​Overview – Kwando

Anthony Ham
Expert
By Anthony Ham

Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the Botswana & Namibia guide.

Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of the Botswana & Namibia Lonely Planet guide.

Anthony is the author of the Botswana & Namibia Lonely Planet guide.

There are two fully inclusive, upmarket lodges run by Kwando Safaris in Kwando Concession (also Kwando Game Reserve), which is a vast and wild area. Lagoon Camp is located near the Kwando River, and Lebala Camp is near the Linyanti Marshes. Emphasis is on quality service and superb guiding. Activities include game drives, night drives, walking safaris and boat safaris.

Best Time To Go June to October (Best wildlife viewing)
High Season July to October (Higher rates apply but not busy)
Size 2,320km² / 896mi²
Altitude 934-1,024m / 3,064-3,360ft

Pros & Cons

  • Excellent wildlife viewing with four of the Big Five easily spotted
  • A good variety of habitats are seen, through access to the Kwando River and Linyanti Marshes
  • Off-road driving is permitted, which facilitates quality sightings
  • Game drives, night drives, boat trips, walking safaris and fishing trips are available
  • Very exclusive private reserve with great food and stunning lodges
  • Excellent guiding
  • Only expensive, all-inclusive packages available

Kwando Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding

Wildlife

The Kwando River and the Linyanti Marshes attract big herds of animals in the Dry season, from June to October. Four of the Big Five are present (rhino is absent). Elephant, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest are prolific. There is a good variety of other herbivores including impala, red lechwe, giraffe, kudu and tsessebe. Lion, leopard and spotted hyena are common, but cheetah is rarely seen.

Scenery

This big private reserve hosts a variety of habitats. Around the Kwando River is a riverine forest. Ebony and marula trees are just some of the impressive species dominating the scenery. Further south, near the Linyanti Marshes, the scenery is dominated by vast plains, borassus palms, tree islands and patches of wooded savannah.

Weather & Climate

The Kwando Concession has a distinct Dry season (April to October). This is marked by a gradual drop in both rainfall and temperature until August, when both begin to climb again. The equally distinctive Wet season (November to March) does little at first except push down the dust, as intermittent rain begins to fall. But at the start of the year, when the storms arrive, it gives the landscape a good drenching.

Best Time To Visit

The second half of the year sees a number of herbivores spend extended periods at the park, drawn here in the Dry season (April to October) by the park’s reliable rivers and marshes. This is also when visitors are drawn to this and other parks in Botswana, so expect high-season prices. Birders will want to visit when migratory birds arrive with the rains.

Want To Visit Kwando?

Kwando Safaris

Kwando Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
Most Helpful Expert Review
Expert
Emma Gregg  –  
United Kingdom UK

Emma is an award-winning travel writer for Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller, Travel Africa magazine and The Independent.

Unforgettable riverside wilderness
4/5

Northern Botswana is one of the very best regions to see African wild dogs, and Kwando, a magnificent region of wetlands, forest and floodplains west of Chobe, is one of their key strongholds. Large herds of buffalo, giraffes, hippos,...

Full Review

Latest User Review
Ricardo  –  
United States US
Reviewed: Feb 25, 2022
Top Notch Attention to Detail w/great Botswanan hospitality
5/5

I did 3 nights at N'xai Pan NP and 3 nights at Splash in the Okavango Delta. What can I say, everything was superb-and to my benefit, it helps when one is the only customer for the 3 full days like I was at N'xai Pan (thanks all of you...

Full Review