Deception Valley Lodge

Reviews

"Deception Valley Lodge is a place you would like to stay forever, The quiet, clean, extremely comfortable place with one of the best Chef de cuisine of South Africa is simply a dream destination. You pass your days watching the wild animals around, with pauses around the swimming pool or the wonderful open lobby, the evenings around a big fire, with the jackals wining in a distance, or even the lions softly calling their cubs. Deception Valley is a dream."

- Dunya

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"Despite the rainy season arriving late which meant it rained everyday we still had a great time here. The camp is run very well with friendly, knowledgeable staff and great food. We saw lots of game and the lions in particular were a highlight. The walk with the San Bushman is not to be missed. Would like to go back at a sunnier time of year."

- Mandy

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"Can't say enough about every aspect of our stay: the sere natural beauty and soul of the Kalahari, superbly decorated and comfortable individual suites, wonderful food,delightful staff who made us feel more like guests than clients. Most of all,Jako, the host/owner/guide, had impressive and extensive knowledge about animals, history,and just about everything else! He gave us endless personal attention, answering every question, and took us on treks where we saw more wildlife than we did on any of the other 3 game reserves we visited. Jako works with a San tracker and together we tracked a pride of lions and safely watched them from a very close range! Later that evening, when we were sipping our "sundowner" drinks in the bush, two San men re-enacted their ancient ways of finding water, making a fire, making beer, and robbing the cave of a honey badger...they sang us songs, showed us how they used thorns and sinew to sew their hunting bags, and shared from their gentle souls, the sweet,innocent ways of the past. We are still deeply touched and will never forget this extraordinary and authentic encounter! Marilyn and Nick"

- Marilyn

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"A privately owned lodge that offers everything, great game drives with expert trackers and guides, amazing food, friendly staff and well decorated rooms. We enjoyed three nights with two game drives each day and a walking safari with two of the local Naru bushmen, it was certainly a highlight! Also having to track the animals and go off road was a great experience. The knowledge offered of the area and the animals helped us to understand the environment in the Kalahari. Thank you we loved our stay Suzi and David - Australia"

- Suzanne

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"This lodge is another top quality establishment. The owners have created this into a definite place to visit for at least 3 days. We have to compliment Anuschka, the chef, on the food. This is in line with any top class restaurant, and you are in the middle of Botswana, very far from a supply chain. The rooms are 5 star, the service is highly professional, the game drives guarantees to be very special. We got within 30 meters of a big lioness. The afternoon we spend with the local Boesmans (Bushmen) explaining and demonstrating the old way of living will be dearly remembered. Yes it is expensive, but it was value for money."

- Alex

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"We stayed here on the 23-24th April 2015. Our holiday was only a week long but I wish we could've spent the whole time at this camp. We were the only ones in the camp for the first night so had a great game drive by ourselves and a lovely candlelit dinner by the fire. The food is spectacular, easily the best I have ever had at a camp in Africa. I love the way they structure the day as well, with coffee and biscuits before an early morning game drive, more on the drive, followed by a cooked breakfast when we get back to camp, the afternoon at leisure, afternoon tea followed by an evening game drive that included snacks and sun-downers, and finally dinner on return to the camp. We never felt rushed or bored. The story of how the camp came into existence is definitely worth hearing, a true labour of love which is evident in the attention to detail around the camp. It also feels like a magical place when you know you won't see any other trucks on your game drives as this is a private reserve. Can't recommend this place highly enough!"

- Katie

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"We visited DVL after recent rains which provided a beautiful lush and green bush-veld experience with particularly excellent bird sightings. The game drives led by bushmen added an additional element of excitement especially when fresh spoor were identified and the thrilling game of tracking begins! Another highlight is the bushmen walk where we were given a first-hand look into the way the bushmen survived using the resources provided by their environment. It was absolutely fascinating and a lovely way to keep their culture alive! The lodge itself provides for a very comfortable stay conducive to clutching out and getting in touch with nature (literally, as the camp has no fences! Brilliant!). Refreshing outdoor showers, constant musical chattering of birds, friendly service and long afternoon siestas are all on the cards...not to mention the scrumptious daily meals. Well worth a visit!!"

- Kirsten

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"The Private Game Reserve is very interesting and very well managed: sightings are ensured not only for the quantity of game, but also because of the passion of the guide and mostly for the deep bush confidence and experience of Zami the Bushman tracker. The location and the building colonial style are very beautiful. The meals are made with the local products of dry bush: mushrooms too! The lights and the atmosphere at dinner are really a poetry."

- Valentina