Just passing along the word I received from our travel agent. There was a fire in early May at Chitabe Lebide that burned down the "main" lodge (with the dining room). Evidently they have converted the office/curio shop into the dining area and are continuing to operate with no claimed interruption in service. Rebuilding was estimated to take around 2 months.

I am very sorry. Hope no one was hurt. Fire there is not that uncommon. The main camp burned down before my 2005 visit.

No interruption in service. How fortunate for those booked in.

sorry to hear!

We just returned from Chitabe Lediba few days ago. "No interuption in service"...means the bar, dining and lounge are all in the one tiny 15 ft by 20 ft converted building. They try to make it nice. Things are just thrown together and tacky compared with the other 2 lodges we enjoyed. Try is the operative word at this camp. Alas, I think every one of the guests we met suffered disappointment at the place. This is a very expensive vacation. I felt bad for the honeymoon couple. The Lediba staff are reduced to about 4 people who do absolutely everything. Every other lodges has oodles of staff around to keep it lovely. Pity the poor Lediba manager tried so hard bless her heart. Why is she being worked 24 hrs a day without respite in such a situation? What in the world are Wilderness and the lodge owners trying to pull? The "traditional camp style" accomodations are old and dusty to begin with. There also is NO privacy in the toilet area of each tent. If you have a case of Africa belly you best have an understanding partner. So in all without a main lodge building it is really not such a nice place. The variety and number animals were great in the Chitabe area. Our guide was ok but not the best. Was this stay worth it? No not to us. This was the final stay of our 4 week trip in Africa. Too bad we had to end of this note. My own advice to those with Chitabe Lediba plans ask to change if possible. We did talk to people who were guests during the fire. They said everything was handled well by the staff. The pool area is untouched. The loo with the view is untouched. These comments only represent my view. YMMV. Our full trip report will follow.

When things like a fire in a wilderness location destroys things like a lounge and dining etc etc., it is best that travellers realize that things are difficut to repair and reconstruct overnight in a remote place. Sounds like Chitabe is trying everything that they possibly can do to keep things operational.

Can't believe people are disappointed after having good game viewing. Imagine what a disappointment it would be if those who are booked can't go at all because of a closed camp????

Never been to Chitabe - but, the above post seems to be reflective for the demand for things to go 6 paw! ijkh, not to be critical of your post ....... just reflecting how the safari destinations are constantly changing!

Your full report will probably shed more light on your ok guide, the wildlife you saw, and the group toilets.

The spot designated for your personal loo really could be viewed by other guests?

I remember at Chitabe Main camp when I ventured to the far reaches of my shower area I might have been viewed by vehicles entering the camp if they looked in my direction. But if I curtailed my naked wanderings to near the spiggot, I had complete privacy. Other than the leopard that treed its kill near my toilet and shower, I believe there was no invasion of my privacy.

Or was there no privacy within the tent? When I've traveled with friends and we've shared a tent like this, we just averted our gaze when nature called one of us. Kind of like in the locker room of a gym.

Your comment "without a main lodge, it was really not such a nice place," means you probably should not have been booked there fire or not. It probably was dusty, especially post-fire. Even without a fire "traditonal" and "camp style" should indicate there may be dust and a rustic setting.

If the fire had frightened all the wildlife away or had prevented you from normal game viewing activities I would better understand the disappointment. Close dining quarters shouldn't detract greatly from your overall experience, given the reason was a fire.

In remote places fires and such will be more disruptive and things will take longer to return to normal. Understanding this is part of the bargain of going to these spots. It appears the staff on hand were doing their utmost given the circumstances.

Your entire report may have more of a go with the flow and appreciate the privilege of spending 4 weeks in Africa tone than this account of a single unfortunate event. I realize you are just calling the fire at Ledibe like you saw it. You were there and I wasn't. Be glad you weren't in Chengdu.

Hari -- Interesting comments. I think a huge part of the disappointment in a situation like this comes from the amount of money spent. At $2000 per night per couple, a stay at a 5-paw camp is more expensive than just about any super-luxury place anywhere in the world. Traveling with a kid or two takes this into the stratosphere -- for a family of four, you're looking at $12,000 for three days!

