Muchenje Safari Lodge

Muchenje Safari Lodge stands on an escarpment above the Chobe River, on the quieter western side of Botswana's Chobe National Park. There is no fence between the lodge and the park, and the view runs across the Chobe floodplains to Namibia's Caprivi Strip. The lodge opened in 1996 and is still owner-run, with resident directors living on site and a team of more than 40 staff from Botswana, most of them from the surrounding villages.

Ten thatched cottages and one larger family cottage are spread along the edge of the escarpment, each with its own veranda looking over the floodplain. The thatched main lodge holds a lounge, bar and dining area facing the river and the lodge waterhole, with wide decks, a fire pit and a swimming pool that is open all year. Meals are home cooking with a bush flair, served communally or privately on request, and there are bush braais in a boma near the lodge.

Stays are fully inclusive: all meals and drinks, activities, park fees, laundry and transfers to and from Kasane airport. Mornings start with a game drive into western Chobe in an open 4x4, with no more than six guests to a vehicle, and afternoon drives end with sundowners. There are guided walks in the Chobe Forest Reserve in front of the lodge, night drives after dinner, mokoro trips on the floodplain when the water allows, and a full-day safari with a river cruise from the Sedudu jetty, where elephant and buffalo often gather in large numbers. Breakfast or lunch can be taken at the Ihaha jetty, with a short boat cruise from April to September.

Western Chobe is known for its elephant herds, and lion, leopard and wild dog live in the area alongside buffalo, giraffe, zebra and kudu. The guides are trained in birding as well as big game. For more than 20 years the lodge has supported Mabele Primary School, where it runs the school bus, and guests can visit the village and, in term time, the school.