Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Anyone stayed in Kavita Lion Lodge, Etosha area?

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Anyone stayed in Kavita Lion Lodge, Etosha area?

I just came across this lodge yesterday whilst surfing on the go2africa site, and was tickled by the name... Since Etosha is on our list of possibles for the next safari to Namibia and Botswana in 2004 I am wondering what this place is like and how it compares with other Etosha lodges. Has anyone stayed or seen this lodge? Can you also give me feedback on other Etosha lodges? Thanks Kavey (Kavita)

ttt Anyone have any feedback on Etosha in general and on this lodge too? Thanks

Etosha is a national park rather than a private preserve which makes a big difference in the viewing. The roads in Etosha are well maintained paved and hard dirt roads. There is no off-roading which means that if you see something intriguing, you cannot get closer to it. Since the park opens at sunrise and closes at sunset, animals who prefer to feed early or late cannot be seen. The game is centered at natural looking man-made waterholes easily accessible by car. There were often several cars at the more active waterholes which took away the feel of being in the bush and making it more like a zoo. The water holes are very spread out and it takes a good deal of time to get from waterhole to waterhole as the park is huge. Although it is a beautifully planned park and meticulously maintained, I definitely prefer the private game facilities. We stayed at the Ongava Lodge, a Wildnerness property on a private reserve adjacent to Etosha. An intentional hole in the fence allows the small animals and predators to move freely between the two areas. There is an active waterhole which can be seen from the dining area. Our game drives on the property were very worthwhile. The highlight was finding four white rhinos on a walking safari who totally ignored us while we watched them from 30 feet away.

Wow, I'd love to ser rhinos in the wild. Thanks for your feedback Evelyn. In light of the other private game reserves you visited would you say that Etosha, in your mind, is worthwhile for visitors who will be going on to visit Botswana? I'd heard it was mainly for self drivers who may not visit the more remote reserves? I posted about Kavita lodge just coz it has my name (Kavey is just a nickname for Kavita). Thanks

Kavy, since you have been on game drives in more remote areas and in Mombo, I suggest you skip Etosha. Did you go to Darmaland and the Skeleton Coast in Namibia? I heard that those were worthwhile and different in terms of environment rather than game.

I did go to Damaraland but not to Skeleton Coast. I am now starting to think about my trip in 2004 (I know it's ages away but the planning keeps it alive) and hope to include the Skeleton Coast in this trip. Trouble is if I include all the places and camps I am looking at the trip would be months long and cost me more than my house (and I live in London)! I am leaning towards missing Etosha.. would have been fun to swing by my namesake though but not when time there is so precious. Thanks for your input.

I stayed at Kavita Lion lodge wich was a wonderfull personal place. Really worth while altough it doesn't have access to Etosha (yet?). And their wildlife is not so overwelming. It is a great stay for a short time of rest during a busy tour. That is how we used it and the owners are very friendly.

Maud Thanks for the feedback... I was so tickled to see a lodge with my own name that I just had to find out about it... We won't be visiting Etosha in our next trip (2004) but I do appreciate you taking the time to reply to my query. Thank you.

Last year (August 2001), I combined a trip to Ongava (the Wilderness lodge mentioned above) with three nights in Etosha (one night each moving west to east from Okakuejo to Halali and then Namutoni). Unlike others, I really enjoy the self-drive in national parks, and enjoyed Kruger more than Mala Mala and the Etosha lodges more than Ongava. To me, the private reserves are much more like zoos than the national parks -- the private reserves are smaller and you're driven from animal to animal whose location has been relayed by radion. While you'll get no argument from me that the lodging and food are far superior in Ongava, creature comforts were not the motivating force of my safari, and while the accomodations in Etosha are by no means luxurious, they are comfortable. Also, while the waterhole at Ongava was interesting (many black rhino visitors at night), the best waterhole, by far, in the park is the one at Okakuejo -- many elephants and black rhino during the evening I spent there, plus a wide variety and abundance of other animals. Etosha is enormous and although you might share waterholes with others, it never feels busy. You'll also control your schedule, and, if like me, you want to spend an hour or more at one waterhole, you can do so. There is no need to rush. Bear in mind, the lodges within Etosha are not luxurious, but rather are utilitarian. I understand that you've been to Mombo (which I understand is even more chic that Chitabe and Savuti where I stayed), and if you expect a commensurate level of luxury, you will dread the lodging in Etosha and will only be happy with Ongava. I guess its a matter of what your going for -- beef wellington on fine china or an abundance of rhino just outside your chalet. I've tried both, and I much prefer the downscale lodgings within the park.