Savute Elephant Lodge

Botswana’s Savute region has long been associated with some of the world’s greatest explorers, most famously David Livingstone. At Savute Elephant Lodge you can unleash your inner explorer with a classic Belmond Safari within Botswana. This spectacular new design immerses you in the untamed natural surroundings of the Savute region. It’s here that the mysterious Savute Channel ebbs and flows seemingly at whim. Whether wet or dry, there’s always a rich drama of animal antics to enjoy from the vantage point of the Lodge.

Savute Elephant Lodge features 12 Luxurious Tented Rooms with an artisan-crafted four-poster bed that takes centre stage. Recline on a canopied daybed on a spacious terrace, watching majestic beasts saunter by as you help yourself to refreshments from the cocktail fridge.

The main lodge provides guests with an airy lounge, a convivial space for reading, playing chess or absorbing the views. Swim in the serene pool which blends into the surroundings or treat yourself to an African-inspired therapy in the magnificent Spa Tent. Head over to the exclusive hide and enjoy a front-row seat to the action as elephants, hyenas and leopards gather at the watering hole for their daily refreshments.

Each night at Savute brings a new sense of magic. After the evening game drive, gather around the campfire to experience a unique Boma dining experience. Feast on African specialities as the talented choir sings heartwarming traditional songs.

The Lodge has been reimagined with huge love and respect for the environment, with sustainable features ranging from a state-of-the-art solar grid system and low-energy heat pumps to bamboo decking. So you can be confident of leaving a light footprint.

Just like the explorers before, guests can take home memories and photographs of the magnificent sights – whilst leaving a little piece of their hearts at Savute.

Activities

Head out from Savute Elephant Lodge and find an endless array of things to do in Botswana. With a choice of game drives and activities that allow guests to get up close and personal with the wildlife of Chobe National Park. As well as high concentrations of elephant, the area is home to great prides of lion and other mighty predators.

Viewing Hide
Get closer to the life of the Chobe National Park than ever before. Connect to the wildlife at eye-level from the lodge’s unique viewing hide, overlooking the watering hole. From first light to dusk, guests are guaranteed a front-row seat to nature’s drama. Depending on the time, you might catch lions, elephants, cheetahs, hyenas and antelope gathering for a refreshing drink.

Game Drives
Early morning and afternoon game drives let allow nature goers a spectacular encounter with Africa’s largest elephant population. You may also spot lions, wild dogs, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas. Enjoy rare sightings of rock-climbing klipspringers and elegant roan. Depending on the season, you may also catch the second largest migration of zebra in Africa.

Bushmen Paintings and Baobab Trees
Head out into the bush and find a collection of paintings that will take your breath away. These works by the San Bushmen are thought to be more than 1,500 years old. Then continue on to the amazing baobab grove, a cathedral-like cluster of 13 giant trees that are almost as old as the paintings.

Stargazing
The vast open spaces around Savute make it the perfect place to experience the mesmerising expanse of the African night sky. Use powerful telescopes to witness constellations that you may never have seen before. You’ll also discover how Bushmen used the stars to locate the true south.

About Chobe National Park

When you visit the Chobe National Park, you will never forget the first glimpse of the dazzling, deep blue Chobe River, as it winds its way through sandy terrain, small towns, lush floodplains, dense forests of cathedral mopane trees, and endless broadleaf woodlands. The park is named after this majestic river that protects 10.700 km² of the northern Kalahari desert, providing ensuing wilderness and a game density that is steadily remarkable.

Famed for its massive elephant populations, big herds of buffalo (matched only by some large lion prides) and incredible birdlife, Chobe National Park will leave an everlasting memory. Where else can you find such an amazing riverfront, with bustling wildlife, undisturbed predators, heavenly landscapes and tranquil lodges? The most accessible area of the park is the Chobe Riverfront, this is also where you will find the largest concentration of wildlife. For a more predator-rich area: head off to Linyanti Marshes. Or nourish your soul in the remote Savuti area. Wherever you go in this park, wildlife encounters are plentiful and all of Chobe feels like true wilderness. It is a place that can be enjoyed by everyone: couples, families and seasoned Africa travellers.

We will explain more about the different areas below. But first, a little bit about the history of this special place.

The original inhabitants of Chobe were the Bushmen, followed by the – impressively named – Hambukushu, Bayei and Basubiya. In the 1850s, locals saw explorer David Livingstone passing through the area on his way to the Victoria Falls (a little over an hour away from Chobe National Park), and some big-game hunters seeking trophies and ivory. Luckily, for all the flora and fauna of this unique land, the area was first protected as a game reserve in 1961 and proclaimed as a national park in 1968.

Up to this day, the game density remains exceptional. You will be forced to halt frequently because a parade of wildlife wants to pass by. Much better than stopping for a red light in traffic, right? Moderating the number of visitors to the park keeps it from feeling ‘too busy’, adding to the remote and exclusive Chobe safari experience.