About This Property
Muchenje Safari Lodge sits high on an escarpment in Chobe Forest Reserve, on the quieter western side of Botswana’s Chobe National Park. The Chobe River and its seasonal floodplains run below the decks, with Namibia on the far bank. It is owner-run — opened in October 1996 by Shaun Metcalfe and Ted Makgekgenene, who remain involved — and about 45–50 minutes from Kasane Airport, two hours from Victoria Falls.
There are no fences between the western park boundary and camp, so wildlife moves through. Game drives use Ngoma Gate, about five minutes away, and work the western river road rather than the busier Kasane front. Because the lodge is outside the park, it can also offer walks and after-dinner night drives on the Forest Reserve, and mokoro on the floodplain when the water is up.
Official accommodation is 12 thatched cottages: 11 standard rooms (twin or king, en-suite shower, double basins, private deck, air conditioning, ceiling fan, minibar, tea and coffee, safe, mosquito nets, hairdryer) and one family cottage with a mezzanine for two children, two bathrooms and a large deck. Go2Africa still writes “11 chalets”; the cottages page says 10 plus family. We have followed the current rates page and Expert Africa: 11 + 1. Expert Africa also notes a larger honeymoon room with a lounge and double verandah among the standards. Maximum on two-per-standard plus four in the family unit is 26 guests; only two triples are allowed at a time.
The main lodge is thatch, wood and stone: lounge, bar, communal dining, viewing decks, a year-round swimming pool looking over the floodplain, a firepit, a small library and a curio shop. Meals are usually shared; private dining, a pool lapa and a bush braai in a nearby boma are offered. Chefs cater for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free if told in advance. House drinks are included; premium is extra.
The signature outing is a full-day into the park: drive to Sedudu jetty near Kasane, a private Muchenje boat for about 2.5 hours (often with lunch on board while elephant use the banks and Sedudu Island), then a slow game drive home along the river. Vehicles are capped at six guests. Go2Africa’s from-price is USD 585 per person sharing, fully inclusive, with Kasane transfers and park fees in.
Why We Love It
We love Muchenje for the view and the geography. You sleep on the escarpment in the Forest Reserve, looking down on the Chobe floodplain, then drive five minutes to Ngoma Gate into the quieter western park. Kasane’s boat traffic is a full-day outing, not your dawn drive.
Because camp sits outside the park, the day does not end at the gate. Walks in the morning, night drives after dinner, mokoro on the water in front of the lodge when the flood is in — those are Forest Reserve privileges the riverfront hotels in town do not have. Vehicles are capped at six, which is why we send people who have already sat three-abreast elsewhere.
It is owner-run, opened in 1996, still a communal table and a firepit, with a family cottage if you need it. The rate is fully inclusive of drinks, laundry, park fees and the Kasane transfer. Pay 2 Stay 3 in green season is the value play; July–October needs two nights and books tighter.
It is not new-luxury Chobe. Decks have steep drops, the grounds are unfenced, and the Sedudu boat day is long and dusty. For us that is the trade: a real western-Chobe base with a river in front of it.
Rooms & Details
Standard cottage
Eleven thatched cottages on the escarpment edge, each with a private verandah and a Chobe River / floodplain view. Twin or king.
En-suite bathroom with a large walk-in shower, double washbasins and WC. Air conditioning and ceiling fan, mosquito nets, electronic safe, tea and coffee, minibar/fridge, hairdryer, 220 V round-pin plugs and dressing gowns.
Official occupancy is two adults and one child up to 16; only two triples in camp at a time. Expert Africa also describes a larger honeymoon-style standard with a lounge and double verandah among these rooms — request at booking; it is not listed as a separate category on the public cottages page.
Family cottage
One two-storey family cottage. An open-plan mezzanine sleeping area for two children, two spacious bathrooms and a generous deck.
Master bedroom below, upper mezzanine for two, walk-in shower with double basins, and a separate bathroom with a bath and bi-fold doors onto the verandah. Maximum four adults on the rates page. Children 8–12 pay 50% of the adult rate; 13 and over pay full adult.