It's natural in that situation to be asking oneself if the experience is "worth it," -- to almost unconsciously to be noticing ways that the experience conforms to or deviates from the "ideal" bush experience, in order to justify the amount spent to oneself. I think this is true for even the wealthiest guests.

For just about everyone, I'd imagine part of the "ideal" bush experience involves the communal areas of the lodge, including a beautiful, rustic place to have meals with new-found friends etc. Although I haven't even gone on my trip yet and certainly wasn't around for the good old days of pre-6 paw Botswana, my guess is that this has been part of the appeal of even the more rustic lodges for most travelers for a long time.

It's not like this traveler was disappointed by the unavailability of silly affectation adopted by a higher end camp, like a burnt-out creme brulee torch or a malfunctioning hot-stone-massage stone-warmer or something. The main part of the lodge was gone! And reading between the lines, it sounds like Wilderness Safari did not offer to refund any part of the price. I find that unbelievable!

My guess is that if Wilderness Safaris had offered to refund, say, 50% of the cost, this guest and others would have been more than happy to cheerfully make do with a less than optimal situation!

Isabel,

I can understand the disappointment of not having a lounge to sit around to read during the siesta break or whatever and trust me, I am fully aware of the cost implications of Botswana safari .......

My point is, things like a fire is possible in these areas and is not uncommon. And typically, these are beyond the control of the operators. Giving the benefit of the doubt to someone like WS who I'm sure are doing everything in their power to resurrect the camp ...... I don't see any reason to be complaining. These are some of the uncertainties of going on safari isn't it? It isn't the same as booking a stay in say, The Plaza Central Park where everything is pre-determined and you can't accept a few things going astray.

What would you rather have? Chitabe close down camp until all renovations are complete and tell their guests, I'm sorry can't accomodate you at camp because our lounge and dining won't be ready for three months. Where do they go? All their other camps are probably full anyways .... and maybe some people picked Chitabe for things like wild dogs or whatever?

Not my intent to stir a controversy, but, it just appears to me that people are starting to see safari destinations more like a beach resort or worse like a cruise trip!

Why would Chitabe or any place else refund anyone any money for a wilderness fire that destroyed their lounge?

PS: The poster did state that there is a bar/lounge/dining common area that has been put together under the circumstances. Just not as luxurious as the permanent structure ..... well, that's probably all that could be done!

Interesting first hand report. I do not understand why the camp would be understaffed if the normal amount of clients are still being served unless all the staff housing was destroyed.

I think this is the big problem with charging that level of prices, it definitely builds a corresponding level of expectations. Personally I would have been ecstatic that the wildlife viewing was still stellar and roll with the situation as you often have to in remote locations and make it into another colorful Africa story. If this was a small community owned lodge I would expect exactly the situation described and be happy to roll with it and even love to help with clean up etc. But this is the type of thing where you would expect WS to earn it's high costs. With their empire and at $970 pppn in these 'classic' camps you would think they could bring in a mobile set up for staff housing if needed and definitely to provide a suitable common area. I'm sure some guests would have been impressed with that kind of solution and it could have created a unique atmosphere. In my opinion if they can't do something to approximate the product they have sold they should adjust the price to reflect that.

The fire was NOT a wilderness fire. It began in the lodge and was confined to it thanks to the brave action of the staff who by report climbed up into trees with hoses to save it.

