being located next to a well know breeding site for various water birds.
A further attraction is that there is a helicopter and pilot based permanently in camp and a “flip” is usually included in the price!
Camp Environment
Belmond safaris have several camps in Botswana, all catering for clientele looking for complete comfort in genuine wilderness areas. The “tented chalets” are large, spacious and well appointed with full air conditioning. In winter this air conditioning unit can also act as a heater! Eagle Island has undergone a complete refurbishment in 2016, seemingly with no expense spared. Each unit is raised on a teak deck with canvas tents covered by thick thatched roofs. Each has adequate privacy, a large front deck and a private plunge pool. Further, you can enjoy a fully stocked mini bar and no extra bill to pay if you empty it!
Wifi is available in camp as well as alfresco dining at your own private table. You can spa in the middle of the day, and even do lengths in what must be the Okavango’s largest swimming pool. We like the splendid vistas from this camp, over-looking the Boro River and its floodplains – usually with a few bull elephants in view.
They have also just updated the camp library with lots of up to date coffee table books and other interesting reads about Africa.
We like the dining arrangement here. Your group or each couple gets their own table, which means no forced conversation (you can socialise around the fire after dinner if you want to). Dinner is on a menu with a few choices for each course of a 3 course meal. That means there are no set meal times: If you are out on a activity, you eat when you get back. This greatly adds to the game viewing experience as meal times don’t force you to leave a sighting or return to camp.
We like this lodge because it is modern and extremely “green.” At great expense, it runs entirely on a large set of solar panels and storage batteries.
Katia Haskins 
PO Box HA 74 HAK