Main lounge
The thatched main lodge holds a lounge, bar and dining room, open to the escarpment view. There is no fence between camp and the western boundary of Chobe National Park, so wildlife moves through.
Game drives use Ngoma Gate, about five minutes away, and work the western river road rather than the busier Kasane front. The river-front stay on this site is Chobe Game Lodge.
Swimming pool
A year-round pool with a floodplain view sits beside the pool lapa. Lounge chairs and umbrellas face the escarpment drop to the Chobe River.
Boma
Bush braai and boma dinners are set inside a palisade enclosure, lit by lanterns. The lodge is about 45–50 minutes from Kasane Airport and two hours from Victoria Falls — see Victoria Falls National Park and Zambezi National Park.
Viewing deck
Private cottage verandahs and the main lodge deck look over the Chobe River and its seasonal floodplains, with Namibia on the far bank. Sundowner chairs, side tables and a firepit are part of the evening set-up.
Amenities & Features
Cancellation Policy
Official lodge page: 20% non-refundable deposit on confirmation; cancellation less than 60 days — 50%; less than 30 days — 100%. Full payment 30 days prior to arrival.
Photo Gallery
Rates
Prices start from $585 per night. Final pricing depends on season, room type, and availability. Check current rates on our booking partner's site for the most accurate pricing.
What's Included
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- All local soft drinks and alcoholic beverages (premium brands extra); sundowner snacks on drives
- Morning and afternoon game drives in open 4x4s in western Chobe National Park via Ngoma Gate (max six guests per vehicle)
- Full-day Chobe excursion with private boat cruise (Sedudu / eastern river) and game drive back along the riverfront
- Night drives in Chobe Forest Reserve after dinner (park vehicles must leave the national park at sunset)
- Guided walking safaris in the Forest Reserve (minimum age 12, weather dependent)
- Mokoro on the floodplain in front of camp (water levels permitting; official page says year-round when the river allows, typically from about April)
- Breakfast or lunch at the private Ihaha jetty, with a short boat cruise in season (about April–September)
- Village / school visit (Mabele Primary School and Muchenje village; typically on longer stays)
- Return road transfer from Kasane Airport; park fees included on the published rate
Fully inclusive on the published rate: thatched cottage, all meals, all local soft drinks and alcoholic beverages (premium extra), unlimited scheduled safari activities including the full-day Chobe boat-and-drive, night drives, walks, mokoro when water allows and a village trip on longer stays, park fees, return Kasane Airport transfers, laundry, Wi-Fi in the main lodge, government tax. Extra: VF/Livingstone/Katima transfers, premium drinks, private vehicle, gratuities, river usage fees on some partner invoices.
Location
How to Get There
From Kasane Airport
Kasane Airport is the nearest airport. Official lodge copy: about 45 minutes by road. Expert Africa: roughly 50 minutes, largely on tar, in an air-conditioned minibus, with game often seen along the road. Return Kasane Airport transfers are included. Go2Africa lists Kasane Airport as the nearest airport.
From Victoria Falls / Livingstone / Katima Mulilo
Official: about two hours from Victoria Falls. Road transfers from Victoria Falls, Livingstone or Katima are extra (2026 lodge card: USD 80 per person one way, minimum two). Kasane town / jetty immigration USD 25 pp one way; Zimbabwe or Zambia border USD 40 pp one way.
By road from Ngoma
The lodge is about 3 km from Ngoma Gate, in Chobe Forest Reserve. Bradt: from Ngoma follow signs towards Mabele and Savuti; Muchenje is about 3 km along on the right. Game drives use Ngoma Gate into the quieter western riverfront of Chobe National Park (about a five-minute drive from camp).
