Savuti

Ghoha Hills Savuti Lodge aims to provide discerning travellers to Botswana with a unique, first class safari experience in an eco-friendly and eco-sensitive environment. Ghoha Hills Savuti Lodge lies on the ledges of Ghoha Hills in the Savuti area of the Chobe National Park.

Unlike the vast majority of the country, Central Chobe is not a totally flat landscape. Large outcrops of volcanic rock reach up out of the Kalahari sands, towering over the endless savannah. These hills provide habitat for a completely different array of small wildlife, birds and plants.

The Savuti Marsh has been the stage for many of the most dramatic wildlife documentaries in Africa. The wide open country, good ungulate populations and particularly strong prides of lion and hyaena clans make for dramatic wildlife interaction and excellent viewing opportunities. The now dry Savuti Channel runs through this landscape linking the dry sand-veld, the waterholes, the hills and the grassland that was the Savuti Marsh.

The camp's tents are 4 x 3m Sahara style tents with high roof with a 2 x 3m en-suite bathroom and a 2 x 3m covered area in front of the tent. The tents are fitted with solid base camp beds made up with mattresses, sheets, duvets and pillows. The tents have en-suite long drop toilet facilities and a bucket shower at the rear of the tent. Showers can be ordered as hot, cold or warm and the water is heated in a bucket on the fire. Showers may be taken at any time but on Kalahari safaris the guide withholds the right to limit water use and showering depending upon the availability of water. Both hand towels and bath towels are supplied for the guests’ convenience but guests should bring their own personal items and toiletries.

Each tent has an oil/paraffin lamp on the veranda and in the bathroom and within the tent itself, a LED rechargeable camp light is supplied along with a side table in the sleeping area and in the bathroom. Although each tent has lighting and there are lamps strategically around the camp for navigation, an essential tool for your safari is a headlamp which lets you read a book at night in your tent or catch up with your safari journal as you listen to the sounds of the wild outside!

For families travelling with younger children on private trips, Letaka Safaris have designed a family safari tent, ensuring the children’s safety and their parent’s peace of mind. A family tent is a two-bedroom unit with an adjoining bathroom and lockable exit/entrance with each tent taking 2 people in each.

Savute, a remote and wild corner of Chobe National Park, stretches from the park’s northern boundaries to the Linyanti River. It’s named after the enigmatic Savute Channel, which flows and dries up intermittently, seemingly unrelated to rainfall: it flowed in 2009, again in 2013 and no-one can say when it will flow again.

Savute Under Canvas is a mobile camp carefully positioned close to this channel which feeds into the Savute Marsh, home to exceptional numbers of elephant-hunting lion.

Situated within the unique and haunting Savute landscape, our exclusive mobile campsites are perfectly situated to explore this remote region. The common guest area comprises open-sided tents for dining, pre-dinner drinks, or simply whiling away the time between game viewing adventures with a good book and a frosted beer or glass of wine. Delicious meals cooked over the coals are shared around a blazing fire.

You’ll love the spaciousness of our mobile tents. Each of the five canvas tents boasts a comfortable double or twin bed, as well as an ensuite bathroom, separate flush WC and an outdoor bucket shower – steaming hot water is available on request. A private butler is on hand to assist with any requirements.

Live this real-life adventure, immersed in the wild world of Savute.

Savute Safari Lodge is currently closed for a complete rebuild, and will re-open in June 2024.

The photos here are renders of what the camp will look like when complete.

With the waterhole in front of the lodge being such a focal point of the Savute experience, a lot of work has gone into making the main area and sunken hide one of the most thrilling places to be in Botswana. All guest rooms have views over the Savute Channel ensuring dramatic wildlife viewing.

The sophisticated, yet simple interior décor, blends elements of a traditional safari lodge with a clean, contemporary feel while the colour palate draws inspiration from the harsh and dramatic contrasts of the dry Savute region.

Our top tips:

• While Savute Safari Lodge is closed, we can offer alternative options in the Savute region within our affordable package rates. Please contact info@desertdelta.com for more information.
   
• Our rates and package deals remain the same. No increases.
   
• While Savute offers intense wildlife viewing in the dry season (June – October), we recommend Savute Safari Lodge for green season itineraries. The Savute Marsh sees large numbers of migrating zebras, and the region transforms into a wildlife and birding paradise.
   
• Savute Safari Lodge will be the first Desert & Delta lodge offering a luxurious outdoor shower in each room.