Mankwe Experiences
The below experiences are on offer at Mankwe and are included in the Mankwe Tented Retreat booking. Private Camping guests can enjoy upon request.
Bird Watching
One of the greatest joys of any safari must be birdwatching. Whether going in search of the elusive Pel’s fishing owl or watching flocks of queleas take off over grasslands, you will be spoiled for choice as the national parks and reserves we visit in Botswana include wetland, grassland, woodland, savannah, and semi-desert – each one offering a smorgasbord of bird species to spot.
Game Drives
Whether you prefer enjoying a steaming morning coffee or a cool sundowner during your game drive – or both – these sought-after outings offer the opportunity to come face-to-face with the wild inhabitants of Africa while you trundle through the bush in our specialised 4 x 4 vehicles. These can comfortably accommodate 9 people, offering each guest an unobstructed view of the surroundings and wildlife.
Traditional Boma Experience
Enjoy a memorable evening under the stars in our open-air boma while learning a little bit more about the local people of Botswana and their cuisine. Our highly skilled chefs and staff will prepare a traditional Setswana meal on the fire while telling stories from their cultural heritage and inviting guests to participate in the cooking experience.
Nature Walking
Viewing any object from a closer perspective reveals a lot more than you originally thought it to be, and the bush is no different! Gain valuable knowledge about the smaller plants, insects, and mammals, and enjoy the opportunity of learning to identify animal tracks in this short, but definitely worthwhile, guided nature walk in and around the property.
PLEASE NOTE:
This can be done if the guests and the guides are comfortable to do a nature walk and if there are no problem animals in the surrounding area that is known of.
To be done at Lodges discretion.
Bush Braai
Break free and feel closer to the wild with a Bush Braai adventure in the heart of Africa. Our experienced guides and highly skilled chefs will ensure that you enjoy an exciting evening in the wilderness, while listening to the sound of a crackling fire in anticipation of a mouth-watering grilled meal, which will be served hot off the coals and enjoyed in the starlit beauty of the Botswana bush.
PLEASE NOTE:
This can be done depending on the how dry it is and the weather. During the dry season there can be restrictions on fires in the bush.
To be done at Lodges discretion.
Sundowners
During an afternoon game drive, the guide will park the vehicle just as the bright red sun slowly begins its descent. A table, canvas chairs and a well-stocked cooler box will be set up. A bottle of the finest Cape Chardonnay sits on ice, along with a fine selection of Africa’s favourite beers like Lion Lager, Windhoek, and Black Label and other drinks. To accompany the selection of thirst quenchers are snacks long associated with Africa. Biltong – a traditional snack of spiced, dried meat made with either beef, kudu, or other game. Other typical snacks include dried fruit, assorted nuts, and a selection of canapés from your safari lodge’s kitchen.
As animals return to their hides, the larger predators begin to awaken from their heat induced slumber. Smaller, nocturnal animals such as the bushbabies come out from their daytime dwellings and are visible for the first time. The sights and sounds transform as darkness envelopes the African landscape on our way back to Mankwe Tented Retreat.
The setting is gorgeous right in the heart of the bush with a large watering hole nearby. There’s plenty of wildlife to be seen in the Tented Retreat and nearby.
I saw an elephant getting a drink at the watering hole and the area is crawling with dwarf mongooses. There’s also snakes around as you can see the tracks but I didn’t manage to spot any unfortunately.
The camping sites are large and very private. Ablution facilities are basic but clean and efficient. Access road is through deep soft sand, so a 4×4 is essential. Very nice staff, Gege is such a gentleman 🙂
The Mankwe campsites are at a distance from each other and you have plenty of privacy. You can enjoy your own ablutions intead of sharing them too! They have very good wifi at the reception where you should drive.
The Moremi South Gate is about hour and a half drive away. We did not use it as a base for Moremi but just had some rest there. Ask the owners about a horseshoe lake 17 km away – it is a beautiful place with a lot of wildlife. We visited in the afternoon and saw about 250 elephants at a time in addition to zebras, giraffe and hippos.
Such a quiet and beautiful lodge! Lovely hosts, delicious meals, GREAT comfort in the rooms! Game drive activities included with passionate guides. Perfect location before crossing the Chobe Park. Highly recommended.
Loved our three night stay here recently. Wish we’d not bothered with sun city and spent a week here instead. The staff go out of their way to make your stay enjoyable. So friendly and top quality service. Rooms were quaint. We had a thatched roof on ours which made it seem a bit different. Views to wake up to were amazing with the mountains in the distance. Came down to dinner the first night and saw two rhino grazing a few feet away. Pure magic! Food was decent too- with a wide range of choice.
Mankwe Tented Retreat absolutely surpassed our expectations: it is new and very tastefully appointed (both, the tents and the general areas), it has many beautiful and cozy sitting areas and 2 pools (one of which overlooks a waterhole), excellent cuisine from a very talented young chef Simon, very friendly professional staff and with Johan and Yolandi a wonderful and most engaging host couple that makes you feel so welcome and at home!
The Mankwe campsites are at a distance from each other and you have plenty of privacy. You can enjoy your own ablutions intead of sharing them too! They have very good wifi at the reception where you should drive.
The Moremi South Gate is about hour and a half drive away. We did not use it as a base for Moremi but just had some rest there. Ask the owners about a horseshoe lake 17 km away – it is a beautiful place with a lot of wildlife. We visited in the afternoon and saw about 250 elephants at a time in addition to zebras, giraffe and hippos.
We spent two nights in Mankwe Tented Retreat. The premises have been renewed during the pandemic and it is completely new. Beautifully decorated with a lot of space.
We did a game drive and our guide was with us nearly 12 hours in Moremi and did an excellent job. We spot most of the animals that we could see there.
If we would go back again to Moremi or Chobe I would go to Makwee Tented Retreat without any doubt.
Mankwe Tented Retreat is rustic but very beautiful surrounded by tall mopanes, very clean and well taken care of. We were the only guests there and the staff looked after us very well. Our rental 4×4 broke down and the manager helped us fix it and contact the car rental company, even negotiating for a better 4×4 on our behalf with the rental company.
We had a great, unplanned stay at Mankwe and frequently think of how great the staff and management couple were, turning a bad situation into a great one.
Thank you very much for your help!
Such a quiet and beautiful lodge! Lovely hosts, delicious meals, GREAT comfort in the rooms! Game drive activities included with passionate guides. Perfect location before crossing the Chobe Park. Highly recommended.
The camping sites are large and very private. Ablution facilities are basic but clean and efficient. Access road is through deep soft sand, so a 4×4 is essential. Very nice staff, Gege is such a gentleman 🙂
Mankwe Tented Retreat absolutely surpassed our expectations: it is new and very tastefully appointed (both, the tents and the general areas), it has many beautiful and cozy sitting areas and 2 pools (one of which overlooks a waterhole), excellent cuisine from a very talented young chef Simon, very friendly professional staff and with Johan and Yolandi a wonderful and most engaging host couple that makes you feel so welcome and at home!