Nearby Attractions
Western Chobe National Park riverfront (elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, giraffe, zebra, hippo, wild dog, puku, sable); Chobe River and Sedudu Island boat cruise; Ihaha private jetty; Mabele Primary School and Muchenje village; mokoro on the floodplain; Victoria Falls (about two hours, extra transfer)
Things to Do
At the property
Watch the floodplain from your deck, the main viewing decks or the swimming pool (open all year, floodplain view, waiter service in the main areas). Communal dining, private dining, pool lapa and a bush braai in a boma near camp. Firepit and stargazing after night drives. Small library and curio shop. Wi-Fi in the main lodge. No television.
In the area
Early-morning drives into western Chobe National Park via Ngoma Gate (leave before sunrise; back about 08:30 for breakfast). Afternoon drives about 15:00–15:30, sundowners in the park, back before dark. Night drives after dinner on the Forest Reserve (about an hour: genet, civet, porcupine, hyena). Morning walks on the floodplain and pans in front of camp (12+, weather dependent). Mokoro from in front of camp when levels allow. Vehicles not packed beyond six guests.
Day trips
Full-day Chobe safari: 10:00 departure, private boat from Sedudu jetty about 11:00 for roughly 2.5 hours (elephant and buffalo on Sedudu Island, lunch on board), then a river-road drive back to the western banks. Breakfast or lunch at the private Ihaha jetty, with a short boat cruise about April–September. Village visit to Muchenje / Mabele (sorghum beer, maize pounding, Pack for a Purpose school stop) on longer stays — official activities page frames this on four- or five-day visits; Go2Africa and the owner card also mention it on a three-night stay. Victoria Falls is about two hours (extra transfer).
Good to Know
Cottage count: Official homepage and Expert Africa: 12 cottages (11 standard + 1 family). Official cottages page still says 10 private thatched cottages plus one family cottage. Go2Africa describes 11 chalets. This listing follows 11 standard + 1 family = 12.Children: 8 years and older welcome; under 8 on request in low season only. Families with children 8–12 must book a private vehicle. Walking and mokoro: minimum age 12, at management and guide discretion. One family unit; only two triples in standard rooms at a time. Children 8–12 pay 50% sharing; 13+ pay full adult rate. Unfenced; steep drops in front of many decks; unfenced pool. Parents must supervise. Botswana may require an unabridged birth certificate for children under 18.Park vs reserve: Day drives enter Chobe National Park (stay on roads; leave by sunset). Walks, night drives and mokoro are in the unfenced Forest Reserve, where animals move freely between park and lodge. Full-day boat trips use the busier eastern riverfront near Kasane/Sedudu.Vehicles: Maximum six guests per game-viewing vehicle (lodge and Go2Africa guest notes).Malaria: Expert Africa recommends malaria precautions. Nearest doctor Kasane, about 50 minutes.Power: 220 V round-pin plugs; 24-hour electricity with a backup generator (Expert Africa). Wi-Fi in the main lodge, not claimed in cottages. Credit cards: Mastercard and Visa (not Diners/Amex).Young Explorers: Go2Africa lists Young Explorer programmes; the official child policy does not describe a dedicated kids’ club. Not treated as a confirmed activity here.
Who It's For
Couples, small groups and families with children eight and over who want an owner-run Chobe lodge away from Kasane, with both park drives and reserve walks/night drives. Photographers get a six-guest vehicle cap and a private boat, but will share the eastern riverfront on the full-day outing. Honeymooners can ask for the larger verandah room. Not suitable as a first choice for under-8s (low season on request only), for anyone who needs a fenced camp or a spa, or for travellers who want Okavango-style exclusivity — this is still a national-park riverfront, quieter in the west, busy if you go east to Sedudu.
Best Time to Visit
Wildlife along the western Chobe riverfront is present year-round. Expert Africa and the lodge both flag the drier winter months (about June–October, especially July–October) as the strongest for concentrations of elephant, buffalo and predators on the floodplains. Green season is hotter, greener and quieter, with a published Pay 2 Stay 3 special on 1 December–31 March. Minimum two nights in high season (July–October). Expert Africa suggests at least two or three nights because of the mix of park, river and reserve activities.
