Thamalakane River Lodge

I would give the management, staff, rooms and the food a 10/out of 5! They do more and go above and beyond! Traveling with a group of 18 guests and for our 8th day on the road, fresh from Namibia, we arrived here and stayed for two nights. Best two nights of the trip so far! We will be back with our next groups!

Firstly this is a nice property. The chalets are pleasant if a little tight and dark. The staff (Kelly was a great host) were also great and very friendly. However the main issue is that it is very expensive for what you get. We had stayed in other lodges in Botswana and we realised that when compared with other properties and their offerings (including the extent of the breakfasts), this is an expensive stay. When we were there, the pool was also under refurbishment and we could not use it.

Upton arrival we were first informed the lodge was actually fully booked, despite us having the reservation confirmation from ***********. After few min we were told something would be arranged. We paid (for a double chalet) and went for a drink to wait for it to be ready. At nightfall we were brought to a room that looked nothing like advertised. Not on ***********, not on Tripadvisor and not on their website. Not a chalet, but a simple room in a cement building. Basic furniture, bare cement floor (very cold in this season). See pictures. Whilst the other chalets looked quite charming, this block of rooms was clearly added later and seemed to be also used for guides and staff. We however paid full price and were not informed prior to checking in. No apologies or explanation from the managers. They just told us to drop an email to the GM. Furthermore the food was just not what you would except in this price range. Buffet style, tasteless, overcooked. Finally, the lodge is on the river and they advertise sunset river cruises and mokoro trips; however it is apparently a seasonal river. It is now almost dry and those who had booked these activities were left empty handed. Seasonal rivers are actually quite common in this part of the world, however again this is NOT mentioned on the website of the hotel. For us, the whole experience was a good example of misleading advertising, and of some of the failings of these review system for places that tend to be booked by tour operators.

Spacious lodge on the riverside with resident hippos and plenty of birdlife. Rooms clean and authentic with ensuite facilities. Fan for cooling with balcony overlooking river. Food and service excellent, pool refreshing but a bit small with just 8 sun loungers. A thoroughly enjoyable stay.

We stayed 1 night here as a layover ahead of our trip into the Okavango Delta. We had read very nothingy things about Maun so ensured we just had the one night there. On arrival here though, we said how it would have been nice to have had a couple of nights! The lodge is on the riverside and we had a lovely view of the river from our bedroom and from the restaurant. Sound of hippos and the sunset were a beautiful start to our Botswana trip. The rooms are really nicely presented, have the amenities required and we’re comfortable. There’s no aircon, but this should be expected if you’re spending time in Botswana lodges - they all strive to be eco, and aircon is not eco! It’s set outside of the ‘town’ and is quiet, slightly better signage along the sandy track would be ideal for self driving as we tried to pull into private property initially, but then again, if you’re self-driving any of Africa you’ll come to expect a few wrong turns, and this one was very easily rectified! Food was tasty and plentiful, we enjoyed a couple of alcoholic bevvies which weren’t overly priced. All in all, very happy with our stay. I knocked 1 star off as I felt it was a little more expensive when comparing to alternative similar properties, but we would stay again despite this.

Lodge was super quaint, food good and view of river amazing … hippos right in front of your lodge … was amazing. The staff did a song and dance after the meal at dinner which was fun … all seemed genuinely happy to be there and were all very helpful. Solid lodge, don’t hesitate to book

What a diference from 2021 to 2023! 2021 was Top! 2023 - our family room was an absolutly NO GO! Bugs on the Beds and Moskitonetz. Stains on Pillows, Hair on the shower drain etc. After being given other rooms which were a little better, we couldn't look upwards to the roof... spiderwebs everywhere! My breskfast the next day was supposed to be bacon, fried eggs with fried Tomato. Well, the tomato was 1 Cherry tomato!!!!

We absolutely loved our stay here. Our riverview lodge was gorgeous and really appreciated the kettle. The patio was a great place for spotting wildlife, we saw three hippos! The buffet at the restaurant and the staff were lovely. Kelly on reception was great and so was the general manager. So friendly and helpful. The only con was the lack of Aircon, which we appreciate is hard in the natural lodges, but the fan didn't make for a comfortable night's sleep. We also struggled on the sandy drive in our little car.

Maun us very hot, it ran 38C - 40C during our 4 days there. The cabins badly need air conditioning.