Ridge suite
a night, from$760
- King bed or two singles
- Outdoor shower screened by reeds
- Veranda facing the sunrise
- Nearest to the dining tent
Eight canvas suites where the ridge meets the plains
A small tented lodge on land leased from the neighbouring communities, with two guided drives a day, every meal cooked in camp and transfers arranged from the road or the airstrip. Rates move with the seasons, and the table further down shows by how much.
8 suitesnever more than 18 guests
2 drivesa day, led by trained guides
From $760a suite a night, green season
How a day at the lodge runs
The bush keeps its own hours, so the lodge does too. Every part of the day below is optional except the walk back to your suite after dark, which is always with a member of staff.
05:45 Coffee at your tent
Tea or coffee and a warm rusk are left on the veranda before first light.
06:15 Morning drive
Three to four hours out with your guide and tracker, with breakfast stopped in the shade.
11:00 Brunch and the hot hours
A long meal, then rest, a book from the library tent or an hour in the hide by the waterhole.
15:30 Tea, then the afternoon drive
Out again as the heat breaks, ending with a drink as the sun drops.
19:30 Dinner by the fire
Three courses in the dining tent or under the sky, then an escort back to your suite.
Canvas suites on raised decks
Every suite is a tent on a wooden platform with a proper bed, an en suite bathroom with a hot shower and a veranda over the valley. The prices below are the lowest of the year for the whole suite, with all meals and two drives a day included.
River view suite
a night, from$880
- Deck above the river bend
- Deep bath as well as a shower
- Day bed on the veranda
- Hippos heard most nights, not promised
Family suite
a night, from$1,180
- Two bedrooms linked by a covered deck
- Children from 6 years
- Private vehicle at a reduced rate
- Closest to the main area
The Lookout
a night, from$1,350
- Highest point of the ridge
- Outdoor bath on the deck
- Its own vehicle and guide each day
- Dinner served on your deck if you wish
Each suite is priced for the whole tent. Children share their parents' suite at a lower rate, which the reservations office quotes with your dates.
Green, shoulder and dry: what each season costs
Rates follow the rains. The green season brings fresh grass, young animals and fewer vehicles at a lower price; the dry months bring animals to the river and the highest rates of the year.
| Suite, a night | Green | Shoulder | Dry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridge suite | $760 | $920 | $1,140 |
| River view suite | $880 | $1,060 | $1,320 |
| Family suite | $1,180 | $1,420 | $1,760 |
| The Lookout | $1,350 | $1,620 | $2,050 |
Example rates for two guests sharing, with all meals, house drinks, two shared drives a day and laundry. Green season runs April to mid June, shoulder covers mid June, November and early December, and the dry season runs July to October plus the festive weeks. Seasons differ from one region to the next, and local taxes are added at the rate in force.
In the rate, and on top of it
A plain account of what you pay for, so the final bill matches the first quote.
Meals and house drinks
Breakfast, brunch, tea and dinner, with soft drinks, local beer and house wine. Spirits and wines from the cellar list are extra.
In the rate
Two shared drives a day
At dawn and late afternoon in an open vehicle with no more than six guests, so everyone has a window seat.
In the rate
Guided bush walks
Morning walks of one to two hours with a guide and tracker, for guests aged 12 and over.
In the rate
Conservancy fee
Paid straight to the community trust whose families own the land. It funds the rangers and grazing plans, and it is shown separately so you can see where it goes.
$60 a person a night
A private vehicle
Your own guide and vehicle for the whole stay, to drive at your own pace or stay longer at a sighting.
Extra$380 a day
Transfers
A lodge vehicle collects you at the airstrip, or meets you on the road at the conservancy gate if you drive in.
Airstrip$40 a person
Guides who know when to switch the engine off
Every drive and walk is led by a guide who has trained and passed the field guiding assessments recognised where the lodge stands, and who works with a tracker from one of the neighbouring villages. Most of the team grew up within a day's walk of the ridge.
Animals here are wild and move as they please, so nobody can promise a particular sighting, and our guides will never chase, crowd or call an animal to get one. Some drives are full of action and some are quiet; a good guide makes both worth the early start.
- Trained and assessed guides on every drive
- Trackers from the neighbouring communities
- First aid trained staff and a radio in every vehicle
Manners at a sighting
These rules protect the animals and the people who share the land with them. Guides apply them on every drive, even when a guest asks otherwise.
- Engines off when animals are close
- Two vehicles at a sighting, never more
- Voices low, no calling out
- Stay seated inside the vehicle
- No feeding, ever
- No flash or spotlights on animals at night
- Tracks only, never across the grass
- We leave when an animal seems unsettled
- Cattle and herders have right of way
Herders graze their cattle on parts of the conservancy by agreement with the trust. Guides greet them, slow down beside the herds and ask before anyone takes a photograph of a person.
Around camp, from first light to the fire
Inside a suite, breakfast in the bush, the fire after dinner, a tracker at work, the view at dawn and the airstrip run.
Written in the lodge book (example reviews)
Our guide told us on the first morning that nothing was promised, then spent an hour reading tracks with us to find out where the herds had gone. That patience was the best part of the trip.
We came in the green season for the lower rate and found the plains full of newborns and almost no other vehicles. The afternoon storms were short and spectacular.
Our final bill was exactly what the first quote said, and the conservancy fee came with a short talk from the trust about what it pays for. We left knowing where every part of our money went.
Asked before the first drive
Can you promise we will see lions?
No, and nobody honest can. Wild animals move with water, grazing and weather. Guides know the land well and read fresh signs every morning, but every sighting is a piece of luck rather than an item on a list.
Is the camp fenced?
No. Animals pass through camp, mostly at night, which is part of being here. After dark a member of staff walks you to and from your suite, and each suite has a radio and a torch.
From what age can children join the drives?
Children from six are welcome in the family suite and on shared drives. Walks are for guests aged 12 and over. Families with younger children can book a private vehicle, so drives can end when the children have had enough.
Is there power and a phone signal?
The lodge runs on solar power with a battery bank, so you can charge cameras and phones in your suite. There is wifi in the main lounge only and patchy signal on the ridge.
When is the deposit due, and what if plans change?
A deposit of 30 percent confirms the suite, and the balance is due 60 days before arrival, both arranged directly with the reservations office. If you cancel earlier than that, everything paid comes back to you less a $150 handling charge; closer to arrival, the terms in your confirmation apply, so travel insurance is wise.
What should we know about health before travelling?
Vaccination and malaria advice differs by country and changes over time, so speak to a travel health clinic well before you go. The lodge has first aid trained staff and a plan for evacuation in a serious emergency.
Tell the reservations office your dates
Choose a suite, give us the night you arrive and the morning you leave, and say how you plan to reach us. A member of the reservations office replies within one working day with a full quote for your season, including the conservancy fee and transfers.
- No charge until you accept the quote
- 30 percent deposit to confirm
- Diets and mobility planned before you arrive
Reach the lodge
The reservations office answers by phone six days a week and by email every working day. The lodge itself keeps a radio open from dawn until after dinner.
Reservations
On a community conservancy about three hours by road from the nearest regional town; directions come with your confirmation
Office and lodge
| Reservations office | Monday to Saturday, 08:00 to 17:00 |
| Lodge | Open all year except two weeks in May |
| Radio at the lodge | Every day, 06:00 to 21:00 |
Getting to the ridge
Most guests fly by scheduled light aircraft to the conservancy airstrip, 25 minutes from camp. Others drive in on a good gravel road and meet a lodge vehicle at the gate, and we send the route with your confirmation.
Ask about transfers