"Giving the benefit of the doubt to someone like WS who I'm sure are doing everything in their power to resurrect the camp ......" or are they. Certainly they had cleared the debris but NO work on actual lodge had begun because that requires an architect far away in another country. The beef I have is that:
a) no mention of the fire by WS until any of us arrived. We found out via some fellow guests at another camp who witnessed the fire. IF WS had been smart they would have notified us of the situation in advance and we would have been more sympathetic. There was mention to any of the guests until arrival on the Ledima site.

b) no mention of any refund, discount or coupon toward a future trip even though we paid top dollar for this camp. Others who paid the same money for other 5 paw camps had much better facilities which we experienced at the two other 5 paw camps we stayed.

c) understaffing and lack of staff support for the experience of the stay. Sure it was easier for WS to keep the camp open but at what cost to the guest? There was no thought to increasing the staff to bolster morale due the loss of the facilities. This was not a very fun camp to hang out in at all. The place had the abiance of "shell shock" as no doubt the employees were only a little more week out from the fire. I am not a complainer by nature but this needs to be fixed.
P.S. We loved our other 5 paw camps. We did NOT need 6 paw. After 3 weeks in Madagascar it was luxury enough with this one exception

Thanks for your response - is there a reason why they were short-staffed?

I think your travel agent shares responsibility to have kept you updated regarding the fire? Do they have anything to say? What would you have done differently, if you had known during your trip that a fire had torn down the lounge and dining?

I'm not one to worry about a particular level of accomodation because wildlife viewing is always my priority. But if you pay for a certain level of amenity, and suddenly that amenity does not exist, you should be compensated in some way... a cheaper rate for example.

It makes no difference if the operators are not to blame for the fire and do not have the resources to back up existing staff and quickly replace the lost amenities to the original standard. That is the operators' problem, not the clients', and any argument to the contrary is a cop out. Until the amenity is replaced, you compensate.

I'd already decided not to have anything to do with Chitabe or Wilderness in future because of an over-booking problem in 2005. The efforts of the staff in this latest incident seem without reproach-- but the bosses need a kick in the arse. They should offer a discount to committed clients without waiting for a request.

As Bill says, once lodges start charging these sort of rates and marketing luxury then they really need to provide some sort of refund if they can't provide what's advertised. Yes, things can go wrong in the bush but that is part of the risks they should be covering in their business plan and one of the reasons that rates are high in the delta is because of the infrastructure/risks that have to be taken care of.

They should have advised travellers in advance too, that's what hotels attempt to do if the advertised facilities aren't available.

Lediba has always been a smaller staffed camp with a far more help yourself style approach. As one of the smaller camps, they do this to try and create a more homely atmosphere.

As someone who yesterday left Chitabe, all the gang were at Lediba. The major differece is that Kenny etc were busy working transporting materials so were not always there to do management things.

Whilst I appreciate your complaint, I found the curio shop rather rustic and cool. In most camps, people only use the lounge area for high tea breakfast and dinner, so I was not too concerned. If you were that bothered, you could have easily changed camps and requested to be flown out free of charge.

Hari, you are indeed correct, many Americans, who make up the proportion of guests in Botswana, are pushing for more and more 6 paw standard camps.

Chitabe is actually due to be refurbed at the end of this year. Though it will probably have the Meru tent style, which will be set itself apart from the other remaing wilderness camps.

must 100% agree with isabel!
who/what the fire caused is not the question.
the selling point of such luxurious camps - the always highlight:
lounge, dining, bar facility besides other things.
they charge a whole lot of money. and if anything has an impact on the camp experience itself they should offer a compensation.

it's so easy to show clients a company's willingness to compensate. if something has such an impact on the camp itself: i think a client is entitled to a refund - it could have been 2 nights voucher for the next safari or so. it wouldn't had cost anything right now. but the client gets the feeling of appreciation.

One concern that I have is how the re-building noise will be for my stay in the beginning of August.
As an architect, I look forward to not having someone having to hammer my shower together while I'm in it.

It also makes one wonder how the wildlife is affected by the sounds, smells and activities of rehabbing.

Hope my dogs didn't flee.

LBJ,

Thanks for your comments - your comments makes complete sense and in line with what I've heard from respected people like Skimmer who find Lediba to be amongst their favourite places.

Refreshing that they intend to set Chitabe Lediba apart from the rest of the standard portfolio. It's upto the agents to match the right clientele to this place.

Cheers
Hari

Re-reading this entire thread from top to bottom, I get the feeling that Botswana camps in general emphasises the in-camp experience a little bit more than the outdoors!