Recreational experience in desert landscape, newly decorated tents & fine food:

We two families (each with a teen) chose this stunningly located lodge in the midst of a private reserve as a “grand finale” (last three nights) of our excellent Botswana, Namibia and Victoria Fly-in safari guided expertly by Ultimate Safaris (sightings included the Big 5, wild dog and sitatunga). This because we knew the lodge from our last trip (three years ago), and we liked it at the time. Again, it was a recreational experience unequalled to almost any other places. This desert landscape with all the different colors is really something special!

We were pleased to learn that the dents had been refurbished and updated. The bathroom is now much larger and better furnished than last time, we liked it … All nine tents are oriented to the rising sun, so you are able to enjoy the first sunrays. And you can do this indulging in the early morning tea and cookies provided by the staff, a nice touch!

The public space (two lounges, a bar, a library and two dining rooms) is beautifully decorated and has a peaceful feel. There is also an adequately sized pool with a relaxing sun deck. 

As far as the food is concerned you shall not be disappointed as it is of a very good quality. When staying here, you are on half board. This includes a good breakfast, a delicious lunch, delicate cakes in the afternoon and a sumptuous dinner. The employees are attentive, courteous and eager to please. 

As we had our own guideI (from Ultimate Safaris), I cannot comment on the activities offered by the lodge. Things to do include nature drives and walks. But do not expect spectacular game viewing because Wolwedans is more aboutrecreation than action. For me it is the ideal final point after an eventful safari trip.

To conclude, this is the perfect (relaxing) stay in a wonderful landscape. And this with the benefit of nice rooms and fine food. The only (minor) negative aspect for me is the fact that the rooms are not connected to the main complex (restaurant etcetera). So you have to “wade” through (small) sand dunes to reach it. I am aware of the fact that this layout is due to fire restrictions. Yet I think there would have been more comfortable solutions …

Date of stay: October 2010

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Good location, well furnished rooms & courteous staff:

We (two families with a teen each) spent one night at this nice boutique hotel. It is located in a rather quiet neighborhood near the town center. And many tourist spots are within walking distance. 

We were warmly received and decided to have the offered welcome drink later on. It was about a good glass of wine and canapés, a nice touch, which we had before dinner. My husband and I had the “Queen” room (out of totally eight rooms) featuring (of course) a queen bed. Pity about that, we found it too small. And this especially in view of the huge room. It offered contemporary furnishings and a spacious modern bathroom, we liked it … Breakfast was also an enjoyable affair. They served it (no buffet), and everything was of a very good quality. There is also a restaurant (pre-booking only) that we did not try out.

All things considered, staying at Hotel Villa Margherita was a pleasant thing and a good change compared to the rest of the trip (a brilliant Botswana, Namibia and Victoria Falls fly-in safari guided expertly by Ultimate Safaris, sightings included the Big 5, cheetah, wild dog and sitatunga).

Date of stay: October 2010

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Absolutely superb location, good restaurant, but a bit dated tents:

On our brilliant Botswana, Namibia and Victoria Falls fly-in safari guided expertly by Ultimate Safaris (sightings included the Big 5, cheetah, wild dog and sitatunga) we (two families with a teen each) also made a stop at this beautifully located lodge amid rocky hills.



The facilities can still be described as good. There is a lovely pool between boulders, the most beautiful spot for sundowners (on top of the rock) as well as a nice tented restaurant and lodge. Also the food was very good. The dinners were excellent as were the breakfasts. When it comes to service, it was good at the restaurant and okay everywhere else.

As far as the activities are concerned we cannot judge the ones offered by the lodge as we had our own guide (from Ultimate Safaris). With him we successfully tracked down the desert elephants.



All in all, Mowani Mountain Lodge is a nice accommodation in a wonderful desert landscape. You get here fine food, yet it could do with some improvements as to the tents (rather dated).

Date of stay: October 2010

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Interesting black rhino tracking in beautiful landscape & newly refurbished camp:

Our two families (each with a teen) stayed at this “classic” Wilderness camp two nights for viewing the endangered black rhino (not to confuse with the rather common white rhino …). We did this on the occasion of our brilliant Botswana, Namibia and Victoria Falls fly-in safari guided expertly by Ultimate Safaris (sightings included the Big 5, cheetah, wild dog and sitatunga).

The camp is situated on a windy (at least during our stay) plain amongst rocky hills. Plus, it was far away from any civilization. The tents (total of eight) had been refurbished recently. And they should satisfy also demanding travelers. You find here a tented restaurant (one long table) and a lounge area. Apart from this there is no more public space. All meals are included in the rate. The arrangement included a (simple) breakfast, lunch (we had a delicious picnic during a drive), (good) cake in the afternoon and a served dinner (we had twice tasty meat).

We considered service as good, the staff usually was helpful and courteous. Activities in this camp are (of course) focused on tracking the endangered black rhino by vehicle. In case of success there is more tracking on foot. As these animals are more aggressive than their counterpart (the white rhino) you cannot go really close. Yet it was nevertheless quite something!



The bottom line is a good camp in beautiful surroundings (when you like rocks) with a somewhat different game viewing (focused on black rhinos).

Date of stay: October 2010

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Here you find the details of our safari through southern Africa. It is about visiting Botswana, Namibia and the Victoria Falls in style. There is more about our itinerary and the hotels we stayed at with some  comments. Furthermore, I included some information about our brilliant tour operator.

Click on the following link to view my Google Map of this once-in-a-lifetime trip:

Botswana, Namibia and Victoria Falls safari

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